FAQ

English

This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is oriented to the latest available version of the system RGB-Pi OS v2 Beta, the answers here may not be useful for previous versions.

What are the supported systems?

OS2

• Arcade Machines MAME/FBNeo (.zip)
• Atari 2600 (.a26 .rom)
• Atari 400/800/XL/XE/5200 (.a52 .atr .bas .car .dcm .xex .xfd)
• Atari 7800 (.a78)
• Atari LYNX (.lnx)
• WonderSwan (.ws)
• WonderSwan Color (.wsc)
• ColecoVision (.col)
• PC Engine (.pce)
• CD-ROM2 System (.ccd .chd .cue)
• Odyssey2 (.o2)
• Nintendo NES (.fds .nes)
• Famicom Disk System (.fds .nes)
• Super Nintendo (.sfc .smc)
• Nintendo 64 (.z64 .n64 .v64)
• Game Boy (.gb)
• Game Boy Color (.gbc)
• Game Boy Advance (.gba)
• SG-1000 (.sg), Master System (.sms)
• Megadrive (.gen .md .smd)
• Mega-CD (.chd .cue)
• Megadrive 32X (.32x)
• Game Gear (.gg)
• NEOGEO (.zip)
• NEOGEO Pocket (.ngp)
• NEOGEO Pocket Color (.ngc)
• NEOGEO CD (.cue .chd)
• PlayStation (.pbp .cue .cbn .img .iso .m3u)
• Amstrad CPC (.dsk)
• Atari ST (.st .stx .ipf)
• Commodore 64 (.crt .d64)
• Commodore Amiga (.uae)
• Commodore Amiga CD (.cue)
• x68000 (.m3u)
• MSX (.rom .mx1 .mx2)
• ZX Spectrum (.tap .tzx)
• ScummVM (.svm)
• MS-DOS (.conf)

Why is the cable so short?

Since the cable is unshielded, it can not exceed 25cm to avoid external interference. If you need a longer distance, you can use a scart male to female extension cable, but we cannot guarantee the same image quality as compared to directly connecting RGB-Pi cable to TV.

Why doesn't it have a female scart connector?

We liked the idea that only RGB-Pi is necessary.

Using a female connector would require an additional male to male cable.

Appart from the additional expense, it would result in a loss of quality depending on the cable extension used as explained in question 2.

I have a Sony Trinitron TV and red colors look muted.

In case of having a Sony Trinitron TV and noticing that red colors are displayed dark or brown please check here for more infoː Red color issue

Can I use the cable with Retropie, Recalbox or Lakka?

RGB-Pi is designed to work optimally with its official operating system, which has been carefully developed and tested to ensure the best compatibility and performance with the Raspberry Pi's DPI GPIO interface.

While RGB-Pi utilizes the standard DPI interface of Raspberry Pi, which is a common feature across these devices, compatibility and optimal performance are achieved through specific configurations and adjustments available in our official operating system. This is because the system and hardware are closely integrated, and any changes in Raspberry Pi models, updates to the official Raspberry Pi operating system, or the use of alternative operating systems may require technical adjustments that are beyond the scope of our support.

That being said, it is technically compatible with any Raspberry Pi supported system, but specific configuration support won't be provided here. Also do note that these systems won't provide any kind of customisation for displaying each system and/or game using the original resolution and refresh rates, which results in games being displayed using a fixed resolution and in many cases suffering of glitches, shuttering, and other image issues.

That said, if you really want to enable the cable use in any of these systems, you can find the instructions here: https://github.com/mortaca/RGB-Pi/blob/master/README.md

IMPORTANTǃ Please do note that the above instructions could be deprecated due to changes in the Raspberry Pi drivers and hardware.

Why some games displays black bars or are a little off the screen?

Many games, even when played in the original system, have these problems because of the way they were originally developed.

Also, do note that CRT TVs are very different from LCD TVs. Each TV has a slightly different centering adjustment even when using same TV models, so there is not any universal configuration that fits 100% OK in all TVs.

You have three options for making TV adjustments:

1. Make software image adjustments by using the image assistant tool provided from Image > Image Adjustment menu option.
2. Make image adjustments by using the (commonly hidden) service menu offered by many TV models. You can find out how to open your TV's service menu by searching in internet.
3. Make physical adjustments to your TV (Warning - High Voltage). In many cases, applying some minor adjustments to the TV's yoke can fix many common issues.

What romsets are used by the different arcade emulators?

OS2

• fbneo v0.2.97.44
• advmame (MAME 0.106)
• mame2003-plus (MAME 0.78)
• mame2010 (MAME 0.139)

Which RPi models are supported?

RGB-Pi OS2 has been tested in RPi2, RPi3, and RPi3 Plus models.

RGB-Pi OS4 has been tested in RPi4, and RPi400 models.

Can I use RGB-Pi on a LCD TV or with some upscaler?

You can but there is no point on using the cable for non CRT TVs. For connecting to flat TVs, we recommend using the HDMI output and Lakka distribution.

Can I connect a fan to the GPIO?

Many people use fans connected to the 5v and GND GPIO pins. Unfortunately the RGB-Pi connector occupies these pins although does not use them so that:

1. It is possible to solder a cable from behind if you have welding skills.
2. Another option is to get the 5v from the USB port using a modified cable.

Can I connect a power switch or joystick through the GPIO?

It is not possible to connect any device to the GPIO port while the RGB-Pi is connected since almost all pins are used to take out the necessary 18 Bits for audio and video.

Why the TV channel is not selected automatically?

Important! This information is only valid if you are using the first revision of the RGB-Pi cable.

In order to automatically set the TV to RGB mode, it is necessary to supply 12V to the scart cable but the RPi can only supply 5v.

Some people have made modifications in their cable to introduce 12v in pin 8 of the scart. This is feasible using an external power supply or using of a step-up that takes 5v of the cable and make it 12v.

Doing any modification to the cable/RPi will be at your own risk. In case of proceeding, it is not necessary to lift pin 8 of the PCB since it is not connected to ground, and it is designed thus for possible modifications.

NEW! The new version of the cable that is now available from the website, has this feature built-in among other improvements.

Handheld games look very small.

The original resolution of portable consoles was very low, and since we try to keep PixelPerfect image display from all systems, this is the expected behavior.

I don't have sound.

Check that you don't have anything connected by HDMI. This deactivates the output by GPIO.

Is it good playing with screen bezels enabled?

It is recommended to disable such option since its continued use can burn-in the same on your TV / Arcade screen.

How can I create a backup of my favorites?

Both game list and favourites are stored in the rom folder. Whether you are using the SD or any external USB/NFS unit, you simply need to make copies of the favorites.csv and favorites_tate.csv files.