@mitu said in Noob questions about multiple controllers and USB boards:

It's in the get started section - https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Controller-Configuration/. ES tries to cover for all possible buttons and joysticks present on a PS or Xbox controller. There's also a video linked which shows this process.

I've seen that, and I guess I'm not fully grasping how it's going to behave because that only shows "one controller detected". I assume that "one detected" is because one USB is device is plugged in in that example, and it's offering the options which go with that controller (SNES, Xbox 360, PS3, etc.) being plugged in. It doesn't explain how the menu will look when I have two separate USB boards and possibly a third (i-pac2 with ball and spinner), and what will be presented as options for each. I assume with my custom-built cabinet, I will get some sort of "generic controller" detected, so I am wondering what options it will give me. It also isn't clear where/when/if the hotkey action options appear - it lists the defaults at the bottom but not in the format of the stuff above. Are the hotkey action items listed in order to be assigned, or do they default as indicated and you can only change them by going into the config menu?

Also, one post I saw seemed to indicate that if you reassign a hotkey action to a single button on your cabinet (rather than leaving it as "hotkey + (button or joystick direction)", then all the other hotkey actions must be assigned a single button and can't remain as a two-press action. Is that correct?

Each console has its own gamepad - see this page for a detailed overview. The main variation is within the Arcade games, where it really depends on the game - but that's not really my area of expertise. You can look up various builds posted on the forum for real cabinets and their setup and others might chime in and give you advice.

Yeah, I've read various threads opining on button arrangement, but my question is really a derivative of the above questions; I'm less worried about arranging the buttons for my gameplay and more concerned about what other buttons I should have on my cabinet in order to make it easy for my little kids and for visitors to play.

Theoretically it should be possible. The trackball should replicate a mouse and if ES could translate trackball/mouse inputs as joystick/keyboard inputs then it should be theoretically possible. I haven't tried this nor am I involved in development here, but this would be cool functionality. Right now you could get around this with a little USB control pad that is only used for ES, but I understand this isn't a long term solution. I'm not sure if this is the right place to suggest modifications to EmulationStation, but perhaps specific workaround code could be developed similar to the "xarcade2joystick" (or whatever it's called) functionality. This would be cool nonetheless.

I'm sorry I don't have the actual names for the games readily available, but my Attract Mode Advance Mame Trackball romlist is as follows:

#Name;Title;Emulator;CloneOf;Year;Manufacturer;Category;Players;Rotation;Control;Status;DisplayCount;DisplayType;AltRomname;AltTitle;Extra;Buttons abaseb;abaseb;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; amerdart;amerdart;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; arcadecl;arcadecl;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; atarifb;atarifb;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; soccer;soccer;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bigevglf;bigevglf;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bking;bking;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bking2;bking2;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bking3;bking3;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bladestl;bladestl;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bootcamp;bootcamp;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bowlrama;bowlrama;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bowler;bowler;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; bullsdrt;bullsdrt;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; cabal;cabal;MAME (Advance);;1988;Fabtek;Action / Fighting / Shooter;2;;;;;;;; capbowl;capbowl;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; caterplr;caterplr;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; centiped;Centipede;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; champbwl;champbwl;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; combasc;combasc;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; coolpool;coolpool;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; clbowl;clbowl;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; ccastles;ccastles;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; eaglshot;eaglshot;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; ebases;ebases;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gimeabrk;gimeabrk;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gghost;gghost;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gridiron;gridiron;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gt2k;gt2k;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gt3d;gt3d;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gt97;gt97;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gt99;gt99;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gtclassc;gtclassc;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; gtg2;gtg2;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; krzybowl;krzybowl;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; liberatr;liberatr;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; magworm;magworm;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; marble;Marble Madness;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; mhavoc;mhavoc;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; milliped;milliped;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; minigolf;minigolf;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; missile;Missile Command - Set 1;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; missile2;Missile Command - Set 2;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; poundfor;poundfor;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; quantum;quantum;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; rambo3;rambo3;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; rampart;rampart;MAME (Advance);;1990;Tengen;;;;;;;;;; reactor;reactor;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; shootbul;shootbul;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; sonic;sonic;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; shufshot;shufshot;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; shuuz;shuuz;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; simpbowl;simpbowl;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; slither;slither;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; snakepit;snakepit;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; spiker;spiker;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; stratab;stratab;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; sbowling;sbowling;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; suprleag;suprleag;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; syvalion;syvalion;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; teedoff;teedoff;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; tehkanwc;tehkanwc;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; tempest;Tempest - Vertical - Cocktail (rev 3, Revised Hardware);Cocktail;;1980;Atari;Shooter / Gallery;;;;;;;;;; tempest;Tempest - Horizontal;MAME (Advance);;1981;Atari;Shooter;1;;;;;;;; temptube;Tempest Tubes - Horizontal;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; temptube;Tempest Tubes - Vertical - Cocktail;Cocktail;tempest;1980;hack (Duncan Brown);;2;;dial,dial;good;1;vector;tempest;;; trisport;trisport;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; usclssic;usclssic;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; wacko;wacko;MAME (Advance);;1983;Midway;Action;2;;;;;;;; wcbowl;wcbowl;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; wcbowldx;wcbowldx;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;; xtheball;xtheball;MAME (Advance);;;;;;;;;;;;;

I should say this list includes several spinner/dial games that work fine using a trackball eg Tempest Tubes.

@treaves said in Help with iPac Ultimate, trackball & spinner, RetroPie ORA edition:

I wonder if we can get the pinned post to be more specific on what a 'large log' is. I was on the fence about this one.

If you need to scroll more than 2 screens, then it's large (considering a normal 720p resolution).

The problem is in retroarch itself there is threads on here how to patch it to work, or just update to 1.7.6. I have no idea why your not updating your system.

@markt correct. As I said, and from reading your jstest tests, your joysticks are effectively being recognized as analogs correctly, it's just that they don't really map to the trackball the way you think they could.

You may try another emulator (lr-fba vs lr-mame vs AdvMame) and see if they handle it differently, or maybe someone has a different idea on how to configure it to make it work the way you want.

Switching to AdvanceMAME resolved this issue.

Yeah those are good enough for me, both work great with trackball.

I think the newer GT's need mame2010+ never had much luck on the pi with that.

@chizzer Sorry. I don't use 3rd party RetroPie Images.

As for the topic in the thread, I've found out that Attract Mode has a few vertical themes/layouts.

Also the Pegesus frontend (found on these forums) looks like it will work great in vertical as well.

So that's what I'm going to be testing and messing around with the next few days.

Will do. Thanks

I installed adv-meme and change the .rc like the wiki said and now my trackball is working :)
I'm pretty happy now

@caver01
@mediamogul
cancel that, right after a reboot , it works!... I cant thank you guys enough. Awesome Help!

@udb23 Oh damn, didn't thought about the buttons. Ok, good point. And about the kensington, I saw it too on Amazon, but I am not sure if I should get wireless or wired one. I tend to wireless, because my arcade stick and 2 gamepads are wired.

@bland328

Actually, in both cases you'd need an external tool. I use xboxdrv, as outlined in the guide I linked to above. Having analog movement available on the stick comes in handy for everything from 'Marble Madness' to 'Spy Hunter'. It's especially nice in 'Centipede', where you're normally all over the place much too quickly with digital controls.

@caver01
Thank you for this

@guruchoc I installed Xarcade2Jstick via the retropie menu, that seemed to do the trick, I can play Bubble Bobble to my hearts content, thanks for the help.

G

@mgrabow said in Tankstick Trackball Not Working in advmame:

verbose mode appears no where the link several people have refered be to.

The option is in the Runcommand menu, but the screenshot/example of that menu is likely old and does not show that choice as an example. However, if you use Runcommand, L "Launch with verbose logging" is an option.

@ajacks504 Hello ajacks504. Yes, I know this reply is almost 3 years old. I am having the same issue and just changed to "enabled" wherever it said "disabled" under mame. The next question is I do not have the line

input_player1_mouse_index = "0" underneath the device =" mouse line" anywhere

Is this something I need to add? I'm sorry I just don't understand all this. I'm not very computer savvy when changing the config stuff. I don't have a trackball yet but I have a spinner right now and I cannot get it to work or be recognized when playing tron. Thank you. hopefully this msg finds you