Mistu's... CPS2 Multikit Tech Support page... Drama fr33 pls..

Dion

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PLEASE USE THE OLD THREAD FOR DRAMA SHIT.

Ok. It was necessary to set up this thread for any potential tech support needed for the CPS2 Multikit that is now shipping. I am just one man but I will help the best I can to start and I'm sure some other owners will be able to help troubleshoot once they get more time with their kits. Darksoft is the technical mind behind this kit so there will be some concerns I will need to pass to him and return with the solution so bear with me.

Besides tech support questions I also want to see success stories and pictures/videos of these kits in action!

I will repost one post from the old, dilapidated thread that I feel is very informative:




I have personally offered tech support for many people and have not been unable to get anyone's working. The first guy with a problem almost caused a sky-is-falling mentality. Keep in mind any project will hit bumps. We will fix any bumps that happen. No one will be left out to dry. That is not how i roll. And that's even though I have no financial stake and receive no financial gain from this project. Here is a breakdown of problems encountered so far:

1. Yes, bent pins in shipping. Really this is a two part issue. One part is we decided to order different pins that are smaller so they are more fragile. This was to protect the integrity of the sockets themselves. And trust me, the thicker pins were SOOOOO HARD to install. Took me 45 minutes to install the proto. It is a trade-off but it was the right call. We are thinking of sending some extra pins just in case. Also, the packaging is being reinforced a bit with more filler to keep everything stable in shipping. A lesser problem is that the pins are all hand soldered and it seems some were not soldered completely flush with the pcb. That is an easy fix going forward. Also, we have ordered reinforcement pcbs to guide and keep all pins stable on the main kit pcb. These will auto ship with all orders going out in the next batch. (starting in two weeks)

2. Scrambled sprites or sound. This has been fixed in two ways. One---the kit was not installed correctly, either misaligned or just not pushed in enough. Two---the user didn't watch my prep video and didn't have the jumpers or PAL set up correctly. Easy fix. Watch the video people and when you install the kit take your time but use firm pressure to secure the pins in the sockets.

3. Solid screens on boot. The kit will say flashing the game and then playing the game but the screen is just a solid color. Sometimes white, sometimes red or orange, etc. This USUALLY has come down to incorrect writes of the rom the the SD card. But it also can come down to the old problem with encryption bits causing the decrypted code to not run, even if boards dead for years. In that case, shorting the EXC5 component, just as you would with your B-board with phoenix roms installed from time-to-time, has fixed this issue several times. As for the SD card writes, if you use IDCs sets he released and just copy it to the root of the card you should be fine. You should have the card formatted in FAT32, a 'GAMES' folder should be in the root. And the folders for each game should be in the 'Games' folder. Each game should have a 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 file in it's folder. (NOTE: Some games do have files .01 - .12)

One other problem with the cards seems to be exclusive to the MAC user as a member of AO helped troubleshoot. It seems the MAC OS writes some unnecessary files to the SD card which confuses the write process causing the roms to load incorrectly and not boot. Here is his advice to you MAC users:

I've figured it out!! I use a Mac which uses lots of invisible files for indexing with names like ".DS_Store" which I presume confused the board when it was writing the flash memory.

In case anyone else has this issue: put the SD card back in the mac, open the terminal application and type:
Code: Select all
dot_clean /Volumes/CPS2

where CPS2 is the Volume name of the SD card.

This will remove all the hidden dot files and allow your games to flash properly :)

If you install the small interconnect pcb backwards the kit will act like this also since the program data will be read incorrectly from the kit.

Keep in mind we don't want anyone suiciding their pcb but we already know it is happening some. If you do not let the encyption data expire then the kit will not boot. It does not die immediately after removing the battery.

Also, if you do receive your kit damaged where it can't be used then get up with us. We WILL get you fixed up one way or another.


Take your time installing the kit. If you have any problems then just contact me. I will do my best to troubleshoot with you. Thanks to those of you who have faith in me/us and don't believe libelous statements blindly. Anyone who has done business with me knows I am a man of character. I will not be involved in anything that will screw people out of their money, including this project. Thanks again.

Hope this has been informative and has eased some minds. :)

BTW---there are some beautiful pictures/videos of this kit working for happy customers on AO.
 

GohanX

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Tracking says I should get mine tomorrow, I just prepped my B board in anticipation. I have no idea what glitch in the system got my kit to me so soon, but I'm salivating with anticipation. I'll certainly post impressions.
 

Jonmkl

Rasputin's Rose Gardener
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Aug 29, 2012
Posts
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Tracking says I should get mine tomorrow, I just prepped my B board in anticipation. I have no idea what glitch in the system got my kit to me so soon, but I'm salivating with anticipation. I'll certainly post impressions.

Even though I ordered within the first group I haven't even got a shipping notification yet :-/ I'm not too bummed though I guess, it's worth the wait.
 

NeoTurfMasta

DANCE DANCE KARNOV!,
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Mine came in a few days ago and I finally got around to installing it today. The box arrived in pretty bad shape, but the only issue were bent pins. Other than that, the install was pretty straightforward. The connector board for the headers was a little tight, but I think it was bent pin related.

Should have more time to mess with it next week, but so far it's working great with the few games I tested.
 

Dion

Known Scammer, NeoGeoFreak Co-Founder
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Mine came in a few days ago and I finally got around to installing it today. The box arrived in pretty bad shape, but the only issue were bent pins. Other than that, the install was pretty straightforward. The connector board for the headers was a little tight, but I think it was bent pin related.

Should have more time to mess with it next week, but so far it's working great with the few games I tested.

Glad it's working for you. Hopefully we get the packaging issue sorted.
 

Lemony Vengeance

Mitt Romney's Hairdresser,
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looks like mine hasn't been shipped quite yet, which is good for the pin spacer boards as well as my building of a CCPS2 A-board :)
 
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fluxcore

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Nov 4, 2013
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Just received mine, pretty decent shipping time for international, although I think mine went out in the second lot of 50.

One bent pin on the program roms board - and my advice: be INCREDIBLY careful if bending them back. Mine didn't snap, but it requires VERY little pressure to bend them. I'll also need to resolder a couple of the pinbanks to straighten them up a bit. No biggie.

Labels are pretty nice too :)

Looking forward to getting it home & giving it a whirl, and then working out how to mount the panel this weekend :)
 

Dion

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Just received mine, pretty decent shipping time for international, although I think mine went out in the second lot of 50.

One bent pin on the program roms board - and my advice: be INCREDIBLY careful if bending them back. Mine didn't snap, but it requires VERY little pressure to bend them. I'll also need to resolder a couple of the pinbanks to straighten them up a bit. No biggie.

Labels are pretty nice too :)

Looking forward to getting it home & giving it a whirl, and then working out how to mount the panel this weekend :)

Let us know how it goes and don't forget pictures!
 

fluxcore

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Ok, test install complete. At first I had some graphical banding issues (like if one rom pin was dead) - there was little continuity in the CN5/CN6 connectors. Took the main PCB off again, and found there was quite a bit of white residue on the pins in the CN5 and CN6 connectors (the big grey 3-row connectors) on my b-board. It was a battery-damaged board that I resuscitated, so probably some mild corrosion. Took to the pins with a wire brush, and now it's all fine and dandy! I recommend people check how clean those pins are before assembly.

Oh, I also had to file off some of the top of the IDC connector which bridges the LCD and the main board - the shell wouldn't close otherwise.

I also managed to get away with only dremelling off half of the post which gets in the way, so there's still a bit of support there.

Mounting the LCD panel could be a challenge though!

You have fists of god!
 
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[OCEAN]

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Thanks for this. Still waiting on mine, but as a MAC user I greatly appreciate the tip on erasing the damned .DS_Store files.

Cheers,
 

Dion

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Ok, test install complete. At first I had some graphical banding issues (like if one rom pin was dead) - there was little continuity in the CN5/CN6 connectors. Took the main PCB off again, and found there was quite a bit of white residue on the pins in the CN5 and CN6 connectors (the big grey 3-row connectors). Took to them with a wire brush, and now it's all fine and dandy! I recommend people check how clean those pins are before assembly.

Oh, I also had to file off some of the top of the IDC connector which bridges the LCD and the main board - the shell wouldn't close otherwise. Managed to get away with only dremelling off half of the post which gets in the way, so there's still a bit of support there.

Good tip. Thanks. As for the IDC connector you can remove that top rounded part completely from the cable with a small screwdriver. It just snaps on top to keep the cable folded over. It isn't necessary at all.


Thanks for this. Still waiting on mine, but as a MAC user I greatly appreciate the tip on erasing the damned .DS_Store files.

Cheers,

Yeah I'm happy he figured that one out for us.
 

GohanX

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Picked up my kit from the PO today. Pins were a little bent, but it's extremely simple to bend them back. The install went off without a hitch, and it works perfectly. Got Progear running on the PVM right now :D

One piece of advice I would give is that if you are putting the bare B board PCB into the A board make sure you push it in very well. My first few tries didn't work at all, until I realized I wasn't pushing it in quite far enough. Now I gotta prune these roms down from the SD card as I really don't need every single regional variation of every game on here.
 

Dion

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Picked up my kit from the PO today. Pins were a little bent, but it's extremely simple to bend them back. The install went off without a hitch, and it works perfectly. Got Progear running on the PVM right now :D

One piece of advice I would give is that if you are putting the bare B board PCB into the A board make sure you push it in very well. My first few tries didn't work at all, until I realized I wasn't pushing it in quite far enough. Now I gotta prune these roms down from the SD card as I really don't need every single regional variation of every game on here.

Pics?
 

GohanX

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I'll post some when I get the case back together :D

Some of these games I've never heard the real sound on before. Arcades are too noisy, and emulation is off. I never realized just how much the audio was off in many of these, Progear sounds like a different game.
 

Lemony Vengeance

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Some of these games I've never heard the real sound on before. Arcades are too noisy, and emulation is off. I never realized just how much the audio was off in many of these, Progear sounds like a different game.

See, THIS is the reason why I'm in for this solution.. there's no way you can play these games properly unless you plunk down a shit ton of $$ for them.

looking forward to getting mine :)
 

grendelrt

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Apr 22, 2014
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Damn I was in first batch but my tracking doesnt even show that its in the US yet, all these US people already have theirs :(
 

Dion

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Damn I was in first batch but my tracking doesnt even show that its in the US yet, all these US people already have theirs :(

Maybe they are being extra careful with your box? That could happen, right? I mean....they care, don't they?
 

undamned

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See, THIS is the reason why I'm in for this solution.. there's no way you can play these games properly unless you plunk down a shit ton of $$ for them.
I should know, as over the last year or so I've been pressing hard to complete my set. It's actually been fun hunting down deals from all over the world, having successful repairs, and documenting it. When I'm done, I plan to write up/photograph a nice piece on it.
-ud
 

GohanX

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As requested, here's the pic now that I've put it back together. I didn't apply the sticker yet as this probably isn't the board I'm permanently putting this in, and I'd like to do something else with the LCD screen instead of just sticking it in the front. It looks crooked in the pic due to the angle, but it's actually flush with the bottom of the B board.

CPS2 Multi.jpg
 

loegan43

I've served my time in the Dark Army., Have you?,
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Yeah, that looks pretty slick. Can't wait til mine ships.
 

GohanX

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There is a problem. Not with the hardware it works perfectly.

This thing, this scourge upon mankind, it should not be. No human was meant to hold such power. Almighty Cthulhu has been released upon the world, and it shall weep. After sorting out the SD card, I decide to actually play some games a little before going to bed at 11. Keep in mind, I have wake up around 7 every day. So I play some Progear. I am reaching zen status until stage 6, a damn fine run. Then I switch to Super SF2, then SSF2 Turbo, Then play through AvP, whew, I need to go to bed. Let me see how Street Fighter Alpha plays, then Zero 2 Alpha, then Alpha 3. Hey, I've never played Marvel Super Heroes, let me try that...

Like an crack baby given an unlimited supply of happy juice, I am doomed. Didn't go to bed until 2:30.
 
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