ControlBlock and Dreamcast (reicast) Solution Found

[theend]

Hello,

I’m the proud owner of a ControlBlock, after installing it and test almos all the systems works fine with it.

If you use mameadvmame, you only need to press tab on your keyboard inside a game and configure it.

The problem was runing reciast, the Dreamcast Emulator… once you put the needed bios files and start a “rom” you cannot get past from the “set date” screen, you can move through the date with the joystick but cannot do nothing once you are over the “Select” option… It’s easy, the configuration of the control mapping is wrong.

Well, let’s get fixed!

1) run this command:

/opt/retropie/emulators/reicast/bin/reicast-joyconfig

you will get a list of the USB things plugged to your pi:

0: Logitech USB Receiver (/dev/input/event0, usb-3f980000.usb-1.5/input0)
1: Logitech USB Receiver (/dev/input/event1, usb-3f980000.usb-1.5/input1)
2: Usb Compliant device Usb Compliant device (/dev/input/event2, usb-3f980000.usb-1.3.3/input0)
3: Usb Compliant device Usb Compliant device (/dev/input/event3, usb-3f980000.usb-1.3.3/input1)
4: ControlBlock Gamepad (/dev/input/event4, )
5: ControlBlock Gamepad (/dev/input/event5, )
Please enter the device id:

ok, you press the nubmer of the controller you want to configure, but forget it, remember the “number” for your controller and its “name”, for my configuration it will be the “4” (the first ControlBlock Gamepad)…

so now, you can hit Ctrl+C to get out reicast-joyconfig… remember your number (4) and your control name (ControlBlockGamepad)

mapping configurations are inside the directory:

/home/pi/.reicast/mappings

and the mapping configuration for ControlBlock is named:

controller_(your control name).cfg

So for my controlblock it will be:

controller_ControlBlockGamepad.cfg

now, reading the manual for the reicast-joyconfig you can get some options:

-d will configure your device number

-f will create a mapping configuration file…

so you need to type now:

/opt/retropie/emulators/reicast/bin/reicast-joyconfig -d 4 -f ~/.reicast/mappings/controller_ControlBlockGamepad.cfg

where:

-d 4 (is the number for your controller to configure)
-f the filename corresponding to your device (ControlBlock)

so you will get something like this:

Using device 4…
Name: ControlBlock Gamepad
File: /dev/input/event4
Phys:
Do you want to map a button to exit the emulator [Y/n]

you only need to map button by button, and axys by axis, try not to duplicate buttons, and DO NOT CONFIGURE DPADs with your joystick, or you will not be able to move inside the set date screen…

Once you finished, start your Dreamcast ROM and enjoy…

PD: Due to reicast.sh behaviour, maintain “clean” your mapping directory, do not edit or copy files inside it, or it will not load your configuration and you will get stuck.

and of course, this method will help you to configure any other gamepad, usb or bluetooth one, wii, xbox, ps3 etc, you only need to remember the “number” and the “name” from the “reicast-joyconfig” first run…

Enjoy

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