Adding a 9th button to GPIO

edmaul69

@theRog05 do both controllers have a 9th key or just one controller? If only one is it actually going to controller 1?here is something you could try. Set up the controller in emulationstation and choose select as your hotkey. Now open up /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/autoconfig/NAMEOFYOURCONTROLLER.cfg and find the hotkey line and change it to the correct button number. I assume that would be 8. (Since buttons start with zero)

simonster

Hi @edmaul69 , the problem is the standard GPIO driver only has 8 buttons and 4 directions per pad (equivalent of a SNES pad), you can add a 9th but it requires a fork of the standard driver that removes I2C support whilst installed, it appears that they were previously using this when using Recalbox (as GPIO 3 and 5 are the correct wirings for this in the driver) but the version included in RetroPie is the main branch and doesn't include support for the 9th button.

theRog05

@edmaul69 : I actually did try just adding an 8 to the .cfg file and that didn't work. As @simonster mentioned, mk_arcade_joystick needs the update to allow the hotkeybtn. I'll be trying this when I get home after work, as long as the wife doesn't have me doing anything else -___-
Thanks, guys.

theRog05

@simonster Unfortunately, the first line you mentioned above results in a "repository not found". I tried copying the files manually, but then when I run the 'dkms build' I get "Your kernel headers for kernel 4.9.35-v7+ cannot be found at /lib/modules/4.9.35-v7+/build or /lib/modules/4.9.35-v7+/source". I've tried updating the headers with "sudo apt-get install raspberrypi-kernel-headers", but that didn't work either. Any ideas what else could be wrong?

simonster

It worked for me, but this was some time ago. Try the recalbox copy of the fork

git clone https://github.com/recalbox/mk_arcade_joystick_rpi/tree/hotkeybtn

If you have updated the kernel headers, I don't know why it wont compile.

theRog05

@simonster This also failed to find the repository. :/

simonster

I just ran this command and it cloned successfully:

git clone https://github.com/recalbox/mk_arcade_joystick_rpi.git -b hotkeybtn

I am trying to compile it at the moment (there are a few issues with the code), there is also the matter of the missing headers, so bear with me and when I get something I will update this thread.

simonster

Hi @theRog05

How are you using kernel 4.9.35-v7+? I have just run an update in RetroPie-Setup and am still using kernel 4.4.50-v7+

Can you fill in the detail list in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

theRog05

@simonster I've been working on this all day so far and started getting some other funky errors (probably from me messing around in there). So I decided to wipe the card and start fresh. Once I get my card loaded up, I'll give this a try again. Sorry, wish I saw this message before I went and formatted the card.

P.S. - Thanks for your continuous help on this!

simonster

@theRog05

No problem, I can only assume you had run rpi-update at some point and ended up with a unstable beta kernel.

theRog05

@simonster I'm pretty sure I did run rpi-update at some point in the past 7 hours. haha. I do remember using kernel 4.4.50-v7+ and I was also wondering why 4.9.35-v7+ was being used. Oh well, starting fresh now. As soon as I get it loaded on the Pi, I'll follow your steps again to clone the hotkeybtn branch in the mk_arcade_joystick_rpi repo and see what I can come up with. Thanks again!

simonster

I have just tried this method and it worked for me completely:

Install MK_Arcade_Joystick from the drivers in the retropie setup. Then exit Emulation Station by pressing F4

rm -r mk_arcade_joystick_rpi
git clone https://github.com/recalbox/mk_arcade_joystick_rpi.git -b hotkeybtn
sudo mkdir /usr/src/mk_arcade_joystick_rpi-0.1.5.1/
cd mk_arcade_joystick_rpi/
nano dkms.conf

change the line that begins PACKAGE_VERSION to read

PACKAGE_VERSION="0.1.5.1"

Press Ctrl+X and then Y and Enter to exit and save changes

sudo cp -a * /usr/src/mk_arcade_joystick_rpi-0.1.5.1/
sudo dkms build -m mk_arcade_joystick_rpi -v 0.1.5.1
sudo dkms install -m mk_arcade_joystick_rpi -v 0.1.5.1 --force

Once installed, restart the Pi using the following command

sudo shutdown -r -t 0 now

theRog05

@simonster Awesome. I'll give that a try when the card loads back up. And after I replace my sisters shock in her car. -____-

loujez

@simonster your advices on this topic are the most usefull on the net. I'm sorry that therog05 don't follow his own topic. I'm in the same case so i follow every step you are describing with the 4.9.35-v7+ kernel.

On the line :
git clone https://github.com/recalbox/mk_arcade_joystick_rpi.git -b hotkeybtn

i get :
fatal: destination path mk_arcade_joystick_rpi already exist and is not an empty directory

It is impossible to go after.

If you are always following this topic, i'm very intersting by what you can belong to me with your knowledge.

Cheers my friend

simonster

@loujez said in Adding a 9th button to GPIO:

On the line :
git clone https://github.com/recalbox/mk_arcade_joystick_rpi.git -b hotkeybtn

i get :
fatal: destination path mk_arcade_joystick_rpi already exist and is not an empty directory

This means that the folder is already there from a previous installation. Try this before that line:

rm -r mk_arcade_joystick_rpi

I have update the previous post to reflect this.

theRog05

I'm so sorry that I didn't reply to this sooner. I actually never got back to this until a couple days ago and it still took some finagling, but I finally got it! The main issue I was having was that I needed to change the PACKAG_VERSION in the dkms.conf file. After that I started having a problem with my second joystick not working. I followed the steps to include both controllers, but for some reason the file being used was named differently than I expected. I updated the correct file and everything started to work.

@loujez is correct, @simonster, you have been extremely helpful to get this up and running for me. THANK YOU! I don't think many people are using the hotkey button in retropie so that's probably why we don't see much support out there for it.

@loujez: I couldn't get 'git clone https://github.com/recalbox/mk_arcade_joystick_rpi.git -b hotkeybtn' to work for some reason, so I checked out the main branch and then switched branches with 'git checkout -b hotkeybtn'. The fatal error you're getting is because the mk_arcade_joystick_rpi folder already exists and has files in it. You can use 'rm -r mk_arcade_joystick_rpi' to remove the folder before trying to clone. Good luck! I'll try to stay more current with this post.

simonster

Thanks guys,

When I was installing my arcade unit, I found the mk_arcade_joystick module and installed it manually (back on RetroPie 2.6 and well before it was in the RetroPie script). On running into issues, I tried to get support from Recalbox and the developers of it and never seemed to get any queries answered, so I set about learning as much as I could about it.

As a result, I try to assist anyone who has queries on it, as I've probably looked at most of the code at some point in the last 18 months and have various versions of the git repository stored on my PC.

Si

loujez

Thank you @theRog05 for all theses explanations. Actually i had the similar issues with the 2nd player configuration but i've managed to overpass them.

Now @simonster i'm just blocked on the hotkey butn setup but i will try to set it up correctly tomorrow by following your advices. (18 months !!! I sympathize. 2 weeks of headache and i'm just dead )

I just have another new issue.. I dont know if both are able to give me some directions. Until I set up the 2nd GPIO arcade controller player with some commands that i can explain to you. I have no more sound when i launch a game (on all emulators) but i got it into the emulastionstation menu.
Have you already met this issue or am i the only one lol?

Just to mentioned that sometime i have a yellow undervoltage symbol appearing on the right side of my screen. Do you think that it could be the core issue or it comes to something that i have outpassing or unfollow ? (don't know how to explain myself in english, i'm hoping you understand me)

Cheers and sorry to not relaunch about the topic subjet plus another one on this time. Despite of all that things, this thread will be very usefull for people like me in this situation. However I will give you a feedback tomorrow about my hotkeybtn configuration

Best regard
Looking forward to reading both of you

theRog05

@loujez Make sure you're using a power supply that can handle the pi. This could be why you don't have sound. How are you outputting sound? HDMI or audio jack? Take a look at your main config file. There are options to comment or uncomment lines depending on how you're outputting the sound.

simonster

@loujez

I would suggest, if you are getting a lightning bolt, that you should look to replace the power supply. A Pi3 really wants a minimum of 5.2V @ 2.5A. I use one of these: https://www.rapidonline.com/stontronics-t5875dv-official-raspberry-pi-psu-5-2v-2-5a-uk-euro-plugs-75-0532

How are you outputting sound from your Pi? Also could you post a copy of your /boot/config.txt (remember to enclose it in code blocks or put it on pastebin and post a link here)?

Si