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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro

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    • M
      meats @maxbeanz
      last edited by

      This post is deleted!
      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • B
        bmn001
        last edited by

        I saw this post and many others on Reddit and elsewhere prior to receiving my SN30 Pro and was like "Shit. This is a mess. I should never have bought this thing."

        I'm happy to say that I received my SN30 pro today and got it working on the very first try - flawlessly - using the following instructions:

        • Right out of the box, update to the latest 8bitdo firmware first. v1.20 as of this post.
        • Turn on the controller by holding down Start. Don't screw around with any "modes" or holding down any other buttons. Just hold down Start until the four lights start to cycle.
        • Pair the controller with Retropie.
        • Have it add the udev rule.
        • Save changes and restart Retropie.
        • Setup the buttons within Emulation Station

        Hey, look at that. You're all done. It works in all emulators.

        The analog sticks' range of motion works great in everything. If your controller gets disconnected for lack of activity or whatever, just hold down Start (and no other buttons) to turn it on again and you'll reconnect with 10 seconds or so. No need to reboot or re-pair.

        There's never any need to select an alternate mode. Just power it on by holding down Start. Done.

        I've been using this for a few hours now and have tried many different disconnection scenarios, but this seems pretty solid to me so far!

        RionR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
        • M
          meats
          last edited by

          FYI to all... a new Firmware update to 1.22 is out:

          Firmware v1.22

          • Enhanced the stability of the Bluetooth pairing.
          • Fixed the crashing issue of the controller when charging.
          • It will disconnect from bluetooth connection when using USB connection.
          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • R
            robertclemens
            last edited by

            So I removed my controllers from my Retro Pi setup.
            I upgraded to firmware 1.22. I started the remotes with only the "Start button mode" only as described above. I paired the remotes using the 98:XX MAC Address. I added the udev from the bluetooth menu. I restarted the device and so far everything seems normal. I haven't given this a ton of testing but so far this seems like it may work.

            I was able to load a single player game and two-player game.

            Hope everyone has a similar experience and with further testing declares these controllers good-to-go.

            R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • R
              robertclemens @robertclemens
              last edited by

              @robertclemens said in 8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro:

              So I removed my controllers from my Retro Pi setup.
              I upgraded to firmware 1.22. I started the remotes with only the "Start button mode" only as described above. I paired the remotes using the 98:XX MAC Address. I added the udev from the bluetooth menu. I restarted the device and so far everything seems normal. I haven't given this a ton of testing but so far this seems like it may work.

              I was able to load a single player game and two-player game.

              Hope everyone has a similar experience and with further testing declares these controllers good-to-go.

              As I'm home sick with the Flu (yay), I've had some time to test this. So far this is working great.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • RionR
                Rion @bmn001
                last edited by

                @bmn001 Great!

                FBNeo rom filtering
                Mame2003 Arcade Bezels
                Fba Arcade Bezels
                Fba NeoGeo Bezels

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • louiehummvL
                  louiehummv
                  last edited by louiehummv

                  I hate to break it to everyone, but we're still back where we started. First allow me to clear up this "miracle" of holding down just Start (not screwing around with any modes):

                  Every mode (profile) changes the way the LEDs light up:
                  -- "Switch" profile makes all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth
                  -- "Mac" profile makes the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly
                  -- "Windows" profile makes the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly
                  -- "Android" profile makes the first LED blink repeatedly

                  When you hit just Start, you are activating the last chosen profile. By default (particularly after a firmware upgrade) it's the "Switch" profile, aka 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth.

                  I don't know what bmn001 did to confirm the analog sticks true range of motion, but I can attest that my previous findings (and meats's) remain after upgrading to the 1.22 firmware. The "Switch" profile still produces 85% of the full analog range (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767; thus can perform ample gameplay movement but certainly not specific joystick combinations), the "Mac" profile still has weird reconnection issues, and the "Windows" and "Android" profiles still don't recognize the left & right triggers.

                  FYI, I did receive an email from 8bitdo on 12/20 thanking me for my feedback and that they'll "submit this problem & test it soon." I'll keep everyone posted as things progress.

                  R B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
                  • R
                    robertclemens @louiehummv
                    last edited by

                    @louiehummv said in 8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro:

                    I hate to break it to everyone, but we're still back where we started. First allow me to clear up this "miracle" of holding down just Start (not screwing around with any modes):

                    Every mode (profile) changes the way the LEDs light up:
                    -- "Switch" profile makes all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth
                    -- "Mac" profile makes the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly
                    -- "Windows" profile makes the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly
                    -- "Android" profile makes the first LED blink repeatedly

                    When you hit just Start, you are activating the last chosen profile. By default (particularly after a firmware upgrade) it's the "Switch" profile, aka 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth.

                    I don't know what bmn001 did to confirm the analog sticks true range of motion, but I can attest that my previous findings (and meats's) remain after upgrading to the 1.22 firmware. The "Switch" profile still produces 85% of the full analog range (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767; thus can perform ample gameplay movement but certainly not specific joystick combinations), the "Mac" profile still has weird reconnection issues, and the "Windows" and "Android" profiles still don't recognize the left & right triggers.

                    FYI, I did receive an email from 8bitdo on 12/20 thanking me for my feedback and that they'll "submit this problem & test it soon." I'll keep everyone posted as things progress.

                    This is good information to have. I wouldn't quite say we are back at where we started. I'm now able to successfully connect/reconnect without a reboot. So progress has been made, at least with bluetooth connectivity. I've played several hours since I'm sick with the Flu and the connectivity is amazingly better.

                    Hopefully an update will be made to adjust the range of motion on the joysticks.

                    Thanks for the update and hopefully we will get a new firmware soon to address that. Please update this thread if you see any positive or negative changes.

                    louiehummvL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • B
                      bmn001 @louiehummv
                      last edited by

                      @louiehummv said in 8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro:

                      When you hit just Start, you are activating the last chosen profile. By default (particularly after a firmware upgrade) it's the "Switch" profile, aka 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth.

                      Ahh okay, that makes sense. 8bitdo doesn't have the best documentation. Thanks for clearing that up.

                      I don't know what bmn001 did to confirm the analog sticks true range of motion, but I can attest that my previous findings (and meats's) remain after upgrading to the 1.22 firmware.

                      I just played a few games and things seemed to work. I didn't experience any game-breaking limits on joystick range, but don't doubt that they're still not giving the full values. Thanks for reporting that to them!

                      I think the moral of the story is that, as it stands today, the Switch profile is probably the best bet for Retropie, and it'll be perfect once they address the limited range of the analog sticks in a future firmware update.

                      louiehummvL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • louiehummvL
                        louiehummv @robertclemens
                        last edited by

                        @robertclemens I didn't realize connection without a reboot was an old issue, as I never had that problem even since the stock firmware v1.0somenumber. Only the "Mac" profile had, and still has, that problem.. at least for me. Glad people have found the profile most tolerable for them.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • louiehummvL
                          louiehummv @bmn001
                          last edited by louiehummv

                          @bmn001 Personally I think the "Mac" profile is best if you feel you have a reliable bluetooth connection and don't anticipate walking away for a while (since the controller goes to sleep after some time). One of my favorite N64 games, Waverace, is frustrating without full joystick range. Otherwise, any non-joystick-combo game works fine with the ease-of-connectivity "Switch" profile, as you & meats implied.

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • R
                            robertclemens
                            last edited by

                            One thing to mention about the Switch profile is that, per the manual, turbo feature does not apply to that profile. It would be ideal to utilize a "fully featured" profile instead. I just realized this trying to play a game where I would have liked turbo mode on a button for a short bit.

                            So as it stands it seems like the "Switch" profile is the easiest and best choice if you don't need the joysticks or at least full-range joysticks or turbo features.

                            The "macOS" profile appears to have the full joystick motion range but bluetooth re-connection issues upon sleep mode or other disconnection events occur.

                            Have any of the other modes (Android and Windows) been fully tested by anyone for RetroPie?

                            louiehummvL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • louiehummvL
                              louiehummv @robertclemens
                              last edited by louiehummv

                              For the record (as of firmware v1.22, 2017-12-20)

                              Confirmed Issues

                              • "Switch": analog range is only 85% (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767); turbo feature not recognized
                              • "Mac" : reconnection established only after reboot when connect mode has been set to 'boot' or 'background'
                              • "Windows" : left & right triggers aren't recognized
                              • "Android" : left & right triggers aren't recognized

                              Confirmed LEDs

                              • "Switch" : all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth
                              • "Mac" : the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly
                              • "Windows" : the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly
                              • "Android" : the first LED blink repeatedly

                              Confirmed Profile Selection Buttons

                              • "Switch" : START + Y
                              • "Mac" : START + A
                              • "Windows" : START + X
                              • "Android" : START + B

                              Confirmed Bluetooth IDs & Name (SN30 | SF30)

                              • "Switch" : 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller | 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller
                              • "Mac" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- Wireless Controller | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- Wireless Controller
                              • "Windows" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro
                              • "Android" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro

                              Notes

                              • Hitting only START button activates previously selected profile
                              • Firmware receive mode activated by LEFT SHOULDER + RIGHT SHOULDER + START
                              • click for manual
                              • click for support/firmware
                              M louiehummvL 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • M
                                meats @louiehummv
                                last edited by

                                @louiehummv said in 8bitdo SF30 Pro and SN30 Pro:

                                For the record (as of firmware v1.22, 2017-12-20)

                                Confirmed Issues

                                • "Switch": analog range is only 85% (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767); turbo feature not recognized
                                • "Mac" : reconnection established only after reboot when connect mode has been set to 'boot' or 'background'
                                • "Windows" : left & right triggers aren't recognized
                                • "Android" : left & right triggers aren't recognized

                                Confirmed LEDs

                                • "Switch" : all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth
                                • "Mac" : the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly
                                • "Windows" : the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly
                                • "Android" : the first LED blink repeatedly

                                Confirmed Profile Selection Buttons

                                • "Switch" : START + Y
                                • "Mac" : START + A
                                • "Windows" : START + X
                                • "Android" : START + B

                                Confirmed Bluetooth IDs & Name (SN30 | SF30)

                                • "Switch" : 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller | 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller
                                • "Mac" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- Wireless Controller | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- Wireless Controller
                                • "Windows" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro
                                • "Android" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro

                                Notes

                                • Hitting only START button activates previously selected profile
                                • Firmware receive mode activated by LEFT SHOULDER + RIGHT SHOULDER + START
                                • click for manual
                                • click for support/firmware

                                great stuff here, thanks. I dont know if its an issue, but dont the other 8bitdo controllers tell you via LED lights which controller # each one is? Considering these controllers have different 'modes', that may not be possible anymore, but would definitely be a small let down to not know which controller is #1 - #4 etc when you have more than 1.

                                louiehummvL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • louiehummvL
                                  louiehummv @meats
                                  last edited by louiehummv

                                  @meats I have 2 controllers (SF30 Pro & SN30 Pro) setup in RetroPie. During all my tests, I've never seen the LEDs distinguish player #s. Only the first LED lights when a controller is connected.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • M
                                    MRP2000
                                    last edited by

                                    I've got two SN30 Pro controllers, both have the firmware upgraded to v1.22, and I'm running RetroPie 4.3 on a Raspberry Pi 3 model B.

                                    They both will shut off by themselves after being used for about 20 minutes, and they will not reconnect unless I reboot the system.

                                    I'm running them in "Switch" mode, and they are fully charged. I can't even get it to work at all in "MacOS" mode, and I've also tried changing the bluetooth setting from "default" to "background", but they just keep shutting off and not reconnecting. Am I missing something?

                                    louiehummvL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • louiehummvL
                                      louiehummv @MRP2000
                                      last edited by louiehummv

                                      @mrp2000 In RetroPie's bluetooth menu, there are 2 options you should've also setup: (1) set the udev rule (only need to set once even if you have more than 1 controller of the same bluetooth name), and (2) turn off the 8bitdo mapping hack (for new firmware)... then reboot to take effect.

                                      According to the manual, the controllers shut off after 15 minutes of non-use (no buttons/joysticks being pressed) while connected, and after 1 minute of no connection. If yours shut off during regular use, it's possible your RasPi's WiFi is interfering/dropping the bluetooth connection. I know that sounds strange, but once I disconnected from my wireless network, the bluetooth connection was wayyy more stable. I actually ran an ethernet cord to my network router & forced the RasPi's WiFi service off in the meantime.

                                      Otherwise, please confirm your setup intricacies (particularly your connected profile's bluetooth ID/Name & LEDs) against the following, and note the confirmed issues too.

                                      For the record (as of firmware v1.22, 2017-12-20)

                                      Confirmed Issues

                                      • "Switch": analog range is only 85% (-27391 to 26966 instead of -32767 to 32767); turbo feature not recognized
                                      • "Mac" : reconnection established only after reboot when connect mode has been set to 'boot' or 'background'
                                      • "Windows" : left & right triggers aren't recognized
                                      • "Android" : left & right triggers aren't recognized

                                      Confirmed LEDs

                                      • "Switch" : all 4 LEDs cycle back-n-forth
                                      • "Mac" : the first 3 LEDs blink repeatedly
                                      • "Windows" : the first 2 LEDs blink repeatedly
                                      • "Android" : the first LED blink repeatedly

                                      Confirmed Profile Selection Buttons

                                      • "Switch" : START + Y
                                      • "Mac" : START + A
                                      • "Windows" : START + X
                                      • "Android" : START + B

                                      Confirmed Bluetooth IDs & Name (SN30 | SF30)

                                      • "Switch" : 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller | 98:B6:E9:42:--:-- Pro Controller
                                      • "Mac" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- Wireless Controller | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- Wireless Controller
                                      • "Windows" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro
                                      • "Android" : E4:17:D8:20:--:-- 8Bitdo SN30 Pro | E4:17:D8:CF:--:-- 8Bitdo SF30 Pro

                                      Notes

                                      • Hitting only START button activates previously selected profile
                                      • Firmware receive mode activated by LEFT SHOULDER + RIGHT SHOULDER + START
                                      • click for manual
                                      • click for support/firmware
                                      M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • M
                                        MRP2000 @louiehummv
                                        last edited by

                                        @louiehummv it ended up being the WiFi that was causing the issue. Once I turned off the WiFi, I had no problems with the controllers. Thank you for the help, I appreciate it.

                                        louiehummvL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • louiehummvL
                                          louiehummv @MRP2000
                                          last edited by

                                          @mrp2000 You're welcome. Happy holidays

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • T
                                            theelite1x87
                                            last edited by

                                            Hello everyone. I decided to register and post this after buying a sn30 pro and reading this thread. I am using the controller in Dinput mode (android) and it works great. Analog sticks work. All 4 triggers work. Connects to Bluetooth just fine. Stays connected. After restart, controller hooks right back up after a few seconds. Here's what I did:

                                            Before anything I went to my PC and updated its firmware (v1.22 as of Xmas day). Completed that. Not sure if this matters, probably not, but I next connected it via Bluetooth to my android tablet to test it in ps1 emulators (using android mode obviously). Worked great. Next I went to my pi3, running latest version of retropie. Used my existing controller to head over to search for Bluetooth. Did the pairing process. Saw it quickly and connected. I enabled the udev option as suggested here. I believe there was a option for Bluetooth connection to out it in background mode or something but I left that as default. Then I used existing controller to go to gamepad setup screen. Held down button on the sn30 pro to begin config. Mapped all buttons without issue (set select as hotkey as usual). And....thats it. Worked great in all games. All buttons, including triggers, worked as expected. Can't comment on range of motion with analog sticks as I'm not sure how to check that. I can say the analog sticks worked just as well as my 360 wired pad does. So it seems to be good. Perhaps latest firmware solved the android config issue? But I just wanted to leave a comment here for others, as this thread is top result on Google when looking up this issue

                                            louiehummvL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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