*SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

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NoAffinity
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*SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

So, I was excited to see that N64 support was added in a new firmware for the Brook Retro Board. I know, there's not a lot of N64 games that could benefit from a fight stick, but I've been a fan of Killer Instinct 2 (KI Gold on N64) since the hey day of it's arcade presence. I was looking forward to testing my fight stick on some good ol' KI.

But, directionals are screwed up and buttons aren't mapped properly...and I can't figure out how to change the button mapping in KI although the option to do so exists within the game.

Left and right are reversed. Punch 1 and Punch 2 are non-functional, and the rest of the buttons are not intuitively configured.

Anybody else messed around with this new firmware and N64 yet?
Last edited by NoAffinity on Sun Aug 27, 2023 11:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Syntax
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by Syntax »

Get a full refund of the board, they are crap, PS1 wont work with Memcardpro or 2 retro boards at the same time.
I did some hardware tests/mods for them, was told firmware fix was on the way, then told an adapter board MAY be made and MAY fix the problem,
but they have stopped emailing me for now.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by bobrocks95 »

It sucks to hear about the problems with the Retro Board, the feature-set is great. Wish MC Cthulhu firmware was open-source so people could add more consoles. Dreamcast is a glaring omission right now, but N64 would be great too if it actually works and can emulate the control stick. Could be fun for plenty of platformers.

I see you've been talking to them since at least December Syntax, from the thread I made asking about MC Cthulhu vs Brook.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by Syntax »

It does suck because it would be an awesome stack if it actually worked the way it is supposed to.

Currently im testing a prototype addition to Blissbox/Gamer Pro that allows you to use any controller on any console.

N64 and PS1 work/feel fine but im doing some lag testing to be sure, waiting on a high speed camera.

Im not down selling the brooks to try upsell this new product, I still have 4 retroboards in use, but mostly for PS1/PS2 and PC.
Using adapters so my retro boards work is a right PITA.
Also having to use a normal controller to navigate Xstation menu and load a memory card save or avoid corruption is BS.

I have been told that their rumble code lacks a reset function and also only has 1 of 2 rumble protocols coded for.
Most of it should just be a firmware fix, same for N64.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

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I've had no issues, altho my use case doesn't include the items above noted as known issues. N64 is a new addition and not something factored when I purchased years ago. Would be nice if it works as advertised...but I have a pad hacked n64 pcb if I really get that itch.

And, not sure what the mention about dreamcast was, but DC works fine on retro board.

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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

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NoAffinity wrote:And, not sure what the mention about dreamcast was, but DC works fine on retro board.
Dreamcast was mentioned just because the MC Cthulhu doesn't support it. I haven't heard nearly as many problems about MC Cthulhu usage, but at the time the Retro Board sounded more appealing to me and I thought I was going to dual mod with a Brook UFB as well (I dual-modded with the built-in Hori board but still have a kink or two to work out).
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

Ok, I misunderstood. But, mc cthulhu also supports DC. I've seen mention in other threads that maybe there was support issues in older firmware or builds, but I can say I've owned 3 cthulhu's (still have 2 fully working) and all work just fine on DC.

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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by bobrocks95 »

Ah, cool, maybe I'll swap out my Retro board for one lol. I have it dual modded with my stock Hori Fighting Edge board for PS4/PS5 support, but sometimes when I'm using the Hori and the Retro board gets power (I have it tapped from the 5V USB pin on the Hori) it will hold the Start/Options and the PS/Home button pins stuck to ground until a power cycle. Which in this case is unplugging and replugging the USB cord. Especially bad when I've kept the stick plugged in, start up my computer, and realize the Start button is stuck down for anything I boot up (which also affects Windows' UI).

I also had to look up a reddit/twitter thread and rely on Steam downloading drivers to get the XInput mode to work on the new firmware. They're going to get a lot of people emailing them and asking how to get the XInput to work.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

You know, the xinput seems funny too. I did that same thing, found the solution on reddit and enabled support in steam. Everything worked on first reboot, but then after another reboot, it no longer works. I have disabled and re enabled the steam controller support, and no joy. If someone know where steam drivers can be found within windows, I will attempt to force the driver install through device manager.

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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

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NoAffinity wrote:You know, the xinput seems funny too. I did that same thing, found the solution on reddit and enabled support in steam. Everything worked on first reboot, but then after another reboot, it no longer works. I have disabled and re enabled the steam controller support, and no joy. If someone know where steam drivers can be found within windows, I will attempt to force the driver install through device manager.

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I had the same thing, it only survived one reboot. I haven't tested extensively, but I got it to work by going into Device Manager to manually install the driver, then selected the Xbox 360 Controller driver from the list of system drivers. Again, way too much for a completely undocumented process.

I emailed them about my 2 pins being stuck low, wonder if they'll just tell me they don't offer support for custom dual mods...

EDIT: Back to no X-Input after another reboot, but it might just be related to my 2 pins grounded issue. Curious to hear from you NoAffinity if you can get your X-Input solid. Not a big deal for me if I can get the Retro Board to work consistently, since my Hori board does X-Input as well.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

Good solution, bobrocks95. That worked for me. It has to be redone after a unplug/replug, but holds through reboots and power cycles.

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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by bobrocks95 »

Arcade Shock didn't offer to let me test a Brook Retro board replacement. Best they gave me was to pay to ship my board to them to test and they'll just send it back if it works (which of course it will, on its own). "Disconnect the Hori board and see if it works by itself" well no shit it works by itself.

For an MC Cthulhu I need Arthrimus' EZ board for my setup, but I don't think it's been available for over a year. Does anyone know how to get one of these? Jasen's Customs also had one but their site is completely dead at this point it looks like.

Arcade Shock's return policy sucks too. Don't think there's any way to buy a new board and return the old one...

@NoAffinity I did notice though about the original topic for this thread (sorry to derail) that a fix for 1.4 is in the works and Arcade Shock has put an advisory on their store page to not update yet.

EDIT: Finally determined the Brook board isn't faulty per-se, but the Hori board is either briefly grounding all buttons on startup, or not applying voltage fast enough to them, and the Brook Board is thinking I'm holding down Start + K1 on power up to enter firmware flashing mode, which has the odd side effect of grounding the Start pin. If either Start or K1 aren't connected between the Brook and Hori boards, everything is fine. No clue how to solve that problem electrically though, I tried shortening the wires for VCC, Start, and K1 but that didn't do it.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by bobrocks95 »

Can anyone verify SNES support for me in 1.4? Seems completely broken but I'm still messing around with trying to get my Hori board working with it, so maybe I messed something up. PSX also had a large delay before directions were recognized, but I don't remember if it was like that before.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

Confirmed, no issues here for snes or ps1.

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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

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NoAffinity wrote:Confirmed, no issues here for snes or ps1.

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Thanks for the confirmation. I undid my hours of custom wiring which really sucks, but actually SNES is still broken for me. Saturn and PSX both work fine. Dreamcast works, though you can't hotplug with it, it has to be connected when the console starts up. But absolutely nothing with SNES. Continuity on my cable seems good, it's a bitch to try and probe ethernet connector pins though. I have a SNES Jr., wonder if that's part of it.

Guess I'll email them again and probably not get a response, or something like please wait for a firmware update that's already taken weeks so far.

If anyone knows where I can get an MC Cthulhu board with a 20-pin harness and RJ45 connector, please let me know, fully prepared to ditch this Brook board at this point.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

I have a snes jr too.

Uses some alligator clips and male to male Dupont cables to get good contact with the rj45 pins. Or small gauge solid wire with both ends stripped, in conjunction with the alligator clips.

The only cthulhu available: https://paradisearcadeshop.com/products ... by-toodles

You wire/solder a short piece of cat 5 to the board and put a rj45 head on the opposite end. Plug that into a rj45 pass through connector installed on the exterior of your stick case. Plug your console cables into the other side of the pass through connector.
https://paradisearcadeshop.com/products ... -connector

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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

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Still no 20-pin connector though, I'd have to wire all of my buttons myself and have 3 wires in each screw terminal, which is a little excessive. I emailed Arthrimus to ask if they planned to restock their EZ board.

In the meantime Arcade Shock sent me an old firmware, let's see if SNES works on it. EDIT: SNES works fine on 1.3. Very strange the same firmware would work for one NTSC SNES Jr. and not another since I don't think it had any hardware revisions at all.
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

Can you share that 1.3 firmware? They say dont upgrade to it, but I dont find anything other than 1.4 on the brooks web site. It's possible I didn't look hard enough...

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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

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Yeah they should really have it readily available if they put out a bogus firmware release: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TqEJyc ... sp=sharing

Giving up on my issue for now, all consoles are working with 1.3 after a quick reconnect of the cord, except when you get SNES working it holds down P3 for about 7 seconds... Bit of a shitshow huh?
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

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Thank you for the upload!
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by Syntax »

Can someone with 2 of these test something for me?

If I plug 2 into side by side USB ports, when viewing the Game Controller buttons in Windows one of the controllers analog axis will jitter.

If I plug one controller into a usb3 port, and the other into a usb2 port both are fine no jitter.

This is with analog input disabled also...

Seems like the same deal as plugging 2 into a PS1
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Re: Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by bobrocks95 »

Pretty wild that this still isn't fixed. 1.4 remains "not recommended" or whatever phrasing Arcade Shock has listed on their page.

Not related to 1.4, but I never got my dual mod working properly and the ultimate solution is really to buy a Brook UFB, but I don't think I want to support them with any more purchases going forward. That said, does anyone happen to know the cheapest option for a 360 controller padhack?
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Re: *SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

Hey all - I wanted to update this thread, because as of firmware 1.5 for the retro board, N64 support seems to be working well.

I've seen this mentioned elsewhere, maybe even on this forum, so nothing earth shattering there.

But, I did want to provide the button mapping for a 6-button (or 8-button, but at least in the case of Killer Instinct, it supports a max of 6 buttons).

Attached is the screenshot showing P1 mapped correctly to get punches and kicks to the buttons they should be on. Note: you will have to plug in a regular N64 and simply change the button mappings by pressing the respective button for each assignment; for whatever reason, pressing the buttons via the retro board does nothing in the button config screen...very odd.

Anyway, hope this is helpful.
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Re: *SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by bobrocks95 »

I just bought a Brook UFB since I wanted my dual mod with the Retro Board to not have issues and I didn't feel like padhacking a 360 controller right now. Fingers crossed they work together at least half as well as they absolutely should, but I've had a number of problems with the Retro Board dual-modded with a Hori PCB so I'm not 100% sure things will go perfectly.
NoAffinity wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 11:23 pm Hey all - I wanted to update this thread, because as of firmware 1.5 for the retro board, N64 support seems to be working well.

I've seen this mentioned elsewhere, maybe even on this forum, so nothing earth shattering there.

But, I did want to provide the button mapping for a 6-button (or 8-button, but at least in the case of Killer Instinct, it supports a max of 6 buttons).

Attached is the screenshot showing P1 mapped correctly to get punches and kicks to the buttons they should be on. Note: you will have to plug in a regular N64 and simply change the button mappings by pressing the respective button for each assignment; for whatever reason, pressing the buttons via the retro board does nothing in the button config screen...very odd.

Anyway, hope this is helpful.
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Any N64 games I'm not thinking of that would be good with a stick? I can't think of many I own that would work well and feel natural. Pokemon Puzzle League? Star Soldier maybe (don't know if its control is analog or not)?
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Re: *SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by cfx »

bobrocks95 wrote: Sat Sep 09, 2023 8:06 pm Any N64 games I'm not thinking of that would be good with a stick? I can't think of many I own that would work well and feel natural. Pokemon Puzzle League? Star Soldier maybe (don't know if its control is analog or not)?
Don't know what you have :) but Mischief Makers and Bangaioh? I haven't had the console in so long I might not remember but don't think those need analog and are things I'd play with a stick.
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Re: *SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by bobrocks95 »

cfx wrote: Sat Sep 09, 2023 9:06 pm
bobrocks95 wrote: Sat Sep 09, 2023 8:06 pm Any N64 games I'm not thinking of that would be good with a stick? I can't think of many I own that would work well and feel natural. Pokemon Puzzle League? Star Soldier maybe (don't know if its control is analog or not)?
Don't know what you have :) but Mischief Makers and Bangaioh? I haven't had the console in so long I might not remember but don't think those need analog and are things I'd play with a stick.
Those are good ideas, though both kind of rely on the directionality of the C-buttons right? I know Mischief Makers' dash does. Would take some getting used to to connect the directions not quite lining up. Regular movement would feel good though.
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Re: *SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by cfx »

Yeah I think both use those buttons effectively like a second stick, so if your joystick doesn't have the buttons in that shape it would take a little getting used to.
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Re: *SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by bobrocks95 »

Happy to report that with a Brook UFB + Retro board things work quite nicely compared to my previous experiences in this thread... EXCEPT as Syntax reported earlier, the Retro Board does not work with the PS1 when there's a MemCard Pro inserted, now that I'm using one. Messaged ArcadeShock, wonder if I'll hear back...

Hotplugging it after booting up the console seems to work but that's never good for a retro system (maybe ground on an RJ45 cable is guaranteed to connect first though actually?). I assume the console auto-detect is messed up with a MemCard Pro in, as the PS1 has a janky shared bus between controller ports and memory card ports. Would like to see a fix though instead of a non-response, now that I'm invested to the tune of $200 or so in Brook crap for this stick.

Is there a manual button combo list for the different systems on the Retro Board to bypass the auto-detect?
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Re: *SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by BazookaBen »

bobrocks95 wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 1:46 amIs there a manual button combo list for the different systems on the Retro Board to bypass the auto-detect?
The latest patch notes show a combo for N64. I don't know if that means there are combos for other systems, or that's just a workaround they had to do for N64 specifically
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Re: *SOLVED* Brook Retro Board - N64 Support Added, but Not Working

Post by NoAffinity »

bobrocks95 wrote: Sat Sep 09, 2023 8:06 pm
Any N64 games I'm not thinking of that would be good with a stick? I can't think of many I own that would work well and feel natural. Pokemon Puzzle League? Star Soldier maybe (don't know if its control is analog or not)?
Star soldier works well with controls set to d-pad. It has the option in the options menu, to choose between analog or d-pad.
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