which mvs pcb 1-slot is better??

The big one with controller ports or the little one?
Which and why?
Thanks!

Depends on what you really need and if you will use it in a supergun or cab (in a cab I'd recommend a multislot anyway):

1F pros: controller ports, mono/stereo switch
1F cons: bigger, more exposed parts

1A/FZ pros: much smaller and covered
1A/FZ cons: no controller ports, mono only.

Check the comparision guide: www.hardmvs.com

Personally, I like smaller one better. The controller ports can be easily rebuilt and you can always perform stereo mod to mono board with very little effort. Yeah of course, can't beat multislot. The only really downside for mini board is the soldered BIOS which gives you hard time when installing uni BIOS.

The MV-1C may have the non-standard bios issue but it has a big advantage over the other 1-slots in that it's the only one that consists of a single PCB so it won't suffer from common problems such as lines/bars/etc. due to bad PCB interconnections.

The 1F doesn't support a memory card reader either... does it?

Witchboard said:

The 1F doesn't support a memory card reader either... does it?

Click to expand...

The plain MV-1 is the only single slot board that supports the memory card, so its either that or a 4 or 6 slot. I use an MV-1F in my cab and have no compliants ,due to its size it may not be the best choice for a supergun.

I agree with Amano Jacu ,get a multi slot board for a cabinet ,trust me ...swapping carts gets old fast

1 slot,depending on what you are looking to do..If you are looking for simplicity go with one of the smaller boards.(you just want to play games and not mess with anything,no saving etc)

I have a MV-1 PCB..The biggest one..I've had it for like 4 years now and it's never given me a problem..
I like the fact that I can just plug it into a cab and switch the switch for a mono or stereo cab..

I'm not too fond of the size of it as for the same amount of room it takes I could just use a multi slot board.,but it's versatility makes up for it..atleast for me..
In all honesty I was ready to buy one of the smaller 1 slot boards just to throw in my Lil Bam cab(takes up less room)..and use the Bigger board for other stuff..,but then I thought,It would be better just to get a multislot board.

get a 2-slot... they rock

I think probably the biggest thing to consider when purchasing a 1-slot is game compatibility vs. features.

Here is my impression of the break-down of the compatability of carts vs. features (I have not tested each 1-slot personally):

MV-1: The largest 1 slot. some newer games probably will not work (IE: Rage of the dragons, SVC CHAOS, matrimelee, KOF '03, etc.) BUT you get AES type ports for controllers, the ability to add or build a mem-card reader, plus stereo sound from headphone connector. Socketed BIOS for easy swapping to Universe bios.

MV-1F: Smaller than MV-1. some newer games probably will not work. You get AES type ports for controllers, stereo through headphone connector, NO mem-card capabilities. Socketed BIOS for easy swapping to Universe bios.

MV-1FZ: System is quite a bit smaller than MV-1 or MV-1F. Some newer games may not work, they seem to work for some, and not for others. No stereo w/o a mod, no mem-card support. Socketed BIOS.

MV-1A: Same size as MV-1FZ. I have one of these, and every game I've ever put into worked immediately (ROTD, SVC CHAOS, KOF '03). There are a few reports of problems w/ 1A but I suspect some of this may be because 1A looks almost identical to 1FZ and people may actually have an MV-1FZ. No stereo w/o a mod, no mem-card support. Socketed BIOS.

MV-1B: Smallest horizontal 1-slot, about the size of an mvs cartridge. Support for all games!! No stereo w/o a mod, no mem-card support, soldered BIOS much harder to change.

MV-1C: Smallest 1-slot (vertical). Supports all games! No stereo w/o a mod, no mem-card support, soldered BIOS much harder to change.

Soo.... The oldest 1-slot has the most extra capabilities(those on multislots), but less game support, and the newest 1-slot supports every game but has NO extra capabilities. I think my MV-1A is a good compromise, it's pretty damn small, plays all the games, and has a socketed BIOS. No controller ports or memory card, but that is why I have a 4-slot (4-slot for capabilities and MV-1A for portablility). Cost may also be a factor, older 1-slots tend to be consiberably cheaper than MV-1B's or MV-1C's. MV-1A tends to be not very expensive.

If you want memory card capabilities from an MV-1 you will need to buy an MV-IC board or build one from a PCMCIA card slot and a couple of IDE cables.

Cheers,
-DT

candycab said:

...swapping carts gets old fast

Click to expand...

now what do you mean by that? im getting a consolized 1-slot that is MV-1F board in a few weeks. And why is swapping the carts out a pain in the ass? im guessing its not the same as AES, but maybe becuase its not in a cabinet and just a consolized pcb its not that annoying?

dogtoy said:

MV-1B: Smallest horizontal 1-slot, about the size of an mvs cartridge. Support for all games!! No stereo w/o a mod, no mem-card support, soldered BIOS much harder to change.

Click to expand...

Not true on the "all games". This board was made specifically for Irritating Maze and has a special BIOS that doesn't work with all games.

D-Lite said:

Not true on the "all games". This board was made specifically for Irritating Maze and has a special BIOS that doesn't work with all games.

Click to expand...

Curious:
As I have this board..

If I could use it other then Irritating Maze I would...but I'm reluctant to plug it into a MVS harness in fear that I'll blow it out..

It comes with this other pcb that looks to go in-between a Jamma Harness and the pcb/edge connector...As I figure it's for the Roller Ball(but I'm to lazy to look through the manual)

Do you know if this board will work just by plugging it into a Jamma Harness(mono)...?..,with some other game other then Irritating Maze.

D-Lite said:

Not true on the "all games". This board was made specifically for Irritating Maze and has a special BIOS that doesn't work with all games.

Click to expand...

If I remember well, only a part of the MV1B boards were made for Irritating Maze and have the special bios. The rest feature a normal bios and are compatible with all games.

Amano Jacu said:

If I remember well, only a part of the MV1B boards were made for Irritating Maze and have the special bios. The rest feature a normal bios and are compatible with all games.

Click to expand...

So then the question is how can you tell?

I have a MV-1B with a normal bios "Toshiba TC531024F SP-S3". Maybe the IM bios is marked differently?

I know some MV-1B are made for irritating maze, all the rest are basically just a horizontal MV-1C. I think the only difference for IM is the BIOS (plus extra IM hardware). Should be a different marking on the BIOS, not a normal US, EU, or JP marking. Also the board will probably come with at least some of the other IM hardware. There are definitely some MV-1B's that were not intended for IM use.

-DT

chris1 said:

Curious:
As I have this board..

If I could use it other then Irritating Maze I would...but I'm reluctant to plug it into a MVS harness in fear that I'll blow it out..

It comes with this other pcb that looks to go in-between a Jamma Harness and the pcb/edge connector...As I figure it's for the Roller Ball(but I'm to lazy to look through the manual)

Do you know if this board will work just by plugging it into a Jamma Harness(mono)...?..,with some other game other then Irritating Maze.

Click to expand...

If you want to know how to wire this to use IM, it's on hardmvs here http://www.hardmvs.com/html/iMazeQ.htm

If you put a universe bios in it using these instructions
http://unibios.free.fr/soldered/
It should work as a regular MV-1B. To go back and be able to play IM again, you would have to make a DIP 40 adapter for the original bios.

Not sure, but I don't think people have gotten IM MV-1B's to play regular MVS games without first swapping the bios.

-DT

wookiewombat said:

now what do you mean by that? im getting a consolized 1-slot that is MV-1F board in a few weeks. And why is swapping the carts out a pain in the ass? im guessing its not the same as AES, but maybe becuase its not in a cabinet and just a consolized pcb its not that annoying?

Click to expand...

I say it gets annoying very fast since I use an MVS board in a cabinet and therefore I have the option to use a 4 or 6 slot board instead. Basically I tend to play 3 or 4 different games in one sitting ,so swapping games out every few games is just menotinus and also creates more wear on the socket itself.

As cabs go mine is actually pretty accessible ,espicially using the 1-F since the games insert horizontally vs vertically. But yes it just comes down to accessibility and the gymnastics envolved in the actual cart swap itself