Here’s what’s available in the ZIP below:

If you prefer you can skip all this and download the already assembled BAT file below.

Step 1.  Open up a note pad copy the commands below.

Step 2.  Click on File -> Save As  (Be sure under Save as type you choose “All Files“) so it does not save as a .TXT document.

Step 3.   Now you can simply double click the bat file and I believe it will Reboot all RaspberryPi’s connected to your network.

I was cleaning up files on my computer and before I deleted them I wanted to post them.

The picture below is the mapping of a RaspberryPi B board.

This is the wiring setup for the PiGRRL Zero Plus board.

This is a diagram I created to help easily wire everything to the GPIO.

First i’m going to start with all of the products that I used in my RetroPi/Raspberry Pi build.

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Kit with Clear Case and 2.5A Power Supply

This kit is great because it comes with the 2.5A power supply which is good for overclocking, it also includes the Raspberry Pi 3 B model, heatsinks and the case which I haven’t used.  I always switch it for a fan powered case.   $49.99  (Purchase)

Sliced 9 Layers Case Box + Cooling Fan +micro

Next I start off with 9 layer fan powered case which will keep your Raspberry Pi / RetroPie cool when you eventually overclock your device and it looks cool too!  $10.97 (Purchase)

SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC

Next you want to make sure you have a good MicroSD card.  I would stay away from buying these 2nd hand and do not buy them from eBay.  I’ve purchased several from there and they were absolute garbage in the end caused me more money and headaches.  Also if you are using HyperPie I would stick with the 128GB version or 200GB version depending on what type of ROMs you are adding the HyperPie image itself takes about 60GB.  128GB $39.99  (Purchase)

Nintendo Wii U Pro Controller – Black

I’ve tested almost every controller for the RetroPie and I always went back to using the Wii U Pro controller.  I tried controllers from Xbox, PS3, 8bitDo, etc.  The Wii U Pro controller just feels right.  I’ve left the controller hooked up to the RetroPie for a full day I came back and it was still responsive.  It’s a lot more expensive then most controllers but it’s worth.  Also beware of fake knock-off brands.  $39.99  (Purchase)

High-Speed HDMI Cable – 3 Feet

If you do not have an HDMI cable laying around you are going to need one.  Any HDMI cable will do just make sure it’s long enough for your TV.  $6.99   (Purchase)

Product Break down:

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Kit with Clear Case and 2.5A Power Supply $44.99

Sliced 9 Layers Case Box + Cooling Fan +micro $10.97

SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC $39.99

Nintendo Wii U Pro Controller – Black $39.99

High-Speed HDMI Cable – 3 Feet $6.99

Setting up your RetroPie Image

Now that you have purchased and hopefully received your products it’s time to setup the RetroPie / HyperPie image onto your MicroSD.

You will need to download the following files.

• Add the Favorites List to the top of the list
• Remove Consoles/Packs that did not relate to me

One of the benefits of adding Favorites to the top of the list when you scroll all the way up it will stop at the first item. With over 8,000 games installed sometimes I want to be able to find my favorites list to get a quick game in.

Also I had about 15 systems/collections that either had blank ROMs or stuff that I was never going to play so I wanted to remove them.

Step 1. The first thing you need to do is SSH/FTP to your RetroPie using FileZilla.

The file you need to edit is “attract.cfg“.

Please navigate to:

/home/pi/.attract

Above is a preview of my attract.cfg file.  Lets say the display Top 100 Collection section that I have highlighted I wanted to remove, or place in a different area on the display wheel.  You need to make sure you copy the entire section and either delete it, or place it in the section where you would like it to appear.

Once you make your changes save the file and re-upload it to your RetroPie/HyperPie using FileZilla.

Quick Note:  Instead of using a default text editor, I used NotePad++ and I set this as the default editing program for my FileZilla FTP program.

Good to know: If you are accessing your RetroPie installation over SSH the default Raspbian username is pi and the default password is raspberry.

Copy the existing ‘roms’ folder structure to your server

For EmulationStation to be able to see your rom files the paths given to it within /etc/es_systems.cfg need to be recreated on your networked server. Connect to your RetroPie and browse to its roms folder for reference on how each system folder is named. Either copy these folders to your networked server or manually create the folders on your networked server using the same directory names.

If you prefer to not use the EmulationStation system directory names and keep the current folder structure you have on your networked server you’ll need to edit es_systems.cfg. Use this command to copy the configuration file to the home directory wherein it will be editable through SMB (//RETROPIE/configs/all/emulationstation) or FTP.

Mount your Share

If you haven’t already, now is a good time to tell Raspbian to wait for your network at boot.

In there, select “Boot Options” and tell it Yes.

Option 1: Add to autostart.sh (Preferred if using v4.0+)

sudo nano /opt/retropie/configs/all/autostart.sh

Add the following line to the top of that file, being sure to adjust it for your personal settings, paths and options. This will make the local roms folder use your remote server roms folder instead.

Good to know: If you’d like to host the entire RetroPie folder remotely you can do so by removing the /roms directories from the mount command above. Make sure to have a copy of the RetroPie installation on your remote server or EmulationStation won’t be able to start RetroPie!

Restart your Raspberry Pi with sudo reboot or by simply unplugging the power cord.

Alternatively, if you have a shared folder that allows guest access, you can use the following line in your autostart.sh:

This should also allow you to write save files to your NAS.

Option 2: Add to fstab

Using your favorite editor, open up fstab:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add the line to mount your network share. Mine looks like this:

First, make sure it will mount:

Restart and check the folder to make sure it didn’t have any issues mounting at boot

With any luck (and if you have a ton of SNES ROMs like myself), it will be fairly apparent that it was able to mount the share at boot.

Saving Games

Go ahead and make sure everything works. Don’t get to far into a game though, you might not be able to save. If you hit ‘Select + R’ (default save command) and it gives you an error, the easiest solution I’ve found is as follows.

We need to edit retroarch.cfg by deleting the # infront of the savestate_directory and savefile_directory lines and put in the desired path. I’ll be using ~/RetroPie-Save. First, make the target folder:

cd
mkdir RetroPie-Save
sudo nano /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg 

Mine looks like this:

savestate_directory = /home/pi/RetroPie-Save
savefile_directory = /home/pi/RetroPie-Save

If you already have some save files, it would be a good idea to move them to the ~/RetroPie-Save folder we created.

For more information please visit: https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Running-ROMs-from-a-Network-Share

HUGE Thanks to Forrest aka “Eazy Hax” for developing this tool. We have added it run directly from the pi. Go grab his retropie toolkit, lots of good stuff in there and give his video a like, a comment and dont forget to subscribe.

Step 1. VERY IMPORTANT: You must make sure your RetroPie/HyperPie/Bartop Arcade/EmulationStation is connected to the internet via Wifi or direct ethernet cable. If you are not connected this will not work. (It downloads a file to your RetroPie before running the script).

Step 2. VERY IMPORTANT: Use a PC to format your USB drive, whether it is a HDD or just a USB stick, to NTFS. It will not work as any other File System format. (Most HDD’s are already formatted to NTFS).

Step 3. Create a folder in the root of your USB drive called “piroms.”

Step 4. Plug the USB drive into your pi and turn it on, or reboot it.

Step 5. Go to emulationstation by either quitting AttractMode and typing “emulationstation” in the command line (without the “”) or by the attract mode menu choosing to boot to emulationstation.

Step 6. Go to the RetroPie menu inside EmulationStation and scroll to “HDD expansion” and press this option.

Step 7. When it is done you can unplug your USB drive and plug it back into your PC to add your ROMs to the newly created system folders within “piroms/roms/“.

Step 8. Once you are done transferring plug the USB drive into your Pi and reboot or turn back on.

Step 9. Congratulations, your Expanded Rom Storage is now complete. Your roms are now available to play directly from your drive. no other configuration is needed.
**Note** If you ever wish to use a different drive, you must use the option to remove the HDD from the Retropie Menu. Then start the process over again. The script only allows for one (specific) drive to be connected at a time.

Is there a way to upgrade the Pi’s audio quality?

Yes! Using a small USB audio device that plugs into any of the Pi’s USB ports, audio can be rerouted to the USB audio device for improved audio quality.

This tutorial shows how to use the Plugable USB Audio Adapter with a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, Raspberry Pi 3 running RetroPie to produce a boost in sound quality.

• Louder sound output. No need to turn the volume up as much.
• Stronger, deeper bass. Bass is almost missing with the Pi’s built-in audio.
• High frequencies sound more distinct. Cymbals, glass, and trebles sound better.
• More clarity.
• Almost no noise. The Pi had a constant background noise (white noise) when playing sound. During moments of silence during the sound playback, the noise was distractingly audible. This adapter greatly reduces the noise. It does not eliminate it completely because faint noise can be heard if the volume on an amplifier is turned up to uncomfortable levels. However, the noise is practically in audible a normal listening levels.

Take note that sound quality also depends upon your speaker system and sound gear. While this adapter does improve the sound quality, if you are using cheap, tinny earphones, then you will probably not hear much of a difference. If you are using higher-quality headphones or speakers, then the sound difference will become noticeable.

Setting Up The Plugable USB Audio Adapter

Merely plugging in the USB audio device and turning on the Raspberry Pi will not produce audio through the USB audio. The Pi will still use its built-in audio. RetroPie must be configured to use USB audio instead.

Is the USB Audio Detected?

RetroPie will automatically register the USB device during boot. To test if RetroPie sees the device, go to the RetroPie terminal (either CTRL+ALT+F1 or ssh into RetroPie) and enter lsusb.

This shows a list of all connected USB devices. What we are interested in is the C-Media Electronics, Inc. line. If visible, then that means the USB audio is connected, detected, and ready for use.

aplay

Next, enter aplay -l to see more detail about all detected audio devices.

This shows two “sound cards” connected to the operating system. Card 0 should always be the built-in Pi sound hardware (bcm2835), and Card 1 is the USB audio.

We can see that the Plugable USB audio device is identified as Card 1: [USB Audio Device]. So far, so good. Now, we need to edit a configuration file that tells the Pi to use this instead of the built-in audio.

• Card 0 – bcm2835 (Built-in Pi Audio)
• Card 1 – Plugable USB Audio Device

Edit /etc/asound.conf

For RetroPie 3.4 (Raspian Jessie), we must edit the /etc/asound.conf file. Previous versions of RetroPie required a different method involving /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf, but that does not work with RetroPie 3.4.

In the RetroPie terminal, open the config file:

The file might be empty, and that is okay. Add these lines:

Simply put, this tells ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) to use the USB audio instead of the built-in audio. Save and exit.

Restart

Now, restart RetroPie. Choosing “Restart System” from the EmulationStation “Quit” menu allows for proper shutdown.

The pi should now automatically detect and use the USB audio. Pick a game from EmulationStation and play. Be sure to remember to plug your speaker system into the USB audio’s green line-out jack using a 3.5mm plug and to turn up the volume for your speakers. It’s easy to forget this obvious step.

Adjusting Volume Output

You might want to adjust the mixer settings to your liking. In EmulationStation, enter the RetroPie settings, and choose “Configure Audio.” Then, choose “Mixer.” This opens AlsaMixer.

From here, you can control the volume of the USB audio. F6 lets you select which sound device to edit. In this case, I have Speaker (the green line out jack on the adapter) set to 81, which provides adequate line-level output without distortion. The Mic is set to 0 since it is not needed. Gain is set to 0 since, for my configuration, the volume is comfortable at these levels.

Once fine tuning is complete, the Pi should play audio through the USB audio adapter. For me, everything just works, and I have not experienced any issues.

Purchase:  Plugable USB Audio Adapter

Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by merge:
systems.sh
Please, commit your changes or stash them before you can merge.

It took me awhile to figure out what was actually causing this error but then I realized I updated my systems.sh manually awhile back. I’m assuming since the file size or the contents didn’t match the script wouldn’t let me update. I went an obtained a copy of my RetroPie systems.sh that matched my custom IMG (that was not modified). In this case I was using Reys 128 GB Attract Mode image.

You need to upload your unmodified systems.sh file to the /home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/ directory using FileZilla, Cyberduck or a client that can handle Sftp connections.

I needed to figure this out instead of just re-flashing another copy of Reys 128GB Attract Mode image, because I had a lot of modifications/custom controller setups and currently did not have a backup. If you are showing a different file then “systems.sh” with the same “Please, commit your changes or stash them before you can merge” error most likely you have modified that file or that file is corrupt and you need to upload a non-modified version.

I loved the whole idea that it would showcase the different games cover art.  However when you have over 3000+ games installed I couldn’t sit there for days and continue to hit the “A” button to download the correct metadata.  Since Google is amazing, I decided to browse for an easier method of grabbing all of the metadata.  I came across this blog by Stephen Selph

This is an auto-scraper that runs from a command line that supports:
NES, SNES, N64, GB, GBC, GBA, MD, SMS, 32X, GG, PCE, A2600, LNX, MAME(see below) ROMs

I decided to write my own tutorial on how to achieve this using his software.

Step 1.  The first step you need to do is make sure your RaspberryPi is connected to the internet either via Ethernet or Wireless (ethernet) preferred.

Step 2.  We now need to find out our RaspberryPi or RetroPie’s current IP address.  You can find this out by going to the main menu of the RetroPie interface and choosing “Show IP Information”.   If you can’t find this screen you need to go to your system console list and choose “RetroPie” this is how you access the RetroPie interface menu.  Choose “Show IP Address”.  You should now have your IP  i.e  (192.168.1.2)

Step 3.  Now you need to download Putty so you can SSH into your RaspberryPi / RetroPie.  Once you have downloaded and installed Putty, launch the Putty application and enter your RetroPi’s IP Address information.  Then Press “Open“.

Login as username “pi” and password “raspberry“.

You are now successfully logged in to your RetroPie

Step 4.   Next you want to make sure no instances of EmulationStation are running.  Type the following command and press “Enter“.

If your screen looks similar to the above and you do not see “EmulationStation” your good.  If EmulationStation is still running you need to use the following command to End it.

Step 5.  Next we need to install the proper scraper script.  Navigate to https://github.com/sselph/scraper/releases Since i’m using a RaspberryPi 3 I’m going to install:  https://github.com/sselph/scraper/releases/download/v1.2.1/scraper_rpi2.zip.  Now we are going to use the following command to install the script to RetroPie.

Type in the code above and press Enter, you should see something similar to the screenshot below.

Step 6.  We now need to unzip the script that we just transferred to the RetroPi.  Do that by type in the following command and pressing Enter.

You should have something similar to the screenshot posted below:

Step 7.  Alright now that the script is installed and unzipped on your RetroPie, it’s time to put it to use.  You have 2 options you can scrape all the consoles or you can navigate to the specific console you want to scrape.  So in this tutorial I started with SNES (Super Nintendo).  Follow the following commands to get you there:

Running the last command once you are in the SNES directory will display all of the ROMs you have installed on your RetroPie.  Like shown below:

Step 8.   Now we are going to run the following Scraper command to scrape all the metadata for the SNES directory.

You should now see something similar to the screenshot above.

Step 9 (Optional).  If you want to scrape all of your consoles run the following command.

Once you reboot your RaspberryPi or RetroPie, you should notice all of your cover art successfully downloaded.

Additional Info

You can find the scraper here:
https://github.com/sselph/scraper

You can scrape all systems with this command:
https://github.com/sselph/scraper#all-systems

YouTube Video that Helped a lot: