MVS Component Level Repairs

[channelmaniac]

Hey guys,

After repairing boards for myself and for others I've decided to come up with some rates for repairs.

If you have a sick MVS system you want repaired they are:

Video RAM Error (CXK5814) - $35 (includes socketing chips and repairing bad traces)

Video/Main(Program)/Backup RAM (surface mount) - $40 (includes repairing bad traces)

Battery Replacement - $30 (or... additional $10 if you want it done in conjunction with other services)

These prices do NOT cover previous repair attempts or repairs due to leaky batteries and traces damaged by that. Those will be quoted separately.

Top boards repaired too, but those aren't on a flat rate since they do require a lot of troubleshooting.

If you have a 2 board set I'll need both the top and bottom boards to make sure there isn't a problem with the other board.

Prices do not include shipping or insurance. If you want to take the risk of shipping them to me and from me to you without insurance then that is YOUR risk and not mine. (Yes... I actually have people that want expensive boards shipped without insurance - Why? Who knows...)

If you have questions, feel free to PM me.

RJ

[Grimspoon]

If I had a 4-slot with one of the slots damaged - broken/bent pins. Would that be a feasible repair?

[channelmaniac]

Originally Posted by Grimspoon

If I had a 4-slot with one of the slots damaged - broken/bent pins. Would that be a feasible repair?

Yup!

I have a 4 slot top board for parts and can swap over sockets from it for $40 plus shipping.

RJ

[Gavrilo Princip]

How about a 2-slot with a jacked-up memory card port?
(This happened before I owned it while on location in an MVS cab).

[channelmaniac]

Bent pins on the memory card port?

I have a 4 slot top/bottom board, a 1 slot, and a 2 slot newer style for parts...

The 2 slot has an intact memory slot that I can swap over to your board. $35.

RJ

[RyogAkari]

This sounds AWESOME. I'll definetely keep you in mind if something happens to my boards. G/L with your sales!

[68k]

This is great, and definitely a needed service.

I wish I had an SMD rework station

[channelmaniac]

Thanks guys!

I paid $700 for the station back in '99. I knew the history of it since I bought it from the place I used to work for and I was the tech that used it. They paid $2500 for it when they bought it new. It came with lots of spare tips and parts that were worth even more.

I used to make lots of money with that station back in the days when 32Mb 72pin SIMMs were still worth money. I'd take the 4Mb 30 pin SIMMs and pull the 16Mb chips off of them and transfer them to blank boards to make 32Mb 72pin ones.

Hardware hacking for fun and profit.

I'm a geek and there's a certain rush in taking something dead and bringing it back to life. Some boards are more challenging than others - it all depends on the symptoms and if someone's attempted to repair the board. I'm shipping two boards back to a guy in Michigan today - one of which he attempted to repair himself. I had to repair damaged traces on that one. Ouch.

I'm trying to document some of the repairs in the Tech Support forum so others that have the soldering skills can bring their boards back to life.

Raymond

[Circa2113]

Do you repair other boards besides MVS?

I have a simpsons, raiden fighters, x-men and a few others that are currently paperweights.

[68k]

I might have you do some things to my Xbox.

Most notably a RAM upgrade and CPU upgrade (both soldered to the board. The CPU is a standard mobile PIII cpu).

[channelmaniac]

Is it a BGA CPU?

I don't have the tools to do BGA soldering as it requires a special iron and a re-balling kit.

(insert joke here about re-balling)

RJ

[68k]

Originally Posted by channelmaniac

Is it a BGA CPU?

I don't have the tools to do BGA soldering as it requires a special iron and a re-balling kit.

(insert joke here about re-balling)

RJ

Bah! OK then, the CPU upgrade is out.

Can you still do the Xbox RAM upgrade (this is *needed* for MAME).

I would be providing spare chips for you to solder to the empty pads on the board (see below)

[channelmaniac]

PQFP chips aren't too bad to solder in - especially with big pins and lots of spacing like those have. The ones I hate are the ones with .5mm pin spacing. They are a bitch.

Do you know if any jumper resistors need to be installed or moved to have it recognize the extra RAM? Soldering chips is soldering chips but this will be the first XBOX for me to work on and I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of expanding RAM on them.

RJ

[68k]

Originally Posted by channelmaniac

PQFP chips aren't too bad to solder in - especially with big pins and lots of spacing like those have. The ones I hate are the ones with .5mm pin spacing. They are a bitch.

Do you know if any jumper resistors need to be installed or moved to have it recognize the extra RAM? Soldering chips is soldering chips but this will be the first XBOX for me to work on and I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of expanding RAM on them.

RJ

Nope. Just solder them in and it works.

Of course you need a modded Xbox in order to verify it's working (which this is). Some MAME ROMS will not load unless you have an Xbox upgraded to 128 MB of RAM.

[channelmaniac]

Originally Posted by Circa2113

Do you repair other boards besides MVS?

I have a simpsons, raiden fighters, x-men and a few others that are currently paperweights.

Hey Circa,

It depends on what's wrong with them and if I can get parts or schematics for them.

Luckily the schematics for Simpsons are available online.

Games can be repaired without them but schematics do make it easier.

RJ

[Circa2113]

Originally Posted by channelmaniac

Hey Circa,

It depends on what's wrong with them and if I can get parts or schematics for them.

Luckily the schematics for Simpsons are available online.

Games can be repaired without them but schematics do make it easier.

RJ

That's cool. I was thinking of posting a thread in tech support today for some troubleshooting. Feel free to diagnose.

[N80G80]

Free Bump for Ray...he fixed my shit(4 slot board) and did a great job!

[channelmaniac]

Bump... I just got in a shipment of 50 surface mount 256k SRAM ICs.

RJ

[FalcomAdol]

Would it be possible to wire up an SRAM chip to the memory car port on a 2-slot?

Not sure if I'd want to, just thinking about the feasibility of such a task.

[channelmaniac]

Anything is possible... the question is... how much time would it take and how much would it cost?

Something like that would have to be researched. Basically you'd wire it up like the insides of an SRAM card is wired, complete with backup battery.

RJ

[FalcomAdol]

Hm, yeah, if the battery would be needed, then you're talking about a big pain in the ass, and probably not worth the effort anyway.

[channelmaniac]

Easier to by a mem card and put a new battery in it.

[channelmaniac]

*bump*

[channelmaniac]

Bump!

I have a broken 1 slot and a 4 slot board coming in from eBay purchases... once they are fixed I'll be selling them.

I also have another 4 slot that I've repaired and as soon as I get time to test it I'll list it for sale too. Probably be next weekend.

In stock:

New NiCD batteries (the type from the older 1 slots, not the pancake type from the 4/6 slot) - These will fit the 4 slot and 2 slot stacked boards. I haven't tried them with the 6 slot and am not sure if they will fit.

*edit* They will not fit the 6 slot board. The pins sticking down from the chips on the top board prevent the battery from fitting. I'm researching alternatives.

New 2k x 8bit SRAM (pin compatible with the CXK-5814 chips)

New 256k SRAM (pin compatible with the surface mount 62256 ICs) chips

I also have a small quantity of the 60 pin memory card connectors (new) if your Neo Geo MVS board has broken sockets on it. (These are the ones that allow you to connect up the MV-IC board)

I haven't put the 256k SRAM, memory card connectors, or the NiCD batteries on the web site yet. That will probably get done next weekend too.

RJ

[totoroslayer]

Do you know if the edge connectors (slots for the cartridges) are a standard/easy to get part? I've got a couple of slots on my 4 slot that need some jiggling and coaxing to get to work (or it my just be my carts). If I can't get new ones, is there any way to bend the pins back to make better contact? Also, what's the deal with the batteries? What do they keep track of? How long do they last? And which different models use which different batteries?

Lots of questions, I know. But I really have been pretty curious.

Thanks a bunch,
-T