Shutdown scripts for RetroPie

The default SSH user name is pi, password raspberry.

If you get an error 'Connection refused' when you try to connect using SSH, then you need to enable SSH first, it is disabled by default on newer versions of RetroPie. To enable it you will either need to physically log in and enable it with sudo raspi-config, menu Interfacing Options, ssh or insert your sd card in a computer and create a file called ssh with no filename extension in the root folder.

• Key in :
• cd /etc
  sudo nano rc.local
• Copy and paste (use shift+ins to paste in nano) the following into the nano editor window, just above the last line (the line exit 0)
  (/etc/irswitch.sh)&
• Press ctrl+x to exit the editor, y to confirm, enter to save the file
• Key in
  sudo nano irswitch.sh
• Copy and paste the following text into the editor window
  #!/bin/bash
  # this is the GPIO pin receiving the shut-down signal
  GPIOpin1=14
  echo "$GPIOpin1" > /sys/class/gpio/export
  echo "in" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin1/direction
  while true; do
    sleep 1
    power=$(cat /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin1/value)
    if [ $power != 0 ]; then
      echo "out" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin1/direction
      echo "1" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin1/value
      sleep 3
      # the following line shuts down ES properly, if running
      /etc/multi_switch.sh --es-poweroff
      sudo shutdown -h now
    fi
  done
• Press ctrl+x to exit, y to confirm, enter to save the file
• Key in
  sudo chmod +x irswitch.sh
  
• In order to properly shutdown the RetroPi ES you need to add another script, which is called from the above shutdown script. More details about this issue can be read in this forum post.
• Key in
  sudo nano multi_switch.sh
• Copy and paste the complete script from the github page of the above forum post from here into the nano editor
• Press ctrl+x to exit, y to confirm, enter to save the file
• Key in
  sudo chmod +x multi_switch.sh

The following additional script enables the RemotePi Board to cut off the power, after RetroPie has been shut down from the on-screen menu.

• Key in
• sudo nano /etc/shutdown.sh
• Copy and paste the following contents
• #!/bin/bash
  REBOOT_GREP=$(systemctl list-units --type=target | grep reboot)
  SHUTDOWN_GREP=$(systemctl list-units --type=target | grep shutdown)
  if [ "$SHUTDOWN_GREP" ] && [ ! "$REBOOT_GREP" ]; then
    # the condition above makes sure, that the shutdown sequence is not run on reboot 
    GPIOpin=15
    GPIOpin1=14
    echo "$GPIOpin" > /sys/class/gpio/export
    echo "out" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin/direction
    echo "1" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin/value
    sleep 0.125
    echo "0" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin/value
    sleep 0.2
    echo "1" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin/value
    sleep 0.4
    echo "0" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin/value
    echo "$GPIOpin1" > /sys/class/gpio/export
    echo "out" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin1/direction
    echo "1" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$GPIOpin1/value
    sleep 4
  fi
• Press ctrl+x to exit, y to confirm, enter to save the file
• After saving the file, mark it as executable with
  sudo chmod +x /etc/shutdown.sh
• Key in
• sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/irswitch2.service
  
• Copy and paste the following text into the editor window
  [Unit]
  Description=RemotePi Board Shutdown Service
  Before=multi-user.target
  Conflicts=shutdown.target
  [Service]
  ExecStart=/bin/true
  ExecStop=/etc/shutdown.sh
  Type=oneshot
  RemainAfterExit=yes
  [Install]
  WantedBy=multi-user.target
• Press ctrl+x to exit, y to confirm, enter to save the file
• Key in
  sudo systemctl enable irswitch2.service
  
  
• Reboot one time
  
• After reboot you can use the RemotePi Board to power cycle RetroPie

The above script has been tested and is confirmed to work up to RetroPie 4.5.1. Although not yet tested, it most probably will work with newer versions as well.

This page was last updated 23-Nov-2019