Joysticks using db9-driver don't work in Amiberry

skidiver

Hello there,

I had a RetroPie-system (version 4.7.1) running perfectly using 2 old joysticks via the db9-driver in Amiberry.
After an update and some trouble with a failing db9-driver-install I now have the problem that Amiberry lists the joysticks as 2x Multisystem Joystick but none of the functions are working (fire-button, directions).

Testing the joystick inside a shell works perfectly:

pi@retropie:~ $ sudo jstest /dev/input/js0
Driver version is 2.1.0.
Joystick (Multisystem joystick) has 2 axes (X, Y)
and 1 buttons (Trigger).
Testing ... (interrupt to exit)
Axes:  0:-32767  1:     0 Buttons:  0:on

The system is:

Pi Model: Raspberry Pi 3B
Power Supply used: 2A
RetroPie Version Used: 4.7.1
Built From: pre-built image from retropie.org.uk
USB Devices connected: none
Controller used: none
db9-gpio-rpi package version: 1.3
Amiberry version: 5.1.7
Error messages received: none

What's the problem?

Thx,
skidiver

mitu

@skidiver said in Joysticks using db9-driver don't work in Amiberry:

I had a RetroPie-system (version 4.7.1) running perfectly using 2 old joysticks via the db9-driver in Amiberry.

If only the db9 drivers have changed, then the issue seems to be the new drivers ?

EDIT: actually, if you never upgraded from version 4.7.1, then Amiberry has the most changes since that time. Do you remember which version of Amiberry you had installed ?

skidiver

@mitu said in Joysticks using db9-driver don't work in Amiberry:

Do you remember which version of Amiberry you had installed ?

I'm not sure. But for some reason (I don't remember - it was around 2 years ago) I had cloned the Amiberry git repository onto my Raspberry Pi. The head-revision there has the tag v4.1.6. So I assume that I installed version 4.1.6 instead of the one comming with the RetroPie package.

mitu

You can try enabling logging in Amiberry and then check the log. Since - I assume - this is not a joystick mapped in EmulationStation/RetroArch, I think you'd need to map it manually in Amiberry and that's why may not work initially ?

skidiver

@mitu said in Joysticks using db9-driver don't work in Amiberry:

I think you'd need to map it manually in Amiberry

I think you are right.
Meanwhile I even more read the Amiberry docs especially Setting-up-Input-Controllers. But I'm still lost.
If I configure the Joystick:

using Retroarch the configuration is recognised in Amiberry but it shows each and every button as unmapped (on page custom controls)
using Amiberry buttons/directions are displayed as mapped to dpad up (on page custom controls)

In both case I have no idea to which button/control to map

up
down
left
right
fire

of my joystick to they get mapped back to the joystick signals expected by the emulated Amiga.
By the way I'm very sure that older versions of Amiberry did not require a special mapping.

Lolonois

@skidiver you may try sdl-jstest [1] (use cmake -DBUILD_SDL_JSTEST=off .. instead of cmake .. to avoid SDL1 jstest to be built). It may shed some light how SDL2 recognizes the joystick.

Compare this with the amiberry.log file, another diagnosis tool could be Amiga Test Kit [2] inside amiberry.

[1] https://github.com/Grumbel/sdl-jstest
[2] https://github.com/keirf/amiga-stuff/releases

skidiver

@Lolonois Finally I got the joystick running by using the right Amiberry controller configuration. The Amiga Test Kit helped a lot.
The solution is to put the line

06000000020000000100000000010000,Multisystem joystick,platform:Linux,a:b0,dpup:-a1,dpdown:+a1,dpleft:-a0,dpright:+a0,

into the file
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/autoconfig/gamecontrollerdb_user.txt

which means to map:

up -> dpup
down -> dpdown
left -> dpleft
right -> dpright
fire-btn -> A (south)

Lolonois

@skidiver Cool. Glad you found a solution. As a courtesy for other users (and search engines) please mark your subject post with something like [solved].