dbar4gun 0.18.2

dbar4gun is a Linux userspace driver for the wiimote with DolphinBar support, specifically designed to function as 4 light guns.

Recommendation

We recommend using DolphinBar as the main controller because, in mode 4, the bar stays on until we turn off the Wiimote. This way, we avoid having to manually connect or disconnect the USB every time we want to play with the Wiimote.

It is important to remember to disconnect the Wiimote using the power button at the end of playing to increase the lifespan of the infrared LEDs.

for more precision, place the sensor bar over the screen

Feature support

• Only DolphinBar in mode 4
• N Mayflash Dolphinbar
• 4 wiimote x Dolphinbar (very fast with a single bar)
• Bluetooth
• wiimote with individual buttons
• multiplayer
• nunchuck
• tilt correction
• calibration two points
• calibration three points
• Standard configuration for Wii sensor
• wiimote led -> index mouse
• auto key
• systemd
• Smoothed cursor
• setup ir as Component
• calibration as Component
• Generic wiimote
• works on linux
• works on retropie
• works on raspbian

device	button	map	shared	mame default
wiimote	ir	mouse cursor	false	cursor
wiimote	a	auto key	false	bomb
wiimote	b	mouse left	false	trigger
wiimote	home	key enter	true	select
wiimote	1	mouse middle	false
wiimote	2	mouse right	false	reload (retroarch)
wiimote	plus	auto key	false	start
wiimote	minus	auto key	false	1 coin
wiimote	d-pad	auto key	false	direction
nunchuck	stick	wiimote d-pad	false	direction
nunchuck	z	auto key	false
nunchuck	c	auto key	false
combo	b + home	key tab	true	menu (mame,flycast)
combo	b + plus		false	disable/enable ir (useful in gui)
combo	b + minus	key esc	true	exit (retroarch)
combo	b + 1	key space	true	fast forward
combo	b + 2	key 2	true	start (P2)
combo	a + home	key f1	true	menu (retroarch)
combo	a + plus		false	start calibration
combo	a + minus		false	reset calibration

Known Issues

1. Failure of IR LEDs on the DolphinBar

Issue: The DolphinBar has infrared LEDs that can burn out easily, making it impossible to aim correctly.
Solution: Replace the damaged LEDs or swap the bar for a new one.

2. I can move the pointer, but I can't shoot

Issue: If you can move the pointer but can't shoot, the driver may be detecting a keyboard or mouse as a second light gun.
Solution: Change the "mouse index" in the emulator settings to match the light gun's index and avoid conflicts.

wiimote led 4  -> mouse index 0 or VirtualGun 01
wiimote led 3  -> mouse index 1 or VirtualGun 02
wiimote led 2  -> mouse index 2 or VirtualGun 03
wiimote led 1  -> mouse index 3 or VirtualGun 04

3. The pointer becomes unstable for no apparent reason

Issue: The pointer moves erratically for no apparent reason.
Possible Cause: Sunlight entering the room interferes with the infrared sensor.
Solution: Confirm the issue by entering the "Debug" option in the driver settings within RetroPie Setup.

4. Calibration issues

Issue: Difficulties in calibrating the Wiimote properly.
Possible Causes:

• You are too close to the TV.
• If using DolphinBar, one of the IR LEDs may be damaged.
  Solution: You can check the behavior of the calibration points using the "Debug" option in RetroPie Setup.

Calibration wherever

mode 2 (default)

• Initiate Calibration: Press the A + plus buttons simultaneously. When LED 1 light up, calibration has begun.
• Step 1: Shoot at the top-left corner of the screen. LED 4 will light up.
• Step 2: Shoot at the top-right corner of the screen. LEDs 2 adn 3 light up.
• Step 3: Shoot at the bottom-center of the screen.

mode 1

• Initiate Calibration: Press the A + plus buttons simultaneously. When LED 2 and 3 light up, calibration has begun.
• Step 1: Shoot at the center of the screen. LEDs 1 and 4 will light up.
• Step 2: Shoot at the top-left corner of the screen.

Once you've completed these steps, your Light Gun will be calibrated and ready to us

Light Gun Configuration Manual for Specific Core Ga

Refer to the specific README for light gun configuration to ln how to configure games in RetroArch.

List of No-Crosshair Games: Perfect Performance with wiimote (tested)

game	system	ir setup	smoothing level	note
Operation Wolf	Mame	Standard	0
Point Blank	Mame	Standard	0
Point Blank 2	Mame	Standard	0
Point Blank 3	Mame	Standard	0
Ghoul Panic	Mame	Standard	0
Time Crisis	Mame	Standard	0
Golly! Ghost!	Mame	Standard	0
VS. Hogan's Alley	Mame	Standard	0	low precision in the bonus
Lucky & Wild	Mame 2015	Standard	0
Area 51	Mame 2003+	Standard	0
House of the Dead 2	Dreamcast	Standard	0
Virtua Cop 2	Dreamcast	Standard	0

Memory Consumption of the dbar4gun

Currently, the dbar4gun consumes ~24 MB. For each Wiimote connected via Bluetooth, an additional ~19 MB is consumed, as a dedicated process is generated to manage each Wiimote.

In the case of the DolphinBar, it is detected as four Wiimotes, even if they are not connected, resulting in an additional consumption of ~76 MB.

Summary of Memory Consumption

Item	Memory Consumption
dbar4gun	~24 MB
monitor	~19 MB
Per Wiimote connected via Bluetooth	~19 MB
DolphinBar (detected as 4 Wiimotes)	~76 MB

If the address of your wiimote(s) is already known (e.g. /dev/hidraw0), it can be attached directly using the attach subcommand. In that case, the monitor is not needed, and memory consumption is reduced drastically.

Item	Memory Consumption
dbar4gun attach	~24 MB

To Do

1. Calibration ( high priority always )
2. Class Log System
3. diamond ir setup
4. square ir setup
5. calibration gui with training target
6. unit test

Install with RetroPie-Setup

Download dbar4gun installer

cd ~/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/supplementary
curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lowlevel-1989/dbar4gun/master/retropie/dbar4gun.sh

Open RetroPie-Setup

*Manage packages \~ driver \~ dbar4gun \~ Install*  

Run service

*Manage packages \~ driver \~ dbar4gun \~ Configuration \~ Enable/Restart dbar4gun*  

Stop service

*Manage packages \~ driver \~ dbar4gun \~ Configuration \~ Disable dbar4gun*  

Status service

systemctl status dbar4gun

Bluetooth

You have a Raspberry Pi 3 or for Raspberry Pi 2 and below, you need a Bluetooth dongle (sometimes called Bluetooth adapter). For a list of dongles known to work with Raspberry Pi see https://elinux.org/RPi_USB_Bluetooth_adapters#Working_Bluetooth_adapters ).

adding-a-bluetooth-controller-to-retropie

Install manually

System dependencies

• git
• python >= 3.7
• bluez >= 5.0

Python dependencies

• evdev>=0.3.0
• pyudev>=0.16

Steps with root

build

cd dbar4gun
python -m venv $(pwd)
source $(pwd)/bin/activate
pip install $(pwd)

Use

help service

usage: dbar4gun [-h] [--calibration {0,1,2}] [--setup {1}] [--width WIDTH] [--height HEIGHT] [--disable-tilt-correction] [--port PORT]
                [--smoothing-level SMOOTHING_LEVEL]
                {start,attach,stop,version,gui} ...

dbar4gun is a Linux userspace driver for the wiimote with DolphinBar support,
specifically designed to be small and function as 4 light guns.

positional arguments:
  {start,attach,stop,version,gui}

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --calibration {0,1,2}
                        
                        mode
                        0: disabled
                        1: Center,  TopLeft
                        2: TopLeft, TopRight, BottomCenter (default)
  --setup {1}           
                        mode
                        1: Standard (sensorbar, dolphinbar)
  --width WIDTH         1920
  --height HEIGHT       1080
  --disable-tilt-correction
  --port PORT           35460
  --smoothing-level SMOOTHING_LEVEL
                        3 (default)

run service with root

dbar4gun start --width 1920 --height 1080

restart service with root

dbar4gun start --width 1920 --height 1080

check version

dbar4gun version

debug calibration gui

dbar4gun gui

stop service with root

dbar4gun stop

attach device with root

dbar4gun attach /dev/hidraw0

Bluetooth

Pair the wiimote with this command, replace the XX data with your MAC address

hcitool scan
sudo hcitool cc XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
sudo python bluez/simple-agent -c "DisplayYesNo" hci0 "XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX"

If you are having trouble re-pairing the Wiimote via Bluetooth, all you need to do is execute the following command and repeat the previous steps.

sudo bluetoothctl remove XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

References

The wiimote report format is not open and had to be reverse engineered. These resources have been very helpful when creating dbar4gun:

• https://www.wiibrew.org/wiki/Wiimote
• https://github.com/xwiimote/xwiimote/blob/master/doc/PROTOCOL