Colecovision Start-Up Error: Turn Game Off Before Inserting Cartridge or Expansion Module.

AdamBeGood

Pi Model or other hardware: Pi4
Power Supply used: Pi Standard
RetroPie Version Used: 4.6
Built From: RetroPie website image
USB Devices connected: PS Classic Controller and USB Keyboard
Controller used: PS Classic Controller
Error messages received: Turn Game Off Before Inserting Cartridge or Expansion Module.
Verbose log (if relevant): https://pastebin.com/HbgBujcw
File: (File with issue - with FULL path) /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/coleco/black-onyx-the-2013.rom
Emulator: (Name of emulator - if applicable) lr-bluemsx
Attachment of config files: (PLEASE USE PASTEBIN.COM FOR LARGE LOGS) - Let me know which config files you want and I'll be happy to attach them. I can't see a list or anything of that nature.
How to replicate the problem: Run the ROM, error message is displayed

Hi all,

This seems to happen on all ROMs 64kb and up.

The exception to that is Flappy, which asks for a Super Game Module.

Games below 64kb seem to be absolutely fine. I've tried changing the Machine Type to Coleco (Spectravideo) but that doesn't change anything. My BIOS file seems to be correct.

I am hoping this is going to be something obvious, I saw there is a Splash Screen showing this display so it must be common.

Edit / Answers to this problem:

OpenMSX can be used, in order to set it up you need to add the following config to /opt/retropie/configs/coleco/emulators.cfg:

openmsx-colecovision = "/opt/retropie/emulators/openmsx/bin/openmsx -machine 'ColecoVision' %ROM%"
openmsx-colecovision_sgm = "/opt/retropie/emulators/openmsx/bin/openmsx -machine 'ColecoVision_SGM' %ROM%"

BIOS file to be added here

/home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/openmsx/machines/colecovision/COLECO.ROM

FBNeo can be used as an alternative, and runs all games that we are aware of - both normal and SGM. It requires matching romsets though; the dat file is here: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/libretro/FBNeo/master/dats/FinalBurn Neo (ClrMame Pro XML%2C ColecoVision only).dat

There is also ongoing discussion in the thread around lr-mess, which can emulate ColecoVision using the Adam system. Please see the conversation below for more information on this.

Finally, if you have a Pi3 then CoolCV works effectively.

ChaosEffect

@adambegood I tried one such game and ran into the same issue on a Pi 3 with that emulator.

If you navigate to /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/Machines, you will probably see four folders that start with "COL." There are at least two more "COL" machines ("ColecoVision w Opgrade Module" and "ColecoVision w Super Game Module") out there that are not included with the base install of the emulator.

I tried adding those to my Machines folder, but I didn't figure out how to get the emulator to recognize them. Maybe there is a config file somewhere that can get those machines to appear in RetroArch's Options menu.

Anyway, I was able to get the game working with the optional core CoolCV without modifying any settings. Maybe try that one out instead of lr-blueMSX.

AdamBeGood

@chaoseffect Thanks for looking into this. My first thought was to include CoolCV and use that but I get this error message in RetroPie Setup:

Sorry but package 'coolcv' is not available for your system (rpi4)

Package flags: !all videocore

Your rpi4 flags: rpi4 32bit arm arm8 neon RPI goes gles3 mesa kms dispmanx

I am not sure how to get around this, if I can.

YFZdude

@adambegood
Found this:
https://github.com/libretro/blueMSX-libretro/issues/54

Shot in the dark...

AdamBeGood

@yfzdude said in Colecovision Start-Up Error: Turn Game Off Before Inserting Cartridge or Expansion Module.:

@adambegood
Found this:
https://github.com/libretro/blueMSX-libretro/issues/54

Shot in the dark...

It is a good shout! This actually worked for me on an MSX port of Rick Dangerous that I tried the other day.

Not here though, it boots to MSX Basic if you do that. I don't think that is what we want for Colecovision.

@Folly - do you have any idea on this please? Seems up your street.

Folly

@adambegood said in Colecovision Start-Up Error: Turn Game Off Before Inserting Cartridge or Expansion Module.:

@yfzdude said in Colecovision Start-Up Error: Turn Game Off Before Inserting Cartridge or Expansion Module.:

@adambegood
Found this:
https://github.com/libretro/blueMSX-libretro/issues/54

Shot in the dark...

It is a good shout! This actually worked for me on an MSX port of Rick Dangerous that I tried the other day.

Not here though, it boots to MSX Basic if you do that. I don't think that is what we want for Colecovision.

@Folly - do you have any idea on this please? Seems up your street.

Read your post.
I think this github issue is only for msx problems.
Starting with shift prevents booting the diskrom, some games require this.
With Colecovision that's a different story, as it has no diskdrive.
At the moment, no idea, on how to fix this problem.

I Just got back from the holiday, so I can try some stuff this weekend.
If I find something, I will let you know.

AdamBeGood

@folly Hope you had a good holiday, mate. I didn't realise you were actually going away (I didn't realise people still had actual holidays)!

Folly

@adambegood said in Colecovision Start-Up Error: Turn Game Off Before Inserting Cartridge or Expansion Module.:

@folly Hope you had a good holiday, mate. I didn't realise you were actually going away (I didn't realise people still had actual holidays)!

We did't go that far.
We had very nice weather for the time of the year.

I tried the "black onyx" and had the same result.

I did some fast research, seems there have been upgrades made for the Colecovision in the past, Like the Super Game Module.
Looks like these upgrade are homemade.
I looked into the mapper types, but I only found MSX mappers.
Seems that lr-bluemsx can only do the standard mapper type for Colecovision.

Found nothing in the gihub issues either.
Looks like a dead end, for now.

I tried editing the /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/Databases/colecodb.xml with my sha1 :
9bc148c38bd94ba52efa335a08f5c2660b5dbf32 black-onyx-the-2013.rom

Originally it has :
fc2b2003bcec3ef388f28f615f8d82e583edf951
So perhaps this one can work.

BTW.
Can you e-mail me ?

AdamBeGood

@folly This is all so strange isn't it. Seems peculiar that the only Pi4 emulator for Colecovision doesn't run a large percentage of the games... I am not too fussed about this system, it isn't top of my list; but it is a bit annoying now.

I don't know how to email you, I don't know where the address is on the profile. Of course I'd be happy to. Mine is adam_tgood@hotmail.com

Edit: Thanks very much for looking into this, by the way.

Further Edit: And glad you had nice weather and a decent local-ish holiday too.

Folly

@adambegood

I don't think it's pi4 only or do you have it working on others ?

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Colecovision Start-Up Error: Turn Game Off Before Inserting Cartridge or Expansion Module.:

@adambegood

I don't think it's pi4 only or do you have it working on others ?

I meant that CoolCV shows on my system as not for Pi4 - unless there is something wrong with my setup... Can you install CoolCV? If so, that should work.

Sorry but package 'coolcv' is not available for your system (rpi4)

Package flags: !all videocore

Your rpi4 flags: rpi4 32bit arm arm8 neon RPI goes gles3 mesa kms dispmanx

Folly

@adambegood

I tried coolcv, removing !all in the script.
I could only install the binary, which didn't work.

Did your games work with coolcv on an other pi ?

Edit :
It seems they are busy with coolcv for the pi4 :
https://atariage.com/forums/topic/240800-coolcv-emulator-for-mac-os-x-linux-windows-and-raspberry/page/24/?tab=comments#comment-4523809

AdamBeGood

@folly @ChaosEffect above said that CoolCV worked for him on his Pi3 but obviously that isn't that useful to us.

It's good that people are working on it anyway, although it sounds like they need the author to do something and I don't know if he is bothered... It just seems a surprising situation, with not an incredibly obscure machine.

ChaosEffect

@adambegood Below is a link to the topic I looked at when searching about this for blueMSX. I am not familiar with ColecoVision, so I'm not sure if the games you're trying fit in with what they discussed. That Black Onyx game did start for me in CoolCV, but yes, I am using a Pi 3B. I guess that emulator is not officially available for Pi 4?

https://atariage.com/forums/topic/269131-opcode-pac-man-collection-on-bluemsx-retropie/

Folly

@chaoseffect

That's a good link.
Now we are in the right direction.

So the other machines, they mentioned, should be tried.

Not sure though that lr-bluemsx will accept/recognize that.
I can remember we did something the same with other MSX types, which did not work.

Folly

I had a small success.

I can run pac-man-collection-2008.rom (128kb) if I put the Cart Mapper Type on Auto.

As expected, I can't select, for example, COL - ColecoVision with Opcode Memory Extension, even though I put the files in /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/Machines/COL - ColecoVision with Opcode Memory Extension.

Putting another config.ini in /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/Machines/COL - ColecoVision with different slot information and/or roms could work.
(Up till now I had no success with the opcode Memory Extension settings)

AdamBeGood

@folly Agreed - Pac-Man Collection works... Which is strange, as Cart Mapper Type: Auto is the default isn't it? So that single game seems to be an outlier here, I don't know why that one works and others do not.

All very peculiar.

Folly

@adambegood

I tried the config.ini of COL - ColecoVision w Super Game Module in COL - ColecoVision.
I get a black screen if I run 64kb and 128kb roms.
Though, 32kb titles work with this config.ini .

Perhaps an idea to install the source one.
I saw that the latest commits are from April 2021.
The latest commits, for Coleco, seem to be from 2017 though.

Edit : no luck with the source one either !

AdamBeGood

@folly I think mine was the Source version already... I guess this is one to try at a later date then. Thanks for the effort!

Folly

@adambegood

Your welcome.

btw.
Did you get my mail ?