MVS Quirks

For some reason every time I start up my cab the sound in SSIV works, but after it cycles through the other carts once it stops working. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Also there's a high pitched tone whenever Magical Drop II is selected. Is there anyway I could start to troubleshoot these problems?

Also every once and a while when it's cycling through the game demos it goes back to the start up screen with "Neo Geo Pro Spec" and whatnot on it. Is this normal or some kind of voltage problem?

mog:
For some reason every time I start up my cab the sound in SSIV works, but after it cycles through the other carts once it stops working. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Also there's a high pitched tone whenever Magical Drop II is selected. Is there anyway I could start to troubleshoot these problems?

Also every once and a while when it's cycling through the game demos it goes back to the start up screen with "Neo Geo Pro Spec" and whatnot on it. Is this normal or some kind of voltage problem?

Click to expand...

1) Did you try cleaning the carts?
2) Did you try cleaning the cart slots?
3) Do you always have SSIV in the same slot when you run into the problem, or does it happen in every slot? If so, it may be a problem with the cart?
4) Are those the only 2 carts you have problems with?
5) Have you tried the games using the headphone jack to see if that also produces the sounds (or lack of sound in SSIV)?
6) Can you try the carts in someone elses MVS system (not necesarily an easy option, unless you know someone who has a cab/Super Gun near you)?

As far as going back to the Gear Spec, if you have a Pro Spec game inserted, with all the rest Giga Specs, it goes right to the Pro Gear game first, no matter what slot you have it in (1-6). If you have any number of Pro Spec and any number Giga Spec, the system always starts up on the Pro Spec cart inserted closest to slot 1.

As far as going to the Giga/Pro Spec splash screen during play, that is normal. The Giga Spec never shows up in the first cycle, but DOES play in the second cycle through (and every cycle after that), just as you were experiencing.

If that doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try to clarify it a little.

<small>[ February 16, 2003, 10:00 PM: Message edited by: slerch666 ]</small>

I tried air dusting the slots and that helped the other that was acting screwy. Is there a more effecive way to do this? Also how should I clean the cart connections? I usually use a Q-Tip and vinegar to clean SNES games, but I don't know if that'll work the same on this.

I haven't tried swapping slots on the SSIV. As soon as my monitor warms up I'll give it a go.

If I were to test powersupply voltage where would I do so?

Also check the 5 volt rail at the mvs/jamma edge connect, if low it can lead to weird problems. I set mine to 5.2 volts with a game running.

ttooddddyy:
Also check the 5 volt rail at the mvs/jamma edge connect, if low it can lead to weird problems. I set mine to 5.2 volts with a game running.

Click to expand...

Where exactly is that? Should I do it with the system on or off. Where would I adjust the voltage?

<small>[ February 16, 2003, 10:07 PM: Message edited by: mog ]</small>

Where does it seem like the high pitched whine is coming from? I ask because I had the identical problem.

In my case, it turned out to be the board that controls the light panels making the noise. I pulled it until I picked up a new set of panels and the problem went away.

Kao_Pai:
Where does it seem like the high pitched whine is coming from? I ask because I had the identical problem.

In my case, it turned out to be the board that controls the light panels making the noise. I pulled it until I picked up a new set of panels and the problem went away.

Click to expand...

Thanks! That solved that problem! I just disconnected the light from the board and it doesn't make that sound. Makes sense since that light was the second to last working light and was on it's way out.

I cleaned SSIV and the sound still doesn't work. I both cleaned it and changed the slot.

I also cleaned the JAMMA edge connector. One of the wires on the harness wasn't snapped it, so I righted that. Didn't seem to have much of an effect though. When I test the voltage, you you mean on the part that connects to the board. Do I test it between the 5 volt and the ground on the connector?

<small>[ February 16, 2003, 11:06 PM: Message edited by: mog ]</small>

Yep, a nearly burned out panel will cause that.

If you pull out the panels and then remove the piece of wood behind them, there should be a small pcb that is hooked to the panels. Disconnect the pcb and hopefully the whine will go away.

Then check Briggs' thread in selling for a new set of light panels. wink

Kao_Pai:
Yep, a nearly burned out panel will cause that.

If you pull out the panels and then remove the piece of wood behind them, there should be a small pcb that is hooked to the panels. Disconnect the pcb and hopefully the whine will go away.

Then check Briggs' thread in selling for a new set of light panels. wink

Click to expand...

Heh, I wish I could. I'm too worried that my powersupply may be acting up to buy something like panels though. The fan is out on it so I've been cooling it alternatively. I don't wanna buy new panels and find out that the powersupply is causing the monitor fluctuations and whatnot though.

ttooddddyy:
Also check the 5 volt rail at the mvs/jamma edge connect, if low it can lead to weird problems. I set mine to 5.2 volts with a game running.

Click to expand...

Ok, I checked it and it read at 5.4. Is this too high for a 4 slot board? Where can I adjust it if it is?

I adjusted it back down to 5.2v with no discernable result. Still no sound, but on closer inspection there's a chip off the edge of the SSIV connector so that may be causing it.

Edit: Eh, just took the monitor longer to warm up than usual. The picture looks a little clearer now than it did before. Though that may just be me being silly.

How important is cooling to the powersupply. It never really had any for all the time it was kept in the arcade, seeing as the fan has been dead for a while. Should I bother to continue cooling it? So I guess all my problems are solved for now then!

Hooray! Thanks for the help everyone! I should be back here bothering you with more silly questions soon enough!

<small>[ February 17, 2003, 02:33 AM: Message edited by: mog ]</small>

5.2 is good, not only for mvs but jamma board sets also. I have some jamma boards that will not boot at 5 volts but will at 5.2.

ttooddddyy:
5.2 is good, not only for mvs but jamma board sets also. I have some jamma boards that will not boot at 5 volts but will at 5.2.

Click to expand...

Hey ttoodddyy, just for a neat factoid... I get horrible pixelitius on KOF2K in my 2 slot with anything over 5.0... I mean litterly 5.01 will make small flashes on the character select screen, these go away at 5.00... I have never seen a game this picky, I thought Puzzle Bobble was bad. At 5.2, the screen was dancing with pixelitius Just FYI if anyone sets their power supply up then notices such things, just shoot it back down for those games,

-Nick

Another thing I have noticed, 4 slots suck. There are incompatibility problems... probably not so much the 4 slots fault as just the more mixture of games. When certain games share the board you will see z80 errors like this. PI2 is notorious for crashing the sound, so is Panic Bomber. You may want to try SS4 in all by itself, does that fix the problem? If it does, then you have a nasty cart in there that is crashing out the sound... You will need to do a little trial and error to find out which combo is doing it.

-Nick

mog:
I tried air dusting the slots and that helped the other that was acting screwy. Is there a more effecive way to do this? Also how should I clean the cart connections? I usually use a Q-Tip and vinegar to clean SNES games, but I don't know if that'll work the same on this.

I haven't tried swapping slots on the SSIV. As soon as my monitor warms up I'll give it a go.

Click to expand...

If you want to know how to thoroughly clean your carts and slots, check out Briggs site, <a href="http://www.hardmvs.com/html/projects.htm" target="_blank">Hard MVS</a>. He also has a couple of cool projects as well.

As far as cooling your power supply, I recommend continuing to cool it. They can be relatively easy to over heat, if they are like PC power supplies any way.

slerch666:

mog:
I tried air dusting the slots and that helped the other that was acting screwy. Is there a more effecive way to do this? Also how should I clean the cart connections? I usually use a Q-Tip and vinegar to clean SNES games, but I don't know if that'll work the same on this.

I haven't tried swapping slots on the SSIV. As soon as my monitor warms up I'll give it a go.

Click to expand...

If you want to know how to thoroughly clean your carts and slots, check out Briggs site, <a href="http://www.hardmvs.com/html/projects.htm" target="_blank">Hard MVS</a>. He also has a couple of cool projects as well.

As far as cooling your power supply, I recommend continuing to cool it. They can be relatively easy to over heat, if they are like PC power supplies any way.

Click to expand...

No reason to cool that PSU actually, quick test for you to find out for sure. Leave your machine on for an hour or two and touch the PSU... is it even hot... mine doesn't even get that warm. I think it is overkill, you could probably wire in a nice fan system inside your cab, but really that isn't needed at all...

-Nick

nruva:

ttooddddyy:
5.2 is good, not only for mvs but jamma board sets also. I have some jamma boards that will not boot at 5 volts but will at 5.2.

Click to expand...

Hey ttoodddyy, just for a neat factoid... I get horrible pixelitius on KOF2K in my 2 slot with anything over 5.0... I mean litterly 5.01 will make small flashes on the character select screen, these go away at 5.00... I have never seen a game this picky, I thought Puzzle Bobble was bad. At 5.2, the screen was dancing with pixelitius Just FYI if anyone sets their power supply up then notices such things, just shoot it back down for those games,

-Nick

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

nruva:

slerch666:

mog:
I tried air dusting the slots and that helped the other that was acting screwy. Is there a more effecive way to do this? Also how should I clean the cart connections? I usually use a Q-Tip and vinegar to clean SNES games, but I don't know if that'll work the same on this.

I haven't tried swapping slots on the SSIV. As soon as my monitor warms up I'll give it a go.

Click to expand...

If you want to know how to thoroughly clean your carts and slots, check out Briggs site, <a href="http://www.hardmvs.com/html/projects.htm" target="_blank">Hard MVS</a>. He also has a couple of cool projects as well.

As far as cooling your power supply, I recommend continuing to cool it. They can be relatively easy to over heat, if they are like PC power supplies any way.

Click to expand...

No reason to cool that PSU actually, quick test for you to find out for sure. Leave your machine on for an hour or two and touch the PSU... is it even hot... mine doesn't even get that warm. I think it is overkill, you could probably wire in a nice fan system inside your cab, but really that isn't needed at all...

-Nick

Click to expand...

It get's warm alright. It burned me just a bit the last time. I'm just gonna cannabalize a power supply fan from a 486 to fix it though, same basic kind of fan. I'd almost even say that you could easily modify a PC PS to work in an MVS cab, but that's my completely uneducated opinion.

Everything else seems to be in good shape inside, I just think the bearings wore out. It's really hard to move the fan blades manually, so I'd assume that it's difficult for the powersupply to do so also.

Come to think of it, SSIV started being bitchy when I put MS2 in with it. So hopefully problem solved.

There we go. Threw a computer power supply fan in there. Works like a breeze Now I can actually seal the damn thing up!

mog:

nruva:

slerch666:

mog:
I tried air dusting the slots and that helped the other that was acting screwy. Is there a more effecive way to do this? Also how should I clean the cart connections? I usually use a Q-Tip and vinegar to clean SNES games, but I don't know if that'll work the same on this.

I haven't tried swapping slots on the SSIV. As soon as my monitor warms up I'll give it a go.

Click to expand...

If you want to know how to thoroughly clean your carts and slots, check out Briggs site, <a href="http://www.hardmvs.com/html/projects.htm" target="_blank">Hard MVS</a>. He also has a couple of cool projects as well.

As far as cooling your power supply, I recommend continuing to cool it. They can be relatively easy to over heat, if they are like PC power supplies any way.

Click to expand...

No reason to cool that PSU actually, quick test for you to find out for sure. Leave your machine on for an hour or two and touch the PSU... is it even hot... mine doesn't even get that warm. I think it is overkill, you could probably wire in a nice fan system inside your cab, but really that isn't needed at all...

-Nick

Click to expand...

It get's warm alright. It burned me just a bit the last time. I'm just gonna cannabalize a power supply fan from a 486 to fix it though, same basic kind of fan. I'd almost even say that you could easily modify a PC PS to work in an MVS cab, but that's my completely uneducated opinion.

Everything else seems to be in good shape inside, I just think the bearings wore out. It's really hard to move the fan blades manually, so I'd assume that it's difficult for the powersupply to do so also.

Come to think of it, SSIV started being bitchy when I put MS2 in with it. So hopefully problem solved.

Click to expand...

Well if that is the case... then by all means cool it off

-Nick

That little fan must pull a lot of weight. The video output looks much cleaner now that it's in there. Yay!