Did Neo Geo MVS cabinets include plexi CPO covers from the factory?

cr4zymanz0r

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Just wondering if Neo Geo MVS cabs (particularly 1 slot, but I doubt it's different on multi slots) came with a plexiglass cover over the control panel overlay when manufactured, or if they're only present because they were added by arcade operators?
 

NexusX

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Don't take my statement as accurate but I do recall the 1 slot Neo-Geo Arcade boards being sold as Jamma Cabinet conversion kits instead of fully manufactured and shipped cabinets. That is why they offered the standard Jamma edge pinout instead of the MVS pinout. also one reason why most 1 slot boards only support Mono sound like most Jamma wired cabs do. If the cabinet kit information is accurate then it was the Arcade Operator who added the plexiglass covering over the control panel because the cabinet was not provided by SNK. If anyone has any supporting or accurate info about that feel free to chime in I am always interested in hardware history myself.
 

madman

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Don't take my statement as accurate but I do recall the 1 slot Neo-Geo Arcade boards being sold as Jamma Cabinet conversion kits instead of fully manufactured and shipped cabinets. That is why they offered the standard Jamma edge pinout instead of the MVS pinout. also one reason why most 1 slot boards only support Mono sound like most Jamma wired cabs do. If the cabinet kit information is accurate then it was the Arcade Operator who added the plexiglass covering over the control panel because the cabinet was not provided by SNK. If anyone has any supporting or accurate info about that feel free to chime in I am always interested in hardware history myself.

There was at least one official SNK Neo Geo 1 slot cab. The reason the one slots are JAMMA isn't solely because of conversions, it's because without the select up/down buttons and stereo at the edge there is no need for a unique pinout. As for the CPOs they were printed on plastic.
 

BlackaneseNiNjA

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If we're solely talking about the distribution that was observed in the usa (which was a murky world/wild west all on its own anyway), the mv 1 models were distributed as kits used for conversion and were also sold as dedicated single-slot cabs. In addition to the official big red cabs that you could get from SNK, companies like "Dynamo" made a ton of their own dedicated cabinets using these kits that they sold/distributed.

Here is an example ad for an official single-slot cab:

2fbf10214b4482a58b509c6e9a6c9ced--neo-geo-pinball.jpg

There were also some interesting dedicated cabs like some made for Samurai Shodown II.

If you went with the kit, just as madman said, there was no plexi. You had to supply your own cabinet and could cut/trim/cover the cpo yourself.

I also want to add that, in some cases, the cabinets made by these other companies led to some pretty...er...inventive layouts for the 4 button setup.
 
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NexusX

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.... does that official flyer actually have an incorrect button placement for the Left Player controls??? The Right Player seems ok but they are clearly no the same. lol

If we're solely talking about the distribution that was observed in the usa (which was a murky world/wild west all on its own anyway), the mv 1 models were distributed as kits used for conversion and were also sold as dedicated single-slot cabs. In addition to the official big red cabs that you could get from SNK, companies like "Dynamo" made a ton of their own dedicated cabinets using these kits that they sold/distributed.

Here is an example ad for an official single-slot cab:

View attachment 46311

There were also some interesting dedicated cabs like some made for Samurai Shodown II.

If you went with the kit, just as madman said, there was no plexi. You had to supply your own cabinet and could cut/trim/cover the cpo yourself.

I also want to add that, in some cases, the cabinets made by these other companies led to some pretty...er...inventive layouts for the 4 button setup.
 

BlackaneseNiNjA

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cr4zymanz0r

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If you went with the kit, just as madman said, there was no plexi. You had to supply your own cabinet and could cut/trim/cover the cpo yourself.

Pretty sure mine is the official 1-slot cab since it looks exactly like the one in the flier. I figured a kit wouldn't have plexi, but does the official dedicated cab come with it from the factory? I took the CPO out and it seems to be thin, fragile (maybe due to age) plastic.

One thing that makes me suspcious about the plexi cover on mine is that the hole for the joysticks are decently larger than the holes in the control panel (though I guess the plexi might've been replaced at some point).
 

NexusX

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If you have a straight up "Big Red" then yes it is an officially produced cabinet. I personally have never heard of any replica Big Reds being made from scratch by an Arcade Operator.
 
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BlackaneseNiNjA

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Pretty sure mine is the official 1-slot cab since it looks exactly like the one in the flier. I figured a kit wouldn't have plexi, but does the official dedicated cab come with it from the factory? I took the CPO out and it seems to be thin, fragile (maybe due to age) plastic.

One thing that makes me suspcious about the plexi cover on mine is that the hole for the joysticks are decently larger than the holes in the control panel (though I guess the plexi might've been replaced at some point).

I recall plexi on 4 and 6-slot big reds, but that could just be anecdotal evidence. I can't say for sure if that was a standard feature/rule of thumb across all reds including the single and 2-slot variations sold in the usa.
 
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ggallegos1

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I know I'm bumping an old thread, but I didn't feel like making another one with the same question.

Anyone know if the 2 slot big reds had plexi in the CP? Mine does not, which I found odd. If there is a plexi top for it, I'd love to get one to install since it's easier to maintain and I don't have to worry about the overlay as much.
 

Digmac

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I know I'm bumping an old thread, but I didn't feel like making another one with the same question.

Anyone know if the 2 slot big reds had plexi in the CP? Mine does not, which I found odd. If there is a plexi top for it, I'd love to get one to install since it's easier to maintain and I don't have to worry about the overlay as much.

I’ve got the same model 2-slot as you just picked up (congrats BTW!) and it doesn’t have a plexi overlay. I haven’t seen any 2-slot with a plexi overlay before. I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen an original big red CP with plexi over it. They were all thin plastic overlays on the metal.
 

RondoX

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I’ve got the same model 2-slot as you just picked up (congrats BTW!) and it doesn’t have a plexi overlay. I haven’t seen any 2-slot with a plexi overlay before. I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen an original big red CP with plexi over it. They were all thin plastic overlays on the metal.


This is correct. I have a dedicated 2 slot I purchased over 20 years ago. And there is no plexi over the CP.
Hope this helps.
 
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