everything above 'have a nice day :)' can be ignored.

'fatal python error: (pygame parachute) segmentation fault' typically means that pygame is not install correctly.

in command line, type the following:
python
import pygame
pygame.__file__
does it output this?-> '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/pygame/__init__.pyc'

(press ctrl+d to exit python)

@eddy761 - ok, then that means that pygame didn't get installed correctly. pygame is a python library that we use pretty extensively.

You may need to do a clean install of piplay to fix this, but before you do, give this a shot:

in the command line type:
sudo apt-get install python-pygame

then restart your pi and see if that works. I check the forums about 3 times a day, so just post on here if this doesn't fix it.

yeah, I'm starting to think that it has something to do with the video. We are looking into it.

I am pretty new at this. I figured out how to edit this file but I am confused about how to save these changes

ok. so after making the changes, is any boxart/game info popping up in the rom list?

ok, I'll have to see if I can track down a composite video cable and duplicate this.

Hello,
I have the same probleme with my Pi. It's plug with an HDMI to VGA adaptator to an old arcade screen. video configuration is hdmi_group=1 hdmi_mode=35. all is great on the screen, the scrapper works well, but when try to launch any emulator game list, it goes straigth to the terminal and says :"Fatal python error: (pigame parachute) segmentation fault". when connected to an hdmi screen, works well.
Thanks for your help ;-)

Hi i. am a complete novice with the PI and PIplay i. have spent HOURS now trying to get round this exact problem

I don't have anything with HDMI to check it with but are you all saying it is defiantly a problem with my av display lead?

I seem to have solved my issues but I am not sure which of my changes actually solved the problem. I switched from a 8gb card to a 16gb card that i found laying around. Then I made some changes to /boot/config.txt.

hdmi_ignore_hotplug=1
framebuffer_width=1360
framebuffer_height=768
sdtv_mode=0
sdtv_aspect=3
sdtv_disable_colourburst=0

This has fixed the issue of the Python error when trying to start an emulator. Also, the menu looks the same as with HDMI, with 2 rows of icons instead of the 1 row I was seeing when I was having trouble with the composite video. With these settings, the raspi-config icon is visible again. Originally when i had problems, this icon did not show up. I assume it was being cut off the end of the list for some reason.
After these changes, I tried starting up a few emulators and they all went to the game list, though I only had a few SNES roms uploaded so most of the lists were empty. I played a round of Mortal Kombat 2 just to make sure and everything worked just like it was supposed to. Time to start loading my roms, then I'll dump it all into the finished cabinet that is waiting.

Hi all,

I had the exact problem - using a small approximately 5" screen with the Pi's 3.5mm video-out.

My problem was fixed by uncommenting the

framebuffer_width=800
framebuffer_height=480

lines in /boot/config.txt, and changing the resolution settings to these figures.

I tried using the default resolution settings first, but the text was far too small to read. It seems to have little or no effect to how games look, only the user interface.

I made just the one change, save & reboot to test rather than make all the suggested changes, to identify the exact fix. Looks like it's just having trouble working out the screen size and needs to be given some numbers to work with.

Thanks everyone for your help - was able to get this fixed within an hour or so of encountering the problem thanks to your help.

edit: adjusting the resolution down to suit the small screen helped a lot.

Hi guys,

I'm having the same problem.

I've been running everything fine - games all working ok - using HDMI and a 1080p screen. Today the old 4:3 monitor I ordered off the interwebs arrived, tested it on a PC, and it works fine...connected the Pi to the monitor using composite video (instead of HDMI) and it books, gets as far as the main menu, then if I select a games console it drops to command line, and I get:

have a nice day ;)
Fatal Python error: (pygame parachute) Segmentation Fault

As I say, it's been working perfectly for weeks on HDMI - but connect it to a screen using the analogue video output and I can't get past the main menu.

I'm going to try the fix above and will get back to you all.

Thanks

Ben