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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    Retropie using jpac hdmi to vga on an arcade monitor

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    crtraspberrypi 3b+emultionstationresolutionconfig
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    • M
      M3th0D
      last edited by

      Hi All

      I`ve spent a lot of time trying to get this right but there always seems to be a compromise.

      I have an arcade monitor that is 15khz and I`m using a J-Pac and HDMI to VGA converter.

      Using these settings in config.cfg:
      hdmi_cvt=1920 240 60 1 1 0 0
      hdmi_ignore_edid=0xa5000080
      hdmi_pixel_encoding=2
      hdmi_group=2
      hdmi_mode=87
      hdmi_force_hotplug=1

      results in a squished up retropie command line and emulationstation but is really good for RetroArch.

      Using these settings in config.cfg:
      hdmi_cvt=320 240 60 1 1 0 0
      hdmi_ignore_edid=0xa5000080
      hdmi_pixel_encoding=2
      hdmi_group=2
      hdmi_mode=87
      hdmi_force_hotplug=1

      results in the command line looking huge and emulationstation looking terrible. RetroArch doesn`t look good either using that setting.

      I also used:
      hdmi_group=1
      hdmi_mode=8

      but this results in squished menus and

      hdmi_group=1
      hdmi_mode=6

      which uses 480i but then the emulators look terrible.

      Has anyone got a better setup suggestion?

      Thanks

      MrCoffeeM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • mituM
        mitu Global Moderator
        last edited by mitu

        You can use a normal resolution for Emulationstation - and the system as a whole - then switch the resolution on the fly when starting the emulator using the Runcommand onstart/onend script support - see here for details.
        You can get an idea on how to do this by looking at this setup for a start. You can see how the resolution is switched in the onstart/onend scripts.

        M 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • M
          M3th0D @mitu
          last edited by M3th0D

          @mitu

          Thanks

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • M
            M3th0D @mitu
            last edited by

            @mitu

            I've looked through the retrotink start ups and they are using hdmi timings which i haven't got working with a hdmi-vga adapter.

            Do i need a different type of specifying what i want in the Runcommand?

            mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • mituM
              mitu Global Moderator @M3th0D
              last edited by

              @M3th0D said in Retropie using jpac hdmi to vga on an arcade monitor:

              Do i need a different type of specifying what i want in the Runcommand?

              Probably yes, you can add your own timings instead of the ones in those scripts, I linked to them to give you an idea on how to use the onstart/onend scripting abilities and switch the resolution on the fly. It also contains resolution presets for RetroArch for each system so you can also adjust those to fit your own resolution.
              You can also experiment with the Runcommand launch options and choose your own resolution from there, but it might not include the resolution you want. The idea is the same - switching the resolution when starting an emulator.

              M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • M
                M3th0D @mitu
                last edited by

                @mitu I see that you can set specific things such as:

                custom_viewport_width = 1920
                custom_viewport_height = 224
                custom_viewport_x = 0
                custom_viewport_y = 0

                in each retroarch.cfg

                I still have an issue with the hdmi timings. I have tried a few different variants but i only get a blank screen when doing so.

                The only way I can get an image is using:

                hdmi_cvt=1920 240 60 1 1 0 0

                but this doesn't work in the runcommand onstartup.

                My current code in runcommand-onstart.sh:

                hdmi_group=2
                hdmi_mode=87
                hdmi_cvt=1920 240 60 1 1 0 0

                Doesn't seem to do anything.

                mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • mituM
                  mitu Global Moderator @M3th0D
                  last edited by

                  @M3th0D Those are not commands, they're just configuration parameters for the config.txt . You can't just add them to the onstart script since they're not commands.
                  Have you looked at the scripts I linked ? To change the resolution from the scripts, you'd need to have something like

                  vcgencmd hdmi_cvt 1920 240 60 1 1 0 040870000 1
                  tvservice -e "DMT 87"
                  fbset -depth 32 && fbset -depth 32 -xres 1920 -yres 240
                  
                  M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • M
                    M3th0D @mitu
                    last edited by

                    @mitu I did read through and tried it with the code you provided:

                    vcgencmd hdmi_cvt 1920 240 60 1 1 0 040870000 1
                    tvservice -e "DMT 87"
                    fbset -depth 32 && fbset -depth 32 -xres 1920 -yres 240

                    Unfortunately it results in the screen not syncing when i start an emulator.

                    mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • mituM
                      mitu Global Moderator @M3th0D
                      last edited by

                      @M3th0D So the screen stays blank after that ? You can try a more precise hdmi_timing and see if you find one that fits for your hardware - you can look in https://github.com/Vykyan/retroTINK-setup/blob/master/opt-retropie-configs-all/runcommand-onstart.sh to see what the numbers mean or try with one of the pre-defined hdmi_timing commands to see if one fits your display. I'm not sure how the pixel_encoding and ignore_edid would translate into the tvservice commands though.

                      M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • M
                        M3th0D @mitu
                        last edited by

                        @mitu It doesn't blank but the picture is scrambled/out of sync.

                        On my J-pac, the sync light doesn't hold.

                        The videmodes.cfg allows me to change from CEA to DMT but when doing so it has black boarders on the top and bottom of the screen.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • M
                          M3th0D
                          last edited by

                          I tried recalbox and you can use:

                          system.es.videomode=CEA 6 HDMI

                          global.videomode=DMT 87 HDMI

                          in recalbox.conf file.

                          Is there something similar for retropie?

                          mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • mituM
                            mitu Global Moderator @M3th0D
                            last edited by

                            @M3th0D said in Retropie using jpac hdmi to vga on an arcade monitor:

                            Is there something similar for retropie?

                            Yes, the video mode selection from Runcommand - that you just tried. The 'global' video mode is the one you set in your config.txt.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • MrCoffeeM
                              MrCoffee @M3th0D
                              last edited by

                              @M3th0D did you get it working after all.. ??

                              M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • M
                                M3th0D @MrCoffee
                                last edited by

                                @MrCoffee

                                I ended up using lakka. You can use cvt 320 x 240 in the config text if you want to use emulation station.

                                MrCoffeeM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • MrCoffeeM
                                  MrCoffee @M3th0D
                                  last edited by

                                  @M3th0D I was getting 15khz out of HDMI like you but i went into a hdmi to component converter, using retropie.. I came a cross this post when i was trying to work things out, and seen the runcommand , I used it but in a different way,,I got emulation station running in 480i, and retroarch running in 1600x240.. and it switches back to 480i when exiting games.

                                  https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/22467/hdmi-to-component-crt-help-runcommand/10

                                  just wanted to pass on the info.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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