Neo Geo MVS-2 mini 13 questions!!!!?

Hello guys!

WOW I cant believe I can finally post! haha...

First a little back story. I dreamt about owning a Neo Geo since I was a kid. Finally landed my dream job at EA and now I am am blowing all my money on consoles and games I always wanted, but never owned. Just bought my modded AES from Neotropolis and managed to find a MVS-2 mini for sale in great condition, so of course I had to buy it.

It's mini!



Here are some shots of the actual cab I purchased.




I have several questions concerning this little guy, but keep in mind this is the first arcade cab I have owed, so please dont hit me with vague terminology that only a seasoned MAME veteran would know. I am not a total idiot though, having built several PCs.

First off, this monitor is tiny! Only 13 inches, but there seems to be plenty of room for a bigger monitor. I want to shove in the biggest/best monitor I can with the most input options available. I am hoping to fit maybe a 19-20 inch widescreen LCD. I have browsed over the monitors at...

http://www.happcontrols.com/monitors/monitors.htm

but I dunno what the hell I am looking at. Its not like buying a PC or television monitor. Also, an important thing I should note... I want to shove one of these guys...

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=ddcwua1&cs=19&dgvcode=ss&c=US&l=EN&dgc=SS&cid=27399&lid=627062

...somewhere in the cab and also use this this thing as a MAME cab. So I want this monitor to be biggest most optimal one for use with the stock MVS and also pc compatible. What do you guys recommend? How big of a monitor can I fit? LCD or CRT? Will that tiny pc work? If I get a widescreen monitor I dont want native 4:3 games to stretch, but obviously want 16:9 games to fill the whole screen, is this possible? How would i go about switching video sources between my mvs and mame pc? The cab is being shipped as we speak, so I cant give you guys any measurements.

Answers to any of the questions would be a great help.

You don't want LCD for NEO because it won't look right. These games were built to be displayed on CRTs, and when you have it up and running on an LCD the image quality deteriorates.

I am assuming most people are going to recommend that I stick with CRT, but that being the case.. what am I looking for? Again I want the biggest screen I can cram in, but also have the ability to connect a pc and play roms....

recommendations?

Never ever mention a pc in a neocab for playing teh romz!
Blasphemy i tell you

If you are really interested in playing mame and you want a larger monitor, just get another cab with a bigger spot for a monitor.

I get it, LCD bad, CRT good. But can anyone link me to a recommended monitor for my MVS, that will fill the space and also allows for PC connectivity? Does such a specific arcade monitor even exist with these capabilities?

@ratson - I knew this might offend a few purists haha

@bendor - Yeah I could do that... but I really like the form factor of the mini. Its one of the main reasons I bought it and not the full sized 4 slot that was also available. So having 2 arcades cabs, one being full size isn't really an option. So if I going to have one arcade in my living room, I want to get as much out of it as possible.

Thanks!

That's my dream cab...

What did it cost you?

Leave it the way it is. They already made them perfect. There are dozens of great Neo games, more than enough to warrant one (or several) dedicated Neo cabs.

As much as I hate emulation I can honestly say that isn't a good candidate cab for MAME. You're going to want at least 6 buttons per player and MAME control buttons at a minimum, and possibly a sliding keyboard tray, spinner, or track ball if you go crazy. Where would you possibly put them on a mini? You're going to need a cab with a much larger cp and body that is easier to mod. There simply isn't room on that cab to do what you want. To attempt what you are proposing you will just end up fucking up a perfectly good Neo mini with results you will be disappointed with.

I stumbled on this website while randomly searching for mvs cart info. I wasn't even shopping for cabs. I got it for $450!!! Thats why I had to buy it. Same guy is selling a 4 slot for $750!

http://lyonsarcade.com/games/NeoGeo4Slot.html

It says $799 but they are having a "spring sale" and taking $50 off all machines.

They only charged $150 to ship to my door. South Carolina to Orlando.

Argggh... I knew I would get more preaching rather than answers haha! I understand everyones love for keeping things stock though.

I should have mentioned before that I will not modify this thing in anyway that wont allow me to configure it back in stock form if I choose to do so at a later date. So you Neo Geo conservationist can rest easy.

If a MAME rom requires more buttons or a track ball than my cab has, well I wont be playing that game then. I am not going to make any cosmetic changes. Just a monitor swap. Preferably one that also has pc inputs.

Ok, so lets pretend I never mentioned MAME. What is the biggest monitor that I can probably put in this thing?(*NOTE - I will keep and store away the factory 13" monitor)

Upon searching the web, I found a guy who refurbished his mini and he tried to put a 19" but it didnt fit. He obviously knew what he was doing and if he had even a twinkling of hope that a 19" crt would fit, then surely there is a 17"- 19" monitor that will??

http://driph.com/words/2008/10/neo-geo-mvs-2-13-restoration/

I sent the guy an email a few days ago(because it took forever to get permission to post here) but he hasn't responded yet. The search continues!

Please help guys! Maybe bribery works? I'll buy carts off you I promise haha!

chris1 said:

That's my dream cab...

What did it cost you?

Click to expand...

Ditto...along with a MS. Pacman Cocktail cab...those two cabs are the Holy Grail for me.

Back on topic please! Monitor swap recommendations please!?

I'd tell you to buy a larger Wells-Gardner monitor, but it's probably cheaper just to find a normal sized cab instead, which includes said monitor. The problem with a 17 or 19 inch is that they don't have enough resolution, so the picture quality is still fuzzy.

Sure I have seen some of the wells gardner monitors, but I am trying to get opinions on which specific model from which specific manufacturer meets my requirements.

Are standard PC CRT monitors compatible with the MVS? I have no idea what type of cabling is used for this type of connection. Is it VGA? RGB? Something proprietary to arcades?

I've seen a few minis in person, and I'd bet that the stock monitor is the size that it is because that's the size that fits. Like I said before, what you're trying to do will end up being expensive and disappointing. Why make a 4 button MAME cab with a tiny screen? You're limiting the games you can play, which kind of defeats the purpose.

My suggestion is to buy a regular size woodie junker for a few bucks and fix it up. It will be cheaper and will net you better results. I know this is not the answer you want to hear, but it's an honest one from someone who has both restored and converted many woodies.

zapatistab said:

Ditto...along with a MS. Pacman Cocktail cab...those two cabs are the Holy Grail for me.

Click to expand...

Yes,the Ms Pac Man Cocktail cab was my dream cab too..but I fullfilled that part of the dream...


................
sWIRLEE.

IMO ..I'd sell cab and buy a Full size cab,even if it's missing a monitor..Since your already going to buy a monitor..You could snag a used 25 inch monitor cheap..or maybe go the LCD roure with Mame..
I don't know mame,My Brother in law is currently building a Mame cab out of a generic cab he picked up cheap..(South Jersey)..He has a full basement arcade of the classics but none of those cabs will see mame..

You should be able to get a full size,general use,Dynamo with jamma set up for the same price you paid for that cab..Just a regular cab that holds a 25inch monitor.
The last two full sized(nice) cabs I sold were fully working and sold for less then $300.00..The Tekken 3 .I broke up ,sold the parts and kept the monitor as spare..
I could not Give the cab away..

The lil cab just isn't going be big enough for what you want to do..Even if it wasn't an MVS mini,it's just to small..

As Jaelus said>

My suggestion is to buy a regular size woodie junker for a few bucks and fix it up. It will be cheaper and will net you better results. I know this is not the answer you want to hear, but it's an honest one from someone who has both restored and converted many woodies.

Click to expand...

I don't know that lil cab to be of help..If I got one then i'd be going nuts on how to find out everything on it,ge a repro CP and everything it needs to restore it..
http://www.hardmvs.com/xml/usa/usCabs.htm

I understand and appreciate the honest feedback.

Forget I ever mentioned MAME. I would probably never have time to research and hook up all thats required to make one. I really do think a bigger monitor will fit though. Especially an LCD.

As I mentioned before I am having an AES modded for component out and I have seen screenshots of these systems running on large plasma/lcd monitors and they look great.

Wouldn't I be able to just disconnect the stock 13" CRT and hook up the MVS to one of my computer LCDs via component, just to see how it looks? I still have no idea what type of connection goes from the MVS board to the monitor. Is it component? Something proprietary to arcades?

OK guys, I have done a bit of research and have discovered this converter.

http://www.jammaboards.com/store/cga/ega/yuv-to-vga-converter-pcb-gbs-8220/prod_291.html



So it looks like I might be going LCD after all. I wont have to worry about space and I can find cheap 19" LCDs all day long.

Towards the bottom of the converters page, someone specifically mentioned using this converter with his 25" MVS cab to upgrade to an LCD. He said the setup was easy.

So who out there is using this thing or knows how to? I am still unsure what type of video connection outputs from the MVS board. Is it RGB?

That would mean all I would have to do is connect the RGB out from the board to the converter and have VGA from the converter connected to the LCD. Then power the thing. Thats the part I am questioning the most. How/where would this converter get power? Is there like, "spare molex" connectors from the arcades power supply similar to a PC?

I am surprised none of you guys mentioned this converter before. Instead it was attempts to convince me how hard it would be to upgrade the monitor. The hardest thing in my mind would be mounting the LCD, which would require a few pieces of scrap lumber, wood screws and about an hour.

Anyway. Who is using this converter. Is it as simple to connect as I am assuming?

It's generally considered that a CRT will always give you a superior picture. It's hit or miss with the Neo on a flat screen, however, it is possible to get a good picture. Because the sync output is slightly off from NTSC, some LCDs have problems displaying the image (it will be jerky or scroll). Some are fine, however. Some tvs also end up looking blocky and there's nothing you can do about it.

Xian Xi has a thread up here about what tvs are good or have compatibility problems, so you should look through there before you buy one. The other option is to run it through a converter that also cleans the sync, so look for one with that feature. I found the XRGB-2 plus worked wonders (outputs in VGA).

Jaelus -

I came across that compatible tv thread before. Doesnt help much since it is focused on televisions not PC monitors.

A "blocky" picture is what I am after! Check out these links.

http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=193&title=Seeing%20is%20Believing:%20Video%20Connections

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=13141

Both are Sega related, using s-video or component cables and both render pixel perfect pictures! I want "blocky" pixel perfect picture. I turn off that crappy smooth rendering pass thats usually default when playing downloadable classic 2d sprite based games currently available on xbox live. Marvel vs Capcom 2 for example.

I have a pioneer 61" plasma as my primary TV, model PRO1410HD. New, this TV cost over $20,000 retail. <--- no not a typo, $20K!

I am having an AES modded with component video out, as we speak. I am assuming there will be no issues with a television of this caliber. But I know I cant be sure.

What is confusing me now is why are you mentioning this XRGB-2 thing? Doesn't the device I just posted links from jammaboards do exactly what I am after? RGB to VGA? And for only roughly $60

Remember I am merely trying connect a PC LCD monitor to my stock MVS.

Here is what one person wrote in the comments section for this little piece of hardware.

"I used one of these to replace a 25 inch monitor in my Neo MVS cabinet. I'm using this board with a 24 inch LCD PC monitor and it looks amazing! The board worked the first time i powered it up and have had NO issues! this is a great product and is an easy and cheap fix for old games giving you the ability to add an off the shelf PC monitor in the cabinet instead of buying very expensive arcade monitors!"

Seems pretty straightforward. Not sure why everyone is making such a fuss. Just go buy one of these little guys. It auto-detects and up-converts your CGA, EGA, VGA, or YUV Component video to a higher selectable resolution VGA device.

Oh no I don't mean blockly like that. That's exactly what you want it to look like. I mean blocky as in pixelated scaling errors that mess up the aspect. The graphics will not look good.

As for the tv thread, there's not much of a difference between a tv and a pc monitor anymore - especially ones with a native VGA input. Having the neo look good on other monitors (especially of the same size and type) from the same manufacturer is a good sign it might look good on a similar model.

The jammaboards unit could be really good. I don't know as I haven't personally used one. I didn't see any mention of it having a sync cleaner though. Back when I had an AES I modded it with one of the neobitz boards for component out and it looked fantastic. Then I had the component out into the XRGB-2 and output it to my 50" plasma. The thing about the XRGB-2 is that you have a ton of options for tweaking the video output so it looks best on your tv. That unit is proven to deliver. With the jammaboards unit it may look good or not on your tv and you'd pretty much be stuck with it.

I'm gonna second what some have said: buy yourself a bigger cab.

The 2-slot mini is a gorgeous little cab. The 13" monitor is perfect because it displays Neo without any blemishes. 20 year old games look as good as the day they come out with no sprite issues or any faults blown up to be seen on a 25-36" monitor. Get a 25" Big Red or a Candy and you'll be set. Keep this gem stock!

Man that cabinet looks so nice .. Congrats

Thanks for the cab compliments guys. Other than a bit of dust, it appears to be in great shape.

From the pics I can tell I am going to want to replace the plexi around the controls and maybe get new decals around the controls. Maybe some LED lit buttons as well. Everything else looks pretty pristine. I will post higher quality pics once I have it in my possession.

Can anybody tell me why there are two holes on the front of the cab around the coin door? Kinda sucks that they are there. Cant be for ventilation could it? Seems too small for that.

sWIRLEE said:

Thanks for the cab compliments guys. Other than a bit of dust, it appears to be in great shape.

From the pics I can tell I am going to want to replace the plexi around the controls and maybe get new decals around the controls. Maybe some LED lit buttons as well. Everything else looks pretty pristine. I will post higher quality pics once I have it in my possession.

Can anybody tell me why there are two holes on the front of the cab around the coin door? Kinda sucks that they are there. Cant be for ventilation could it? Seems too small for that.

Click to expand...

The 2 holes were probably used for a metal strip over the coin door,for extra safety against theft of the coins(damn my stoner english,but you get the point right? )