After some trial and error with overscan settings I've made a little progress. Using overscan_scale=1 carries the changes through to MAME, so that's been helpful.

Using the following overscan settings allows me to move the image at the top of the screen down (this would be the right side in landscape mode), but any value for overscan_left (bottom of my screen) pushes the image up - even if I use a negative value! So that just squashes the image more. Leaving overscan_left at 0 results in least squashing, but doesn't move the image down, so I've still got that black border at the bottom of the image, and it's still a bit squashed.

overscan_left=0
overscan_right=80
#overscan_top=16
#overscan_bottom=16
overscan_scale=1

Any more suggestions greatly appreciated!

PXL_20250205_085613913.jpg

EDIT: I've found a solution - there are options in the retroarch gui to move the image around the screen, but you have to select window mode rather than full screen, and use a custom aspect ratio. These options are hidden if you're in full screen mode which is why I didn't see them earlier!

@sleve_mcdichael
Thanks for pointing out the obvious that was staring right in front of me...

Accomplished what I wanted in a much easier way.

Thanks for the help!

@Bar4-13 This is an evergreen issue for new folks. The answer is simple - make sure your rom set matches the emulator you are using. Use THIS CHART to help make sure you do it right.

@WildDog

If it's for MAME standalone version, In the first post here, do step 10 and 11.

This error is most common when you don't have write permissions for the specified location. The core is unable to write to or even create the system directory.

User read/write permissions, or login as root user. Also, make sure the sd card isn't set to read only.

@jdoc I reached out to Xarcade, and this was their response:

Hi John,

Thank you for your interest in our Tankstick Max.

To address the issue with the trackball/spinner for Raspberry Pi, we have two solutions:

Custom Script: We have designed a custom script specifically for switching in the Raspberry Pi system. You can find the details here:
I've attached the instructions for installing and using the spinner/trackball switching script on your RetroPie system. This document will guide you through setting up the script and provide details on how to utilize it effectively.

Trackball/Spinner Mixing Adapter: We are releasing a trackball/spinner mixing adapter that combines both the spinner and trackball into a single device. This will resolve the issue for Raspberry Pi users. The adapter will be available at a low cost and ready for purchase in 1-2 months.

I hope this helps!

Best regards,
​

Xgaming Support

From the attached PDF:

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

AUTOMATIC INSTALLATION
From terminal (press [F4] from EmulationStation to enter terminal) or, using SSH, enter the following
commands EXACTLY as they appear:
• cd
• wget https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/build-a-cade/xarcade.sh
• chmod +x xarcade.sh
• sudo ./xarcade.sh
When the installation completes, you will be prompted to cleanup installation files (optional) and to
reboot for changes to take effect.
After the system is reloaded, load a game of your choice. Ensure the correct device (SPINNER or
TRACKBALL) is active for the game. If not, press the RED BUTTON and then reload the game (exit with
HOTKEY+START). After reloading, the correct device should be active. The current device remains active
until the RED BUTTON is pressed, which switches input to the OTHER device. MANUAL INSTALLATION
From terminal (press [F4] from EmulationStation to enter terminal) or, using SSH, enter the following
commands EXACTLY as they appear:
• cd
• sudo apt update
• sudo apt-get install python3-pip
• sudo pip3 install evdev
• wget https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/build-a-cade/switchmouse.py
• wget https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/build-a-cade/red-button.sh
• chmod +x red-button.sh
• sed -i '1i sudo python3 /home/pi/switchmouse.py &' /opt/retropie/configs/all/autostart.sh
• sudo reboot
USAGE INSTRUCTIONS
After installation and reboot, pressing the red button on the X-Arcade Tankstick MAX changes the
input_player1_mouse_index in retroarch.cfg for the ARCADE system. Changes to the file are made
instantly, but, if pressed while a game is running, the newly selected mouse won’t be active until the
game is reloaded.
To disable or reenable this feature, exit emulationstation by pressing [F4] on the keyboard, and enter the
following command: sudo ./red-button.sh
FILE DESCRIPTIONS
xarcade.sh
This Bash script automates the installation process for setting up X-Arcade switchmouse.py, a script used
for changing the active mouse device in Retroarch between a Spinner and a Trackball using the RED
button on the X-Arcade Tankstick MAX. Here's a breakdown of what the script does: Download Script: Downloads the switchmouse.py script and red-button.sh script from a
specified URL. Update System Files: Updates the system's package lists to ensure it has the latest information
about available packages. Install Dependencies: Installs necessary dependencies for running the switchmouse.py script,
including python3-pip and evdev. Modify autostart.sh: Checks if the line sudo python3 /home/pi/switchmouse.py & is already
present in the autostart.sh file. If not, it adds this line to the beginning of the file. Set File Ownership: Changes ownership of files to ensure they are owned by the user pi. Cleanup Installation Files: Offers the option to remove the installation files (xarcade.sh, which is
the current script being executed) after installation. If the user chooses not to remove it, informs
where the script is stored for manual deletion. Prompt for Reboot: Asks the user if they want to reboot the system to apply changes. If the user
agrees, initiates a reboot; otherwise, informs the user that changes will take effect on the next
reboot.
Additionally, the script provides information on how to disable or enable the feature in the future by
running sudo ./red-button.sh from the terminal.
This script automates the setup process, making it easier for users to configure their systems for using X-
Arcade switchmouse.py functionality.
switchmouse.py Change Mouse Input for Retroarch: This script is designed to change the
input_player1_mouse_index configuration in Retroarch between a Spinner and a Trackball using
the RED button on the X-Arcade Tankstick MAX (middle mouse button). Create Configuration File: The script checks for the existence of the Retroarch configuration file
(retroarch.cfg) in /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/. If the file doesn't exist, it creates it and sets
the default value for input_player1_mouse_index. Find Next Mouse Device: It finds the next available Tankstick MAX mouse device in the system.
This is done by looking for devices with the identifier "1241_1111" in the /dev/input/by-id/
directory. Update Configuration File: The script updates the retroarch.cfg file with the index of the next
mouse device found. It modifies the input_player1_mouse_index configuration line accordingly. Find Middle Mouse Button Event Device: It searches for the event device corresponding to the
middle mouse button on the X-Arcade Tankstick MAX. This is done by scanning the /dev/input/
directory for devices that support the middle mouse button event. Main Function: The main function of the script continuously monitors events from the middle
mouse button device. When the middle mouse button is pressed, it triggers the process to
switch to the next available mouse device and updates the Retroarch configuration file
accordingly.
Overall, this script automates the process of switching between Spinner and Trackball inputs in Retroarch
using the middle mouse button on the X-Arcade Tankstick MAX, providing a convenient way for users to
toggle between these input devices during gameplay.
red-button.sh
This Bash script automates the process of enabling or disabling mouse switching functionality using the
red button the X-Arcade Tankstick MAX. Here's what the script accomplishes: Check Current Status: The script checks if the line sudo python3 /home/pi/switchmouse.py is
present in the autostart.sh file located at /opt/retropie/configs/all/autostart.sh. This line
initiates the functionality responsible for toggling between different mouse inputs. Toggle Functionality: If the line is found, indicating that mouse switching is currently enabled,
the script prompts the user to confirm whether they want to disable it. Conversely, if the line is
not found, indicating that mouse switching is disabled, it prompts the user to enable it. Update autostart.sh: Depending on the user's response, the script either removes or adds the
line responsible for mouse switching to the autostart.sh file. This modification is performed
using sed commands. Reboot Prompt: If any changes are made to the autostart.sh file, indicating a modification in
mouse switching status, the script prompts the user to reboot the system for the changes to take
effect. It ensures that the user's response is validated and provides appropriate feedback. Feedback: If no changes are made, the script informs the user that no modifications were
performed.
This script streamlines the process of managing mouse switching functionality, providing users with a
convenient way to enable or disable this feature using the red button on their X-Arcade Tankstick MAX,
with clear prompts and feedback throughout the process.

@gargoyle73 said in Vertical Screen Rotation on RP4 400 HELP:

SO what interface do I use to read and alter MAME configs? Can you walk me through steps?

Start the 'File Manager' (mc - Midnight Commander) from the RetroPie system. It has an interface similar to the old Norton Commander, which allows you to browse the filesystem and operate on files/folders. Go to the folder where the retroarch.cfg is located (/opt/retropie/configs/all/) and modify the file by selecting it and pressing F4. This will start an editor, from which you can modify the file and save it afterwords.

There are lots of links with documentation/videos on how to use Midnight Commander - see for instance https://www.tecmint.com/midnight-commander-a-console-based-file-manager-for-linux/ or https://www.linode.com/docs/guides/how-to-install-midnight-commander/.

@mitu Many thanks for the quick feedback!

I have followed the advice on the network interface and the use of triggerhappy. I also looked into overlays in RetroArch and developed a solution. I would like to briefly explain this so that other users can also benefit from it.

First, I configured RetroArch so that content-specific overrides are loaded (if available). For each game for which an infoscreen is to be displayed, I have defined two overlay-pictures in the override. The first image is always a blank image (blank.png) and the second image shows the controls (e.g. pacman.png).

In the background, triggerhappy queries the keystroke of an unassigned button and then sends the following commands to RetroArch: OVERLAY_NEXT and PAUSE_TOGGLE. I had to program a small script to execute both commands simultaneously. Finally, I integrated the start of triggerhappy as a daemon into the boot process. Works great! :-)

If anyone has any questions or needs help, I will be happy to provide further information.

Update the RetroPie-Setup script and then all installed packages (more details on how to do that are in the docs). Since you're just starting, you don't need a backup.
After the update, restart your RetroPie system and re-configure again the controller, then see if you encounter the same issue and same 'not configured' message.

@mahoneyt944 thanks!!!!

@mitu said in MAME cfg Folder Question...:

In this case, it means MAME2003 does't act like I though and uses the content dir (where the ROM located) to save those values. I don't have any other ideas, sorry.

Thank you for your help

@crossmr Turns out I had the wrong image, after hours of slow downloads, I managed to get the same pi zero w image that I had before. it looks like the rom in question was being run on lr-fbalpha, not fbalpha2012. This was a retropie 4.2 image. The performance on lrfbalpha seems slightly better than the alpha2012 that is available on 4.6 retropie but still not as good as pifba.

Any luck with this,?

Please forgive me for replying in an older topic, but I just had to thank barbudreadmon for his explanation on "how to use cheat codes with FBneo." I've been on youtube, tons of forums and could only get .cht's to work but not the .ini files. Some very smart folks here....... Thank you so much :D.

@barbudreadmon

Thank you

i just posted a issue on that github page as you recommended

thank you for the suggesting

https://github.com/libretro/flycast/issues/950
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thanks for informing me regarding jpark sequels ... bummer pi can not support them at this time
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yabasanshiro standalone is the best recommadtion , thanks again .. always like to ask about saturn because everyone has there own opinion on what they choosh ... hopefully we get a better saturn core on pi 4 this year or years to come :)

SUCCESS - it looks like I've fixed it. The problem was that I hadn't commented out the unused buttons in the "Input device" buttons section of retroarch.cfg. Before I updated RetroArch didn't care, now it obviously does.

So I rolled back, updated and then only made that change to the retroarch.cfg. Everything else still works as before, because I didn't need to reset EmulationStation or MAME cfg files.

In the end it was a simple fix, thanks to everyone for all their feedback which helped me find the solution. Hopefully this thread helps someone else down the track.

@raspnoobie if you have a newer set of mame roms than 078 all you need is the mame roll back roms to build older mame sets

Actually just switched to a different monitor and now its working fine. I also installed Mame 2003 plus, but not sure if that would have done anything.

Apologies for wasting your time and thanks again.

OK.. I fixed the issue, but this is a little odd.
Apparently, Controller 1 (Player 1) has to be in USB1 on these 3040's, Controller 2 (Player 2) in USB2, etc, etc.
Is this a unique situation for the 3040 or is this a universally known fact in RetroPie land? If it is, then I apologize for not doing more research.

This may just me being a little more Windows oriented than Linux oriented, but does it really matter which slot the controllers are plugged into? I'd think that the programming of the controllers would follow the unique ID and not care about the USB Slot at all.

Thoughts?