Syncing button leds with gameplay

hopwon

@Folly @MeduZaPaT I have it nearly working but I think my issue now is network.
Following the instructions above, I have created the profile for the game, ledspicerd -p arcade/invaders works and produces output but nothing in game.
Whilst I have the game up and running, trying netcat (nc -v 127.0.0.1 8000) produces an error:

nc: connect to 127.0.0.1 port 8000 (tcp) failed: Connection refused

Running with -output console, I see the led0 & led1 in the runcommand.log.

I think this is a network rather than configuration issue. NC works if I set up a server on another screen (nc -l -p localhost) then run nc -v localhost, the command is accepted but no output fro mame.
I can confirm mame is running and the game is loaded OK.
Where to look now, any ideas?

MeduZaPaT

@hopwon That looks like MAME is not opening the network port.
Can you check the MAME configuration? It is some replies above.
Yo need to set MAME to send output data using the network, so nc or ledspicer can pick that info.

Folly

removed double post

Folly

@hopwon said in Syncing button leds with gameplay:

@Folly @MeduZaPaT I have it nearly working but I think my issue now is network.
Following the instructions above, I have created the profile for the game, ledspicerd -p arcade/invaders works and produces output but nothing in game.
Whilst I have the game up and running, trying netcat (nc -v 127.0.0.1 8000) produces an error:
nc: connect to 127.0.0.1 port 8000 (tcp) failed: Connection refused
Running with -output console, I see the led0 & led1 in the runcommand.log.

I think this is a network rather than configuration issue. NC works if I set up a server on another screen (nc -l -p localhost) then run nc -v localhost, the command is accepted but no output fro mame.
I can confirm mame is running and the game is loaded OK.
Where to look now, any ideas?

I checked invaders on my laptop.
I had no output in both situations (network and console).
I am not able to check the source code of invaders now as I cannot download it now.
I will check it on my pi.
I checked other drivers yesterday and you will be able to find whether there is led output or not in the source code.
For now it seems invaders doesn't have it.

Did you load nc after mame or before ?
Make sure you run mame first and then nc.
I use socat now for checking, it works much better as it will output line by line with : ,cr .
Make sure you install it first :

sudo apt install socat

Then use :

socat - TCP4:0:8000,cr

You will get the same output as you get when outputting to the console.

Edit :
I looked at the source of invaders :

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ /opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame -listsource invaders
invaders         midw8080/mw8080bw.cpp

(is in src/mame/.....)
Searching in mw8080bw.h on "output_finder" looks like it can output to lamps :

output_finder<16> m_exp_lamps;
output_finder<4> m_torp_lamps;

Not sure why there is no output either.

hopwon

@Folly Thanks for the info, I just assuumed Invaders would work! I will download the correct version of Galaga (not sure what version I have but it doesn't work with lr-mame) then I am working on the same game.
@MeduZaPaT You are correct I had not configured mame for network output. Thanks for the tip

hopwon

@hopwon Waaaahooooooo! I did it. Well I have now got -network working for mame and lr-mame

I could not get the correct ROM version for mame/lr-mame for Galaga so I used Galaxians instead:

socat - TCP4:0:8000,cr
mame_start = galaxian
lamp0 = 1
lamp0 = 0
lamp0 = 1
lamp0 = 0
lamp0 = 1
lamp0 = 0
...
...

This behavior is the games starts, put a coin in and it start flashing Start (lamp0 on and off) until Start is pressed and then it stops flashing. As long as there is credit in, when a game ends it starts flashing the Start button (if there is credit, if not, it stays off).
Now to set up LEDSpicer mame plugin...
I will update later

hopwon

@MeduZaPaT Its not producing the output I want, can you check my profile_arcade and inputs file to see if you can figure whats wrong? I can confirm that during testing the games is outputting lamp0 =.... text.

I am running ledspicer in foreground for debug but its not outputing anything:

galaxians.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<LEDSpicer
    version="1.0"
    type="Input"
    name="Mame"
>
        <map
            type="Element"                 
            target="P1_START"   
            trigger="lamp0 = 0"
            color="Purple"
            filter="Normal"
        />
</LEDSpicer>

profile_arcade.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<LEDSpicer
	version="1.0"
	type="Profile"
	backgroundColor="Black"
>
<inputs>
	<input name="galaxians"/>
</inputs>
</LEDSpicer>

I also tried creating a game specific profile with the same results:

profiles/arcade/galaxians.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<LEDSpicer
	version="1.0"
	type="Profile"
	backgroundColor="Black"
>
	<inputs>
		<input name="galaxians"/>
	</inputs>
</LEDSpicer

As a double check I can confirm that P1_START is valid and working via ledspicerd -e

MeduZaPaT

@hopwon hey, is only the name for triggers, not the value or the =:
lamp0 = 0 means TRIGGER with name lamp0, VALUE 0, you only need the name (lamp0 in this case)
so in ledspicer you should type just this:

        <map
            type="Element"                 
            target="P1_START"   
            trigger="lamp0"
            color="Purple"
            filter="Normal"
        />

so ledspicer will read that trigger and check the value as 0 = OFF and 1 = ON

You will find a lot of different triggers coming out of MAME for different games, there is no standard, I have an Excel file I can share with you with most of them (outdated but better than nothing),
LAMP, LED, LIGHT, TRIGGER, KNOCKER, and a big etc.

look, this my input for terminator 2 (just a test I did for the this video on YT

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<LEDSpicer
	version="1.0"
	type="Input"
	name="Mame"
>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 1"
		trigger="Left_Gun_Red_Led"
		color="Red"
		filter="Normal"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 1"
		trigger="Left_Gun_Green_Led"
		color="Green"
		filter="Normal"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 1"
		trigger="Left_Flash_1"
		color="Yellow"
		filter="Combine"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 1"
		trigger="Left_Flash_2"
		color="Brown"
		filter="Combine"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 3"
		trigger="Left_Flash_3"
		color="Gold"
		filter="Combine"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 3"
		trigger="Left_Flash_4"
		color="Orange"
		filter="Combine"
	/>

	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 2"
		trigger="right_Gun_Red_Led"
		color="Red"
		filter="Normal"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 2"
		trigger="right_Gun_Green_Led"
		color="Green"
		filter="Normal"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 2"
		trigger="right_Flash_1"
		color="Yellow"
		filter="Combine"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 2"
		trigger="right_Flash_2"
		color="Brown"
		filter="Combine"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 4"
		trigger="right_Flash_3"
		color="Gold"
		filter="Combine"
	/>
	<map
		type="Group"
		target="player 4"
		trigger="right_Flash_4"
		color="Orange"
		filter="Combine"
	/>

</LEDSpicer>

Hope that this helps
regards.

hopwon

@MeduZaPaT Thanks I am implementing your suggestions now :)
Incidently I found that, just for Galaxians there are two LEDs, P1 Start and P2 Start. When looking at the network output from mame I see (with one credit) lamp0 = 0, lamp0 = 1, lamp0 = 0, etc.
Put two credits in then:
lamp0 = 1
lamp1 = 1
lamp0 = 0
lamp1 = 0

So its basically flashing both start buttons on and off.
Will LEDSpicer accept the whole string or does it not work with spaces in the text?

hopwon

@MeduZaPaT said in Syncing button leds with gameplay:

You will find a lot of different triggers coming out of MAME for different games, there is no standard, I have an Excel file I can share with you with most of them (outdated but better than nothing),
LAMP, LED, LIGHT, TRIGGER, KNOCKER, and a big etc.

One project is to wire up a knocker for QBert so would appreciate any and all help and later on Santa is going to bring me some base shakers which will be fun to enable with LEDSpicer....

hopwon

Its working! Its WORKING! Oh man I am over the moon, I understand (mostly!) now how it all hangs together and works and it does WORK :)

I have to say a massive thanks both of you for supporting this, @Folly & @MeduZaPaT
Its been a great education which I will put to good use. I will try to build some cool animations and triggers and whatever I want now :)

Folly

@hopwon

Just an idea.
Can you summarise this topic in your first post, like a tutorial or is this too much to ask ?

hopwon

@Folly I feel like I should. To be honest I have been looking for years and apart from the Wiki, there is that post on attractmode and thats it. After all the input from you guys its the least I can do :)

Folly

@hopwon

Would be great ;-)
Take your time, no hurry.

It's not done yet, I have to look at the Blinker and the Impulse stuff when I can.
And most likely more.

MeduZaPaT

@hopwon for the Knocker for QBert and others you have 3 options (maybe more) to connect the solenoid:
1 get a USB controller that support high current (like the paddrive)
2 build or get a circuit using transistors to control the solenoid.
3 use a relay to move the solenoid (also need a driver for the relay).
I also need to add a knocker to mine, I have everything but time to connect and test :(

LEDSpicer support solenoids BTW :)

Trying to get the UI done ASAP, makes life easier, and you see things that are really hard to find by reading documentation

MeduZaPaT

@hopwon said in Syncing button leds with gameplay:

@MeduZaPaT Thanks I am implementing your suggestions now :)
Incidently I found that, just for Galaxians there are two LEDs, P1 Start and P2 Start. When looking at the network output from mame I see (with one credit) lamp0 = 0, lamp0 = 1, lamp0 = 0, etc.
Put two credits in then:
lamp0 = 1
lamp1 = 1
lamp0 = 0
lamp1 = 0

So its basically flashing both start buttons on and off.
Will LEDSpicer accept the whole string or does it not work with spaces in the text?

in that case you have 2 TRIGGERS: lamp0 and lamp1
so you need something like this:

........
<map
	type="Element"
	target="P1_START"
	trigger="lamp0"
	color="Blue"
	filter="Normal"
/>
<map
	type="Elemet"
	target="P2_START"
	trigger="lamp1"
	color="Red"
	filter="Normal"
/>
........

hopwon

@MeduZaPaT said in Syncing button leds with gameplay:

@hopwon for the Knocker for QBert and others you have 3 options (maybe more) to connect the solenoid:
1 get a USB controller that support high current (like the paddrive)
2 build or get a circuit using transistors to control the solenoid.
3 use a relay to move the solenoid (also need a driver for the relay).
I also need to add a knocker to mine, I have everything but time to connect and test :(

I have a UltimateIO which is supposed to be able to drive "high current" but its still limited to 5v. I bought a 5v Solenoid to test but there was lots of heat and smoke so I stopped testing :)
I think I will put a relay from the UltimateIO and drive say a 12v soleniod via that. Much safer

Like you I have all the parts, just not the time. Future project...

hopwon

@Folly Small addition to your runcommand-onlaunch.sh to test if an individual game profile exists and if so loads it, if not load ByEmulator

#!/bin/bash

/home/pi/Lightgun/utils/sindenautostart.sh -a "$1" "$2" "$3" "$4"
# Get system name
system=$1
emulator=$2
rom=$3
command=$4


# rom_bn receives $rom excluding everything from the first char to the last slash '/'
rom_bn="${rom##*/}"
# rom_bn receives $rom_bn excluding everything from the last char to the first dot '.'
rom_bn="${rom_bn%.*}"
rom_xml=$rom_bn.xml

if [ -f "$system/$rom_xml" ]
        then
                emitter LoadProfile $system/$rom_bn
        else
                emitter LoadProfileByEmulator $rom_bn $system
fi

I've tested some games with "normal" names but I suspect this will be a bit buggy...

MeduZaPaT

@hopwon

lets say you have a Solenoid on the pin # 1 of the ultimateIO
in the config inside the device section, you need something like this:

<element
    name="KNOCKER"
    solenoid="1"
    onTime="75"
/>

Where name is the element name you want to use, solenoid=<pin number> is the pin on the ultimateIO where the solenoid is connected, and onTime is the number of ms to send the electric pulse, 75ms is ok for most solenoids, but others needs more, you can play with this number until you get a good "kick".
solenoids needs to be shutdown after trigger, or they will overheat.

hopwon

@MeduZaPaT said in Syncing button leds with gameplay:

solenoids needs to be shutdown after trigger, or they will overheat.

I did not know this. I think thats why I got a lot of smoke when I last tried