Mobile Gamepad

Thunderbots changes 🌩️

• The library by default is for an RPI, so we have to update the events to be 64 bits already tracked here
• The original joystick had a finite number of states (up, down, left, right, up-left, etc..) but we would like an analog joystick.

Both these changes are tracked in this commit: e3b983f88810d9ac5624d4c8eff1b04d0cc4f62e

We also changed the server.js to index.js so that we can create a package

Instructions on how to create a new package:

sudo npm install -g bundle-deps
bundle-deps
npm pack

Mobile Universal Gamepad for RetroPie (http://mobilegamepad.net/)

Quick installation and start

• Run below installation script

# Install nodejs (tested with nodejs v12.17.0)
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_12.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Install Grunt Command Line Interface
sudo npm install -g grunt-cli

# Clone project MobileGamePad and install dependencies
git clone https://github.com/sbidolach/mobile-gamepad.git
cd mobile-gamepad
npm install

# Run MobileGamepad
sudo grunt start

• Open in mobile browser the below URL (Mobile phone and Raspberry Pi have to be on the same network)

http://[ip_address_raspberry_pi]:8888

• Run gamepad in background and enable on startup

# Enable Mobile gamepad on startup
sudo npm install pm2 -g
sudo pm2 start app.sh
sudo pm2 startup
sudo pm2 save

RetroPie configuration

• Copy config file

sudo cp /other/retropie/MobileGamePad.cfg /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch-joypads/

Install application on mobile phone

• Open chrome browser with url http://[ip_address_raspberry_pi]:8888
• Open chrome menu (right top corner)
• Select option Add to home screen
• Add application title MobileGamepad
• The shortcut should be added to home screen

Additional tools

The below tool allows check gamepad connection and sending events

sudo apt-get install input-utils

• Dump out all the input devices and the associated details about the device.

sudo lsinput

• Display input events

sudo input-events [number]

• Display keyboard mapping of a particular event device

sudo input-kbd [number]

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TODO

• Simulate mouse (Z Axis, Rotate Z Axis) by moving mobile phone (for Quake, etc.) [In progress]
• Add second joystick (Z Axis, Rotate Z Axis) to move mouse (for Quake, etc.)
• Add simple KODI or other installation package
• Integrate gamepad with LaunchBox

Problem solved

• No more problems with battery in gamepad
• No more problems with multi-players
• One gamepad uses everywhere