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LEDBlinky Support and Knowledgebase
How-To's: How Do I Configure Other Emulators (not MAME)? This is a manual process (or you can use RocketBlinky, see below). Since there is no way for LEDBlinky to know the control-input mapping (button assignments), or specific controls, or button colors for each emulator or individual game, you must provide the information manually using the LEDBlinky Controls Editor. LEDBlinky and the Controls Editor provide a number of features to ease the configuration of emulators and games. Each time you play an unknown game (one for which no unique controls are defined), the Emulator and ROM/Game name is stored. From the Controls Editor import menu, you can display the list of unknown games and select which you wish to import. You can then define the controls. Controls for player 1 can be copied to players 2, 3, and 4. If the controls for one game are similar to another, you can copy the entire ROM/Game. It is not necessary to define the controls for every game, using the Controls Editor you can define a default set of controls for each emulator (or even a default for all emulators). LEDBlinky includes an optional third-party tool called RocketBlinky that can be used to auto-generate an LEDBlinky Controls file that supports over 160 systems. Please see the Readme.txt in the RocketBlinky folder for installation and support options. Where Can I Download The Controls.ini File? The lastest known version of the Controls.ini file is now included with the LEDBlinky complete instalation file. The file is also available on the LEDBlinky Downloads page; Controls.ini Additional information on any updates may be available from the controls.dat support forum.
How Do I Light My Trackball(s) and Joystick(s)?
The easiest way to light your trackball or joystick is to assign one or more of the Primary
Control codes to the LED ports (using the LEDBlinky Input Map application). For each trackball,
just assign "TRACKBALL". For each joystick assign all the joystick codes that apply to how the
joystick will be used. For example, a dedicated 4-way would just be assigned "JOY4WAY" but an 8-way
could be assigned all the valid codes; "JOY2WAY", "JOY4WAY", "JOY8WAY", etc. Analog joysticks should
be assigned "STICK".
The downside to using the Primary Control codes is that LEDBlinky will light all the trackballs or joysticks regardless of how many the game actually uses. For example, if your control panel has two illuminated joysticks for Player 1 and Player 2; any game that uses the joysticks will light them both up even if the game is single player or multiplayer alternating (only requires one joystick).
If you want to light the trackballs or joysticks separately based on which are used by each game,
then you'll need to assign the Player Specific control codes. For the Player 1 trackball assign
"MOUSECODE_1_ANALOG_X" and "MOUSECODE_1_ANALOG_Y". For the Player 2 trackball assign
"MOUSECODE_2_ANALOG_X" and "MOUSECODE_2_ANALOG_Y". For each joystick assign all the player
specific joystick codes that apply to how the joystick will be used. For example, a Player 1
8-way could be assigned the codes; "JOYCODE_1_UP", "JOYCODE_1_DOWN", "JOYCODE_1_LEFT", and
"JOYCODE_1_RIGHT". Actually, you could just use the codes "JOYCODE_1_UP" and "JOYCODE_1_LEFT"
since any game that uses one direction always uses the other. A Player 1 analog joystick should
be assigned "JOYCODE_1_ANALOG_X" and JOYCODE_1_ANALOG_Y.
How Do I Light The MAME Admin Buttons Like Pause And Exit?
If you would like to light up your MAME Administration buttons while playing a MAME game, you'll
need to use the LEDBlinky Controls Editor application. On the upper left pane, select "MAME" as the
Emulator. On the upper right pane, select "<default>" as the ROM/Game and click "Edit".
If you don't have a "<default>" control group, click "New" and check the "Default" box.
In the lower pane select the "Common" tab. From here you'll can add whichever MAME Admin controls you
want to light up on your control panel. Click "New" to add each button. Here are the most common MAME Administration Controls:
For each new control, select the MAME control name from the list. All MAME Admin controls
are prefixed with "UI". You must also check the "Always Active" box. And don't forget to
set the color or intensity. When you're done adding the controls, save the configuration and that should do the trick! How Do I Select Which FE Buttons Light Up? When you turn on the 'Light <FE> Controls' option, LEDBlinky will light up all the controls (buttons) you have enabled from your FE's configuration interface. To modify the intensity or color of any LED, use the LEDBlinky Controls Editor; click the 'FE' button, select the control from the list, then click the 'Edit' button (or just double-click the control). From the Control Edit/Add window you can select a color or set the specific values. Click 'Ok' and Save the configuration. Here's how to prevent a button from lighting up;
If you want complete control over which FE buttons light up - here is another option;
Where Can I Get The MAME.xml File?
You can use the MAME executable file to generate the ROM list in xml format (MAME.xml).
From a Windows command prompt (cmd.exe), execute this command: This will generate the MAME.xml file in the current folder. Move the file to the \LEDBlinky folder and then use the LEDBlinky Configuration app to set the correct path. What MAME joystick_map Value Should I Use With My U360(s)?
Later versions of MAME will automatically set a joystick map for any analog joystick. So when
using U360(s) with mame, technically you don't need LEDBlinky's Joystick Digital Restriction
option enabled. One disadvantage of using MAME's analog joystick mapping is that it only works
for MAME - so if you're running other emulators you'll need LEDBlinky to set the joystick maps. How Do I Use LEDBlinky To Only Map My U360(s) or ServoStik(s) - I Don't Have Any LEDs? Even if you don't have any LEDs, you can still use LEDBlinky to map your U360 and/or ServoStik joystick(s) based on the selected game. Using the LEDBlinky Configuration application:
That's it! There's no need to use any of the other LEDBlinky apps. If you're using one of the integrated front-ends, don't forget to enable LEDBlinky from the front-end configuration. If you're using an unlisted front-end ("Other Front-End"), you'll need to start LEDBlinky before starting your FE. Use this command: "<path>\LEDBlinky\LEDBlinky.exe" 1 One additional note: If you need to configure the U360 or ServoStik for any emulator other than MAME, you will need to use the LEDBlinky Controls Editor app, add a Default control group for each emulator, and add the correct joystick type (4-way, 8-way, etc.) as the Primary Control. How Do I Configure LEDBlinky For My Jukebox So The LEDs Dance To The Music? Let's assume you use your front-end software to launch various emulators, and LEDBlinky does its thing - lighting buttons, playing animations, whatever you have configured. Now you've added an emulator which is actually a jukebox application and you want the LEDs to light in sync with the music when the jukebox is active. Here's how to configure LEDBlinky: Before starting, you'll need to have launched your jukebox software from your front-end at least one time. This is important because it allows LEDBlinky to detect your jukebox as an unknown emulator.
Start the LEDBlinky Controls Editor. From the "Import" menu, select "Unknown Games". On the unknown
games list, you should see your jukebox listed (the exact name may differ from the example below). Note: If you do not see the jukebox listed and you are sure you've launched the jukebox application at least one time from your front-end, then the front-end may not be configured to run the jukebox the same it runs other emulators. In this case, you will need to modify how the front-end launches the jukebox app. One option may be to use a batch or script file.
Select the Jukebox and click "OK". You will be prompted to confirm if a "<default>" control
group should be added for the [Jukebox] emulator. Click "Yes".
The Controls Editor will display the Jukebox as a new emulator and allow you to edit the "[New ROM/Game] <default>"
controls group. Check the "Jukebox" option on the lower left, then click "OK".
Click the "Save" menu and close the Controls Editor.
Next, start the LEDBlinky Configuration app. On the "Game Options" tab, select
"<Audio Animation>" from the "Game Play Animation" list. Also check the
"Game Play Animation For Jukebox Only" option. Lastly, select the "Audio Animation" tab and configure exactly how you want the LEDs to respond to the music. There are a lot of audio options - see the Installation and Configuration Guide for a complete description of all the audio features. How Do I Change The Spoken Actions For The Start And Coin Buttons? The voice actions for the Start and Coin buttons are defined globally (all emulators) as "Start Game" and "Insert Coin". You can override the individual voice actions for any emulator or individual game using the Controls Editor;
If you ONLY want to use the global default voice actions (ignoring any values specified in the Controls Editor), from the LEDBlinky Configuraiton app, on the "Misc Options" tab, check the "Use Default Start/Coin Voice Actions For All Games" option.
The global default values can be modified by manually editing the settings.ini file
located in the \LEDBlinky folder.
Using any text editor (Notepad, Notepad++, VS Code, etc.), open the file and locate the
[GameOptions] section. Edit the values on the right side of the equal (=) symbol.
(Do not alter the value on the left side): How Do I Configure LEDBlinky For Mamewah?
Mamewah can launch an external application on FE start and stop, and for Game start and stop.
Each emulator has its own ini file. Here's a sample config for LEDBlinky: How Do I Configure LEDBlinky For MameUI (or MAME with an unsupported FE or without any FE)? If you're using MameUI or any version of MAME with an unsupported Front-End or without any Front-End, you can still use LEDBlinky:
Note: You must always start LEDBlinky prior to starting MAME. How Do I Upgrade LEDBlinky To Work With PinballX? As of LEDBlinky version 6.2, PinballX is fully supported. If you are currently using a version prior to 6.2 and wish to upgrade for use with PinballX, additional modifications to the LEDBlinkyControls.xml file are required. Note: If you are installing the full version of LEDBlinky (not upgrading), nothing additional is required to work with PinballX. Edit the LEDBlinkyControls.xml file using any text editor (Notepad, Notepad++, VS Code, etc.). Copy and then add the following code to the end of the file after the </baseInputCodes> tag and prior to the </dat> tag.
<frontEnd fename="PinballX"> How Do I Configure LEDBlinky To Use An 8-Way Joystick When My FE Is Active? If you use a digitally or physically restricted joystick (UltraStik 360 or ServoStik) to navigate your front-end, by default LEDBlinky will set it to 4-Way when the front-end is active. If you wish to set the joystick to 8-Way (or other), you can override the default using the LEDBlinky Controls Editor:
How Does LEDBlinky Determine Which LEDs To Light For A MAME Game? Here's the basic logic LEDBlinky uses to determine which LEDs to light up.
What Happens If I Select Both The 'Light Game Controls' Option And The 'Game Play Animation'? When the 'Light Game Controls' option is enabled, LEDBlinky will light the active controls for each specific game. For MAME is uses the controls.ini and the MAME.xml files to determine the control list. For other emulators, it uses the control groups specified using the LEDBlinky Controls Editor. When the 'Game Play Animation' option is enabled, LEDBlinky will play the selected animation whenever an emulator is running. So what happens when both options are enabled? In this case, LEDBlinky will still light the active controls for each specific game, and any non-active
controls will be used for the animation. One possibility for this senario would be to use an audio animation. With the 'Light Game Controls' option enabled
and the <Audio Animation> selected as the 'Game Play Animation' option, each game's active controls will light correctly and the remaining non-active controls
will blink to the game sounds! Complete Guide To Get Started.
Part 1 - Initial Configuration.
Part 2 - Animation Editor.
Part 3 - Integration With MAME.
Part 4 - Controls Editor.
Part 5 - Audio Animations.
It's Not Working, What Should I Do? If LEDBlinky is missing critical information such as a required file or configuration value, a message will be displayed after you exit the application and provide you with the option to display the log file. LEDBlinky logs all errors to the LEDBlinky.log file in the \LEDBlinky folder. These types of problems can be easily resolved by providing the missing files or configuration values. If LEDBlinky is not displaying any errors, but it's still not working as expected, try using the LEDBlinky Troubleshooting application. The troubleshooting app will attempt to provide solutions for common issues such as the wrong buttons lighting up during game play. The app is self-explanatory and may provide a solution to your issue. As another option, you can post questions to the Software group on the ArcadeControls.com forum. The current LEDBlinky support thread can be found here. If you start a new thread, please include the word "LEDBlinky" in the subject. To diagnose complex problems, LEDBlinky can generate a Debug.log file. Debug mode can be enabled from the LEDBlinky Configuration Application on the "Misc Options" tab. Additional Debug_*.log files will also be generated, all of which will be zipped into the Debug.zip file. Using the Debug mode may degrade performance and should only be enabled to actively diagnose a problem. If you wish to contact me directly, please post a personal message to arzoo on the ArcadeControls.com forum. You can also reach me via email at support@LEDBlinky.net. If you would like my help diagnosing a problem, please follow these steps:
Which Versions Of MAME Work With Which Versions Of LEDBlinky? LEDBlinky will work with all versions of MAME. But some LEDBlinky features rely on data from the MAME.xml file and this file occasionally changes format when MAME is upgraded.
There Is A Long Delay When LEDBlinky First Starts Up? The startup delay you're experiencing is most likely caused when LEDBlinky is loading your MAME.xml file which can be very large. As of LEDBlinky v6.6, a minimized version of the MAME.xml file will be automatically created to significantly decrease the startup delay. Upgrading to LEDBlinky version 6.6 (or later) should resolve this issue. If you wish to continue using an older version of LEDBlinky, there are a couple ways you can minimize the startup delay; On the MAME Config tab, uncheck the "Preload MAME Data Files on Startup" option. This should allow LEDBlinky to load quickly. The MAME.xml file will be loaded the first time you select a MAME list or game. Basically, you're just pushing the delay to a later time after LEDBlinky has already started. If that’s not acceptable, you can download an older version of MAME and generate a new MAME.xml file. Older versions of MAME use much smaller MAME.xml files. For example, the v.111 file is about 26mb and v.145 is about 66mb. With later version the file jumps to over 200mb. LEDBlinky uses the MAME.xml file as a secondary source of game data and the older versions should have little if any negative impact on functionality. If necessary, you can retain your current MAME.xml file for use with your front-end and keep the smaller MAME.xml in a separate folder for use with LEDBlinky. Download older versions of MAME here. All you need is the MAME.exe file to generate the MAME.xml file using the -listxml command. See here for more info on using the -listxml command. LEDBlinky Does Not Detect My Sound Card On The Audio Animation Tab? From the LEDBlinky Configuration app, when you select the Audio Animation tab you may receive an error indicating "Invalid Audio Device" or "Error initializing Audio functions" and the the Audio Device and Input drop-down lists will be empty. You may be able to solve this issue as follows: Windows 10:
Windows 7:
LEDBlinky Does Not Respond To Sounds On The Audio Animation Tab? From the LEDBlinky Configuration app, when you select the Audio Animation tab and click the "Test" button; you should see the Equalizer respond
to music or sounds currently playing on the PC. You can easily test this with any YouTube video.
LEDs Light Correctly For Some MAME Games But Not For Others?
From the LEDBlinky Configuration app, on the MAME tab, confirm the correct path to the "MAME Folder".
If you have MAME installed in more than one location, make sure LEDBlinky is configured to point to the same
folder as is used by your front-end. MAME Start/Stop/Pause And Other MAME Outputs Are Not Detected? Use the LEDBlinky MAME Output Test application (MAMEOutputTest.exe) to determine if LEDBlinky is detecting MAME outputs.
Reminder: The Output system does not work in MAME versions 0.170 - 0.175 and version 0.221. Player 2 Buttons 5 And 6 Do Not Light Up For MAME Games? MAME does not provide keycode defaults for P2B5 and P2B6 (or 7 or 8). If the buttons are functioning correctly, then the only explanation is that LEDBlinky does not have the correct path to the MAME "cfg" folder (see above). If the buttons are not functioning correctly (they don't do anything when pressed during game play), remap them using the MAME tab menu, then restart the game to light the buttons. I'm Using A Joystick Encoder And The Game Control LEDs Do Not Light Correctly?
You need to use the correct joystick button codes for the LEDBlinky Input Map. I'm Playing A Trackball Game But My Joysticks Are Also Lighting Up (or vise-versa)? There is an issue when using Player Specific control codes (see above) for MAME games with analog controls; MAME uses a default set of control inputs for both trackballs and joysticks - this allows trackballs and joysticks to be used interchageably. The problem arises when your control panel has both illuminated trackball(s) and illuminated joystick(s). Play a game like Centipede and the trackball and joysticks will all light up - and you only want the trackball to light up. To solve this problem, while playing each game (like Centipede), from the MAME Tab menu, edit the game controls and remove all references to joystick inputs. Quit and restart the game and LEDBlinky will only light the trackball! MaLa Does Not Correctly Light The Buttons Assigned To The Left And Right SHIFT, ALT, And CTRL Keys?
Unfortunately, Mala doesn't distinguish between left and right for these keys so using the
Input Map application you need to add the non left and right keycodes to each of these ports. HyperSpin Does Not Light Any LEDs? Check the HyperSpin log.txt file to confirm that LEDBlinky is getting launched correctly. Confirm that the path to the LEDBlinky folder in the HyperSpin setup ends in a backslash; ..\LEDBlinky\ LEDs Return To Front-End Active Mode While Emulator Is Still Running A Game?
When using HyperSpin or other front-ends, you may find that seconds after starting a game, the LEDs revert from the in-game configuration to the
front-end active configuration (even though the game remains active). This could also affect the UltraStik 360 or ServoStik configuration
(assuming you are using LEDBlinky's JDR option). Maximus Arcade Does Not Light Any LEDs?
Confirm that the Maximus Arcade config has LEDBlinky turned on and the correct path to the
LEDBlinky.exe file. This must be done for each emulator. Maximus Arcade Does Not Light The LEDs Correctly Or Repeats Each Animation Twice? You must be using Maximus Arcade version 2.10 (official release, not the beta) or newer, and LEDBlinky version 3.8 or newer. "Launch.bat cannot be written..." Error With Maximus Arcade? This is a known bug with the Maximus Arcade code (the error is generated by Maximus Arcade). LEDBlinky has been modified to help minimize the issue and most users indicate that it only occurs intermittently. Unfortunately since Maximus Arcade is no longer supported, it's unlikely the problem will ever get resolved. U360(s) Are Not Changing Maps For Each Game?
If your U360 joystick(s) are running firmware version 2.5 (or newer), please upgrade to LEDBlinky 6.2.2 (or newer). Use the following tools to diagnose issues with U360 joystick(s):
If the U360 joystick(s) are correctly mapped for some MAME games but not for others, confirm that your MAME.xml file contains all ROMS including Clone ROMS. For example, "PACMAN" is a clone of "PUCMAN". If your MAME.xml has been altered to remove "cloneof" ROMS (such as "PACMAN"), LEDBlinky will not be able to set the U360 maps correctly. If this is the case, you can recreate the MAME.xml file from your MAME.exe file using the -listxml command. See here for more info on using the -listxml command. If the U360 joystick(s) are not correctly mapped for any game, check the following:
Ports On My iPAC Ultimate I/O Are Lighting Mixed Colors? Using the LEDBlinky Simple Test application, each port on your iPAC Ultimate I/O should light up each RGB LED as Red, Green, or Blue. If you find that some ports (usually ports 1/2/3) are lighting a mixed color (such as yellow or purple), you need to use the Ultimarc WinIPAC application and un-check "enable high current drivers". If this does not solve the problem, please recheck your wiring. "GameEx Does Not Light Any LEDs? GameEx Arcade Edition only supports LEDBlinky with the 32 bit version. When installing GameEx Arcade Edition, uncheck the option to install the 64 bit version. Additional information can be found on the GameEx Forum. |
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