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Under Construction for v32

Batocera 15kHz Video Output

This guide only applies to Batocera v32. For v30/v31, refer to

(insert link here).

Recommended reading: https://www.retrorgb.com/vgaconnector.html to distinguish between VGA and

RGB outputs (we will be telling Batocera to output an RGB output, it does VGA by default - keep in
mind this guide was made for people retrofitting their actual retro consoles to use RGB output on a
modern display)

Foreword

This Guide would not have been possible without the following people to name a few:

jfroco's work to output Batocera on a Crts.

rtissera's knowledge, enthusiasm and willingness to add 15khz patches.
Calamity for his knowledge, drivers, tools, GroovyMame.
D0023R Doozer continued work at adding 15khz to the Linux kernel.

Prerequisites

To achieve this on your setup, the following elements are needed:

A network connection (wired is preferred, as it needs no configuration)

A graphics card with analog output
AMD/ATI (preferred) - with VGA or DVI-I connection
Intel (has some flaws and limitations) - with VGA or DVI-I connection
Nvidia (major flaws and limited to Super Resolutions, some older cards might work) - with
VGA or DVI-I connection
Analog connection to your CRT/monitor
If using VGA, a VGA-to-SCART/BNC (BVM/PVM)/component passive adapter/cable
If using DVI-I, both a DVI-I-to-VGA adapter and a VGA-to-SCART/BNC
(BVM/PVM)/component passive adapter/cable
If you want to use composite/S-video/RF then you will need an additional RGB-to-
composite transcoder
A way to SSH into the Batocera machine (for Windows, PuTTY works fine)
A way to edit files over the network (for Windows, WinScp and Notepad++ work fine)

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It is highly recommended using an external editor like

Notepad++ and WinScp for editing, as they are easier to use
than command line tools and respect Unix line terminators
(unlike Windows Notepad).

Here are some recommended transcoders if you need to go all the way to composite/S-video/RF:

RGB VGA to NTSC S-video and composite transcoder/encoder by linuxbot3000 (ebay)

(homepage)

RGB VGA to YPbPr Component transcoder/converter by linuxbot3000 (ebay) (homepage)

GreenAntz RGB to component transcoder

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Connecting the PC to the CRT

The first step is to be able to connect your Batocera computer to the CRT display itself.

During the boot process and resizing of the partition it will boot up in a non-supported
resolution. Keep your TV/monitor off for the moment or on another AV channel so we
don't send out dangerous signals to your TV/monitor. These signals can destroy
your TV.

Also keep in mind that during the BIOS boot process the same rule applies. Have your
TV/monitor off or on another input when first booting up.

To solve this we have 4 options:

Have your TV/monitor turned off, or on another channel during the boot.
Have a look at gambaman's excellent solution The ultimate VGA to SCART adapter over at Build
Your Own Arcade Controls Forum (BYOAC).
Use buttersoft's passthrough dongle based on gambaman's design in the link above.
Flash you AMD/ATI card with ATOM-15.

Editing the configuration files

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Change the main resolution

The first step will be to change the syslinux file to be able to use Batocera at a lower resolution. To
achieve this, we need to modify the boot partition:

1. Connect to Batocera using SSH. See Access Batocera Linux via ssh for more information.
2. Make the boot partition writable. In the SSH session, run mount -o remount,rw /boot.

Then, we have to identify the video output we will be using:

1. Get your graphics card's analog DVI/VGA output (without the `card#` string) using the
following command: ls /sys/class/drm/
This will return something like

card0 card0-DP-1 card0-DVI-I-1 renderD128 ttm

version

In this example our card output is DVI-I-1

2. Search for the syslinux file to enable booting in low resolution

To make the next step a little bit easier for Windows

users, connect to Batocera using WinScp and install
Notepad++

If legacy, the file will be at /boot/boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg

If UEFI, the file will be at /boot/EFI/BOOT/syslinux.cfg
3. Append a space, followed by video=[your-card-output]:640x480ieS to the APPEND line
in the file (make sure there are no additional spaces after!)

In our example:

APPEND label=BATOCERA console=tty3 quiet loglevel=0

vt.global_cursor_default=0 mitigations=off

would become

APPEND label=BATOCERA console=tty3 quiet loglevel=0

vt.global_cursor_default=0 mitigations=off video=DVI-I-1:640x480ieS

For other supported boot resolutions, see this documentation on Github. Here is an example
syslinux.cfg file:

syslinux.cfg

UI menu.c32

TIMEOUT 50
TOTALTIMEOUT 300

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SAY Booting Batocera.linux...

MENU CLEAR
MENU TITLE Batocera.linux
MENU SHIFTKEY

LABEL batocera
MENU LABEL Batocera.linux (^normal)
MENU DEFAULT
LINUX /boot/linux
APPEND label=BATOCERA console=tty3 quiet loglevel=0
vt.global_cursor_default=0 mitigations=off video=DVI-I-1:640x480ieS
INITRD /boot/initrd.gz

LABEL verbose
MENU lABEL Batocera.linux (^verbose)
LINUX /boot/linux
APPEND label=BATOCERA vt.global_cursor_default=0
INITRD /boot/initrd.gz

Disabling the other video output

It is highly recommended to disable the digital outputs (HDMI/DisplayPort (DP) port) to get video
exclusively out of the analog outputs (VGA/DVI-I port):

1. Get all the outputs on your graphics card that are capable of digital output (with the `card#`
string this time) using the ls /sys/class/drm/ command.
This will return something like:

card0 card0-DP-1 card0-DVI-I-1 renderD128 ttm

version

In this example, it would be card0-DP-1 (the DisplayPort)

2. Get port name for the connector using xrandr: xrandr -display :0.0 | grep
"connected"
This will return something like

DisplayPort-0 disconnected primary (normal left inverted right x

axis y axis)
DVI-0 connected 655x500+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y
axis) 0mm x 0mm

In this example our card output is DisplayPort-0 (notice how it is marked as currently
disconnected?)

3. Place this file into /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/, replacing the outputs as appropriate:

10-monitor.conf

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Section "Monitor"
Identifier "[card-output]"
Option "Ignore" "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "[port-name]"
Option "Ignore" "true"
EndSection

Here is an example 10-monitor.conf file:

10-monitor.conf

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "card0-DP-1"
Option "Ignore" "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "DisplayPort-0"
Option "Ignore" "true"
EndSection

Finish by saving the filesystem overlay with the following command:

batocera-save-overlay

This will make the changes persist to the next boot (updating Batocera will remove them, however).

Add Boot Modeline

Now we need to add the “640x480i” modeline

1. Open the etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc file.

2. Go down to

### radeon ###

# variable for AMD Dynamic Switchable Graphics to take amd-radeon gpu
over intel cards when such hybrid cards are available
radeon_prime="$(/usr/bin/batocera-settings-get -f /boot/batocera-
boot.conf radeon-prime)"
if test "${radeon_prime}" = "true"
then
export DRI_PRIME=1

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fi

3. Uncomment the three lines in that section. For example, this code:

########################
#####-CRT CONFIG-#######
########################
##-Default Resolution-##
########################
#xrandr -display :0.0 --newmode "640x480i" 13.10 640 664 728 832 480
484 490 525 interlace -hsync -vsync
#xrandr -display :0.0 --addmode DVI-0 "640x480i"
#xrandr -display :0.0 --output DVI-0 --mode "640x480i"
########################
########################

openbox --config-file /etc/openbox/rc.xml --startup "emulationstation-

standalone"

would become

########################
#####-CRT CONFIG-#######
########################
##-Default Resolution-##
########################
xrandr -display :0.0 --newmode "640x480i" 13.10 640 664 728 832 480 484
490 525 interlace -hsync -vsync
xrandr -display :0.0 --addmode DVI-0 "640x480i"
xrandr -display :0.0 --output DVI-0 --mode "640x480i"
########################
########################

openbox --config-file /etc/openbox/rc.xml --startup "emulationstation-

standalone"

Save the changes with batocera-save-overlay again, and reboot. You are now booting up in
640x480i mode. In MAIN MENU → SYSTEM SETTINGS → VIDEO OUTPUT, set your default video
output to “DVI-0”. Reboot one more time.

Disable EmulationStation from forcing 60Hz

I highly recommend using an external editor like Notepad++ and WinScp for editing

We don't want to force a vertical frequency of 60Hz all the time. This can have adverse effects on
games like frame pacing (uneven scrolling), audio (crackling) and timing (speed of gameplay, physics)
issues. So let's fix it by editing a few lines.

Make a backup of

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/usr/bin/emulationstation-standalone

cp /usr/bin/emulationstation-standalone /usr/bin/emulationstation-
standalone.bak

From

# try to force 60hz (specific to xorg)

FRAMERATE="$(/usr/bin/batocera-settings-get es.framerate)"
test -z "${FRAMERATE}" && FRAMERATE=60
which xrandr && xrandr -r "${FRAMERATE}"
###################

To

# try to force 60hz (specific to xorg)

# FRAMERATE="$(/usr/bin/batocera-settings-get es.framerate)"
# test -z "${FRAMERATE}" && FRAMERATE=60
# which xrandr && xrandr -r "${FRAMERATE}"
###################

Don't forget to batocera-save-overlay once again. Reboot.

Managing overscan and centering in EmulationStation

As you might have noticed some of EmulationStation's menu is cut off and not centered. You may
have gotten lucky and have a really well tuned TV so these steps may not be necessary, but for most
TVs they will be. For this configuration you need to be able to look at your TV/monitor directly to see
the changes we are going to make.

An alternative to this is to 1. use a theme optimized for CRTs

that moves all elements inwards to account for overscan and
2. to disable all “crop overscan” options in emulators/cores
to get a more authentic experience!

Scaling (size)

We are going to use xrandr and a function called –scale-from wxh. You can refer to the “xrandr
–scale-from” section in this manual for more info.

Connect via SSH and set the resolution with:

xrandr -display :0.0 --output [output] --scale-from 640x480

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where [output] is the name of your output (eg. DVI or VGA).

Horizontal Resolution: Increasing/Decreasing this will make the image shrink or expand to the left.

Vertical Resolution: Increasing/Decreasing this will make the image shrink or expand from the
bottom.

When you are satisfied with your results we need to add this setting to etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

Edit

etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

Add xrandr -display :0.0 –output DVI-0 –scale-from 640×480

Example

########################
#####-CRT CONFIG-#######
########################
xrandr -display :0.0 --newmode "640x480i" 13.10 640 664 728 832 480 484 490
525 interlace -hsync -vsync
xrandr -display :0.0 --addmode DVI-0 "640x480i"
xrandr -display :0.0 --output DVI-0 --mode "640x480i"
xrandr -display :0.0 --output DVI-0 --scale-from 640x480
#####################
#####################

We also need to make a script so this setting persists even after exiting an Emulator. Make a folder
inside

/userdata/system/

called “scripts” and name it “first_script.sh”

/userdata/system/scripts
/userdata/system/scripts/first_script.sh

first_script.sh

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#!/bin/bash
#This is an example file how Events on START or STOP can be uses
#

#Set logfile location and filename

#logfile=/tmp/scriptlog.txt

#Case selection for first parameter parsed

case $1 in
# gameStart)
# echo "START" > $logfile
# echo "$@" >> $logfile
# ;;

gameStop)
xrandr -display :0.0 --output DVI-0 --mode "640x480i"
xrandr -display :0.0 --output DVI-0 --scale-from "640x480i"
;;
esac

Make the script executable with chmod +x /userdata/system/scripts/first_script.sh

Explanation: When the game exit it will return to the boot resolution we set in syslinux.cfg and also
recenter the image.

Here is an Example file for reference: first_script.sh

Finish with

batocera-save-overlay

This will save the changes we made.

reboot

Advanced Fine Tuning

This will give you 1x pixel accuracy.

Let's start by using the same resolution in xrand –scale-from as show in the example above. In
this case 640x480i

We are going to manipulate the Screen Size X, Y & Screen Position X, Y of the
Emulationstation window.

Edit

userdata/system/batocera.conf

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Go down to

## Configurations generated by Batocera.linux

add before the line an add this

## ES Settings
es.customsargs=--screensize 640 480 --screenoffset 00 00

## Configurations generated by Batocera.linux

–screensize [width] [height] = For a canvas smaller than the full resolution.

–screenoffset [x] [y] = Move the canvas by x,y pixels.

Start by looking at you picture to see if the image needs to be bigger or smaller. Change
–screensize 640 480 to a higher or lower value and change accordingly.

Remember to save the changes to batocera.conf

Restart EmulationStation to see the changes.

batocera-es-swissknife --restart

When you are satisfied with the result do the same for Screen Position by changing the values
–screenoffset 00 00

Adding Modelines (Read Resolutions) for Emulators

Right now we only have one usable modeline and that is 640x480i.

We would like to add more modelines for external Emulators like for example PS2, PSP, GameCube,
Wii, Wine (PC) and so on.

To do this we are going to use a program called Switchres made by Calamity that's now apart of
Batocera as of v30.

First we need to create a file named switchres.ini inside the folder /usr/bin/

Or you can download it from here: switchres.ini

More information about Switchres can be found here

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From the terminal type

nano /etc/switchres.ini

Paste this into the file

#
# Switchres config
#

# Monitor preset. Sets typical monitor operational ranges:

#
# generic_15, ntsc, pal Generic CRT standards
# arcade_15, arcade_15ex Arcade fixed frequency
# arcade_25, arcade_31 Arcade fixed frequency
# arcade_15_25, arcade_15_25_31 Arcade multisync
# vesa_480, vesa_600, vesa_768, vesa_1024 VESA GTF
# pc_31_120, pc_70_120 PC monitor 120 Hz
# h9110, polo, pstar Hantarex
# k7000, k7131, d9200, d9800, d9400 Wells Gardner
# m2929 Makvision
# m3129 Wei-Ya
# ms2930, ms929 Nanao
# r666b Rodotron
#
# Special presets:
# custom Defines a custom preset. Use in combination with crt_range0-9
options below.
# lcd Will keep desktop's resolution but attempt variable refresh, use
in combination with lcd_range
#
monitor arcade_15

# Define a custom preset, use monitor custom to activate

# crt_range0-9 HfreqMin-HfreqMax, VfreqMin-VfreqMax, HFrontPorch,
HSyncPulse, HBackPorch, VfrontPorch, VSyncPulse, VBackPorch, HSyncPol,
VSyncPol, ProgressiveLinesMin, ProgressiveLinesMax, InterlacedLinesMin,
InterlacedLinesMax
# e.g.: crt_range0 15625-15750, 49.50-65.00, 2.000, 4.700, 8.000, 0.064,
0.192, 1.024, 0, 0, 192, 288, 448, 576
crt_range0 auto
crt_range1 auto
crt_range2 auto
crt_range3 auto
crt_range4 auto
crt_range5 auto
crt_range6 auto
crt_range7 auto
crt_range8 auto
crt_range9 auto

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# Set the operational refresh range for LCD monitor, e.g. lcd_range 50-61
lcd_range auto

# Force a custom modeline, in XFree86 format. This option overrides the

active monitor preset configuration.
modeline auto

# Forces an user mode, in the format: width x height @ refresh. Here, 0 can
used as a wildcard. At least one of the three values
# must be defined. E.g. user_mode 0x240 -> SR can freely choose any width
based on the game's requested video mode, but will
# force height as 240.
user_mode auto

#
# Display config
#

# Select target display

# auto Pick the default display
# 0, 1, 2, ... Pick a display by index
# \\.\DISPLAY1, ... Windows display name
# VGA-0, ... X11 display name
display auto

# Choose a custom video backend when more than one is available.

# auto Let Switchres decide
# adl Windows - AMD ADL (AMD Radeon HD 5000+)
# ati Windows - ATI legacy (ATI Radeon pre-HD 5000)
# powerstrip Windows - PowerStrip (ATI, Nvidia, Matrox, etc., models up to
2012)
# xrandr Linux - X11/Xorg
# drmkms Linux - KMS/DRM (WIP)
api auto

# [Windows] Lock video modes reported as unsupported by your monitor's EDID

lock_unsupported_modes 1

# Lock system (non-custom) video modes, only use modes that have full
detailed timings available
lock_system_modes 0

# Ignore video mode's refresh reported by the OS when checking ranges

refresh_dont_care 0

# Keep changes on exit (warning: this skips video mode cleanup)

keep_changes 0

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# Modeline generation config

#

# Enable on-the-fly generation of video modes

modeline_generation 1

# Allow interlaced modes (existing or generated)

interlace 1

# Allow doublescan modes (warning: doublescan support is broken in most

drivers)
doublescan 0

# Force a minimum dotclock value, in MHz, e.g. dotclock_min 25.0

dotclock_min 0

# Maximum refresh difference, in Hz, allowed in order to synchronize. Below

this value, the mismatch does not involve penalization
sync_refresh_tolerance 2.0

# Super resolution width: above this width, fractional scaling on the

horizontal axis is applied without penalization
super_width 2560

# Physical aspect ratio of the target monitor. Used to compensate aspect

ratio when the target monitor is not 4:3
aspect 4:3

# [Experimental] Attempts to compensate consumer TVs vertical centering

issues
v_shift_correct 0

# Calculate horizontal borders with 1-pixel precision, instead of the

default 8-pixels blocks that were required by old drivers.
# Greatly improves horizontal centering of video modes.
pixel_precision 1

# Calculate all vertical values of interlaced modes as even numbers.

Required by AMD APU hardware on Linux
interlace_force_even 0

#
# Custom video backend config
#

# [X11] adjusts the crtc position after a new video mode is set, maintaining
the relative position of screens in a multi-monitor setup.
screen_compositing 0

# [X11] stacks the screens vertically on startup to allow each screen to

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freely resize up to the maximum width. Useful to avoid video

# glitches when using super-resolutions. screen_reordering overrides
screen_compositing.
screen_reordering 0

# [Windows] dynamically adds new modes or updates existing ones, even on

stock AMD drivers*. This feature is experimental and is
# disabled by default. It has the following limitations and problems:
# - Synchronization is not perfect yet and the new modes may not always be
ready on time for mode switching, causing a wrong display
# output.
# - A plug-n-play audio notification will be present on startup and exit, if
the explorer shell is used.
# - Refreshing the hardware is an expensive task that takes time, specially
if the app has already entered fullscreen mode. This
# makes it unpractical for games that switch video modes more than once.
# * When used with stock AMD drivers instead of CRT Emudriver, usual
limitations apply: no support for low resolutions (below 640x480)
# nor low dotclocks.
# Not a problem however if you're using a 31 kHz monitor.
allow_hardware_refresh 0

# Pass a custom video timing string in the native backend's format. E.g.
pstring timing for Powerstrip
custom_timing auto

#
# Logging
#

# Enables verbose mode (0|1)

verbose 0

# Set verbosity level (from 0 to 3)

# 0: no messages from SR
# 1: only errors
# 2: general information
# 3: debug messages
verbosity 2

then end with crtrl+x to save and type Y then enter.

We need to change the file access permissions.

chmod 0777 /etc/switchres.ini

Finish with

batocera-save-overlay

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This will save the changes we made.

There are several types of Monitor types to choose from. Here is just a selected few. The one we are
going to use is arcade_15 that works good for a standard crt. generic_15 is also a good alternative.

If your display device does not match one of the built-in presets, then you'll need to use the custom
monitor type here

generic_15 = Generic 15.7 kHz

arcade_15 = Arcade 15.7 kHz - standard resolution
pal = PAL TV - 50 Hz/625
ntsc = NTSC TV - 60 Hz/525
arcade_15ex = Arcade 15.7-16.5 kHz - extended resolution
pc_31_120 = PC CRT 70kHz/120Hz
pc_70_120 = PC CRT 70kHz/120Hz

In this example we are going to generate the modeline 320×240@60hz

switchres 320 240 60 -i switchres.ini -c

Switchres: Modeline "320x240_60 15.660000KHz 60.000000Hz" 6.514560 320 333
364 416 240 242 245 261 -hsync -vsync

We have now generated the modeline based on our monitor preset arcade_15.

Copy the modeline and save it temporarily to a text file.

Modeline "320x240_60 15.660000KHz 60.000000Hz" 6.514560 320 333 364 416 240
242 245 261 -hsync -vsync

Lets make it easier to read it in Emulationstation and shorten the name.

"320x240_60" 6.514560 320 333 364 416 240 242 245 261 -hsync -vsync

Now we need to add the modeline

Edit

etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

Go down to

########################
#####-CRT CONFIG-#######
########################
##-Default Resolution-##
########################
xrandr -display :0.0 --newmode "640x480i" 13.10 640 664 728 832 480 484 490
525 interlace -hsync -vsync
xrandr -display :0.0 --addmode DVI-0 "640x480i"
xrandr -display :0.0 --output DVI-0 --mode "640x480i"
########################

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########################

openbox --config-file /etc/openbox/rc.xml --startup "emulationstation-

standalone"

Example

########################
#####-CRT CONFIG-#######
########################
##-Default Resolution-##
########################
xrandr -display :0.0 --newmode "640x480i" 13.10 640 664 728 832 480 484 490
525 interlace -hsync -vsync
xrandr -display :0.0 --addmode DVI-0 "640x480i"
xrandr -display :0.0 --output DVI-0 --mode "640x480i"
########################
#####-Modelines-########
########################
xrandr -display :0.0 --newmode "320x240_60" 6.514560 320 333 364 416 240 242
245 261 -hsync -vsync
xrandr -display :0.0 --addmode "320x240_60"

openbox --config-file /etc/openbox/rc.xml --startup "emulationstation-

standalone"

Finish with

batocera-save-overlay

This will save the changes we made.

reboot

Modelines

Here are some resolutions to use

Calculate Resolution using Monitor generic_15

switchres 320 240 60 -m generic_15 -c

Calculate Resolution using setting in switchres.ini

switchres 320 240 60 -i switchres.ini -c

Calculate Resolution using setting in switchres.ini and force the generation of the modeline
switchres 854 480 60 -f 854×480@60 -i switchres.ini -c

Super Resolutions
2560×240@60
2560×248@58

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2560×256@57
2560×264@55
2560×272@54
2560×280@52
2560×288@51
2560×448@60
2560×464@60
2560×480@60
2560×496@58
2560×512@57
2560×544@54
2560×560@52

Emulator/Wine/PC
240×240@60
256×192@60
288×224@60
320×180@60
320×200@60
320×240@60
320×240@60i
320×256@55
320×256@60
352×240@60
360×200@60
360×240@60
380×284@60
384×216@60
384×480@60i
400×240@60
416×240@60
426×240@60
428×240@60
456×256@55
460×200@60
464@272@50
480×270@50
480×270@60
480×272@60
512×480@60i
640×240@60
640×360@60
640×480@60
640×480@60i
854×480@60i (4:3 from 16:9)

Configure Libretro Cores for use with Crt Switchres

Retroarch now uses SwitchresSwitchres instead of the old method. Some changes have been made
but for the better.

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Be sure you have configured your Switchres.ini before going any further in the Guide.

Retroarch will not work properly if used with overlays and shaders and we don't need to use them on
a CRT. We are going to disable them by default for all Emulators and set the default UI for Retroarch
to Rgui.

Edit

/userdata/system/batocera.conf

Add this

## CRT CONFIG
global.retroarch.menu_driver=rgui
global.retroarch.menu_show_advanced_settings = "true"
global.retroarch.menu_enable_widgets = "false"
global.integerscale=0
global.smooth=0
global.rewind=0
global.shaderset=none
global.autosave=0
global.bezel_stretch=0
global.bezel=none
##

—-

I have disabled both rewind and auto-save.

So if you want to have these enabled by default just leave them out.

Make a backup of

/userdata/system/configs/retroarch/retroarchcustom.cfg
/userdata/system/configs/retroarch/retroarchcustom.cfg.backup

Edit

/userdata/system/configs/retroarch/retroarchcustom.cfg

Add

menu_enable_widgets = "false"

This will disable On-Screen Notifications and is optional

menu_show_advanced_settings = "true"

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Global Libretro switchres (Same Settings for all Cores)

Configure Libretro CRT switchres in RetroArch

Choose any libretro core and game inside Batocera using your gamepad or keyboard.

Example: Core: Atari 2600 Game: H.E.R.O.

Access the menu and configure (in this order):

Main Menu -- Settings -- Configuration -- Save Configuration on Quit [ON]

Main Menu -- Video -- CRT SwitchRes -- Use High Resolution Menu (Optional)
Main Menu -- Video -- CRT SwitchRes -- CRT Super Resolution (Native,
1920,2560,3840)
Main Menu -- Video -- CRT SwitchRes -- CRT SwitchRes [INI]

It should change to 240p/480i

Finally, save the configuration by exiting back to Emulationstation.

Per Core Override (Preferred)

Configure Libretro CRT switchres in RetroArch

Choose any libretro core and game inside Batocera using your gamepad or keyboard.

Example: Core: Atari 2600 Game: H.E.R.O.

Access the menu and configure (in this order):

Main Menu -- Settings -- Configuration -- Use Global Core Option Files [OFF]
Main Menu -- Video -- CRT SwitchRes -- Use High Resolution Menu (Optional)
Main Menu -- Video -- CRT SwitchRes -- CRT Super Resolution (Native,
1920,2560,3840)
Main Menu -- Video -- CRT SwitchRes -- CRT SwitchRes [INI]

It should change to 240p/480i

Finally, save the configuration for this core:

Quick Menu -- Overrides -- Save Core overrides

Do the same with the other libretro cores.

Troubleshooting

Should anything go wrong during the configuration you can always delete your Core setting for a
specific core in the directory

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/userdata/system/.config/retroarch/config/"Core_Name"

You can also complete remove the directory and start again (Only remove the retroarch folder)

/userdata/system/.config/

Same goes for (Only remove the retroarch folder)

/userdata/system/configs/

Or reset/delete everything using the development tool batocera-es-swissknife (reboot to get a

clean config)

batocera-es-swissknife --reset-ra

Advanced Libretro Core and directory overrides for use with

Crt Switchres

Lets' say you want to make Portable Consoles like GameBoy Advance not display an output resolution
of 480i but instead want do display it in progressive scan but still keep the correct aspect ratio.

Create a Core Override file for the emulator you are going to use. In this example we are going to use
mGBA.

Navigate to the directory

/userdata/system/.config/retroarch/config/mGBA/

In this folder copy you switchres.ini file and rename it to the same name as the core override file
ending with .switchres.ini

/userdata/system/.config/retroarch/config/mGBA/mGBA.switchres.ini

Navigate down to the line that begins with

# Forces an user mode, in the format: width x height @ refresh. Here, 0 can
used as a wildcard. At least one of the three values
# must be defined. E.g. user_mode 0x240 -> SR can freely choose any width
based on the game's requested video mode, but will
# force height as 240.
user_mode auto

Change it to

user_mode 320x240

Change file permission

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chmod 0777 /userdata/system/.config/retroarch/config/mGBA/mGBA.switchres.ini

The next step can be done via the Retroarch RGUI, but for easy of use and convenience we are going
to instead edit the core override file mGBA.cfg

custom_viewport_height = "160"
custom_viewport_width = "240"
video_scale_integer = "true"

By doing this we are overriding switchres scaling and instead forces a resolution of 320×240 and
placing the image of the perfectly scaled Gameboy Adcance in a black box/window.

More information on how use Core and directory overrides can be found here

Creating you own Boot Resolution with Switchres

Let's say you have a PC Crt Monitor and like to add the boot resolution 1024×768@60hz. This can be
done by using a custom Extended Display Identification Data (EDID).

This will use the Monitor preset pc_31_120 Pc Crt 31-120hz at 1024×768@60hz

switchres 1024 768 60 -m pc_31_120 -e

The file will be named pc_31_120.bin.

Create the folder mkdir /lib/firmware/edid/

Move the file mv pc_31_120.bin /lib/firmware/edid/

1. Search for the syslinux file

If legacy, the file will be at /boot/syslinux.cfg or /boot/boot/syslinux.cfg
If UEFI, the file will be at /boot/EFI/syslinux.cfg or
/boot/EFI/BOOT/syslinux.cfg
2. Replace the boot resolution with your edid file video=YourCardOutput:e
drm.edid_firmware=YourCardOutput:edid/pc_31_120.bin
In our exemple :

APPEND label=BATOCERA console=tty3 quiet loglevel=0

vt.global_cursor_default=0 mitigations=off video=DVI-I-1:e
drm.edid_firmware=DVI-I-1:edid/pc_31_120.bin

Configure GroovyMame

As of Batocera v30 we now have GroovyMame support.

We are now going to manually configure GroovyMame for use with a CRT.

Go to the mame folder using the command cd /usr/bin/mame

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Generate the ini files needed ./mame -cc

this will create the following files

mame.ini
plugin.ini
ui.ini

(Now we need to move them)

Create the folder mkdir /userdata/system/.mame/

Move the files mv /usr/bin/mame/*.ini /userdata/system/.mame/

Making GroovyMame's Gui display correctly on a CRT.

mount -o remount,rw /boot

For this we need to download a Font called uismall.bdf. (Place the file uismall.bdf you just
download in to /usr/share/fonts/TTF )

Change file permissions

chmod 0777 /usr/share/fonts/TTF/uismall.bdf

batocera-save-overlay

Now let's configure GroovyMame.

Edit mame.ini using nano : nano /userdata/system/.mame/mame.ini or Notepad++ for

example.
# CORE SEARCH PATH OPTIONS

fontpath .

Change it to.

fontpath /usr/share/fonts/TTF/

# CORE MISC OPTIONS

skip_gameinfo 0

uifont default

(Change to)

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skip_gameinfo 1

uifont uismall.bdf

# OSD FULL SCREEN OPTIONS

modesetting 0

(Change to)

modesetting 1

Edit ui.ini using nano : nano /userdata/system/.mame/ui.ini or Notepad++ for example.

# UI OPTIONS

infos_text_size 0.75

font_rows 30

Change it to.

infos_text_size 1.00

font_rows 19

Let's choose Mame (GroovyMame) as the default emulator for Mame roms in Batocera.

MAIN MENU→GAMES SETTINGS→DEFAULT SETTINGS→PER SYSTEM ADVANCED

CONFIGURATION→Mame

EMULATOR: MAME
VIDEO MODE: AUTO
DECORATION: NONE
STRETCH BEZELS (4K & ULTRAWIDE): NONE
GRAPHICS BACKEND: AUTO
BGFX BACKEND: AUTO
BGFX VIDEO FILTER: AUTO
CRT SWITCHRES: ON
TATE MODE: AUTO (Change if you are rotating your TV/Monitor when playing in Vertical TATE
MODE)

Advanced Miscellaneous Emulator Configuration

Dolphin - scale image to window size -

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By default dolphins aspect ratio for 4:3 is set to AspectRatio = 2 to force the aspect ratio to 4:3,
but this don't actually fill the screen on a CRT and will sometimes leave black borders on the left and
right sides. To solve this we need to edit the file dolphinGenerator.py and change the value for
Aspect 4:3 to AspectRatio = 3 to set the aspect ratio to “Stretch to window”.

Navigate to

/usr/lib/python3.9/site-packages/configgen/generators/dolphin/

Edit

dolphinGenerator.py

Find the line

# Ratio
def getGfxRatioFromConfig(config, gameResolution):
# 2: 4:3 ; 1: 16:9 ; 0: auto
if "ratio" in config:
if config["ratio"] == "4/3":
return 2
if config["ratio"] == "16/9":
return 1
return 0

Change to

# Ratio
def getGfxRatioFromConfig(config, gameResolution):
# 3: 4:3 ; 1: 16:9 ; 0: auto
if "ratio" in config:
if config["ratio"] == "4/3":
return 3
if config["ratio"] == "16/9":
return 1
return 0

Finish with

batocera-save-overlay

Set Core Aspect ratio to 4:3.

Dolphin - Turn off onscreen notifications -

From

# PanicHandlers displaymessages
dolphinSettings.set("Interface", "UsePanicHandlers", '"False"')

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dolphinSettings.set("Interface", "OnScreenDisplayMessages", '"True"')

To

# PanicHandlers displaymessages
dolphinSettings.set("Interface", "UsePanicHandlers", '"False"')
dolphinSettings.set("Interface", "OnScreenDisplayMessages", '"False"')

Finish with

batocera-save-overlay

Libretro, turn off force notification messages

By default Batocera configgen is forcing notification messages. This can lead to unwanted effects
when trying to disable them in the retroarchcustom.cfg file as described here

Navigate to the directory

/usr/lib/python3.9/site-packages/configgen/generators/libretro/

Edit the file libretroConfig.py

Find the line

retroarchConfig['video_font_enable'] = '"true"'

Change to

retroarchConfig['video_font_enable'] = '"false"'

Finish with

batocera-save-overlay

Libretro, Core Internal resolution up-scaling

Here is something highly unorthodox.

This will completely disable the dynamic adjustment of resolutions and horizontal frequency that
switchres gives us and is highly not recommended.

With Switchres you can't use the emulators internal resolution up-scaling because that would
double/triple and so on the output resolution.

But what you can do instead is to launch the emulator in a fixed resolution like 640×480 for N64 then
upscale the image inside the emulator without using Switchres.

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Again not recommended at all.

From:
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