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Hi Geecab!

Here's the news:

Everything is connected, the speedometer lights up and is set to 8 cylinders.

When I launch the revcounter file with the correct  com port, it says "Arduino connected OK."

Then it can't find the game, which is launched, and then closes automatically.

Then I saw in your release notes that I had to set the game settings to "Scorboard to Export."

And now the game won't launch.

I think it's a configuration issue in the game.

Could you send me another example .bat file? For launching both programs?

I'm really sorry, I would have loved to tell you that it works the first time. 

Thank you so much.

Thank you!

I'll contact them to see if I can get a replacement motor or two, or if they can point me to their supplier.

-Jason

I was thinking of doing a black stain with poly (since it's all one step) for the outside of the cabinet, and for the control panel throw down some small bits of artwork from games (printed and cut out) then cover it with a bar top epoxy finish. I'm hoping that drilling holes in it after the fact won't be a problem (and hopefully will be easier than drilling into plexiglass/acrylic). Then I saw this thread. The thick laminate sounds interesting (and a lot less hassle), but wouldn't it have a tendency to peel at the edges? (Note: My control panel is half of an octagon, it's a four player layout, so there's a couple of corners I will have to deal with.)

Thanks.

Could you elaborate more on which games were only released in PAL?  I’m useless to answering your questions.

https://www.reddit.com/r/snes/comments/9dzudk/complete_list_of_pal_exclusives/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Megadrive/comments/vp85s3/list_of_pal_releases_with_no_english_ntsc_release/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SEGAGENESIS/comments/16z7ooe/games_that_run_better_at_50hz/
https://vgmrips.net/wiki/50Hz_Mega_Drive_Games
The norm was to develop at 60 Hz (NTSC-U/J).
However, many European studios worked directly on PAL consoles and used audio engines (Krisalis, Sound Images, or Teque) that clock their music logic at 50 Hz.
When that ROM is run at 60 Hz:

Music and sound effects speed up by about 20%.
Certain routines (a pause every 6 frames, for example) throw animations or physics out of sync.

Some games were released only in Europe (PAL), so there’s no NTSC 60 Hz version.

I need to replace a faulty motor on one of my motorized 4-way/8-way restrictor plate switching joysticks...

...except, I can't even remember where or when I got these or what they're called.

A little help?

Thanks!

It's an Ultimarc Servostik.   
https://www.ultimarc.com/arcade-controls/joysticks/servostik/


Scott

I need to replace a faulty motor on one of my motorized 4-way/8-way restrictor plate switching joysticks...

...except, I can't even remember where or when I got these or what they're called.

A little help?

Thanks!

Couple of dedicated bootlegs I’ve made.  Armed with snips and a lot of hot glue, you can make these pi pico PCBs work in original shells.  Usual shipping label crap run through the printer.  No one will notice or care.



Actually a fun game, one I hadn’t heard of before.  Apparently fairly rare.  I trashed a copy of Atlantis I paid 40 cents for.



I remember them advertising the hell out of this one.  Not entirely sure what’s going on but eh.

Could you elaborate more on which games were only released in PAL?  I’m useless to answering your questions.

I've built myself a cabinet with joysticks only, but am now looking into ways of enabling driving/paddle games and those with a rotary joystick for aiming as well, on a small-sized control board.

My holy grail would be a single upgrade for all of them.

Is there a way to do this without a dedicated spinner? Am I hunting for a unicorn?

If you're trying to cover all of the games in those categories, you are indeed hunting for a unicorn.

You can find some control combinations that will work well enough for some of the games, but there will be compromises and some games like Arkanoid will never play well without a dedicated high resolution spinner.  What games are on your "can't live without it" list?
https://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/FAQ#What_type_of_build_meets_my_needs.3F

You may want to look into this GRS rotary joystick.
- It has switchable modes/handles for the "clicky" games like Ikari Warriors (mechanical rotary games) or "non-clicky" games like Caliber .50.
- It also has push/pull switches for games like Discs of Tron and Forgotten Worlds.



You will need to configure your settings in MAME, especially for the mechanical rotary joystick games.   
https://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/Joysticks#MAME_Settings_for_Mechanical_Rotary_Joysticks


Scott

Hello everyone,

Some SNES and Mega Drive (Genesis) games were only released in PAL format, and I want to emulate them on a CRT with proper resolution and aspect ratio using super resolution and switchres.

Switchres often calculates a 244p or 240p resolution (don't remember), but either way, the image appears squashed. The only way I’ve found to fill the screen correctly with the correct aspect ratio is using 288p. However, this introduces jitter — the image slightly wobbles or shifts, like a sync mismatch.

According to ChatGPT:

In PAL, the signal is transmitted in two fields of 312.5 lines, which together form an interlaced frame of 625 lines. When using progressive scan like 288p, the full image is sent in one go, removing interlacing. This totals 312 lines (288 visible + sync/blanking). If this total is altered (e.g., to 313), some TVs interpret the signal as interlaced, causing jitter.

Following that advice, I tried ensuring both the RetroArch-generated modeline and the VMMaker-installed one use exactly 312 lines. This helped reduce the issue slightly... in SNES Asterix PAL, it sometimes works perfectly, but other times it doesn’t, jitter still appears in other games – sometimes more, sometimes less, and sometimes in different screen positions, upper part or lower part.

My Setup:

• GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5450
• CPU: Intel NUC13ANBi5
• OS: Windows 10
• Drivers: CRT Emudriver 2.0 + VMMaker
• CRT: Sony Trinitron KV-21FX30E (EU model)
• Resolution: Super-res 2560x288 @50hz

Video 1: Lucky Luke (SNES) (PAL) (Jitter) (If you look to the upper part of the screen, when I move forward there are some parts that are not in place).






Switchres Log (SNES9x):

Code: [Select]

[INFO] [CRT]: Requested Resolution: 256x239@50.006977 orientation: normal
[INFO] [CRT] Video context is: wgl
[INFO] [CRT]: Current running core Snes9x
[INFO] [CRT]: Loading switchres.ini core override file from C:\RetroArch-Win64\config\Snes9x\Snes9x.switchres.ini
[INFO] Switchres: Calculating best video mode for 256x239@50.006977 orientation: normal
[INFO] Switchres: Modeline "2560x288_50 15.602177KHz 50.006977Hz" 49.146857 2560 2634 2865 3150 288 291 293 312   -hsync -vsync
[INFO] set_desktop_mode: \\.\DISPLAY5 (2560x288@50) flags(0)
[INFO] sr_set_mode: successfully switched to 2560x288@50.006977
[INFO] [CRT]: Resolution is stretched. Fractal scaling @ X:10.000000 Y:1.205021
[INFO] [CRT]: Setting Aspect Ratio: 8.888889
[INFO] [CRT]: Setting Video Screen Size to: 2560x288
[INFO] [Video]: Video refresh rate changed to 50.007 Hz.
[/spoiler]

Current VMMaker modeline:

Code: [Select]

"2560x288_50 15.60KHz 50.00Hz" 49.17 2560 2632 2864 3152 288 289 291 312 -hsync -vsync

SNES9x monitor crt_range switchres Config:

Code: [Select]

crt_range0  15550-16100, 54.00-62.00, 2.000, 4.700, 8.000, 0.064, 0.128, 0.064, 0, 0, 192, 272, 0, 0
crt_range1  15590-15610, 49.90-50.10, 1.500, 4.700, 5.800, 0.064, 0.160, 1.056, 0, 0, 288, 288, 0, 0
crt_range2  15550-16100, 59.80-60.20, 2.000, 4.700, 8.000, 0.064, 0.128, 0.448, 0, 0, 0, 0, 448, 480


Video 2: MegaTurrican (Megadrive) (PAL) (Jitter)


Retroarch Log (BlastEm):

Code: [Select]

[INFO] [CRT]: Current running core BlastEm
[INFO] [CRT]: Loading switchres.ini core override file from C:\RetroArch-Win64\config\BlastEm\BlastEm.switchres.ini
[INFO] Switchres: Calculating best video mode for 320x240@49.701431 orientation: normal
[INFO] Switchres: Modeline "2560x288_50 15.506847KHz 49.701431Hz" 48.769032 2560 2633 2862 3145 288 291 293 312   -hsync -vsync
[INFO] set_desktop_mode: \\.\DISPLAY5 (2560x288@50) flags(0)
[INFO] sr_set_mode: successfully switched to 2560x288@49.701431
[INFO] [CRT]: Resolution is stretched. Fractal scaling @ X:8.000000 Y:1.200000
[INFO] [CRT]: Setting Aspect Ratio: 8.888889
[INFO] [CRT]: Setting Video Screen Size to: 2560x288
[INFO] [Video]: Video refresh rate changed to 49.701 Hz.
[INFO] [Environ]: SET_GEOMETRY: 256x240, Aspect: 1.333.
[INFO] [CRT]: Restoring Aspect Ratio: 8.888889
[INFO] [Environ]: SET_GEOMETRY: 320x240, Aspect: 1.333.
[INFO] [CRT]: Restoring Aspect Ratio: 8.888889
[INFO] [Environ]: SET_GEOMETRY: 256x240, Aspect: 1.333.
[INFO] [CRT]: Restoring Aspect Ratio: 8.888889
[INFO] [Environ]: SET_GEOMETRY: 320x240, Aspect: 1.333.
[INFO] [CRT]: Restoring Aspect Ratio: 8.888889
[/spoiler]

BlastEm.switchres.ini monitor crt_range Config:

Code: [Select]

crt_range0  15500-16100, 54.00-62.00, 2.000, 4.700, 8.000, 0.064, 0.128, 0.064, 0, 0, 192, 272, 0, 0
crt_range1  15500-16100, 49.60-50.10, 1.500, 4.700, 5.800, 0.064, 0.160, 1.056, 0, 0, 288, 288, 0, 0
crt_range2  15500-16100, 59.80-60.20, 2.000, 4.700, 8.000, 0.064, 0.128, 0.448, 0, 0, 0, 0, 448, 480

Question:
Does anyone know what might be causing the jitter I'm seeing in some PAL games 288p? I'd really appreciate any insight into why this jitter happens and how to fix it.

Thanks in advance! 🙏