En: 7. FAQ - eduardofilo/RG350_adam_image GitHub Wiki

Q1: Should I reflash every time a new image appears? Perhaps you have an OPK for a more streamlined update?

At the moment only the flashing method is available. In the past with another image, I published an OPK to make the update, but give me many problems because user tweaks made it difficult to apply the patches. The complete procedure to upgrade between one version of the image and the next one is described here.

Q2: Is there a battery level indicator?

Since version v1.1, SimpleMenu shows battery level on some themes (0A, ComicBook and SimUI). You have also battery level when running RetroArch and entering in the menu (Power or Select + X). At last, you can exit to GMenu2X from SimpleMenu changing Default launcher option to no and then selecting Session: quit.

Q3: Why are the override settings in RetroArch not preserved?

The key in this topic is to understand well the three levels of overrides that exists. If you change a setting and override it at the core level, but then there is an override on the same setting at the content level, the first will not be applied because the second takes precedence. This guide is valuable.

We are going to show an example of one of these cases that is most often asked. It is about activating the option to keep the aspect ratio in GB or GBC. We are going to look at GBC in particular, so in the following greps we do not have to take into account the file GB.cfg. That option is called video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect in RA config files. This is the default situation of that setting on the different files that apply, as they are in the image just flashed:

rg280v:~/.retroarch $ grep video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect retroarch.cfg
video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "true"
rg280v:~/.retroarch $ grep video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect config/Gambatte/*
config/Gambatte/GB.cfg:video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "false"
config/Gambatte/GBC.cfg:video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "false"
config/Gambatte/Gambatte.cfg:video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "false"

In words, the Keep Aspect Ratio setting is enabled at a general level (first grep), but then disabled in overrides at the core and content level (second grep).

The logical thing would be that activating it at the content level would start to work, but RetroArch applies a system of economy of settings and when it sees that an adjustment at any level, matches the general adjustment, it simply removes the override adjustment. As a result, when setting this option to true and then creating the override at the content level, what actually happens is that the override is lost and the core level is applied, which, as can be seen, is still false.

rg280v:~/.retroarch $ grep video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect retroarch.cfg
video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "true"
rg280v:~/.retroarch $ grep video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect config/Gambatte/*
config/Gambatte/GB.cfg:video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "false"
config/Gambatte/Gambatte.cfg:video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "false"

The solution is to make another override at the core level (which erases the adjustment at that level as well), leaving only the general adjustment.

rg280v:~/.retroarch $ grep video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect retroarch.cfg
video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "true"
rg280v:~/.retroarch $ grep video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect config/Gambatte/*
config/Gambatte/GB.cfg:video_dingux_ipu_keep_aspect = "false"

In short, you have to activate the keep aspect ratio and save the overrides at the core and content level at same time. It is a mess yes.

Q4: How can I reset the RetroArch configuration so that I can mount my own overrides without being affected by the ones in the image?

Just delete /media/data/local/home/.retroarch/config directory and /media/data/local/home/.retroarch/retroarch.cfg file.

Q5: NeoGeo ROMs with FBA standalone emulator do not sync screen well on RG350M (I guess on RG3300X neither). How can it be fixed?

This is a problem with the hardware scaling that this emulator does when you have that screen. The solution is to disable it through the FBA interface itself or UX. To do this, temporarily disable SimpleMenu as the default launcher, open the FBA UX emulator from GMenu2X, locate the game that we want to adjust (it may be necessary to add the path of the NEOGEO ROMs to ROMs Paths), open it and in the Option menu that appears change Hardware scaling to Off. The change is saved at the game level so if we later launch it from SimpleMenu, it will be applied even if we do not go through that intermediate settings screen.

FBA Hardware scaling

If you don't want to make the fix game by game, you can change it in Main settings > Default ROM settings > Default Run Game settings > Hardware scaling, but keep in mind that this change will affect games from other systems that did not have problems with scaling.

Q6: I can't modify RetroArch config, error Failed saving config to... is displayed

To modify the general configuration of RetroArch, there must be no content (ROM) loaded. This can be done in a number of ways:

  1. After launching RetroArch through a ROM, open RA menu (Power or Select + X) and use the Close Content command.
  2. Open the RetroArch launcher. In image versions 1.2 or earlier, it can only be done from GMenu2X, in the emulators section. As of 1.3 there is also a launcher in the Apps section of SimpleMenu.

In any case, it is not usual to manipulate the general configuration of RetroArch. What most of the time is convenient is to override at the core, content (directory) or game level. Check FAQ number 3 for more details.

Q7: How can I lower the minimum volume without actually muting the sound? The minimum is still very high.

This problem affects mainly to RG280V. That is because in that machine the speakers are connected directly to the DAC (digital analog converter) and not to the chain DAC->Headphone port like in other devices. In RG280V the volume control is only affected by PCM channel in alsamixer, and even at its minimum value before the mute (32 / -30dB) is heard too loud in a quiet environment.

alsamixer

Without touching the system, the only thing that can be done is to play with the sound options that some of the emulators may have. Fortunately RetroArch includes in the audio settings the possibility of attenuating the output. The setting is found in the path: MAIN MENU > Settings > Audio > Volume Gain (dB). The -10dB value has been found to be a good balance, so setting the minimum system volume before mute is already adequate, and the maximum is powerful enough. If we choose to make this adjustment, it is best to do it at the general configuration level, for which we must follow the steps commented in FAQ number 6.

RA audio gain

Q8: Can I update Adam with the latest OpenDingux beta builds?

Of course. Adam is just a normal installation of the packages listed at the beginning of this document, i.e. OpenDingux beta, RetroArch, SimpleMenu and a few standalone emulators. None of them have been modified, so they should work as expected. Not only can you upgrade the packages but you are encouraged to do so, to help their development.

Although it is recommended to follow the instructions given in each package, these are the general instructions to upgrade each type of package:

  • OpenDingux beta: Download the build you want to install (usually the latest) from its distribution site. Copy the type of OPK suited for your console (in Adam's case, it will always be the gcw0 kind) into the apps directory of the external card. Locate the launcher in the applications section of GMenu2X or SimpleMenu (in this landazor, if another terminal type application such as USB Mode for example has not been opened before, it does not switch correctly to terminal mode, leaving the OpenDingux logo on the screen; if this happens, press Power+Select to force the OPK closing), open it and follow on-screen instructions. WARNING: Keep in mind that once this is done, you will not be able to use the script to switch between different device models, since if you do it you will end up having an updated rootfs with an old kernel, since the script copies the installed kernels originally in the image, from the different directories with the names of the devices that are in the boot partition.
  • RetroArch: The package that can be found on the distribution site contains the parts that must be installed manually on the console (an OPK to launch RA in frontend mode and do the general configuration, a binary that must be copied to /media/data/local/bin and the home directory containing the cores and basic configuration). Alternatively you can use this installer from which a package designed to fit Adam is offered in the releases.
  • SimpleMenu and standalone emulators: All these applications work like normal OPKs. Therefore, to update them, you just have to locate the version you want to install (for example, the SimpleMenu releases are obtained from here) and copy them to the /media/data/apps directory. They can also be copied to the apps directory of the external card, but in that case if we don't delete the equivalent in /media/data/apps, they will appear twice in frontend.

Q9: Is it possible to use a WiFi dongle?

Yes, although the list of supported chipsets is limited. At the moment the supported ones are the following:

  • Realtek RTL8192CU
  • Mediatek MT7601U

If new chipsets are incorporated into the system in the future, they will be listed in the directory /lib/modules/5.15.0-rc6-opendingux/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/

Q10: Why don't appear in SimpleMenu the ROMs I just loaded onto the external card?

There are several things to keep in mind so that the ROMs are displayed:

  1. The format of the external card must be FAT32 or exFAT (the exFAT format has recently been supported, so in case of problems it would be better to stick to the more tested FAT32 format).
  2. The ROMs must be found in the appropriate directories for the system to which they belong and which are listed in the table in the ROMs section.
  3. The extensions of the ROMs files must be those indicated in the table in the ROMs section.
  4. To access the list of ROMs of the system that we are interested in, use the navigation shortcuts between systems and groups indicated in the table in the Controls section. Basically they are B to go up one level, A to go down one level and Up/Down to move between the different elements in each level. For example, the following video shows how to get to the list of Game Boy ROMs from the Applications section that appears by default after flashing the image.

See video

Q11: Why does not show battery levels correctly the battery indicator?

Battery are one of the most analog elements on the console. No two are the same. To manage this reality, modern smartphones keep a lot of information about previous charges and the rate and conditions in which the discharge occurs. With all this information, they estimate a battery capacity that is as realistic as possible. In the console system, this data is not kept, so the battery capacity is estimated directly from the voltage that it offers at a certain moment. Fixed values are used for the voltage associated with the maximum and minimum charge (4.2V and 3.4V respectively), which may not be suitable for all batteries, hence some consoles misjudge the charge level.

There is also a sensor on the charging connector, but this only determines if there is a cable connected to the console, not that the battery is charging, that is, the other end of the cable may be disconnected and most programs will indicate that the console is being powered.

Finally, the load indicators of the different programs (GMenu2X, SimpleMenu, RetroArch, RG350 test) can be programmed differently, so there may be discrepancies between them.

Q12: Is exFAT format supported for card partitions?

OpenDingux beta includes support for the exFAT file system in the form of a kernel module that is not loaded by default. Throughout Discussion #226 it has been found that in order to use a card in the EXT slot with this format, you have to build some kind of script that runs at boot time and performs manual mounting of the card. Another option is to load the module and restart the udev service so that the rule defined in /etc/udev/rules.d/61-automount.rules that automounts removable drives is applied after module is loaded. The script can for example be installed in /media/data/local/etc/init.d/.

An example of script that uses the automounting technique could be the following:

#!/bin/sh

case "$1" in
    start)
        printf "Loading exfat module and restarting udev"
        modprobe exfat
        /etc/init.d/S10udev stop
        /etc/init.d/S10udev start
        echo "done"
        ;;
    stop)
        # Nothing to do
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop}"
        exit 1
        ;;
esac

That we could leave in the directory commented previously with the name S05_loadexfat.sh so that it is executed before the one that generalizes the directories scaffolding of Adam. It is necessary to remember to give execution permission to the file:

$ sudo chmod +x /media/data/local/etc/init.d/S05_loadexfat.sh

Q13: How do I activate the HDMI output so that I can view the console screen on a TV?

It is not really necessary to activate HDMI, despite the option that appears in the options menu of some of the latest versions of SimpleMenu. You only need to turn on the console after having connected the cable between the console and the TV. In other words, the cable must be connected before the console is switched on.

The port on the console is a mini HDMI port, so a cable with a mini HDMI connector on one end or an adapter will be required.

The following disadvantages must be taken into account:

  • The sound is not supported through the cable, i.e. it will still play through the console's internal speaker.
  • Image quality and stability is still quite poor. Synchronism failures occur especially in the transition screens between SimpleMenu or GMenu2X and the emulators.
  • It is possible that some emulators (especially standalone ones) may have problems running at the base resolution used by the system through this output.