The Super 138 in 1 without the sub-pcb: using a dipswitch. Game list with binary code.

Razoola

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I only just saw this thread. Good work on this DIPswitch mod.

Its a real bummer that no one has made a cart with all the games on. That said it may actually be a good thing because the people designing these carts are not really doing it in a way that is good. I also think many would rather have a multicart with just original games on and not all of these hacks.

I must say I do personally prefer the multicart method that uses the daughter card because it removes the need to patch the game code. The other issue with multicarts though is this situation where they clear the backup RAM. There is also issues with game swapping while a memory card is inserted with some multicarts. I don't really understand why they placed these limitations because its really not necessary.

If anyone does ever make a multicart with all games on I just hope they do it properly so everything works as if the multicart is a multislot MVS. In effect powering on a 1slot with multicart with no user intervention should run an attract mode through every game on the multicart. All of that is possible providing there is some ram on the cart that can store backupRAM for all games on the cart. The only issue would be having to hit select a few times to rotate through the games to find the one you want to play after inserting a coin.
 
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SpamYouToDeath

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If anyone does ever make a multicart with all games on I just hope they do it properly so everything works as if the multicart is a multislot MVS. In effect powering on a 1slot with multicart with no user intervention should run an attract mode through every game on the multicart. All of that is possible providing there is some ram on the cart that can store backupRAM for all games on the cart. The only issue would be having to hit select a few times to rotate through the games to find the one you want to play after inserting a coin.

Doesn't the BIOS control which cart slot is active? From reading the programmer's manual, it seems like the procedure is:
1. Neo executing in BIOS ROM
2. BIOS swaps a cartridge into CPU address space
3. BIOS jumps to cart program ROM
4. Cart shows part of attract/game sequence
5. Cart jumps back to BIOS ROM
6. BIOS swaps in a different cart
7. etc

How would a multicart behave like a multislot board? Just include a pirate BIOS ROM, take over the whole system, and never return to the real BIOS? Seems like more work than the typical pirate would go through.
 

Razoola

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Yes the bios does but there is no reason why the cart can't fool the bios in a similar way the magickey converter does. For an MVS (which would be the harder system to do) it would be something like this.

1) When powered on the multicart has a special game header (instead of a game select menu) and allows bios set a soft DIP space in the system backupRAM like it does for any other game.

2) Use a read to address 0x64 (read every frame when IRQ active) to access a special space in the cart (the magickey does this). Once done it returns to the carts normal called IRQ routine.

3) Use the special code (from 2) to monitor the bios state using its work registers and;

- Save current backupRAM back into the carts internal backupRAM memory
- Copy internal bakupRAM settings to the system backup RAM
- Call bios routine to move backupRAM of a game into normal workRAM
- Swap games when needed and restart attract mode for new game.

Its all very possible and even easier on AES given you don't need backupRAM.

There would be some limitations like you would have to be playing a game to get to its softdip settings in test mode for example.
 
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SNKorSWM

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That's one of the reasons some NG: DEV mvs carts can't be used on the AES with a converter. In those carts, a preset softdips configuration is loaded (and cannot be changed from the softdips menu) onto the backup RAM from the cart. But that cannot be done on the home system and the game doesn't start.
 

Razoola

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The magic key can get around all the problems with the NG:DEV games. It could even have cheats for them. Just needs someone to have the time and games to do it.
 

Vigormortis

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I must say I do personally prefer the multicart method that uses the daughter card because it removes the need to patch the game code.

You're definitely right about removing the need to patch game code. I just did Unibios CRC check on a small sample of games from the 138 cart and all the values checked out as "OK" - Blue's Journey, Samurai Shodown V Special, The Last Blade 2, Garou Mark of the Wolves, Waku Waku 7, Twinkle Star Sprites. I wouldn't be surprised if that pattern continues for all the non hack titles on the cart. I didn't find a title with a bad CRC in this quick test.
 
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XC-3730C

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So between this 138-in-1 and the other cart and the 161-in-1, are all Neo Geo games covered?
 

Fandangos

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So between this 138-in-1 and the other cart and the 161-in-1, are all Neo Geo games covered?

Nops, there are a few not covered yet.

http://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/MVS_Multicart

EDIT: according to that list here's the missing games:

Aggressors of Dark Kombat (Tsukai Gangan Koshinkyoku)
Art of Fighting
Bakatono-sama Mahjong Man'yuki
Baseball Stars Professional
Chibi Maruko-chan Deluxe Quiz
Fatal Fury 2
Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory (Garou Densetsu 3: Haruka-naru Tatakai)
Fatal Fury Special (Garou Densetsu Special)
Fight Fever
Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors
Gururin
Janshin Densetsu: Quest of Jongmaster
Jockey Grand Prix
King of the Monsters 2: The Next Thing
Magician Lord
Mahjong Kyoretsuden
Minnasan no Okagesama Desu
Pochi & Nyaa
Quiz Daisosa Sen: The Last Count Down
Quiz King of Fighters
Quiz Meitantei Neo & Geo: Quiz Daisousasen Part 2
Ragnagard (Shinoken)
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers (Real Bout Garou Densetsu 2: The Newcomers)
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special)
Real Bout Fatal Fury (Real Bout Garou Densetsu)
Riding Hero
Samurai Shodown V Perfect (Samurai Spirits Zero Perfect ) (what the fuck is this game?)
Samurai Shodown V (Samurai Spirits Zero)
The Irritating Maze (Ultra Denryu Iraira Bou)
The King of Fighters 2000
The Super Spy
Top Player's Golf
V-Liner
Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer (Chojin Gakuen Gowcaizer)
Windjammers (Flying Power Disc)

Those are not covered by any multicartridge.
 
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XC-3730C

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Good to know. I do wish Baseball Stars was on a multi cart, since I am a huge fan of it and baseball in general. The NES version just doesn't cut it for me.
 

Vigormortis

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A few corrections: Fatal Fury: The King of Fighters and Power Instinct Matrimelee should not be on the list of missing games. Fatal Fury is on the 150 and 161 multicarts. Power Instinct Matrimelee is on many multicarts. Actually, it is listed twice in that arcadeotaku website. First as "Matrimelee", which accurately shows the multicarts that have the game. Second as "Power Instinct Matrimelee", which inaccurately shows it as absent from all multicarts.

Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury 2 should be on the list. The arcadeotaku website inaccurately lists Art of Fighting on the 161 in 1. Unfortunately, the 161 in 1 doesn't actually have that game.
 

Fandangos

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A few corrections: Fatal Fury: The King of Fighters and Power Instinct Matrimelee should not be on the list of missing games. Fatal Fury is on the 150 and 161 multicarts. Power Instinct Matrimelee is on many multicarts. Actually, it is listed twice in that arcadeotaku website. First as "Matrimelee", which accurately shows the multicarts that have the game. Second as "Power Instinct Matrimelee", which inaccurately shows it as absent from all multicarts.

Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury 2 should be on the list. The arcadeotaku website inaccurately lists Art of Fighting on the 161 in 1. Unfortunately, the 161 in 1 doesn't actually have that game.

Eddited the list.

Thanks for the heads up.
 

Hans Grösse

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Please forgive my new-ness and my ignorance. I am having trouble following this thread involving the dip switches? What exactly has been accomplished? I have a multi-kart and it allows me to pick a game via the menu and then reset by holding down the 1P button for 5 seconds or so, the dips I use to make changes to the game such as difficulty, but what you did I do not follow.

Thank you
 

KRiSX

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Please forgive my new-ness and my ignorance. I am having trouble following this thread involving the dip switches? What exactly has been accomplished? I have a multi-kart and it allows me to pick a game via the menu and then reset by holding down the 1P button for 5 seconds or so, the dips I use to make changes to the game such as difficulty, but what you did I do not follow.

Thank you

the 138 in 1 used a separate board for the selection of games i believe... so this takes out that need and uses a dip-switch setup instead... so no software menu... just dip switches... thats all this thread is about more or less

i believe this just makes it easier to use in a consolised setup
 

Hans Grösse

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the 138 in 1 used a separate board for the selection of games i believe... so this takes out that need and uses a dip-switch setup instead... so no software menu... just dip switches... thats all this thread is about more or less

i believe this just makes it easier to use in a consolised setup


Oh OK I have a 4 slot so the 138-1 is basically just for a single slot?
 
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Sorry for double-posting as it appears some of my buttons are not showing up on this device. I made a dip-switch for my 138 in 1 using this guide. However, the new batch of 138 in 1s that have just been released are different.

I have 8 SPDT switches with the middle pin going to the signal and the top and bottom pins going to ground and voltage (respectively). 1 binary postion is ground (off) and 0 binary position is voltage (on).

The dipswitch codes listed here do not appear to apply to the new 138 in 1 cartridges (late 2014). You can still use different dipswitches to access many of the games, but there is a problem.

These dipswitches produce a picture and allow you to find the games:
XXXX-0010 (for example: Double Dragon Plus is 1100-0010 and Metal Slug 4 plus is 1100-0010)
XXXX-1000
XXXX-0011
XXXX-1100
XXXX-0101
XXXX-1010
XXXX-1011
XXXX-1101

Games that would be under the following dip-switches cannot be accessed (these dipswitch settings produce no picture):
XXXX-0000
XXXX-0001
XXXX-0100
XXXX-0110
XXXX-0111
XXXX-1110
XXXX-1111
XXXX-1001

As it is exactly half, it makes me think there is something on the daughter card that sends a signal allow you to access these other games.

Due to this problem, I can only access about half of the games with the dipswitch.

...Or am I doing something wrong?
 
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First, THANK YOU, FANDANGOS!!!!

Second, I know what I was doing wrong. You SHOULD NOT go by the colors of the wires as they arbitrarily change!

You should go by the order of the wires as they are visible on the connector to the SUB-PCB that you will not be using.

For my cart Ground is BLACK and VCC is GRAY, but on VIGORMORTIS' cart Ground was WHITE and VCC was RED.

But on all of the carts (from left to right on the SUB PCB, with the wires facing upward):

(1) Ground (can be different colors, depending on the cart) - Black on mine, White on Vig's
(2) VCC (can be different colors, depending on the cart) - Gray on mine, Red on Vig's
(3) Data line
(4) Data line
(5) Data line
(6) Data line
(7) Data line
(8) Data line

Depending on what batch your 138 in 1 came out of, those wires can be completely different colors.

Fortunately, a brilliant guy on forum's elsewhere pointed this out to me and saved me a lot of trouble!!!
 

GadgetUK

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First, THANK YOU, FANDANGOS!!!!

Second, I know what I was doing wrong. You SHOULD NOT go by the colors of the wires as they arbitrarily change!

You should go by the order of the wires as they are visible on the connector to the SUB-PCB that you will not be using.

For my cart Ground is BLACK and VCC is GRAY, but on VIGORMORTIS' cart Ground was WHITE and VCC was RED.

But on all of the carts (from left to right on the SUB PCB, with the wires facing upward):

(1) Ground (can be different colors, depending on the cart) - Black on mine, White on Vig's
(2) VCC (can be different colors, depending on the cart) - Gray on mine, Red on Vig's
(3) Data line
(4) Data line
(5) Data line
(6) Data line
(7) Data line
(8) Data line

Depending on what batch your 138 in 1 came out of, those wires can be completely different colors.

Fortunately, a brilliant guy on forum's elsewhere pointed this out to me and saved me a lot of trouble!!!


You're welcome ;) Glad we both got ours working. I guess I've learnt to never trust a guide based on colours of wires - especially when its a cheap chinese cart!!! Mine works OK but one or two games have glitchy sound. I've ordered another in the hope that the games that have glitchy sound aren't glitchy.

It's worth noting that the 161 in 1 has a bug (corrupt C ROM) in Samurai Showdown V Special on one of the characters. That corruption doesn't exist on the 138 in 1 version =D

EDIT: Also note you missed off 2 of the data lines on that list!

(1) Ground (can be different colors, depending on the cart) - Black on mine, White on Vig's
(2) VCC (can be different colors, depending on the cart) - Gray on mine, Red on Vig's
(3) Data line 1
(4) Data line 2
(5) Data line 3
(6) Data line 4
(7) Data line 5
(8) Data line 6
(9) Data line 7
(10) Data line 8


EDIT 2: These carts are currently available on Ali Express btw. 996 in stock! Mine was $100 shipped to UK. Arrived in 4 days!!!

EDIT 3: This cart also has Cyber Lip, Metal Slug 5 and Sengoku 2 which don't appear on 161 in 1 (I think, I might have the wrong Sengoku game there). I am sure there are a load of pluses as well for what they are worth.
 
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aha2940

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EDIT 3: This cart also has Cyber Lip, Metal Slug 5 and Sengoku 2 which don't appear on 161 in 1 (I think, I might have the wrong Sengoku game there). I am sure there are a load of pluses as well for what they are worth.

You got it right. The 161 does not have Sengoku 2, only 1, 3 and the 3+ hack.

Regards.
 

TobyPC

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So the dip switch mod makes it so High Scores aren't cleared when you change games? Or are the 138-in-1 carts just like that in general?

If so, does the sub PCB play nice with the 4slot board without modifications? I have a 4 Slot Big Red.
 
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GadgetUK

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Once the cart has been modified to use DIP switch I would imagine it should work in a 4 slot OK. Many of the games have the original CRC, and since the DIP switch just specifies which addresses on the NVPROMs to use it should be transparent to the MVS - except for crappy noise, badly laid out tracks and logic level issues. I am not sure the 138-in-1 clears the backup RAM like the other carts do, since no custom code runs on the 68K as far as I can tell - ie. on other carts the games have been modified to boot back to the menu by holding start, and there's usually a menu built into the P chips which is the thing that normally clears the backup RAM. The 138 in 1 doesn't work that way, as far as I can tell its a system in its own right which overlays video and monitors input from controls, all via JAMMA connector. When the game is selected, I think it's invoking a reset after data lines are set for the main cart. That said, you will soon end up losing high scores if you swap between many games anyway.
 
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