pifba keyboard controls stubbornly refuse configuration

[cadestomp]

I’m running a pi2 with the retropie beta 3.18beta.
It’s hooked up in a kraylix arcade cabinent, controls wired into an ultimarc j-pac usb-to-jamma board.

The pi sees the j-pac as a usb keyboard, and all controls are mapped to keyboard button presses.

I’ve been unable to map controls in the pifba emulator. No changes I make in any config file affect the emulator as launched within emulationstation.

I’ve run the retropi-setup.sh, and the keyboard mappings there are correct.

I must be missing something… how can I get the controls working in FBA?

/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg:
(obviously not complete file)

input_player1_a = a
input_player1_b = s
input_player1_y = q
input_player1_x = w
input_player1_start = 2
input_player1_select = 5
input_player1_l = z
input_player1_r = x
input_player1_left = d
input_player1_right = g
input_player1_up = f
input_player1_down = r
input_player1_l2 = c
input_player1_r2 = v
# input_player1_l3 =
# input_player1_r3 =

input_player2_a = lctrl
input_player2_b = lalt
input_player2_y = space
input_player2_x = lshift
input_player2_start = 1
input_player2_select = 6
input_player2_l = i
input_player2_r = k
input_player2_left = left
input_player2_right = right
input_player2_up = up
input_player2_down = down
input_player2_l2 = j
input_player2_r2 = l
# input_player2_l3 =
# input_player2_r3 =

/opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg

#include "/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg"
# All settings made here will override the global settings for the current emulator core
input_remapping_directory = /opt/retropie/configs/fba/

input_player1_a = a
input_player1_b = s
input_player1_y = q
input_player1_x = w
input_player1_start = 2
input_player1_select = 5
input_player1_l = z
input_player1_r = x
input_player1_left = d
input_player1_right = g
input_player1_up = f
input_player1_down = r
input_player1_l2 = c
input_player1_r2 = v
# input_player1_l3 =
# input_player1_r3 =

input_player2_a = lctrl
input_player2_b = lalt
input_player2_y = space
input_player2_x = lshift
input_player2_start = 1
input_player2_select = 6
input_player2_l = i
input_player2_r = k
input_player2_left = left
input_player2_right = right
input_player2_up = up
input_player2_down = down
input_player2_l2 = j
input_player2_r2 = l

/opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/retroarch.cfg
(partial)

input_player1_a = a
input_player1_b = s
input_player1_y = q
input_player1_x = w
input_player1_start = 2
input_player1_select = 5
input_player1_l = z
input_player1_r = x
input_player1_left = d
input_player1_right = g
input_player1_up = f
input_player1_down = r
input_player1_l2 = c
input_player1_r2 = v
# input_player1_l3 =
# input_player1_r3 =

input_player2_a = lctrl
input_player2_b = lalt
input_player2_y = space
input_player2_x = lshift
input_player2_start = 1
input_player2_select = 6
input_player2_l = i
input_player2_r = k
input_player2_left = left
input_player2_right = right
input_player2_up = up
input_player2_down = down
input_player2_l2 = j
input_player2_r2 = l
# input_player2_l3 =
# input_player2_r3 =

/opt/retropie/configs/fba/fba2x.cfg

[Keyboard]
# Get codes from /usr/include/SDL/SDL_keysym.h
# //////
# // Player 1
# /////////////////////////
A_1=97          # A
B_1=115         # S
X_1=113         # Q
Y_1=122         # Z 
L_1=120         # X
R_1=99          # C
START_1=50      # 2
SELECT_53       # 5
LEFT_1=100      # D
RIGHT_1=103     # G
UP_1=102        # F
DOWN_1=114      # R
QUIT=27         # ????
# ///////
# // Player 2
# /////////////////////////
A_2=306         # L-CTRL
B_2=308         # ALT // l-alt=308 r-alt=307
X_2=32          # SPACE
Y_2=105         # I
L_2=106         # j
R_2=107         # k
START_2=49      # 1
SELECT_2=54     # 6
LEFT_2=276      # LEFT
RIGHT_2=275     # RIGHT
UP_2=273        # UP
DOWN_2=274      # DOWN

[Graphics]
DisplaySmoothStretch=1
# Display Effect: 0 none, 1 scanlines
DisplayEffect=0
DisplayBorder=0
MaintainAspectRatio=0

/opt/retropie/emulators/pifba/fba2x.cfg
symlnk to above fba2x.cfg

/opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/configs directory doesn’t seem to contain a file for “keyboard”

[smoothmalik]

I also cannot get my pifba controls to be assigned like I had previously in my fba2x.cfg file. I actually didnt intend to update to the beta but accidently did now I just want my controlls in pifba to work like they did in 2.6. I still have my fba2x.cfg file from 2.6 saved on my computer but the folders are different now. Can I just copy and paste it? Also in emulationstation to setup controlls to use in retroarch there shouldnt be a time limit on how fast to assign a button before it moves on to the next one.

[Floob]

Well, in the first post you mention pifba but then show retroarch.cfg files.

pi-fba doesnt use retroarch, so that wont pick up anything there.
Config file info here:

MAME versions and romsets on RetroPie

But yes, it should work when you edit this file:
/opt/retropie/configs/fba/fba2x.cfg

If you just plug a keyboard in, does it respond the same keys?

Are you using the latest firmware?
https://www.ultimarc.com/download.html

[smoothmalik]

so whatever im doing doesnt seem to work with my pifba controls. To start off once if upgraded to the latest beta and i went searching from the fba2x.cfg file it I couldn never find it. it was supposed to be in /opt/retropie/configs/fba/fba2x.cfg but the only file located there was a retroarch.cfg file. I manually copy and pasted a fba2x.cfg file I had back in 2.6 when i needed to edit my controls. No matter what I change these controls too then save them nothing changes in fba when i restart and run the emulator on retropie.

I did manager to find a shortcut file in retropie/emulators/pifba/ that showed its path was to the /opt/retropie/configs/fba/fba2x.cfg however until i manually copied and pasted the fba2x.cfg no such file actually existed

[Floob]

[quote=97501]I also cannot get my pifba controls to be assigned like I had previously in my fba2x.cfg file. I actually didnt intend to update to the beta but accidently did now I just want my controlls in pifba to work like they did in 2.6. I still have my fba2x.cfg file from 2.6 saved on my computer but the folders are different now. Can I just copy and paste it? Also in emulationstation to setup controlls to use in retroarch there shouldnt be a time limit on how fast to assign a button before it moves on to the next one.

[/quote]

To be honest, in terms of 2.6 to 3.0 it may be easier to start with a fresh image. Is there a chance you could try a clean install with that?

[smoothmalik]

yea ill try later tonight or tomorrow morning.

[cadestomp]

The fba2x.cfg, as quoted above, isn’t being parsed when emulation station starts the emulator. Changing the display settings in that file also affects no changes in the emulator.

I changed the fba emulator to fr-fba and it, as well, ignores the retroarch.cfg config files. fr-fba doesn’t accept any keyboard input at all, and requires the pi2 to be rebooted to exit the emulator.

>> If you just plug a keyboard in, does it respond the same keys?
The keyboard responds to the wrong keys. Insert a coin is TAB instead of 5, P1-Start is ENTER instead of 1.

>>Are you using the latest firmware?
The key programming utility just crashes when I run it with the J-Pac. If that doesn’t work, I’m surely not going to roll the dice with the firmware update utility. I received the board last week, I’m assuming the firmware is the latest. It functions fine, and generates appropriate keyboard input. I can’t see blaming this issue on the j-pac.

[Floob]

I just installed a clean version of RetroPie 3 beta 2 (for the Pi2).

I copied across a rom into the fba rom folder and it played and it read the:
/opt/retropie/configs/fba/fba2x.cfg file

I confirmed this by changing this line
QUIT=119 (119 = w. It usually reads 27 which is ESC)
When I did this, ESC no longer quit fba, I had to press “w”.

If you know the key presses being produced with your jpac you can get the ascii equivalent for the config file here:
http://www.theasciicode.com.ar/ascii-control-characters/carriage-return-ascii-code-13.html

The reason I said to update your firmware is that users on this forum who have used the ipac have said that it resolved their input issues. However, as you say, if you are concerned this may damage your device, please dont do it.

[smoothmalik]

all I want to be able to do is edit the cfg file to change the buttons so that I can assign my abxy buttons and have select button insert coins and select + start exits back to emulationstation like I had it in 2.6. What happened from 2.6 to 3 beta that negated all this

[Floob]

I’m afraid I dont have a jpac to test further, but the re-assignment of keyboard keys in the example (in the fba2x.cfg) above worked for me.

[cadestomp]

I performed a firmware upgrade on the J-Pac (causing annoying control mapping problems that I won’t get into here). Then I zapped the sd-card with a fresh copy of RetroPie. Now I can edit those files and get the expected results.

Since I haven’t had the same problem.

With the last install, I played with several joypads, a bluetooth wireless NES controller, and fumbled with all the configuration tools.

I’m not sure how it got hosed or why, but the fresh install got me going!

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