FormulaFox Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) Okay, folks, got a genuine troubleshooting issue here... My Windows 10 PC can see my arcade buttons, and register them as a pair of generic USB controllers. Steam can see them, Launchbox can see them, everything can see them... But nothing will register button pushes when I try to map the controls. The basic mapping produces no results, either. I've double-checked the wiring, it's all correct. What do I need to look into to fix this? For reference sake, this is the button set I am using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TCCCFR7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 EDIT: I can verify that the buttons are definitely working. I've been able to get a couple of the emulators to recognize them during independent setup, but Launchbox and Steam still don't register inputs from them. Edited March 24, 2020 by FormulaFox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 24, 2020 Author Share Posted March 24, 2020 Okay, I don't know what I did, but now Steam and Launchbox are both registering input from the P2 side of the control panel, but not the P1 side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 2 hours ago, FormulaFox said: Okay, I don't know what I did, but now Steam and Launchbox are both registering input from the P2 side of the control panel, but not the P1 side. What specifically are you trying to map? Something in LaunchBox or in an emulator? If it is in LaunchBox it will not see it as 2 unique controllers. LB does see you have 2 but it does not distinquish between the two as in Joy1Button1 and Joy2Button1. It will only see Button1 regardless of which side you are using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 24, 2020 Author Share Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Retro808 said: What specifically are you trying to map? Something in LaunchBox or in an emulator? If it is in LaunchBox it will not see it as 2 unique controllers. LB does see you have 2 but it does not distinquish between the two as in Joy1Button1 and Joy2Button1. It will only see Button1 regardless of which side you are using. Trying to configure the Launchbox controls so I don't have to use keyboard/mouse for everything. It doesn't register the P1 controls at all unless I unplug the P2 controls from their USB port. Sometimes not even then,. Edited March 24, 2020 by FormulaFox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 7 minutes ago, FormulaFox said: Trying to configure the Launchbox controls so I don't have to use keyboard/mouse for everything. It doesn't register the P1 controls at all unless I unplug the P2 controls from their USB port. Sometimes not even then,. In LB Tools under the Game Controller option do you have the button check for Enable All Controllers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 24, 2020 Author Share Posted March 24, 2020 12 minutes ago, Retro808 said: In LB Tools under the Game Controller option do you have the button check for Enable All Controllers? Yes. And at this exact moment it is not registering input from the P1 buttons even with the P2 controller disconnected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 6 minutes ago, FormulaFox said: Yes. And at this exact moment it is not registering input from the P1 buttons even with the P2 controller disconnected. I noticed I typed the wrong setting name. I meant the one for "Use All Atached Controllers". If that is not checked try checking it. If it is uncheck it and keep P2 unplugged and see if P1 registers. I would reboot LaunchBox after you change any settings. In one of my cabinets I have a similar set of USB encoders off Amazon. Here is the settings I have and what it registers as. They work fine from both P1 and P2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 24, 2020 Author Share Posted March 24, 2020 7 minutes ago, Retro808 said: I noticed I typed the wrong setting name. I meant the one for "Use All Atached Controllers". If that is not checked try checking it. If it is uncheck it and keep P2 unplugged and see if P1 registers. I would reboot LaunchBox after you change any settings. In one of my cabinets I have a similar set of USB encoders off Amazon. Here is the settings I have and what it registers as. They work fine from both P1 and P2. Okay, I tested this three times each way to ensure the following was consistent... If "Use All Attached Controllers" is selected, it will not register any arcade button input from either controller. If it is not, it will only recognize the P2 input regardless of which controller is connected. If both controllers are connected, it now refuses to register any inputs from them regardless of what the option is set to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 18 minutes ago, FormulaFox said: Okay, I tested this three times each way to ensure the following was consistent... If "Use All Attached Controllers" is selected, it will not register any arcade button input from either controller. If it is not, it will only recognize the P2 input regardless of which controller is connected. If both controllers are connected, it now refuses to register any inputs from them regardless of what the option is set to. So P1 side never gets recognized even if P2 side is unplugged? You mentioned Steam not recognizing it either. If this when Launching a Steam game from within LB or even if you launch a game in Steam without Launchbox? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Retro808 said: So P1 side never gets recognized even if P2 side is unplugged? You mentioned Steam not recognizing it either. If this when Launching a Steam game from within LB or even if you launch a game in Steam without Launchbox? Yes, P1 almost never gets recognized by Launchbox(I had it recognize it ONCE while trying to troubleshoot - then Windows auto-rebooted for an update and it hasn't worked since). Individual emulators have no issue(so far). I've been launching the Steam games separately - decided testing Steam separately to make sure it's a different issue than with Launchbox would be wise. It seems to be it's own issue in recognizing things as I seem to be able to get it to PARTIALLY recognize the input I want semi-consistently. I'll be posting some inquiries for help over on Steam's forums later on. (unlike with Launchbox, the problems persist into the games launched on Steam, as well) Edited March 25, 2020 by FormulaFox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, FormulaFox said: Yes, P1 almost never gets recognized by Launchbox(I had it recognize it ONCE while trying to troubleshoot - then Windows auto-rebooted for an update and it hasn't worked since). Individual emulators have no issue(so far). I've been launching the Steam games separately - decided testing Steam separately to make sure it's a different issue than with Launchbox would be wise. It seems to be it's own issue in recognizing things as I seem to be able to get it to PARTIALLY recognize the input I want semi-consistently. I'll be posting some inquiries for help over on Steam's forums later on. (unlike with Launchbox, the problems persist into the games launched on Steam, as well) I am wondering if something is flaky with that one USB encoder. Directly in Windows if you test the buttons in the Game Controllers utility does P1 have the same partial recognition or does it always test good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Retro808 said: I am wondering if something is flaky with that one USB encoder. Directly in Windows if you test the buttons in the Game Controllers utility does P1 have the same partial recognition or does it always test good? You would think if it was something flaky with the encoder I'd be having issues with the emulators. According to Windows, the only issue was with P2 controller - one of the buttons wasn't registering(never got far enough along in Launchbox mapping to have pushed it). A quick look under the panel reveals I had put the one of the leads for the button on the NC pin instead of the NO pin. Fixed that and it worked. Windows sees no issues with P1 controller. Checked everything in Launchbox again and it's still behaving as previously outlined. Windows (and Launchbox)does list both as "generic USB controller." Would them having the exact same name contribute to the issue in some way? I don't see how, but I've seen weirder issues with computers. EDIT: I have solved the Steam side of the issue - it wasn't saving a setting on how it's supposed to read the controller inputs(it needs to be set to XBox controller input to read these encoders properly). Not sure how I got it TO finally save the setting, but once it did everything worked fine. So we've just got this Launchbox issue to sort. Edited March 25, 2020 by FormulaFox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tackett1980 Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) This might sound nuts... but change your usb slots on the PC that your encoders are connected to. i have no proof for this but I think launchbox wants each player in a specific usb slot like retropie does. i had similar issues and had to keep testing USB slots until I got player 2 being registered as player 1 and vice versa. I then swapped them and boom, works as intended. Edited March 25, 2020 by Tackett1980 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 20 minutes ago, Tackett1980 said: i have no proof for this but I think launchbox wants each player in a specific usb slot like retropie does. i had similar issues and had to keep testing USB slots until I got player 2 being registered as player 1 and vice versa. I then swapped them and boom, works as intended. LaunchBox does not care what port it is plugged in. Not saying not worth a try for him to swap, but just confirming LB does not care. 32 minutes ago, FormulaFox said: You would think if it was something flaky with the encoder I'd be having issues with the emulators. According to Windows, the only issue was with P2 controller - one of the buttons wasn't registering(never got far enough along in Launchbox mapping to have pushed it). A quick look under the panel reveals I had put the one of the leads for the button on the NC pin instead of the NO pin. Fixed that and it worked. Windows sees no issues with P1 controller. Checked everything in Launchbox again and it's still behaving as previously outlined. Windows (and Launchbox)does list both as "generic USB controller." Would them having the exact same name contribute to the issue in some way? I don't see how, but I've seen weirder issues with computers. The name would not cause an issue with LB. As mentioned I use the same style encoders. I had a good discussion with Jason a while back as I was wondering why these encoders would not let me map Launchbox to unique buttons on each side. I was sure LB did not see I had 2 controllers. Jason confirmed it does see 2 it just does not differentiate as I mentioned in my first post. LB does recognize for me a button press from either P1 or P2. I can also unplug and swap USB ports, even use other ports and they still register the same. Yeah the flaky part was just a wonder. It does not make sense since the emulators are fine as you mentioned. I have seen stranger things though. I would unplug P2, put P1 in that USB port and reboot and test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 1 minute ago, Retro808 said: LaunchBox does not care what port it is plugged in. Not saying not worth a try, but just confirming LB does not care. The name would not cause an issue with LB. As mentioned I use the same style encoders. I had a good discussion with Jason a while back as I was wondering why these encoders would not let me map Launchbox to unique buttons on each side. I was sure LB did not see I had 2 controllers. Jason confirmed it does see 2 it just does not differentiate as I mentioned in my first post. LB does recognize for me a button press from either P1 or P2. I can also unplug and swap USB ports, even use other ports and they still register the same. Yeah the flaky part was just a wonder. It does not make sense since the emulators are fine as you mentioned. I have seen stranger things though. I would unplug P2, put P1 in that USB port and reboot and test. I did attempt rebooting with only P1 plugged in - that was the one time I got Launchbox to recognize it. But since the Windows update(it was just a Defender update, not an overall system update) it's not worked. Based on timing it appears I edited in my new information while you were writing your reply, so I'll mention it again: I have solved the Steam side of the issue. For some reason Steam wasn't saving the setting when I told it to read the controllers as XBox controller inputs(which is what these encoders need to be properly read by Steam), so it was unable to properly read them. Don't know how I got it to save the setting, but once I did all was fine. Don't know if that will help figure this out, but it's more information that we had beforehand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, FormulaFox said: I did attempt rebooting with only P1 plugged in - that was the one time I got Launchbox to recognize it. But since the Windows update(it was just a Defender update, not an overall system update) it's not worked. Based on timing it appears I edited in my new information while you were writing your reply, so I'll mention it again: I have solved the Steam side of the issue. For some reason Steam wasn't saving the setting when I told it to read the controllers as XBox controller inputs(which is what these encoders need to be properly read by Steam), so it was unable to properly read them. Don't know how I got it to save the setting, but once I did all was fine. Don't know if that will help figure this out, but it's more information that we had beforehand. Hey one thing fixed is a good step forward. Try removing (do not delete just remove just in case you want to put it back) your InputBindings.xml from the |LaunchBox\Data folder. It will reset your bindings, but will be good to start fresh. I wonder if maybe a xaml got corrupted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 6 minutes ago, Retro808 said: Hey one thing fixed is a good step forward. Try removing (do not delete just remove just in case you want to put it back) your InputBindings.xml from the |LaunchBox\Data folder. It will reset your bindings, but will be good to start fresh. Maybe the data got corrupt. Problem persists as before. Not gonna be fun when I finally grab Big Box if I can't even get this sorted on basic Launchbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 6 minutes ago, FormulaFox said: Problem persists as before. Not gonna be fun when I finally grab Big Box if I can't even get this sorted on basic Launchbox. OK. Well if switching USB ports did not work, removing the input bindings did not help, and all other software and Windows recognizes inputs from both I am not sure why LB is having issues with it. Those encoders do not need drivers so not a driver issue. You not using any other software like JoyToKey are you? Are you using RocketLauncher? Trying to eliminate middleware maybe doing something weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormulaFox Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 Just now, Retro808 said: OK. Well if switching USB ports did not work, removing the input bindings did not help, and all other software and Windows recognizes inputs from both I am not sure why LB is having issues with it. Those encoders do not need drivers so not a driver issue. You not using any other software like JoyToKey are you? Are you using RocketLauncher? Trying to eliminate middleware maybe doing something weird. DS4Win used to be on this system prior to my choice to utilize it for this arcade box. I removed it when I decided to repurpose the unit. Seems the only option left to try is a complete reinstall of Launchbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, FormulaFox said: DS4Win used to be on this system prior to my choice to utilize it for this arcade box. I removed it when I decided to repurpose the unit. Seems the only option left to try is a complete reinstall of Launchbox. Before that try removing both the InputBindings.xml and the Settings.xml. This should set things pretty fresh on reboot of LB. Oh, make sure LB is closed when you remove them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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