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  • Author Author: ajkatz83
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PS3 Controller compatibility with Final Burn Alpha & MAME

ajkatz83

 

With regards to this video here, I had found this enclosure and concept pretty compelling so I had to make on myself. The enclosure came from user Snille--Retro Pi Station as it was console design that was close to what I was thinking of having to interface with all my AV equipment.

 

 

 

 

Controlblocks

 

I chose the ControlBlocks add-on for the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ that I had on hand. I like this particular Pi hat seeing it could emulate the controls for the following:

 

Features: 

  • Multiple Power Input Options
    • Micro USB connector for standard Raspberry Pi power supply
    • USB B Style Connector (not included)
    • 0.1" Header Solder Points
  • 2x13 Stackable Header for connecting to Raspberry Pi GPIO
  • Pin Headers for toggle switch and optional LED
  • 2 GPIO expanders providing 32 additional GPIO pins via Raspberry Pi SPI interface
  • Screw terminals with PCB silkscreen pin outs for easy hook
  • Supports multiple game pad input types
      • Arcade
      • MAME
    • SNES / NES
    • Genesis / MegaDrive / MasterSystem
  • Support up to 4 players by stacking 2 ControlBlocks

 

 

keyrah v2

So while the ControlBlocks was handling the SNES controller functionality, I remembered I had this Keyrah from Individual Computers, which at first I was using with the Commodore 64 emulator I made a few years ago, and now repurposed it for this Retro Station seeing the DB9 ports on it would work if anyone wanted to use their own legacy Atari 2600 controller or Sega controller. The other nice thing was that it was USB and had no interference with the ControlBlock at all!

 

 

Presently, messing with the image flashed on the SD card and within RetroPie, the wired controller I have the Logitech 310, basically an XBox controller was getting a bit cumbersome by sitting on on the hard floor in order to play, so I started reading about how to interface a wireless controller and what types were available and what would be the easiest to use. It came down to two, the PS3 and Xbox types that there was a lot of documentation via the RetroPie github and so I did choose the PS3 controller seeing I felt more prone to that one kind. I liked that it synchronized via the Pi's bluetooth and in a mere matter of minute I was in business. I couldn't at the time understand why it kept selecting user three, but I had found out a little later that the two other users, though unconfigured, were of the ControlBlocks and all made sense again.

 

  Using version 4.4 of RetroPie made things very easy to setup with the PS3 driver and connectivity. After a time, I had figured out how to into the select emulator's configuration file via RetroPie Setup an actually assign the controller for a select player, and it then knew about the PS3 controller across, NES, SNES, NEO GEO, Game Boy Advance, 2600, 7800 thus far, but only one has eluded me at the moment and that right now are all the arcade games that are running MAME and Final Burn Alpha.

 

 

The Auto-configuration of the key mapping when one initially sets up their controller(s) was perfectly tuned across all the platforms I had mentioned above. I had repeated this for MAME and FBA, and the most functionality that I got was the "Insert Coin" button (select) and nothing more. Dropping into Retroarch to see if I could remap the buttons at all seemed like it would be an easy task, however, when I scrolled to the user three configuration, everything had "N/A" in front of it, like it was telling me that PS3 wireless type of controllers need not apply. It was curious that only the two positions on the ControlBlocks were then allowed to work and be configured but not the PS3 controller.

 

So with what Retroarch has reported, I assume this means either Playstation and Xbox controllers are not allowed or that only two positions can had, and that's being taken by the ControlBlocks. Granted the ControlBlocks DO have the functionality required to run arcade styled games, then that means I need to have whole separate controller just to play those; I was trying to use just one for all mainly. The only idea I have is removing the ControlBlocks and see if the PS3 controller gets moved high up in succession or find a solution that ports in Bluetooth via the ControlBlocks so I can have that wireless option. Though even if I did go that way, this particular product can only work up to the Mega Drive system and doesn't really say that wireless is something that can be had at all.

 

Unless I know better, I am going to likely remove the ControlBlocks seeing I have wireless connectivity, so the two positions get freed up, and the PS3 controller gets a higher position. I just find it odd still that every other emulator was fine when configured, but MAME and FBA should persist like this. if anyone knows better than myself here on this subject please do drop me a line so then I mostly likely won't have to tear this console apart and start chasing my tail here.