RetropPie 3.7 - CEC (Kodi) and GBA (freezing)

Abs

Hi all,

So i installed the new Retropie 3.7 on my RaspberryPi 3. I did a binary update from 3.6. And the improvements look great. However there are a few issues....

CEC stopped working in Kodi. This is not a Kodi 16 or Kodi 15.2 issue. The reason i know this, is that I have retropie 3.6 with kodi 15.2, but i updated the retropie script to 3.7 (then CEC stopped working). On Retropie 3.7 with Kodi 16, the CEC does not work. On a old image of Retropie 3.6, without updating the script, CEC works just fine. Please could somebody offer some advice to resolve this or the Retropie look at fixing the bug on the next update?
When using the LR-GRSP emulator for GBA, and editing any Meta-Tags in the gamelist, Emulation Station freezes. I tried changing the emulator to LR-VBA-NEXT, but still when i edit any Meta-Tags in GBA, it freezes. This could be a wider problem for editing any Meta-Tags, but it never crashed when i was messing around with the other emulators.

In the end, i have gone back to using RetroPie 3.6, as i found it to be more stable. Maybe it was because i did a BInary Update, possibly the issues i am facing can be resolved by doing a fresh install. I am not sure. HAs anybody else had similar issues?

Thanks
Abs

ShootHere

Adding the error message found in /tmp/runcommand.log for the Kodi issue(s):

fbi: no process found
Failed to start cec.service: Unit cec.service failed to load: No such file or directory.
Failed to stop cec.service: Unit cec.service not loaded.
Segmentation fault

Using the "Extra" repo for this one

When trying to load up the regular "Experimental" it seems to get further but exits and dumps a crashlog in /home/pi/ with the following info:

http://pastebin.com/ShYdAVRt

Rascas

@Abs I don't think there is any bug related to CEC in Kodi, I just upgraded to RetroPie 3.7, and CEC works fine in Kodi 16. I recommend that you update again, then start Kodi, and post your log if it still not working.

Relatively to your second question, I am not the best person to anwser it.

@ShootHere Not sure what is your problem, but I don't think it is related. Kodi segfaulted but there isn't any related Kodi error. What can be a problem in your setup is that you are running a RPi 3 and a PS3 controller, if you are using the integrated RPi 3 bluetooth that can cause system freezes, but it isn't a problem related to RetroPie, it is the RPi 3 bluetooth firmware and there isn't a fix yet. See this:
https://github.com/raspberrypi/linux/issues/1360

ShootHere

@Rascas I did a clean 3.7 install and installed the Extra's Kodi. I am using a PS3 controller but with USB, no BT (because of people saying it causes instability).
I will try later without any joystick and just a regular keyboard. Perhaps that will point me in the right direction.

Thanx!

Abs

@Rascas

Thanks for your reply. I will try a fresh install of 3.7 and see if it fixes my Kodi CEC issue.

herb_fargus

@ShootHere please use pastebin or equivalent for posting logs.

https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

ShootHere

Sir yes sir! I was looking for such an option (a lot of forums have a code option) but couldn't find it.

Fix'd

herb_fargus

@ShootHere for simple code blocks you can use markdown:

http://commonmark.org/help/

Rascas

@ShootHere Try disabling internal RPi 3 BT by adding dtoverlay=pi3-disable-bt in config.txt. Than see if it fixes the problem.

ShootHere

@Rascas I am afraid that is a no go. Both crash still.

Rascas

@ShootHere Please post everything (including the PSU amperes) that you have connected to the Raspberry Pi. I still cannot reproduce any error, it works just fine for me, so it must be a hardware / setup problem of yours. Also post your /var/log/syslog file to pastebin.

ShootHere

Pi Model: RPi3
RetroPie Version Used: 3.7
Built From: SD Image
USB Devices connected: Wired USB Sony PS3 Controller, not set up for BT (BT disabled in config.txt), SanDisk 32GB USB Stick, Kodi resides on the SD Card
Controller used: Sony PS3 Controller
PSU: Official Raspberry Pi Foundation 2.5A

/var/log/syslog exceeds 512kb so I need the pro version of Pastebin.

Can I manually attach the file to this post?

The other seemingly related files are already posted above.

I have disable the BT in config.txt as per your instructions.

Rascas

@ShootHere The hardware that you are using should be no problem.
I think it is not possible to post files here, post the dmesg output to pastebin instead, after Kodi crashes, and the /tmp/runcommand.log file again.
Did you installed anything else besides Kodi ?

ShootHere

Well perhaps one thing springs to mind is I installed both Kodi and Kodi-Extra (wanted to compare). Could that be the problem? Perhaps this will save us a LOT of searching.

Addison

Hey all.

I'm using a Raspberry Pie 2 with a fresh version of 3.7 and Kodi 16.0.

I get these errors as well on screen:

fbi: no process found
Failed to start cec.service: Unit cec.service failed to load: No such file or directory.
Failed to stop cec.service: Unit cec.service not loaded.

I've never had them before but I haven't cared too much about this since I don't know what it means.

Everything works great on my end.

I'm curious though, what is CEC?

Rascas

@Addison The fbi is the program that loads the splashscreen in RetroPie, it has to be closed before Kodi starts otherwise it will have a bug ( you will see the terminal while a video is playing).

CEC is the tecnology that permits you to control Kodi (and other things) with with your TV remote, if your TV supports that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#CEC

The cec service is a PiPplware specific service (does not exist in RetroPie) that permits you to control other programs with your TV remote, like Emulation Station, etc. It also has to be closed before Kodi starts, if not, there can be problems.

Thats only warnings, just ignore that. I will hide that warnings in the next Kodi version.

Addison

@Rascas

Okay.

I guess I'm getting those errors now because I use an iBuffalo controller with Kodi.

So you're the one who manages Kodi?

I think you just became my new, personal hero. ♥

ShootHere

Would disabling CEC somehow remove the error/crash? I use my smartphone to control it, so would that be an option?

Rascas

@Addison No, that warnings have nothing to do with your iBuffalo controller, just forget/ignore it.

Yes, I am the guy who compile the Kodi packages currently on RetroPie.

@ShootHere CEC also has nothing to do with your crash, at least that warning. That CEC service is independent of Kodi, and it does not even exist in RetroPie. And Kodi's CEC works just fine. Your problem is something else.
Yes, controlling Kodi with a smartphone is an option, you can use any method supported by Kodi to control it, you just have to configure it.

Abs

@Rascas

Just to provide an update to the original post. After I started using 3.7 from a fresh install, GBA stopped freezing.

With regards to the CEC, I think something has gone wrong with my TV. So its not related to the Raspberry Pi 3.