6 SLOT stuck in test mode "URGENT"

hey
there is a 6 slot MVS unit on eBay for about $50 AUD and its said to be working but "stuck in test mode" <---what does that mean? doe sit mean you cant use it to play games or is it a simple problem?

It might be a imple dip switch broken...

Key word is might be, no way to tell until you get it and check it out...

hmm
yeah i should buy it.. if i can get it fixed thats a HUGE ASS bargain

are dip switches easy to fix?

Yes, very easy..

Rip off the old ones, Solter on new ones.

If that doesnt work, check the lines for any wierd groundings or anything that might hit that lead.

Bob Roberts sells them I believe.

Mulletron.

Soldering dip switches isn't really that easy... well... no... I shouldn't say that... de-soldering dip switches is a pia, soldering a new one isn't that hard... if you can use a soldering iron, it's do-able.

NOTE:..I have a 4 Slot mobo that is Stuck in Hardware Test Mode....I will not read carts,no matter what I've tried..

I've checked traces,the dip switches and find nothing wrong in that area..

The only thing left for me to do is check every connection from the top board to the bottom board.
My uncle took the board to someone to check out so I don't have it to do so..yet.
In all honesty I've tried and tried spending too much time trying to get this board working..
Once it totally made my big red turn off(pop) so I took it out of the cab so fast swearing I'd never put it in there again.
It still goes to Hardware Test Mode.....and didn't afffect anything in the big red,but I'm not messing with it in that cab again..
Reason I told my uncle to have someone check it out..
If that doesn't work out I'll split the boards...and maybe just sell it for parts or the shell.


I bought the board cheap thinking it was an easy fix buy it wasn't

Yea, you have to be careful because 'test mode' and 'hardware test' are two totally different things with people not always knowing the difference between them. Basically If the 6 slot is going straight into the hardware test (crosshatch screen) then its probably going to be alot harder to fix than if its always going into the normal testmode menu. The fact that they mention the work 'stuck' indicates to me that its stuck in the hardware test simply because there is no exit method from that while there is an exit option from the normal test mode.

Raz

Razoola said:

Yea, you have to be careful because 'test mode' and 'hardware test' are two totally different things with people not always knowing the difference between them. Basically If the 6 slot is going straight into the hardware test (crosshatch screen) then its probably going to be alot harder to fix than if its always going into the normal testmode menu. The fact that they mention the work 'stuck' indicates to me that its stuck in the hardware test simply because there is no exit method from that while there is an exit option from the normal test mode.

Raz

Click to expand...

Why did they make it so you couldn't exit the hardware test anyways? I can't really think of any good reason why it wouldn't work to just press a combination of buttons like in the other parts of the setup.

Razoola said:

Yea, you have to be careful because 'test mode' and 'hardware test' are two totally different things with people not always knowing the difference between them. Basically If the 6 slot is going straight into the hardware test (crosshatch screen) then its probably going to be alot harder to fix than if its always going into the normal testmode menu. The fact that they mention the work 'stuck' indicates to me that its stuck in the hardware test simply because there is no exit method from that while there is an exit option from the normal test mode.

Raz

Click to expand...

Agreed as I always get this mixed up..Mine is stuck in 'Hardware Test' ..It goes right to crosshatch screen then I can manipulate it through it's menus..
The only way I can get out of it is turn off the cab....power it back up and back to 'hardware test'..It's like I was holding the "Test Mode" switch in the cab in while turning on the cab..Like if the switch was stuck or shorted.
Also as if dip switch #1 is flipped on,crossed,shorted I guess broke..(I can't fins anything wrong in that area on mine)

(It's dip #1 right as I forget this stuff..I just never mess with the dips except #7 Freeplay)
.........................

There is only one way the game will go to the crosshatch from power on and thats if the system finds no game in the system or the data its seeing from the game is currupted in some way. Getting the crosshatch screen basically means there is a problem in relation to the cart sockets etc. On a multislot system I guess that can mean a fault almost anywhere on the top PCB or PCB connectors.

Raz

IF you get a Crosshatch at startup, it could be a connection problem between the upper and lower PCB. Make sure that the top PCB is pressed down hard.

You can actualy run a multi PCB (4,6 slots) board without the top PCB. It will just go to crosshatch.

@Raz.

Is there any way you could design the unibios to go back to the test screen from the hardware test without turning it off??? That would be cool.

norton9478 said:

@Raz.

Is there any way you could design the unibios to go back to the test screen from the hardware test without turning it off??? That would be cool.

Click to expand...

The next unibios release will have a couple of nice features in this department. Firstly one will be able to reset the NeoGeo from the crosshatch screen, it will simply reset the system much like what happens with the ingame menu soft reset (not into testmode though). The other option will help in fault tracking this very crosshatch fault we are talking about now. This option is basically access to the memory viewer with the ability to change slots on top (incase the fault is on one of the higher slots only). With this you can see exactly what is being seen from the game cart if anything. Data line errors for example will basically show up instantly.

Raz

Sweet.. you da man raz

Razoola said:

The next unibios release will have a couple of nice features in this department. Firstly one will be able to reset the NeoGeo from the crosshatch screen, it will simply reset the system much like what happens with the ingame menu soft reset (not into testmode though). The other option will help in fault tracking this very crosshatch fault we are talking about now. This option is basically access to the memory viewer with the ability to change slots on top (incase the fault is on one of the higher slots only). With this you can see exactly what is being seen from the game cart if anything. Data line errors for example will basically show up instantly.

Raz

Click to expand...

Razoola said:

The next unibios release will have a couple of nice features in this department. Firstly one will be able to reset the NeoGeo from the crosshatch screen, it will simply reset the system much like what happens with the ingame menu soft reset (not into testmode though). The other option will help in fault tracking this very crosshatch fault we are talking about now. This option is basically access to the memory viewer with the ability to change slots on top (incase the fault is on one of the higher slots only). With this you can see exactly what is being seen from the game cart if anything. Data line errors for example will basically show up instantly.

Raz

Click to expand...

That would be an absolute ungodly amount of help in troubleshooting. Need a beta-tester?

thanks guys for the information on the 6 slot but as usuall people bid like nuts on ebay and so i didnt get it.