Make a multiple purpose system from PINN and Raspberry Pi OS 32 bits lite

🕐🕐 Duration: 2 to 3 hours

🔧🔧 Difficulty: Medium

🌟🌟🌟 Interest: Interesting

Installing ARM Debian packages on Raspberry Pi OS

🕐 Duration: Minutes

🔧 Difficulty:Easy

🌟🌟🌟 Interest: Interesting

Setting up Neogeo emulator [Retropie as an OS]

🕐 Duration: Minutes

🔧🔧 Difficulty: Medium

🌟🌟🌟 Interest: Interesting

Raspberry Pi 3B+ 3G/1G Kernel download thread

Hello,

This micro-article is made to be found on google about how to directly download a precompiled 3G/1G kernel directly for Raspberry Pi 3B+

It is installable after unzipping through ./kernel_install.sh

>>>>> Happy downloading! <<<<<

The pi gamer

Dosbox keyboard issues - mute and misbehaving keys [RetroPie as an OS]

🕐🕐 Duration: 2 to 3 hours

🔧🔧 Difficulty: Medium

🌟🌟🌟 Interest: Interesting

Lightweight internet browsers: which one for which use

If you have been using your Raspberry Pi for browsing you should already have noticed that the provided browsers sometimes run slow or very slow. It is also an impediment to the general functioning of the Raspberry Pi.

The provided browser is Chromium. You might sometimes find Epiphany or Midori as provided browser but they tend to show less often in installations nowadays.

While Chromium claims itself to be lightweight, it isn't really the case from a Raspberry Pi point of view. Hereafter we will see the alternative fast browsers you can use.

Category #1: the real lightweight browsers

Here we are looking for a browser mainly for its running speed. What we are looking for here is mainly following links, displaying images and downloading. Heavily scripted pages like Gmail are here out of scope.

 

You have 5 (3+2) competitors in that list:

Luakit

Out of the 5 Luakit will be the slowest but it still runs on a Raspberry with a more than acceptable speed. Luakit will answer almost all your needs in matter of following links and downloading. It is the most supportive browser of the 5. The drawback of Luakit is that it mainly works with keyboard commands.

What you should know follows:

- "o" = open new page

- "r" = reload (might be needed when opening the browser to trust URLs)

- "i" = input (to enter text in a field, for example in Google or DuckDuckGo)

- "f" = follow - will show a list of links that can be followed and their position on the page. Type in the link number to follow it.

Links are also mouse responsive so you can use your mouse for these as well.

Give Luakit a chance and you will not be disappointed. It is in my humble opinion the best competitor of this category. The other ones have less support at a point it can hurt your browsing.

 

These download links work in Luakit

 

Summary: pros and cons

😊 Good support for links

😊 Installs with sudo apt-get install luakit

😊 No lags (unless the site itself lags)

😊 Out of this list Luakit is the only browser that supports Twine

 

😞 Using keyboard can be a little awkward at the beginning

 

Netsurf

 

Netsurf is my second favorite in the list. It is the fastest GUI and it has the second best support in the list. I have noticed that some javascript links don't open which can be an issue. The links to download RPGMaker RTP's are an example of links that don't work. For Github and search Netsurf sure does the job. The con: Netsurf is not debian-packaged and must be installed from Netsurf's site. Netsurf must be built from source code.

Netsurf is very basic but also very fast

Summary: pros and cons

😊 Meteoric

😊 Second-best site support in this category

 

😞 Must be built from source

😞 Javascript only very partially supported

Dillo

 

Finally, Dillo closes the ball of the lightweight GUI internet browsers. If you are a nostalgic, you will like Dillo: it looks like Netscape back in the 90's. It is fast but support for anything else than HTML is almost unexistant. Dillo is easy to install and "sudo apt-get install dillo" can be a savior in the case you quickly want to set up a lightweight system and go on github. Don't expect exciting support however.

 

 

I don't like dillo much but it is a quick and easy pick

Summary: pros and cons

 

😊 Meteoric

😊 Easy to install with sudo apt-get install dillo

 

😞 Very basic support

 

Lynx 

Lynx is a bit off this list: it is a full text-based browser. However it stays in the race and is surprisingly easy to use. In the vast world of text-based internet browsers (grand total of text-based internet browsers = 2). Lynx could be labelled as the most basic. It does not offer menus and is keyboard reactive only, a bit like Luakit. Lynx is definately a good lightweight browser especially if you don't want LXDE on your installation. Graphical browsers are however still easier to use.

Lynx on Raspberry Pi: a summary of commands
at the bottom edge and arrow keys are used to scroll.

Summary: pros and cons

 

😊 Meteoric

😊 Easy to install with sudo apt-get install lynx

😊 Surprisingly good website support

 

😞 Not very good in page formatting

Elinks

Elinks approach differs from Lynx. Although it is also text-based, the look and feel has been carefully thought. Using Elinks you will almost feel that you are using a graphical internet browser. There are menus, more responsive keys, and it is more user-friendly. The drawback is that it brings more bloatware (it is actually bigger than Netsurf) but there is nothing really to worry about. Links are well responsive and general surfing is ensured.

Javascript download links usually work in Elinks

Summary: pros and cons

 

😊 Meteoric

😊 Easy to install with sudo apt-get install elinks

😊 Surprisingly good website support
😊 Better page layout than Lynx

😊 User-friendly menus

😞 Surprisingly bloatware

Category #2: browsers with more features

These browsers are more adapted if you want to run recent pages with a decent support: HTML5, recent js script, plugins, embedding... These browsers will give you a sufficient support for most of the pages (including for example gmail). All of these browsers support Twine games.

Epiphany and Midori

I put Epiphany and Midori in the same topic. If you try both, you will notice that Epiphany is just a Midori with a better Raspberry Pi optimization. It means that if you like those browsers you will rather pick Epiphany over Midori: less lags, same features, same look and feel. 

Epiphany has the best speed of this category and it is not so much of a bloatware. It is serviceable for everyday use (Gmail and Youtube)

 

Epiphany, one of the fastest versatile browsers on Raspberry Pi

 Summary: pros and cons

😊 Best speed for its category

😊 Least bloatware of its category

😊 Supports everyday sites (webmails)

😊 Easy to install with sudo apt-get install epiphany-browser

😞 Vivaldi, Chromium and Firefox have a better support

Vivaldi

Vivaldi is an interesting alternative: although its speed is comparable to Firefox's or Chromium's it will be tinier on your SD card and help you free disk space compared to the latter two. The support is sufficient and although the customization options are succint, it offers almost as much website support as Firefox and Chromium.

Vivaldi offers a beautiful and disk space cheap
alternative to Firefox and Chromium

 Summary: pros and cons

😊 Very good support

😊 Doesn't need much disk space compared to Firefox or Chrome

 

😞 Speed is average
😞 Package has to be installed manually

Firefox (or Iceweasel) and Chromium

I don't really know how I could decide between Firefox and Chromium: both have an almost full internet site support, both are easy to install, both are bloatware. In addition you will sometimes encounter a problem specific to Firefox or another one specific to Chromium. Firefox has a better RPGMaker MV support but those games are so slow and unplayable that I wouldn't make an argument out of that. Chromium and Iceweasel are both open-source. The interface is very different and it is more a matter if you are familiar with Firefox or Chrome.

Firefox or Chromium - make your choice

Firefox or Chromium - make your choice

 Summary: pros and cons

 

😊 Best website support on Raspberry Pi

😊 Easy to install with sudo apt-get install iceweasel 

😊 Easy to install with sudo apt-get install chromium

😞 Worst bloatware

Conclusion

Depending on your power and on what you want from your Pi you will choose one or another. A high memory Pi 4 with a good voltage support will be able to run Vivaldi, Firefox and Chrome wihtout any issue while the earlier models would rather be more modest and rather target the first category of browser.

Of course you can always go the performance route even with a late model and prefer Lynx just in order to solve download links.

Personally, I rest my case: learn keyboard and use Luakit. I love this browser.

The pi gamer

 

Case study: RPG Maker games on Raspberry Pi [2000][2003][XP][VX][VX Ace][MV][MZ]

🕐🕐 Duration: 2 to 3 hours (nw.js;Tapir;EasyRPG)

🕐🕐🕐 Duration: Up to one day (Wine-based RPGXP, RPGVX and RPGVX Ace)

🔧🔧🔧 Difficulty: Somewhat difficult

🌟🌟🌟 Interest: Interesting

Reference links page

I just added a new page. This page contains reference links and will be updated in the future. If you want to keep a hand on the links but know what you are doing, go there and bookmark:

https://thepigamer.blogspot.com/p/reference-links.html

In the future I plan to add a game list and a quick blog guide to the pages section. Stay tuned.

[Performance] [Comfort] Improving your gaming experience

🕐🕐🕐 Duration: up to one day

🔧🔧 Difficulty: Medium

🌟🌟🌟 Interest: Interesting

Streaming your Android screen to your Raspberry Pi: freeware method

🕐 Duration: Minutes

🔧 Difficulty: Easy

🌟🌟 Interest: Serviceable

Case study: Heroes of Might and Magic III on Pi [VCMI]

🕐🕐🕐🕐 Duration: Days

🔧🔧🔧🔧 Difficulty: Difficult

🌟🌟🌟🌟 Interest: Hours of fun

Performance topic: Running x86 games on Raspberry PI OS 32 bits (Box86/Wine/PiKISS)

🕐🕐🕐 Duration: Up to one day (kernel compiling)

🔧🔧 Difficulty: Medium

🌟🌟🌟🌟 Interest: Hours of fun

Choosing your Single Board Computer (SBC)

First of all, if you plan to play retrogaming and are a beginner on this topic, you will discover what the market has to offer to you.

Going to the supermarket will give you retro consoles that can actually be pretty expensive, up to 80 $/€ for a retro snes with a bunch of games, and thus not knowing if you can extend it or not.

Getting a SBC will allow you to install almost instantly gaming engines like retropie, who will hold all the emulators and allow you to play abandonware. Keep in mind that some of the games are not abandonware and cannot be played for free this way.

Choosing your SBC is a bit like choosing your car: you first need to know what you want from it. You would ask yourself "Do I want a big car for my family?" "Do I want my car to be fast?"

Depending on what you need you will choose one or another.

My blog will mainly support Paspberry classic (non zero), but let us have a quick overlook on what is availlable:

• basic: Raspberry Pi zero: mainly to play game boy games, cheap (5$/€)
• mid-range: Raspberry Pi 3B+, Raspberry Pi 4, Udroid XU4, between 30 and 100 $/€ depending on your set.
  Keep in mind that you will have to buy: 
• SBC  
• Micro SD card for the storage. This will be your most important choice. Faster means more performance with huge games. More SD card space (at least 128 GB) gives you more freedom. It also saves you from using a power hungry external hard drive
• Power supply (USB C for Pi 4 or micro USB for Pi 3)
• Case, if possible with a fan
• External hard disk for your roms (optional)
  
• Powered USB hub to make sure your voltage does not go down (if needed).
  This is especially true with 3B+. You will experiment undervoltage issues if you turn on wifi and plug your external hard drive at the same time with a regular power supply.
  If you do not want to go the powered hub route, connect your network with ethernet cable and buy a bigger SD card.
• Good wireless keyboard (I have chosen Logitech k400+)
• HDMI cable, screen and sound output.

Avoid:

• Buying a USB based power supply (as in smartphone charger). USB wire will often be poor quality and you will experience voltage drops. Also, it won't be cheaper than an USB hub or an official power supply.
  

If you calculate on 3B+ basis:

34 $/€ (SBC) + 11$/€ (case) + 14 $/€ (basic official microusb power supply)  + 25 $/€ (128gb SD card) + 40 $/€ (keyboard) = 124 $/€ as a basic starting kit. 

Not counting the micro SD adapter to install PINN and the additional peripherals you already have or that you will buy later (XBOX controller receiver, HDMI cable, screen...)

Your SD card is a very important choice when you buy your SBC.
It is a bit like your bag of holding: you will feel invincible having it!

 

This means: don't save money on SBC if you want something specific. For example, you will never be able to run ePCSX2 on Pi 3 or Pi 4.

If you go the Odroid H2 way, the other components will be the same price and you will still have some fully operating emulator for less than 200 $/€.

If you do not mind spending money on something more powerful, you might choose UDOO x86 or UDOO Bolt, or other x86 premium SBC's available in your country. That will unlock ePCSX2 and ePCS3. UDOO is usually not available in Europe, you will probably have to do a bit of research to find yourself a premium x86 SBC if you are living there.

That said, the Raspberry Pi still has a lot of tricks in its hat and deserves a blog for itself.

For this guide, i advise to buy a Raspberry Pi 4: it will not be much more expensive than Pi 3B+, is faster, and will save you the 3G/1G kernel issue.

A full Raspberry Pi 3B+ starting kit: Case+SBC,
Ethernet cable, HDMI cable, SD card,
keyboard and receiver, power supply, external hard drive

 

SBC	Budget (case and accessories included)	What to expect?
Raspberry Pi zero	50 $/€	Play video, music, play Game Boy games
Raspberry Pi 3B+ or Pi 4 Odroid XU4	150-250 $/€	Play console games up to PS1/gamecube Play PC games up to 2000~2005
Odroid H2	200-300 $/€	Play PS2 games
Hidden desktop PC	Can be lower than 500 $/€	Play current games
UDOO x86 or UDOO Bolt	500 $/€	Play PS3 games

TL/DR:

I don't want PS2 --> Pi 4 (+- 160 $/€ full starting kit)

I don't want PS2 and I'm a cheapskate : Pi 3B+ (+- 130 $/€ full starting kit) 

I want PS2 but not more --> Odroid H2 (+- 200 $/€ full starting kit)

I want PS2 and PS3 --> UDOO/other x86 boards/full PC hidden behind your TV (up to 500 $/€ full starting kit)

Check table just above for comparison.

I hope this guide will help you to do the right choice!

The pi gamer

Disclaimer: make sure you own the rights to play games before setting them on your Raspberry Pi.

Getting started for gaming

If you have bought a Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 and wish to start retrogaming, the first thing to do is to download an OS installer.

You can choose NOOBS or PINN.

 

The latter has a more active community and is plentiful of (nice) surprises.

 

There are numerous guides on how to install PINN on internet, so I will link here the one on the official github:

https://github.com/procount/pinn/blob/master/README_PINN.md

A screenshot of PINN

Depending on the size of the SD card you bought, you will be able to do more or less.

The minimum installation choices vary on what you want to do.
Keep in mind that trying to make a versatile solution out a small SD card feels like trying to fit a truck inside a mouse hole. 

If your SD card is small what you should do is install a Raspberry Pi OS 32 bits normal and install your modules (eg. EmulationStation) as subparts of Raspberry Pi OS. 

 

Keep in mind that EmulationStation installed as standalone will run smoother than inside Raspberry Pi OS or TwisterOS. This is why a huge SD Card is comfortable.

Be careful, everytime you will want to add an OS to your SD, you will have to erase it whole and repartition.

The OS you should install depending on your settings are as follows:

Budget	Advised	Nice to have
4GB	Raspberry Pi OS 32 bits mini +RPD	Raspberry Pi OS 32 bits regular
16GB	Raspberry Pi OS 32 bits regular	Retropie/Recallbox/Lakka/Batocera (x86 route) mikerr's stretch Rpi-qemu-x86
64GB	Raspberry Pi OS 32 bits regular Retropie/others Rpi-qemu-x86	(x86 route)Twister OS LibreElec LineageOS (for screen mirroring) Store one or two games you play all the time on your SD, not more
256GB	Raspberry Pi OS 32 bits, TwisterOS, Rpi-qemu-x86, Retropie, Android, ... (Gladys)	Store some of your games on your SD

TL/DR: 

Get PINN, check down in the summary table for what OS to install.