Q&A The Official Technical Issues Q&A thread (TV's, Controllers, gamecubes, etc)

[Strider]

I found an old GC controller the other day and there is a weird problem with it. When first plugged in everything would appear fine and normal, all the buttons work and everything except for one problem. The L button does not work when I jump. If I am on the ground and hit L then I will shield as normal, however if I jump in the air the button will not work until I hit the ground again. I have never seen a problem like this and was wondering if anybody would know what to look at on it? I believe it's just a regular black controller that came with my GC when I got it years ago.

Just now joining the forum and would appreciate any help!

 

[Ezzee]

Is there any lag playing on wii's? If so is it enough to make a difference?

 

[Sonata]

I don't know if something like this has already been answered, but does something like this have a lot of lag?

 

[Sonata]

Is there any lag playing on wii's? If so is it enough to make a difference?

I have my wii with melee hooked up to my old CRT tv. There's no noticeable lag.

 

[DRGN]

I don't know if something like this has already been answered, but does something like this have a lot of lag?

There's no standard circuitry for converters like that, so they're all made differently. A well designed circuit won't give any noticeable lag, but a cheaply or simply poorly designed one usually will add a little bit.

I have one that converts component to VGA and it doesn't seem to add any lag. But mine originally cost $70. But who knows, you might get lucky and that $17 one could work well too. Long story short, if you really need it you'll probably just have to buy it and test it. If you do though, let us know how it works out!

 

[Ezzee]

Also, I play on an HDTV on an HDMI2 setting. I got it before I knew about how they lag, but I haven't noticed to much lag. About how many frames is it supposed to be off?

 

[Sonata]

There's no standard circuitry for converters like that, so they're all made differently. A well designed circuit won't give any noticeable lag, but a cheaply or simply poorly designed one usually will add a little bit.

I have one that converts component to VGA and it doesn't seem to add any lag. But mine originally cost $70. But who knows, you might get lucky and that $17 one could work well too. Long story short, if you really need it you'll probably just have to buy it and test it. If you do though, let us know how it works out!

Will do

 

[Sonata]

Received it today. Works beautifully.

 

[EmuKiller]

Hey first time reading the thread, I just have a quick question.

How much latency in ms is there when playing on an LCD used standard composite cables? I'm guessing it's a range around like 60-80ms but I'm sure someone has actually measured it.

Thanks!

 

[♡ⓛⓞⓥⓔ♡]

Has anyone had the issue on the controller L/R triggers where there they get sort of "stuck" which results e.g in you shielding every time after you land and L-cancel and then rolling when you try to move. It's annoying as hell :/ I have two controllers with this issue now and I was wondering if there would be some easy way to fix them? Any advice? Thanks

 

[Kadano]

Has anyone had the issue on the controller L/R triggers where there they get sort of "stuck" which results e.g in you shielding every time after you land and L-cancel and then rolling when you try to move. It's annoying as hell :/ I have two controllers with this issue now and I was wondering if there would be some easy way to fix them? Any advice? Thanks

Very easy: Hold down both triggers while plugging in or resetting the controller. Doing so also prevents you from lightshielding.

Easy: Get a triwing screwdriver, open up the controller and take the shoulder elements apart. Clean them thoroughly, most of the time they get stuck just because of the dirt in there.

 

[♡ⓛⓞⓥⓔ♡]

Very easy: Hold down both triggers while plugging in or resetting the controller. Doing so also prevents you from lightshielding.

Easy: Get a triwing screwdriver, open up the controller and take the shoulder elements apart. Clean them thoroughly, most of the time they get stuck just because of the dirt in there.

Thank you so much! I'll try that! =)

 

[WHA?]

Very easy: Hold down both triggers while plugging in or resetting the controller. Doing so also prevents you from lightshielding.

Easy: Get a triwing screwdriver, open up the controller and take the shoulder elements apart. Clean them thoroughly, most of the time they get stuck just because of the dirt in there.

To add to this
I have fixed many problems like this with WD40

I dont have pics right now but i wil exp[lain as best i can.
- When u open up you controller, you will see that when you press the L/R triggers, those move some little sticks on the motherboard. They slide up and down.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBbWjvnM-OA/SXo80udUgTI/AAAAAAAAADY/Uziwz79cK8w/s320/DSC03726.JPG they are black in this pic and in between the rumble thing.

- Take some WD40 and spray one or 2 little squirts inside the rail where these slide up and down (use the STRAW!!)
- then when the rails have been lubricated, move the little sticks up and down, hopefully getting the crevices with wd40
- then wipe of the excess with a napkin until its not that glossy/greasy looking

I have done this many times, it doesnt ruin the motherboard or anything.
ANd yes i know there is debate about wd40 being a lubricant, BUT this works and i have yet to experience the L/R trigger problems since doing this. Hell, i do this to any used controller i get to make sure the L/R are sliding at their best.
Remember that when putting the controller back together, that those stick things should be all the way up, as to go into the holes of the L/R triggers.


ALSO
I have a question
does anyone have one of these
http://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Gamecube-Controller-Spider-Man-Limited/dp/B00CEEV3GK
whenever i see them they say made by nintendo, so i am wondering if the insides (motherboard) are nintendo made and NOT third party. I want to know if i can use this as a shell. I did notice the buttons and sticks look cheapy, but those can be replaced hopefully

 

[DRGN]

You can also use a cleaner made for these electrical contacts, like this stuff (which is what I use and recommend).

Many people say WD40 works fine, but I've seen a lot more say that it's not a good idea. Unfortunately almost no one actually explains why exactly that's the case. But generally the consensus is that the residue WD40 leaves behind typically collects dust/debris and becomes viscous over time, whereas the film left behind by cleaners specific to these types of contacts is designed specifically to protect them from erosion, while also lubricating. Just make sure if you go with DeoxIT you get the F series for these kinds of contacts.

 

[Kadano]

What I’ve read is that the mineral oil in WD40 reacts with the plastic which gets brittle over time.

How long was it that you applied the WD40 to those sliders? And do they still work fine?

@DRGN: Do you know what material exactly GCC stickboxes and sliders are made of?

 

[WHA?]

YEA i have never gotten a defiitive answer on the WD40 dilema. Like i use it around the house and its keeps things lubricated and working without having to reapply. The only time where ive had to reapply it are on sliding doors, but mainly because its a damn door and ppl walk in and out so of course dirt is going to mix there and get gunked up.
The controller i first used wd40 on was about 2 yrs ago. I still use it and its still works. Havent had to reapply or had gunk problems.

 

[DRGN]

@DRGN: Do you know what material exactly GCC stickboxes and sliders are made of?

The stickbox without the pots: Nope. (Besides it being some kind of plastic. ) There's so many different variations of plastic, probably only the person who made them knows.

The L/R button sliders are made of metal and probably two or three different kinds of plastics. Again, not sure exactly what kind. There are also different kinds of electrical resistive elements that are used for potentiometers and sliders. So I don't know for sure but it's gotta be some kind of conductive plastic or carbon compound. Probably graphite coated with something, or carbon mixed with a ceramic or polymer/plastic to add wear resistance and lubrication.

The potentiometers on the stickboxes are simpler, made with just one kind of plastic, plus whatever the resistive element is made of (maybe the same as the L/R button sliders, but maybe not, since the they could have been made by different manufacturers). And the metal pins that connect to the board of course.

 

[Zofox]

Hey I got a few noob questions regarding a setup.

1. Does component or composite matter, or for that matter does using a converter to hdmi or vga cut out lag. been looking at

• http://www.amazon.com/MyGica-V2VPro...TF8&qid=1383074557&sr=1-7&keywords=rca+to+vga

2. I have a Toshiba Regza 40XV645U http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-REGZA...-data/B001TOD3IC/ref=de_a_smtd#productDetails Amazon Link anyone know what the input lag is on these, or if there is a way to reduce it?

Thanks!

 

[DRGN]

Component/Composite makes no difference other than quality when going into a CRT. However, if you're going into a flat panel display you'll want to use component, because component also allows you to switch the video display mode of the Wii to progressive scan. (I'm assuming you're talking about using a Wii since component cables for gamecube are really rare.) Switching to that mode greatly reduces the amount of processing that the TV has to do, thereby reducing lag. To change that you'll go to the Wii button in the bottom left, then "Wii Settings" > "Screen" > "TV Resolution", and change it to "EDTV or HDTV (420p)". If the tv is widescreen you'll want to change that setting too, just above "TV Resolution", (otherwise trying to space in the game can be really weird because horizontal distances will be stretched). I see these settings not properly set far too often at tournaments with flat screens, lol.

All converters add some lag. However, the video processing circuitry in some TVs can be poor and relatively slow. So bypassing the internal converter and using a high quality external one CAN actually cut out some lag in some situations. To do this you'd want to use the VGA input, since TVs traditionally do less post-processing there, and leave it more up to the source. (Meaning that trying to bypass by going in through another input isn't really going to work, because it's still going to be processed by something.) But of course the difference between all this would be so small (at least between different progressive-mode video sources) that I think it would usually be really hard to tell, if even humanly possible. And the circuits may vary even between different inputs on a TV (it might process component really well, but not so much HDMI).

tl;dr: Since that tv you linked to has component inputs, I would just try that with the above setting changes.

Newegg says the response time is 8ms (~1/2 a frame). Link ->

 

[Blother]

I am wondering if there is lag on projection TVs?

I have a Mitsubishi VS-50607

 

[SAUS]

I plugged in my gamecube and everything last sunday for the first time in years and it said my ssbm save file was corrupted and that it had to reformat my memory card. I didn't want to delete all my stuff, but it seemed like I had no option (tried unplugging stuff etc) so I clicked "yes". All of my stuff was gone so I quickly unlocked everything again so it's cool... for now.

Has anyone else had this happen to them?
Any idea what caused/can cause this?
Will my memory card need to be replaced or should it function normally now?

I mostly just don't want to have to unlock everything again if my memory card decides to derp again.

Thanks.

 

[Devilsbabe]

Hey everyone!

I've been playing smash for the past year on a CRT and things were great, but I've moved back home now and have to deal with a plasma TV which lags terribly. Then I remembered I have an old LCD I used back when I lived in the states (in Paris now). So I figured the game would run better on that. The problem though is that the video is black and white and flickers a lot. From what I've read, this is probably due to the fact that my gamecube is PAL and my tv is NTSC. Apparently there are adapters around but those would probably add some lag as well. Do you have any suggestions on what I could do?

This is my tv: http://www.manualslib.com/manual/125502/Philips-15pf9925-12s.html#manual

Thanks

 

[Xyzz]

Put the LCD back in the basement, and acquire a CRT. They are dirt cheap (or even free), and unlike LCDs they are actually lag free. There's "okay" LCDs, but I've never come across a truly lagfree LCD TV.

edit: oh right: http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/145141/
The fgc people are maintaining a list of LCD things that they are sure to be <1 frame delay. Maybe you can find tests regarding to your monitor at the sources linked in the start of the thread.

 

[Devilsbabe]

Yeah that's definitely the best solution. I'm only in this situation for a month though, so I'm kinda iffy on buying a TV. Guess I'll just stick to dolphin

 

[Xyzz]

Your PC monitor is probably having some delay as well, manufacturer's get away with giving rather ridiculously optimistic reaction times based on stupid things that don't really matter. Oh sure, people who are just browsing facebook or watching movies on their PC are completely fine with that...
well, my old one had something like 5ms advertised as well, and I noticed a huge improvement when switching to my new set up while playing input sensitive stuff like Audiosurf or Touhou games.

But yeah, for a month or so I'd definitely stick with something that doesn't require work and works somewhat decently. Actually, to be perfectly honest, I'd just not practice for a month, but if you're enthusiastic enough about it... go for it! :D

 

[Devilsbabe]

Well I have a tourney in 3 weeks, so I'm kind of excited to practice right about now :D

 

[Cave Dweller]

Hey all. Not really sure if this is the place for this, but here goes.

I am looking to get action replay so that I can do Samus riddles (explained here if you don't know what it is). That's literally it. I know you can do lots more with AR, but if this was the only thing I could do with it, I'd be happy. So, time for some stuff.

My game version is NTSC 1.2, and I have a gamecube and a wii.
If I bought this version of Action Replay, would I have compatibility issues using this with my version of melee and a gamecube or a Wii? Would I need to find any special codes to do the samus riddles, or would what I need come pre-loaded? There is a ton of information out there about this stuff, some of it conflicting >.<

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!


tl;dr - I'm a noob, how do I AR??

 

[MavenCast]

Hello people!

I'm on the lookout for a Flatscreen tv with no lag when used with a wii which got component cables, anyone got any ideas?

 

[PoisonSandwich]

Hi, I am fairly new to the forums and hope this is the right place to post technical issues. I was wondering how to setup melee on my computer. I have downloaded dolphin but my real issue is extracting melee. I have tried using winzip, 7zip, and winrar and none of them allow me to extract it without some error showing up. I am wondering how you guys approach this problem and overcome it.

 

[Kadano]

Extract it from where? Did you put your Melee disc in your DVD burner? That’s probably not going to work. Most if not all users get their copies by pirating, bit it’s illegal to give you links.

 

[PoisonSandwich]

I downloaded the .iso from a trusted website and I am having issues extracting the game from its folder from the winzip or 7zip program I think.

 

[Kadano]

That .iso isn’t supposed to be extracted. You can open it with Dolphin directly.

 

[PoisonSandwich]

I figured out my video card does not support the game so I will have to wait until I get a new computer. Thank you for the help though.

 

[Alexo30]

Quick question: What would be the recommended size for a CRT TV? I have a few, and I'm not sure which one is the "best" for Melee. Thanks.

 

[Svvagcube]

If I remember there was a list of Lag-Free LCD TVs somewhere. Does anyone still have it saved??

 

[Xyzz]

http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/145141/sub-1-frame-hdtv-monitor-input-lag-database

 

[WHA?]

Question

Any ways to break in a newish controller that is faster than just playing with it?
I am gonna try to just spin the control stick (mario party games style) and hopefully it will loosen it up.
I know for sure that sanding the Plastic on the control stick bottom itself loosesns it up a bit, I just need a little more looseness.
For those wondering, i just take off the control stick (grey), and sand the bottom with sand paper in order to shorten it. The goal is to prevent the control stick from touching the mmotherboard when it is on the motherboard.


Also, anyone else very picky about their controller?
for example, i have a controller that is easy to shield drop with but hard to do reverse needle cancel (i guess the sides are too loose)
and other controlers where reverse needle cancels are easy, but the inputs to shield drop are harder.

 

[Kadano]

Check the link at the top of this thread’s OP for details about control stick differences in different colors.

I don’t think sanding the stick knob is a good idea. It would be more appropriate to open up the stickbox and loosen or exchange the spring. Even chopping off a bit might help, but this obviously can’t be undone.

 

[Igifoshifo]

I have a super noob question. I want to stream P:M on my computer from my Wii hooked to a CRT tv. I'd be streaming using Xsplit (or OBS if someone recommends otherwise). How exactly do I connect my TV to my computer, or would I do it the same way I would if I were recording?

 

[Krynxe]

I have a super noob question. I want to stream P:M on my computer from my Wii hooked to a CRT tv. I'd be streaming using Xsplit (or OBS if someone recommends otherwise). How exactly do I connect my TV to my computer, or would I do it the same way I would if I were recording?

Sorry nobody answered you sooner. It's just like recording, you just need a capture card and the software to stream the video directly. Fortunately, xsplit makes the process really easy, but if you need any further guidance there are a few threads that might help you.
http://smashboards.com/threads/beginners-guide-to-capturing-and-recording-melee-footage.298260/
http://smashboards.com/threads/tech...n-gamecubes-controllers-tvs-recording.335040/
http://smashboards.com/threads/how-to-record-videos-fast-and-cheap.313212/