Noobie disaster

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Hi guys, this is my first post so please be kind. Im also a noob with big fancyful ideas, like the mess im asking foe help with today.

So i have an aes, bought at a bootsale and came with one game, the console surprisingly kinda worked but had graphical errors, sprites were ok but backgrounds missing stuff like that.

So i decided that i would try and put in a bios socket, so i could use a diag chip.

Here i was too confident and screwed up tracks and made a complete mess, in the end i got the socket on but i had to fix a bunch of traces and done my best.

I checked for shorts and i have triple checked my wiring and all seems fine. My question is this if i break a trace should i connect back to the via it was originally going to or directly to another point?

The console now no longer boots and has a black screen and ticking. To say im gutted is an understatement. I have only the bios i burned which is an diag bios and a unibios 3.3 but im also not sure that i have burned them correctly. I dont know where to start. Any advice would be great.

Thanks

Brian
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BIG BEAR

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The wire you are using is too thick. It's best to use 30 AWG. Then go here:
http://www.jamma-nation-x.com/jammax/tutorials.html click on Neo Geo,then AES and then click AES Bios Pinout because I'm pretty sure you missed some connections.
What's more messed up is that he DIAG BIOS probably wouldn't be able to help you identify the problem sense the unit was pretty much functioning. What you should have done is cut on the AES with no cart inserted to see if you got any other color than a solid blue.
If you are not sure that the diag and uni-bios are functioning properly,place the original bios in the socket.If the clicking persist,you missed one or more connections.
BB
 
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Neo Alec

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I've fixed a socket like this before. It doesn't matter if you connect the wire to a via or the final destination. Do whatever is easier. If you check off the list verifying connectivity of where all the pins need to be connected to using a multimeter, you should be able to get it working again.

To all noobs looking to change the bios, I can definitely say this from experience: DO NOT attempt to remove the AES bios without a high quality desoldering iron (vacuum style) a steady hand, and plenty of experience! You will break a nice piece of hardware!
 
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GohanX

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I've fixed a socket like this before. It doesn't matter if you connect the wire to a via or the final destination. Do whatever is easier. If you check off the list verifying connectivity of where all the pins need to be connected to using a multimeter, you should be able to get it working again.

To all noobs looking to change the bios, I can definitely say this from experience: DO NOT attempt to remove the AES bios without a high quality desoldering iron (vacuum style) a steady hand, and plenty of experience! You will break a nice piece of hardware!

Been there, done that, had to send it to Jeff to fix :keke:
 
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Thanks everyone for the info, im off tomorrow so going to attempt again in the morning (gmt). Using the pinout i can check continuity and i found my 30awg wire. I will post progress tomorrow.


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Xian Xi

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Put a socket first, then patch the traces. Use a multimeter to make sure each pin is connected to all things listed on the pinout.
 

GohanX

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Jeff will probably say to send it to James

Well yeah, this was back in like 2002 or something, and I'm pretty sure he only did it because I was a friend of Bonuskun or something.
 

Neodogg

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Well yeah, this was back in like 2002 or something, and I'm pretty sure he only did it because I was a friend of Bonuskun or something.

has nothing to do with the potential of a samich and a handy...
 
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Ok, i have continuity checked the pin outs and every point is connected, i have double checked. I know i used the wrong size wire but would that stop it booting? As i said i burned a unibios but not sure if i done correctly is there any guides. the original bios was damaged beyond repair so im kinda stuck.

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Another update, im really confused now, i re done the wiring using 30 awg and used my usual megadrive psu and got the black screen clicking. So i as a test used a multi adapter (center neg)set to 5v 2A. And got this with a game in but if you power off then on again you get black screen no clicking. If i up the voltage to 6v its back to black screen clicking.
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BIG BEAR

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The original adapter you used is fine.Do not use anything other than that.You are missing a bad trace or two points are touching (two points are sharing the same connection).
BB
 
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Arghhhhh, i have now checked that pinout 5 times everything is connected. I agree there must be a short somewhere but i have checked everything and i cant find it. Could this bridging work? Also can i burn an original bios.bin file say from a emulator with myprogrammer and use that? As im still not sure if its the unibios image thats not right.

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Neo Alec

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Sure, burn an original bios. But if you don't trust your Unibios burn, I'm not sure how that's any better.

Play with pins 38, 39 and 40 as Xian suggested. Then re-check that all pins are connected and not connected to each other.
 
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Ok big thanks, i found the kulprit, it was a shorting trace. So im now back to my original fault, the reason for my botch. In the pictures this shows graphics problems when playing a game the white lines seemed to vanish when i used my original megadrive psu but the sprite/background errors are the same. Without a game the screen is white, but im not sure that means anything with a unibios.

Remember im a noob so dont know what to do from here. Again big thanks for all the help thus far.

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BIG BEAR

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Burn an original BIOS 1st and install it to see what kind of solid color your system displays when you turn it on with no cartridge inserted.
BB
 
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Burn an original BIOS 1st and install it to see what kind of solid color your system displays when you turn it on with no cartridge inserted.
BB

i installed an original bios and when i first turned it on was solid blue, after about 5 mins it started to flash alternate blue/green then went grean with a few artifacts her and there. I look this up is this bad pallate ram?
 
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I have also checked the pinouts for both "color rams" and all are connected fine, does this mean its a dead ram chip?
 

BIG BEAR

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What are we looking at here?? It looks like the screen is stretched and partial bg is missing?? Snap a photo of the component side of your AES.. Also, what is the revision number (AES-????) located on the right side edge of the socket?
BB
 
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What are we looking at here?? It looks like the screen is stretched and partial bg is missing?? Snap a photo of the component side of your AES.. Also, what is the revision number (AES-????) located on the right side edge of the socket?
BB
I think the stretching is the tv as this is normal on my rgb monitor. But yes missing backgrounds and foreground sprites. The AES is 3-4
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BIG BEAR

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The colors would be off with palette ram so it's not that. Check the two video rams @ k & j7 labeled 5863
BB
 
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Is there a pinout for them?


I have searched high and low around the net for a pin out, with no luck. I have continuity checked all connections from the 5853's to the LSPC2 and all are connecting fine. Best I could tell all traces look good, is there anything else I should be looking for?
 
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