Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Software Support => GroovyMAME => Topic started by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:03:16 am

Title: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:03:16 am
when using GM, my games are smaller than they are when using regular MAME, i am using an arcade monitor , i have made the edits to mame.ini to reflect that. but still doesnt seem to work correctly. Any ideas? Thanks!
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Sledge on April 17, 2015, 07:37:41 am
Give us some info to work on at least....
PC specs?
Attach your mame.ini and a log file for a game ...minimum
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 12:57:27 pm
here are the logs and ini
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 17, 2015, 01:10:15 pm
Your setup looks fine. What do you mean with "smaller"?
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:16:47 pm
Your setup looks fine. What do you mean with "smaller"?

when I run it with regular MAME, it will fill the entire screen, with GM it is centered and smaller ill take
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:23:17 pm
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4910921/Photo%20Apr%2017%2C%2012%2020%2007%20PM.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4910921/Photo%20Apr%2017%2C%2012%2020%2012%20PM.jpg)
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:23:59 pm
and to clarify, I am using a ATI X1050 with a WG4900 arcade monitor.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 17, 2015, 01:34:53 pm
Is that WG a multisync one? Does it have memory for adjustments?
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:35:53 pm
Is that WG a multisync one?

I dont think? its the 19K4901
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 17, 2015, 01:40:27 pm
This log you posted, did you really get to the point shown in your second picture or you exited before? (sorry to ask so many questions)
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:41:20 pm
This log you posted, did you really got to the point shown in your second picture or you exited before? (sorry to ask so many questions)

i thought so, let me run it again and get into the game itself.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:45:23 pm
here is newer log with me playing the game for a few seconds
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 17, 2015, 01:51:12 pm
Ok that's fine.

There's something odd. Your first picture shows a proper bounding box (leave apart the bad centering on the top). However the game itself is contained in a smaller box for some reason. Clear the ./cfg folder, maybe there's a cfg file messing with our settings.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:52:24 pm
Ok that's fine.

There's something odd. Your first picture shows a proper bounding box (leave apart the bad centering on the top). However the game itself is contained in a smaller box for some reason. Clear the ./cfg folder, maybe there's a cfg file messing with our settings.

ok let me try that, the top of the monitor is a CRT issue I am troubleshooting, probably a transistor.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 01:53:40 pm
deleted all of the files in ./cfg same issue.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 17, 2015, 01:58:29 pm
Have you tried with -video ddraw? Do you have artwork in its folder?
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 02:01:39 pm
Have you tried with -video ddraw? Do you have artwork in its folder?

just a black screen
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 17, 2015, 02:07:01 pm
Have you tried those modes (e.g. 400x288) in Arcade OSD? Do they work at all?  Can you confirm there's actually a mode switch when launching games and they're not just running at the desktop's res?
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 02:11:00 pm
let me try that and report back, I am off to pick up some transistors to hopefully fix the monitor. thank you for your help!
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 17, 2015, 09:23:50 pm
Have you tried those modes (e.g. 400x288) in Arcade OSD? Do they work at all?  Can you confirm there's actually a mode switch when launching games and they're not just running at the desktop's res?

it works in the correct resolution, not sure whats going on, regular mame.exe fills the screen entirely.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 18, 2015, 07:52:29 am
Regular MAME might be just using the desktop resolution, can you confirm that?
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 18, 2015, 12:16:35 pm
how could I confirm that? Sorry new to messing with this kinda stuff on MAME specifically,

my desktop runs at 800x600 if i try any other resolution with OSD it makes things huge and wont fit in the screen.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 18, 2015, 02:09:42 pm
I figured it out! the default.cfg files from groovymame were not copied into c:\mame\cfg

did that and it works, having some weird sound glitches now, going to build a new box with Win 7 and move off XP.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 18, 2015, 02:30:26 pm
That's good! Enable multithreading, that should fix your sound glitches.

I'd settle down with XP until you gain some experience, W7 is a little bit trickier to set up and there are no Emudrivers for that card anyway.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 18, 2015, 09:40:41 pm
That's good! Enable multithreading, that should fix your sound glitches.

I'd settle down with XP until you gain some experience, W7 is a little bit trickier to set up and there are no Emudrivers for that card anyway.

well I wanna use this other PC because the memory in my XP box is only 1GB, I am going to probably get a HD5450 since that car is supported in win7

Well after reading that the HD5xxx wont work, I am loading winXP64 so I can use some more RAM than on my old box.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 19, 2015, 09:52:14 pm
one final thing, I am using GM and now with my new PC setup, the desktop is fine, in 640x480 but when switchres kicks in my vertical scroll starts going slowly, only way to fix it mess with the pot in the back of the monitor, how do I fix this in software?
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: big10p on April 20, 2015, 10:39:37 am
one final thing, I am using GM and now with my new PC setup, the desktop is fine, in 640x480 but when switchres kicks in my vertical scroll starts going slowly, only way to fix it mess with the pot in the back of the monitor, how do I fix this in software?

After adjusting the pot, does the picture start rolling again when you go back to the 640x480 desktop?
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 20, 2015, 11:49:36 am
one final thing, I am using GM and now with my new PC setup, the desktop is fine, in 640x480 but when switchres kicks in my vertical scroll starts going slowly, only way to fix it mess with the pot in the back of the monitor, how do I fix this in software?

After adjusting the pot, does the picture start rolling again when you go back to the 640x480 desktop?

yup! thats exactly what happens.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: big10p on April 20, 2015, 07:24:53 pm
Just had a look at the mame.ini you posted and you have "switchres 0" set in it. Not sure if this is related to your issue, though.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 20, 2015, 09:11:15 pm
Just had a look at the mame.ini you posted and you have "switchres 0" set in it. Not sure if this is related to your issue, though.

that was my old config, this new one just has the arcade_15 profile, and thats it.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: big10p on April 21, 2015, 09:50:15 am
Maybe the vert sync pot needs cleaning/replacing?

I'm struggling to rectify interlace and interference problems with my monitor. Starting to think using a CRT is too much hassle...  :(
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 21, 2015, 12:46:21 pm
Maybe the vert sync pot needs cleaning/replacing?

I'm struggling to rectify interlace and interference problems with my monitor. Starting to think using a CRT is too much hassle...  :(

issue with mine, is that with regular MAME, it works fine.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 21, 2015, 01:13:23 pm
one final thing, I am using GM and now with my new PC setup, the desktop is fine, in 640x480 but when switchres kicks in my vertical scroll starts going slowly, only way to fix it mess with the pot in the back of the monitor, how do I fix this in software?

Usually with an arcade monitor you can find an adjustment for the v-freq pot that covers a wide enough range of frequencies, something like from 50 to 60 Hz, even more. If this is not the case, you could find the actual width of the range that yours allows. But it sounds like something odd is going on there. It actually sounds like a sync issue, as if your monitor is expecting composite sync or there's a problem with the wiring of the sync signals.

issue with mine, is that with regular MAME, it works fine.

Maybe regular MAME stays at 60 Hz all the time?  :)
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 21, 2015, 01:14:49 pm
one final thing, I am using GM and now with my new PC setup, the desktop is fine, in 640x480 but when switchres kicks in my vertical scroll starts going slowly, only way to fix it mess with the pot in the back of the monitor, how do I fix this in software?

Usually with an arcade monitor you can find an adjustment for the v-freq pot that covers a wide enough range of frequencies, something like from 50 to 60 Hz, even more. If this is not the case, you could find the actual width of the range that yours allows. But it sounds like something odd is going on there. It actually sounds like a sync issue, as if your monitor is expecting composite sync or there's a problem with the wiring of the sync signals.

issue with mine, is that with regular MAME, it works fine.

Maybe regular MAME stays at 60 Hz all the time?  :)

on the cable I have going from the CRT to the VGA the 2 sync lines are tied together, and theCRT can only do 15hz
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 21, 2015, 01:17:31 pm
Starting to think using a CRT is too much hassle...  :(

We wouldn't be using CRTs if the alternative didn't suck.  :)
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 21, 2015, 01:25:26 pm
on the cable I have going from the CRT to the VGA the 2 sync lines are tied together, and theCRT can only do 15hz

You mean 15kHz, for horizontal refresh. Instead, I'm talking about vertical refresh which is measured in Hz.

If your monitor is expecting composite sync you shouldn't just tie the H and V sync lines together. That's quite probably the issue. It might work for some monitors however but not for all.

What's probably happening is that your monitor is actually out of sync all the time, it's just that you're able to stabilize the picture by fine tuning the v-freq pot, but that doesn't mean it's solid so any deviation from that sweet spot makes the picture start rolling. When the vertical sync works fine, the monitor actually hangs on to the incoming signal without problems.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: big10p on April 21, 2015, 01:25:59 pm
Starting to think using a CRT is too much hassle...  :(

We wouldn't be using CRTs if the alternative didn't suck.  :)
True  :laugh:
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 21, 2015, 01:30:02 pm
on the cable I have going from the CRT to the VGA the 2 sync lines are tied together, and theCRT can only do 15hz

You mean 15kHz, for horizontal refresh. Instead, I'm talking about vertical refresh which is measured in Hz.

If your monitor is expecting composite sync you shouldn't just tie the H and V sync lines together. That's quite probably the issue. It might work for some monitors however but not for all.

What's probably happening is that your monitor is actually out of sync all the time, it's just that you're able to stabilize the picture by fine tuning the v-freq pot, but that doesn't mean it's solid so any deviation from that sweet spot makes the picture start rolling. When the vertical sync works fine, the monitor actually hangs on to the incoming signal without problems.

I am using the cable from here

http://www.ultimarc.com/store/section.php?xSec=11 (http://www.ultimarc.com/store/section.php?xSec=11)
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: Calamity on April 21, 2015, 01:52:00 pm
I am using the cable from here

http://www.ultimarc.com/store/section.php?xSec=11 (http://www.ultimarc.com/store/section.php?xSec=11)

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=182282 (http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=182282)

It looks like that monitor may work with separate sync too. Anyway, I think the issue is we're outputting the wrong polarity (either positive or negative) for the expected composite  input.
Title: Re: All games running in smaller size with GM
Post by: daverdfw on April 21, 2015, 02:01:48 pm
I am using the cable from here

http://www.ultimarc.com/store/section.php?xSec=11 (http://www.ultimarc.com/store/section.php?xSec=11)

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=182282 (http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=182282)

It looks like that monitor may work with separate sync too. Anyway, I think the issue is we're outputting the wrong polarity (either positive or negative) for the expected composite  input.

I seperated them and now it works fine!

Now I just need my 2 vertical output transistors to hopefully fix the issue where I have like a 2" offset at the top of the screen, thanks!