How to save controller configurations to IMG backup?

nixzero

I'm using a Pi 400 with 128GB SD card and 1TB USB HD. I got my machine setup, made a backup of the USB HD on my PC and an IMG image file of the SD card using Win 32 Disk Imager.

Yesterday, I added some BIOS files and roms to the USB drive, and made an edit to the config.txt file to attempt to add a power button.

Then controls stopped working in games.
I restored the IMG file to the SD card thinking it would revert back to how it was before, but the controls are still not working in games. They work fine in the ES menu, and in retropie menus. I configured controllers in ES, and they still don't work in emulators.

While I am trying to troubleshoot the problem at hand, my bigger concern is that restoring the previously working IMG file didn't fix the issue. How can I ensure that the controller settings are restored from a backup?

mitu

Saving the entire sdcard to an IMG file should preserve the configuration for the gamepads.

Please give more details, as detailed in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first - what version of RetroPie, which emulator(s) doesn't work with the controls, what controllers you use, etc.

nixzero

@mitu Thank you for the quick response.

Pi Model or other hardware: Pi 400
Power Supply used: Pi 400 stock power supply
RetroPie Version Used: 4.8
Built From: "retropie-buster-4.8-rpi4_400.img.gz"
USB Devices connected: WD 1TB USB HD
Controller used: QuasiCade Quasi Con 2 (2x USB controllers)
Error messages received: N/A
Verbose log (if relevant): N/A
Guide used: RetroPie USB mount guide
File: boot\config.txt
Emulator: fbneo, lr-genesis-plus-gx, etc.
Attachment of config files: I'm not sure how to provide these, do you just need to txt files from the boot folder of the SD?
How to replicate the problem:

When I boot up the Piu 400, it loads into Emulation Station, it does not ask me to set up controller configuration. ES Menus and Retropiue menu work fine, but I get no input from the controllers in emulators. I cannot use hotkeys to exit games or open the retroarch menu. When loading games, popups appoear that say "Honey Bee Quasi Con controller is configured in port 1" and for port 2. These popups are nothing new, although the appearance of the popups has changed.

One thing worth mentioniing is that whenever I would configure the gamepad in ES (back when it was working), the gamepad would always have some random number. "GAMEPAD 20" or "GAMEPAD 5". I thought it was strange that it didn't always say 1 or 2 since I only have 2 controllers connected, and if it's creating profiles it appears to be numbering them randomly.

Just before this happened, I was trying to add games and BIOS files for sega cd and PC Engine CD. I had also modified the config.txt file, I appended it to include a line of code for a power button as per the tutorial

. I reverted the config.txt file back and there was no change. I then tried reimaging the SD based on a working backup (made using Win 32 Disk Imager) but it does the same thing, I reimaged the SD using the Raspberry Pi Imager, and I did set options for wifi.

Thanks again for your help!

mitu

@nixzero said in How to save controller configurations to IMG backup?:

One thing worth mentioniing is that whenever I would configure the gamepad in ES (back when it was working), the gamepad would always have some random number. "GAMEPAD 20" or "GAMEPAD 5". I thought it was strange that it didn't always say 1 or 2 since I only have 2 controllers connected, and if it's creating profiles it appears to be numbering them randomly.

The numbering is not random and it starts from 1, but if the controller disconnects and re-connects the number is increased. This means that the controller(s) are disconnecting from your Pi for some reason and this might explain why they're not working correctly.

The fact that RetroArch finds the configuration (the messages "Honey Bee Quasi Con controller is configured in port 1/2" indicates that) means the configuration files are ok.

You should check by running dmesg -w from a SSH session, while the emulators are loading/runing, if the gamepads are disconnecting from the USB port when you start the emulator and/or when working in EmulationStation.

nixzero

@mitu

I should also mention that I'm a windows user. SSH and linux commands are foreign to me so forgive me if I'm lost.

Steps taken:

I turned on the Retropie machine and allowed it to boot into ES.

I opened WinSPC and connected to the drive using a tutorial, it opened into the /opt/retropie/configfs/all.retroarch/autoconfig folder

In WinSCP, I select "Commands>Open Terminal". I get an error saying:

Do you want to open a separate shell session?

Current SFTP-3 session does not support command you request. A separate shell session may be opened to process the command.

Note: The server must provide Unix-like shell and the shell must use the same path syntax as a current SFTP-3 session.

Googling led me to try Putty, I tried using it but I got a "file not found error"

mitu

@nixzero said in How to save controller configurations to IMG backup?:

Googling led me to try Putty, I tried using it but I got a "file not found error"

Maybe you didn't download it correctly/completely ? Putty is just one executable, which you can download from https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/ and then use to connect to your Raspberry Pi.

Before connecting though, make sure you enabled SSH otherwise you won't be able to connect.

nixzero

@mitu
OK, I got the command working via Putty! Thank you.

When I ran the command, the last lines were:

[ 126.631130] input: Joy2Key Keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input4
[ 128.926126] process 'emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch' started with executable stack

When I opened the MegaDrive emulator (lr-geneseis-plus-gx), these lines appeaerd.

[15437.528471] input: Joy2Key Keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input5
[15728.281026] input: Joy2Key Keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input6

I try launching a few MAME games and it keeps sequenitally increasing:

[15978.695427] input: Joy2Key Keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input7
[16064.016186] input: Joy2Key Keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input8
[16250.543847] input: Joy2Key Keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input9

I restarted the machine and tried runnnig a 3DO game just for variety and got this:

[ 165.039355] input: Joy2Key Keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input4
[ 167.269465] process 'emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch' started with executable stack

Does this provide any clues?

nixzero

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nixzero

@mitu

I found other people with the same issue that solved the problem by resetting the emulation station controller config. I tried that, and when the controller config menu popped up, I was unable to skip any buttons by holding them down. Wierd, because you have to press and hold a button down to start the configuration process... I tried using a logitceh gamepad and it does the same thing, there's no way to skip buttons by holding them down and I'm not crazy, I've tried every button and they either register as a single press or "already taken". I had this issue before and was able to move past the menu using buttons or the analog on the second controller. This time it's not working and I can't advance. Is this a known bug???

I was able to get past the initial config menu by using a controller with more buttons, Now everyhting appears to be working, except my Daphne controls. I went to edit dapinput.ini in opt/retropie/configs/daphne but the folder isn't even there! lol, I swear this system is haunted.

mitu

@nixzero said in How to save controller configurations to IMG backup?:

Does this provide any clues?

Not really, the Joy2key keyboard messages are ok since they're associated with the runcommand menu and the joy2key utility. However, the fact that there are no disconnects for your physical gamepads means their connection is fine - it's what the dmesg command was used for.