@WildDog

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

@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.

There's a core option to force the menu on.

Then mark this topic as resolved and post a follow-up either here or in a separate topic if you encounter an issue with FBNeo.

@stephenuk

Good to know !

@10vorne said in Using Mame in older version:

Which emulator (on which most games run) and in which version would you recommend me?

Most 2D games will work in FBNeo and/or MAME2003-plus, which should be your primary choices because they have tighter integration within the libretro api. Note that they are outside of MAME versioning but finding their romsets isn't hard. Other games might be supported or not by more recent versions of MAME.

@peetem said in Controllers and Mame:

@dankcushions said in Controllers and Mame:

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Runcommand/#launch-with-verbose-logging

No, but I re-mapped in Mame and it seems to work now.

The mapping is still really, really weird. Several buttons are showing as "Retropad1 A" when I press them, even though they are completely different and were mapped as such by ES.

without seeing your config files and verbose log i can't really see what is going on. what you posted above was not what i asked for. you need to post the verbose log and the config file for your controller(s) in /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch-joypads

I was able to at least get Player 2 controls to "talk" with Mame. Apparently they had been bound to the same registers as player 1 in Retroarch. So now the player 2 buttons and joystick work, but the buttons are still really screwed up.

you're not going to end up in that situation unless you change RGUI settings or configs.

you do the initial bind within emulationstation, and the button you bind as select will be the button for insert coin in lr-mame2003, by default. i suspect there's some changed settings/overrides going on.

@dreamcastkid got it. thanks again. Think I am all set here. Appreciate it.

@common763 RetroPie has kiosk mode which does exactly this for its interface. You can make changes in full UI and then run in kiosk mode most of the time. You can quickly jump in and out of UI modes.

@brutalizer For the MAME emulators in RetroPie, this info is in the Docs.

@Dan1300 @bollwerk said in MAME not running ROMs issue:

It is perhaps worth noting that, I believe it's possible to create a romset for any version of MAME, by using the latest romset, the latest "rollback" romset, a DAT file from the version of MAME you need a set for, and a tool like ClrMamePro.

I agree I think it's worth noting and worth bothering to learn to use the tools depending on your setup. With current MAME and the rollback sets you can build any version of MAME from the beginning of development for RetroPie or other projects outside the RP scope.

You can build partial or full sets which is handy if using multiple cores with "Arcade" for RetroPie and only need a few games from a specific ROM set or a few per core.

It works fine for vanilla MAME to just get the set from whatever source. If using mame2003-plus or fbneo who's rom sets are ever changing it's a big plus to know the tools but you'll still need to track down some miscellaneous or decrypted ROMs that may not included in the official MAME set when rebuilding.

I find it easier to grab the current DAT once in a while for a changing core to complete a set vs. following every commit to grab the added/updated ROMs.

Also mame2003-plus has the source driver files in the DAT which allows you to build subsets like neogeo only or cps1, cps2, cp3 or whatever combination you want. Now if we could only have the region information.

Along with the rollback CHDs you can include those also in your sets too which is usually v3 with the older cores. A few games with CHDs run acceptably on the Pi 4.

Mame2003-plus has support for UNIBIOS up to 4.0 if you have a need, want to tweak a setting or experiment, it's a core option.

Hm. Still at a loss. Do I have to save the game config to make it work? I would like to make a working configuration on the fly and only save it when it works. Also "User 1 Device Type" - I believe this should stay RetroPad? "User 1 Analog To Digital" - should I fiddle around with that? "User 1 Steering" is set to "Left Analog X" - which sounds reasonable, but does not work...

0.37b5 should provide pretty much everything for 'classic' arcade games and will easily run on the PI3 B, MAME 0.106 is the last release for the PI and this should still work ok for the vast majority of games and will still run on the PI 3B

MAME version NEED a specific ROM set as each version of MAME has updates and redumps or better dumps of ROMs that were not working earlier, which is why MAME fails if you don't have the ROMs to match

I do have a set of ROMs that I picked up looking for some help on how to create a custom ROM set with only working ROMs and came across the set by accident that has ONLY the working versions of each game, and the best ones of FBA or MAME. with a lot of the redundant games removed. Easy to install and comes with very simple instructions to basically copy over and its ready to go. Try searching for "wills arcade set". Thats all the help I can give

Never every unzip the MAME ZIP files. FBA and MAME need the files zipped, one of the few emulators that MUST be zipped for it to work as it should

There are a lot of clones and games that are non-working and some where only the clones work. This improved with later revisions of MAME but the PI can't run the later games due to sheer processing power required

@mitu @dankcushions Thanks again for the guidance. I just needed a nudge. I started 1942, got into Retrarch from there, remapped the buttons for MAME to be what essentially is A/X/L on top and B/Y/R on the bottom. This gave me the B/Y buttons the main use for the games I play most - 1942, TMNT, etc. while keeping the standard mapping for all the other systems.

Thanks again!

@mitu Just stumbled over this thread because I am a proud owner of two Aimtrak lightguns since last saturday, and I'm searching for any information about their setup. :)

Following the links from the video's description, I found the github page of the script in question:

https://github.com/Shakz76/Eazy-Hax-RetroPie-Toolkit/

It seems like it modifies an existing Retropie installation and adds some functionality the author deemed to be useful. I didn't dive deeper into it, because I prefer to use Retropie's own tools as long as they get the job done as well.

Getting my Aimtraks to work with any kind of MAME is my next goal, but at present I can't help much further.

the problem was that your foundation was wrong i think.

my theory: during https://retropie.org.uk/docs/First-Installation/#configure-controllers you bound L bottom/R bottom to your L and R buttons. you should have bound L top and R top. this would probably mean that MK would have had sensible default controls (along with SF2, etc), and it would have also meant that you had no SNES button bound to the MAME menu (not that you should need access to it anyway).