AES-II Specs
Inputs:
- 1 Home cart Slot (For use with all NeoGeo Home Carts)
- 1 MVS cart Slot (For use with all NeoGeo MVS Carts)
- 1 Jamma Connector (Allows for all Jamma standard boards to be used)
- Jamma Cab ready (Allows for the AES-II to be installed into any Jamma ready Cab)
- 2 Main 15-Pin D-Sub connectors (These comply with the NeoGeo Controller Standard)
- 1 AUX 25-Pin D-Sub Connector (This is for Controller 3 and 4 for use with special Jamma games. The custom controller cable is provided with the AES-II)
Outputs:
- 2 Svideo Outs (Allows 1 or 2 televisions to be used at the same time)
- 1 8-Pin Din (Standard video out connector which includes RGB)
- 1 RCA Out (Allows direct connection for video and stereo sound)
- 1 Digital Stereo out (For those who demand the best in audio)
- 1 Standard Power connector (This allows different adapters for world power standards)
- 1 8-Pin Mini Din (Allows for single cable solutions - Includes RGB, Power and Stereo within one cable)
- 1 25-Pin D-Sub connector (For the Irritating Maze controller)
- 1 15-Pin D-Sub connector (This port can be used several ways to host those Jamma boards which require extra control or hookups)
User Options:
- 3 State Bios select switch (A hardware switch which allows you to select from one of the two installed bios chips or "On Screen" mode)
- 3 State Game select switch (A hardware switch which allows you to select the system startup - NeoGeo, Jamma or Auto)
- RGB Color level dials (3 dials are located on the front of the system which gives the user the option to color correct the image)
- 2 State RGB Assist Switch (A On/Off style switch which gives you the option to allow the AES-II's built in CPU to correct the video levels for you)
Inside the AES-II:
- 68040-40 CPU (This is the AES-II's dedicated CPU for running our custom system BIOS)
- AES-II Custom System Bios (This is the core of the system which does not run with any game, instead it runs in the background)
- Developers (Debug) Bios installed (Allows language and console type changes on screen)
- Irritating Maze Bios installed (Allows the IM to run on the AES-II)
- On Screen software bios select menu (If activated this will ask the user upon startup which bios they would like to use)
- Smart Power Management (The AES-II will monitor the voltage levels for the system and anything connected to it. If a problem is detected the system will cut power to that device before anything can happen)
- RGB Auto Assist (RGB has a standard which every game company who produces arcade hardware should follow. Not every company follows it exactly which is why arcade operators use dials on the monitors to fine tune new games. The AES-II monitors the RGB and Sync lines on all outputs and if activated will correct the video for better color and image quality)
- Sony CXA2075 (This is the chip we have selected to convert the RGB out to Svideo and Composite. The AES-II has two of these installed which run side by side one for Svideo and one for Composite. One chip can do both jobs however that setup did not give us the control we were after)
How the AES-II Works:
At Startup the AES-II will do the following:
- Supply power to the AES-II only - No power will be supplied to the 2 NeoGeo cart slots or the Jamma Board connector.
- Start the 040 CPU (The NeoGeo hardware at this moment is not on)
- Run the AES-II Custom bios
- A full system check is done
- User options are checked - Bios, RGB and Game options.
- Game Auto Detect is called if selected by the user.
- Power is applied the user selected systems.
- On Screen Bios selection is displayed if selected by the user.
- Game starts
Conditions A - User selects Jamma ONLY:
If a Jamma board is installed when power is applied the game will start and play - All built in controllers will work with it.
If a Jamma board is not installed when power is applied the AES-II will detect that no game is present and display a "No Game" message on screen.
Conditions B - User selects NeoGeo ONLY:
If one NeoGeo game is present the AES-II will start in Home Mode (Default) and play.
If two NeoGeo games (1 Home and 1 MVS) are present the AES-II will start the Home cart first with the option to switch to the MVS at any time. Both carts are powered and running at the same time.
Condition C - User selections Auto Detect:
If one game is in the AES-II (A MVS Cart, Home Cart or a Jamma Board), the system will auto detect that 2 are not in use and cut power to those systems. Then continue to run the one game that is present.
If two or all slots are full on the AES-II (A MVS Cart, Home cart and a Jamma Board), the system will detect that the system is full and will start the Home Cart first.
Multi Slot Conditions:
On MVS systems that have more than 1 slot you can switch games by pressing a button. This button will not work once a credit is detected by the bios or will it work in game.
Similar to the MVS systems you can press a "Game Select" button which will switch from Home Cart -> MVS Cart -> Jamma Board and back to the Home Cart.
Since our Bios is running in the background the Jamma board will act as a 3rd slot on the NeoGeo System. For the AES-II we have modified how this works.
The main difference is the fact that you can switch games at anytime - this is not possible on any MVS unit. If you switch games during a demo the game will run in real time as if you were watching it. If you switch in mid game the AES-II will activate a hardware freeze state which will stop the game even during moments where a normal pause wouldn't work - The system will then continue on to switch to the next game. This feature allows the user to play 3 different games at the same time.
The Reset Switch:
The reset switch on the AES-II is monitored and will only reset the game currently being played. Any games paused or running on another slot will continue to run.
To reset the entire system you must power down the AES-II.
End user pricing looks to be in the $399-$459/US range. This would depend on a production run of 250 units minimum.
!Arcade!
Inputs:
- 1 Home cart Slot (For use with all NeoGeo Home Carts)
- 1 MVS cart Slot (For use with all NeoGeo MVS Carts)
- 1 Jamma Connector (Allows for all Jamma standard boards to be used)
- Jamma Cab ready (Allows for the AES-II to be installed into any Jamma ready Cab)
- 2 Main 15-Pin D-Sub connectors (These comply with the NeoGeo Controller Standard)
- 1 AUX 25-Pin D-Sub Connector (This is for Controller 3 and 4 for use with special Jamma games. The custom controller cable is provided with the AES-II)
Outputs:
- 2 Svideo Outs (Allows 1 or 2 televisions to be used at the same time)
- 1 8-Pin Din (Standard video out connector which includes RGB)
- 1 RCA Out (Allows direct connection for video and stereo sound)
- 1 Digital Stereo out (For those who demand the best in audio)
- 1 Standard Power connector (This allows different adapters for world power standards)
- 1 8-Pin Mini Din (Allows for single cable solutions - Includes RGB, Power and Stereo within one cable)
- 1 25-Pin D-Sub connector (For the Irritating Maze controller)
- 1 15-Pin D-Sub connector (This port can be used several ways to host those Jamma boards which require extra control or hookups)
User Options:
- 3 State Bios select switch (A hardware switch which allows you to select from one of the two installed bios chips or "On Screen" mode)
- 3 State Game select switch (A hardware switch which allows you to select the system startup - NeoGeo, Jamma or Auto)
- RGB Color level dials (3 dials are located on the front of the system which gives the user the option to color correct the image)
- 2 State RGB Assist Switch (A On/Off style switch which gives you the option to allow the AES-II's built in CPU to correct the video levels for you)
Inside the AES-II:
- 68040-40 CPU (This is the AES-II's dedicated CPU for running our custom system BIOS)
- AES-II Custom System Bios (This is the core of the system which does not run with any game, instead it runs in the background)
- Developers (Debug) Bios installed (Allows language and console type changes on screen)
- Irritating Maze Bios installed (Allows the IM to run on the AES-II)
- On Screen software bios select menu (If activated this will ask the user upon startup which bios they would like to use)
- Smart Power Management (The AES-II will monitor the voltage levels for the system and anything connected to it. If a problem is detected the system will cut power to that device before anything can happen)
- RGB Auto Assist (RGB has a standard which every game company who produces arcade hardware should follow. Not every company follows it exactly which is why arcade operators use dials on the monitors to fine tune new games. The AES-II monitors the RGB and Sync lines on all outputs and if activated will correct the video for better color and image quality)
- Sony CXA2075 (This is the chip we have selected to convert the RGB out to Svideo and Composite. The AES-II has two of these installed which run side by side one for Svideo and one for Composite. One chip can do both jobs however that setup did not give us the control we were after)
How the AES-II Works:
At Startup the AES-II will do the following:
- Supply power to the AES-II only - No power will be supplied to the 2 NeoGeo cart slots or the Jamma Board connector.
- Start the 040 CPU (The NeoGeo hardware at this moment is not on)
- Run the AES-II Custom bios
- A full system check is done
- User options are checked - Bios, RGB and Game options.
- Game Auto Detect is called if selected by the user.
- Power is applied the user selected systems.
- On Screen Bios selection is displayed if selected by the user.
- Game starts
Conditions A - User selects Jamma ONLY:
If a Jamma board is installed when power is applied the game will start and play - All built in controllers will work with it.
If a Jamma board is not installed when power is applied the AES-II will detect that no game is present and display a "No Game" message on screen.
Conditions B - User selects NeoGeo ONLY:
If one NeoGeo game is present the AES-II will start in Home Mode (Default) and play.
If two NeoGeo games (1 Home and 1 MVS) are present the AES-II will start the Home cart first with the option to switch to the MVS at any time. Both carts are powered and running at the same time.
Condition C - User selections Auto Detect:
If one game is in the AES-II (A MVS Cart, Home Cart or a Jamma Board), the system will auto detect that 2 are not in use and cut power to those systems. Then continue to run the one game that is present.
If two or all slots are full on the AES-II (A MVS Cart, Home cart and a Jamma Board), the system will detect that the system is full and will start the Home Cart first.
Multi Slot Conditions:
On MVS systems that have more than 1 slot you can switch games by pressing a button. This button will not work once a credit is detected by the bios or will it work in game.
Similar to the MVS systems you can press a "Game Select" button which will switch from Home Cart -> MVS Cart -> Jamma Board and back to the Home Cart.
Since our Bios is running in the background the Jamma board will act as a 3rd slot on the NeoGeo System. For the AES-II we have modified how this works.
The main difference is the fact that you can switch games at anytime - this is not possible on any MVS unit. If you switch games during a demo the game will run in real time as if you were watching it. If you switch in mid game the AES-II will activate a hardware freeze state which will stop the game even during moments where a normal pause wouldn't work - The system will then continue on to switch to the next game. This feature allows the user to play 3 different games at the same time.
The Reset Switch:
The reset switch on the AES-II is monitored and will only reset the game currently being played. Any games paused or running on another slot will continue to run.
To reset the entire system you must power down the AES-II.
End user pricing looks to be in the $399-$459/US range. This would depend on a production run of 250 units minimum.
!Arcade!