Sinden Lightgun - Border Support

[Atfnet]

The core is looking amazing thank you @FPGAzumSpass and everyone else involved loving the speed of dev.

Just wondering later down the line the chances of adding a white boarder to the core as a switchable option to allow Sinden Lightgun support.

I don`t see this ever being added to the Mister frame work and the current workaround is using the analogue output and running this via a OSSC or RetroTink 5 XPro to add the boarder which seems silly given the lovely perfect HDMI output. I am aware of Mister support for WImote and Aimtrak but its not the same.

That way we could use light guns https://github.com/NolanNicholson/GunCon2-MiSTer FPGAzumSpass see "Sinden Lightgun Support" with the aid of a Pi4 and Arduino Micro on any screen not just CRTS.

Thanks

Andy

[BlockABoots]

Would all that is needed from the MiSTer is to draw a white box around the game image??

[mario64]

I think the bigger issue is Sinden has to develop driver support so that MiSTer can recognize the gun itself. Their dev has that as a goal for 2022 he says. Once that happens individual cores could possibly be updated to support it.

[Atfnet]

Would all that is needed from the MiSTer is to draw a white box around the game image??

Yes guns https://github.com/NolanNicholson/GunCon2-MiSTer FPGAzumSpass see "Sinden Lightgun Support" that seems to be all the OSSC and RetroTink are doing. You still need PI 4 to process the camera data and Arduino to emulate the Guncon.

I think white tape would work but look ugly lol

[Atfnet]

I think the bigger issue is Sinden has to develop driver support so that MiSTer can recognize the gun itself. Their dev has that as a goal for 2022 he says. Once that happens individual cores could possibly be updated to support it.

It can recognise it as a guncon via this method guns https://github.com/NolanNicholson/GunCon2-MiSTer FPGAzumSpass see "Sinden Lightgun Support" now. But You still need PI 4 to process the camera data and Arduino to emulate the Guncon via usb.

I didn't think the Arm on the DE10 Nano had the grunt or free cycles for the image processing required by the Sinden, maybe the driver just turns into a pure mice device ? rather then a gun con, that would make it easier and allow more buttons.

Have you got the link to the dev post ? i am very interested as i have a Sinden on order.

[mario64]

Interesting. Didn't realize a Pi 4 is also needed. The dev update I'm referring to was a backer email in late Dec. He said:

I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about some of the Sinden Lightgun project targets for 2022:
1) Finally clearing the order backlog in Q1.
2) Updated and improved Windows software - still work in progress.
3) Updated and improved Linux software including a front end.
4) MiSTer FPGA support, big fan of this system and going to dive into it in 2022.

[mario64]

Would all that is needed from the MiSTer is to draw a white box around the game image??

Yes guns https://github.com/NolanNicholson/GunCon2-MiSTer FPGAzumSpass see "Sinden Lightgun Support" that seems to be all the OSSC and RetroTink are doing. You still need PI 4 to process the camera data and Arduino to emulate the Guncon.

I think white tape would work but look ugly lol

That link doesn't work btw. Page not found

[Xbytez]

I have fixed the broken links in this thread posted by Atfnet.

[darksakul]

The Sinden Lightgun as of now only works on a modern PC with compatible emulators. A deticated Raspberry Pi 4 would be needed for MiSTer or console use.

[Atfnet]

Now everyone's on the same page just hoping a lot latter down the line when the core is bug free we could have a white border on the hdmi output to allow the gun to work.

[Caldor]

Nice I have two Sinden lightguns. I first tried setting them up with a Pi but it was troublesome and I found that even if I got it working, it would not work that great, so I set it up on a small laptop I have instead and that worked quite well. Even got it working with with some Wii games.

[BlockABoots]

Wonder if a RPi Zero 2 would be powerfully enough to do the the camera processing, then maybe the next version of the Sinden could have RPi Zero build into it and remove the need for external devices

[Caldor]

Wonder if a RPi Zero 2 would be powerfully enough to do the the camera processing, then maybe the next version of the Sinden could have RPi Zero build into it and remove the need for external devices

That sure could be nice

[darksakul]

Wonder if a RPi Zero 2 would be powerfully enough to do the the camera processing, then maybe the next version of the Sinden could have RPi Zero build into it and remove the need for external devices

I doubt it as a Rpi 4 is required, the Rpi is not quite enough power.
The external device for the Sinden would also support original hardware consoles (i.e. the NES)

[Caldor]

Wonder if a RPi Zero 2 would be powerfully enough to do the the camera processing, then maybe the next version of the Sinden could have RPi Zero build into it and remove the need for external devices

I doubt it as a Rpi 4 is required, the Rpi is not quite enough power.
The external device for the Sinden would also support original hardware consoles (i.e. the NES)

I do think the reason a Rpi 4 is required is because it runs the emulation of the system and the aiming part with the Sinden Light Gun. If it only had to figure out where exactly its aiming, it probably would not require nearly as much. But depending on the system there probably needs to be converted to something different depending on the system.

[darksakul]

Wonder if a RPi Zero 2 would be powerfully enough to do the the camera processing, then maybe the next version of the Sinden could have RPi Zero build into it and remove the need for external devices

I doubt it as a Rpi 4 is required, the Rpi is not quite enough power.
The external device for the Sinden would also support original hardware consoles (i.e. the NES)

I do think the reason a Rpi 4 is required is because it runs the emulation of the system and the aiming part with the Sinden Light Gun. If it only had to figure out where exactly its aiming, it probably would not require nearly as much. But depending on the system there probably needs to be converted to something different depending on the system.

Its to run the software for the real time image recognition without lag, the Sinden Lightgun has a camera not just a light sensor, and the image recognition has to take in the border and the guns over all X and Y position and turn that into data your game/ emulation can to understand.

If you are running the Sinden Light gun software and emulation on the same device, it then has to be on the PC as the Rasp Pi 4 isn't just powerful enough. The Rpi 4 is used for mostly consoles and our case the MiSTer, as that 800mhz Arm CPU isn't going to do real life image recognition.

[Caldor]

I doubt it as a Rpi 4 is required, the Rpi is not quite enough power.
The external device for the Sinden would also support original hardware consoles (i.e. the NES)

I do think the reason a Rpi 4 is required is because it runs the emulation of the system and the aiming part with the Sinden Light Gun. If it only had to figure out where exactly its aiming, it probably would not require nearly as much. But depending on the system there probably needs to be converted to something different depending on the system.

Its to run the software for the real time image recognition without lag, the Sinden Lightgun has a camera not just a light sensor, and the image recognition has to take in the border and the guns over all X and Y position and turn that into data your game/ emulation can to understand.

If you are running the Sinden Light gun software and emulation on the same device, it then has to be on the PC as the Rasp Pi 4 isn't just powerful enough. The Rpi 4 is used for mostly consoles and our case the MiSTer, as that 800mhz Arm CPU isn't going to do real life image recognition.

But that is how it is used now. You can use the Sinden Lightgun on a Pi 4. As for image recognition, you are not optimising it very well if it cannot be done on a Raspberry Pi Zero W 2. The whole reason its a white border is to make it easy to recognize and to be able to ignore most other details. Also its 1ghz quad core.

Even the Raspberry Pi Zero W has been used for image recognition, with the images coming from a 5MP camera. The Pi Zero W 2 should be more than enough... unless badly optimizing the process

Which also means the Raspberry Pi 4 is powerful enough, because it has been one of the options for using the Sinden Lightgun for over a year now. Its easier to just use a Windows machine though and you get more options that way since more systems and emulators can be used then.

It is true that the MiSTer and its dual 800mhz CPU would probably be hard pressed. The Pi Zero W can do it though and its a single core ARM CPU with 1ghz and again, the part where it has to do the image recognition here should be quite simple... but it just seems cleaner to do it with a Pi of some kind. Especially a Pi Zero since they are nice and small.

[Caldor]

Here is a setup guide for the Pi 4 and the Sinden Lightgun. It does say you need a Windows PC but that is only to prepare the SD card, so not really sure why they argue it has to be Windows. It does also mention that a PC is not really needed, but that it makes it simpler to setup the SD card.
https://sindenlightgun.miraheze.org/wik ... etup_Guide

[Caldor]

I found that Sinden works with an actual PS1 console... I was looking into it because it sounds like the developer of the Sinden Light Guns recently got himself a MiSTer and now plans on adding support for it.

But then someone mentioned it already supported actual PS1 consoles, using a Pi 4 to help with the image processing on the gun. Should this not then also work with the MiSTer?

There is a guide on how to do it for the PS1 and PS2 here:
https://sindenlightgun.miraheze.org/wik ... etup_Guide

I attached the images with wiring instructions. Does seem to require an Arduino to help connect the Lightgun to the PS1 controller port.