Namco System 246 Documentation Project

I've been conducting some independent research on the System 246 since there is next to NOTHING available online in terms of technical help. I plan on documenting the majority of my research here. Everything from software revisions, hardware revisions, artwork/manuals and software images will be discussed here. This is going to be ongoing, so please feel free to add info as you see fit and I'll work it into the master list. Due to the high amount of false information found on the internet, I can only assume that the majority of the information I read on 3rd party sites is false. I'll be documenting things that have been discovered first hand, which are known to be true.

Known Software Revisions

Capcom Fighting Jam Ver. ? (need to verify version)

Gundam AEUG Vs. Titans Ver. ? (need to verify)

Gundam AEUG Vs. Titans DX Ver. ? (need to verify)
Crappy kit photo, better one coming soon

Gundam Seed Destiny 2 Ver. ? (need to verify)
Kit pic A
Kit pic B
Kit pic C
Kit pic D

Wangan Midnight Ver. ? (need to verify)

Soul Calibur 2 Ver. A - This version features time release characters and play modes
The black disc is Ver. A

Soul Calibur 2 Ver. D - This version unlocks all characters and play modes from first boot. It also includes balance tweaks.
The Blue DVD is Ver. D

Tekken 4 Ver. B - This version features time release characters


DVD Drive Info
The DVD drive is a standard PC bay DVD drive with custom firmware. There are two different revision DVD drives. The earlier (first revision) drives are locked via firmware to the security dongle for the game they were supplied with. In other words, if you purchased a Software kit from Namco, it would include the DVD, Security Dongle and DVD drive. This became very costly for Namco, so they started offering "unlocked" DVD drives for $500 each. From what has been discovered, its safe to conclude that Toshiba and LG manufactured the DVD drives. There may be other brands that were used, but they are unconfirmed. I personally have two Toshiba drives, one black bezel and one beige. Both of the Toshiba are able to play any of the 246 software.

Here's the fun part that I discovered: the unlocked DVD drive CAN play DVD-r software flawlessly. This means its absolutely feasible to share different software revisions via the internet.

I'm currently in the process of dumping the firmware on the unlocked drives in hopes of upgrading standard PC samsung DVD drives into Namco 246/256 ones.


Security Dongle
The security Dongle comes in Sony Playstation 2 memory card packaging. The edge connector is identical, and thats where the PS2 similarities end. The actual PCB is much different from a PS2 memory card. There are more fuses present, as well as a different SOIC (?) memory chip on board. It is unknown if the chip that contains the security key is dumpable, chances are its a protected IC. Screen shots to come soon.

Some games (soul calibur 2 in perticular) come with a memory card in addition to the dongle. The memory card (in soul calibur 2's scenario) saves all of the information for conquest mode.


Software File Structure
System 246 DVD's can NOT be read by standard DVD players. It is possible to make an ISO using IMGBurn, which happens to be freeware. Once an ISO has been created, you can view the contents with PowerISO. The one disc that I have analyzed so far contains a "tekken4" folder, and the contents of the folder are one giant binary file. I'm assuming the entire file is an encrypted file system that gets decrypted with the security dongle.


Motherboard
There are 2 known revisions of the Motherboard at this time. Rev A, and Rev C. At this time, the only difference that I know of is Rev C boards come equipped with data (ethernet) ports for cabinet linking.
Rev. A Motherboard
Rev. C Motherboard

The Rev A 246 is a repackaged Playstation 2 (old style) main board. There is a gigantic heat sink that is not found on the PS2. In addition, there is a sub-pcb that plugs into the main board which splits off the JVS interface. Interestingly enough, the audio and video are transmitted from the multimedia port, which is identical to the ones found on playstation 2's. The controller port and memory card reader are present, and identical to the playstation 2. The dongle and memory card plug into the memory card ports 1 and 2. It is unknown if any software uses the joystick ports.

There is a network card used for game linking can be found in Rev. C motherboards. The network cable (generic cat 5) gets plugged into a Namco specific hub in order to support software linking. At this time, the only known supported cabinet link games are the Gundam series. You need a software and hardware set per player you wish to link in.
The hub is pictured here in the colorful box

The JVS add-on PCB allows for VGA connectivity, RCA Stereo ports and USB port for the JVS I/O. The Namco I/O utalizes a connector on the side of the motherboard for additional inputs. The power connector is located directly below the memory card/controller port. While this is technically JVS, the power input is only 5v/12v. 3.3v is not present, which is the JVS power standard. The motherboard is capable of outputting 15khz and 31khz. This is selectable via dip switch 1. Dip switches 2-4 have unknown functionality.

It is unknown at this time if the 246 has internal memory, or if the game settings and character unlock data is stored within the dongle. I have a hunch that the data is stored internally in the 246, not the dongle, however this is yet to be confirmed.

The motherboard and unlocked DVD drives are NOT region protected. I have run both Japanese and USA software on my setup. The region is determined from the software, presumably the security dongle.


JVS I/O
Contrary to popular belief, the System 246 is compatible with any and all JVS I/O PCB's that I have tested. This includes the Namco JVS System 246/256 I/O, Sega Jamma I/O (ver a and ver b), and the Capcom JVS I/O. In order to use 3rd party I/O devices, an additional power harness must be fabricated. There are official Namco JVS -> 246/256 power splitters, however they are very hard to find.
Power splitter
Power splitter manual page scan

The Namco I/O utalizes an auxiliary button harness. Its presumed to support only one additional button for tekken 4/5 and soul calibur 2/3, however this is unconfirmed. This I/O does NOT use a USB cable, which is the JVS standard. Instead, it uses a flat ribbon cable that plugs into the side of the 246.

You can utalize all auxiliary inputs using the Capcom I/O with a CPS2 kick harness. This works in all games, regardless of developer.


Loading software
Believe it or not, its an absolute pain to switch game from one to the other on the 246. I've found the following procedure to be relatively fool proof.
1: Boot the 246 with the game you wish to change out loaded.
2: Eject the DVD drive, and remove the old game. Replace the new games DVD into the tray. Close the DVD drive, power down the system.
3: With the power off, remove the dongle(s) from the memory card slot.
4: Wait at least 30 seconds with the system powered off. This step is crutial. If you power on too soon, the game will NOT load.
5: Turn on the power, and hope for the best (lol)
6: You should see a swirling "star" pattern which can take a few minutes to get past. After that, most games will either have a solid color screen (with no text), or a logo of sorts. In gundam, for example, the "loading now" text is all messed up. Do not worry about this, the game boots just fine once it gets past that.

Trouble shooting the boot process:
*If you hear an annoying buzzing sound from the speakers that loops, power down the system. When the game is off, remove and re-seat the dongle. Wait 30 seconds, and power on again.

*If you get the swirling star pattern, and it doesn't exit progress past that (sometimes takes up to 2 minutes), eject the DVD drive and re-seat the DVD disk. Power off the system and wait 30 seconds.

*If you get a JVS I/O error, power down the system. Unplug the USB cable from the 246 and from the I/O and plug them back in. Wait 30 seconds and power on again.

The thing to keep in mind here is the 246 has next to no error reporting. The system will sit there idle if there was an error with the boot process. It will appear to be loading, but in reality do nothing. Its a pain, but if you get the process down, its not so bad.


Project Goals
*Locate, dump and host all software revision DVD images (PM me for more info)
*Locate, scan and host all manual and art-set revisions
*Locate and document any and all unknown information
*Pending project interest, create a centralized website containing all the information I/we have gathered.
*Photograph all kits, hardware, option boards, etc. that exist
*Dump the unlocked DVD firmware binary, and flash to regular PC bay DVD drives.


Feel free to add more info. If you have questions, either ask them in this thread or PM me. A lot of the information that I'm trying to get into one spot is pending the assistance of the community, so please help out guys! I know there are quite a few Namco 246/256 owners out there, so step on up!

-Big Bill


Contribution Credits
system16.com - Rev A motherboard photo
Mayhem SWE - tons and tons of photos
Radiac - DVD manufacturer clarification

This is interesting. I would love to see some pictures of the mainboard/internals.

68k said:

This is interesting. I would love to see some pictures of the mainboard/internals.

Click to expand...

I'll get them up as soon as I find time to document my collection.

I can get pics of the following swagger:

246 system, inside and out
Beige DVD drive
Black DVD drive
Namco JVS I/O
Capcom I/O -> Namco 246 power adapter
Soul Calibur 2 USA kit + full art
Capcom Fighting Jam JPN kit + full art
Gundam AEUG VS Titans DX JPN kit + full art
Tekken 4 USA kit + full art
Gundam AEUG VS Titans JPN art set
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED : Federation Vs. Z.A.F.T. II JPN art set + poster set

I also have the original DVD's and dongles of the games I mentioned above. I have tekken 4's software dumped, and confirmed burnable/bootable. I'll dump the rest when I have time, as well as figure out a hosting solution for the images.

-B

First set of pictures that were gathered from various internet resources have been uploaded. Enjoy, LOTS more to come.

Also, just purchased namco246.com. My documentation will eventually live there when I get a chance to code everything.

-B

Awesome info, bill. I really love this system/series of systems. Thanks for the info.

Nvm, interest has sparked!

This kind of stuff is pretty interesting. i'll be checking this thread every now and then.

Good info here. I plan on purchasing this hardware in the near future. It will be nice to have some documentation. I hope your firmware trick works, I have seen several kits with dead drives

Good work!

Great Info!!
I just picked up a 246 and want to get Tekken 4. Does any one know where i can buy just the software??

iloveyourmom said:

Great Info!!
I just picked up a 246 and want to get Tekken 4. Does any one know where i can buy just the software??

Click to expand...

Its actually a cheaper game and can be found bellow $50 bucks so just keep an eye open.

I have a twin Wangan Midnight cab. It uses two 246s linked together. Currently the link feature is not working (hangs on boot), but the boards work fine independently. I'm not sure if I can offer any info of relevance for your project, but I'm willing to help wherever I can.

I'm very interested in your DVD drive project. My greatest fear is that several years down the road replacement drives will be scarce and my cab will be defunct. I'll be following your progress closely.

edit: speeling erorrz

I had my machine open yesterday and noticed that the DVD drives (on both boards) were made by LG. I was under the impression that the drives used were either Samsung or Toshiba.

The cab has a label that says it was made by Namco Europe, so maybe they used different brands of drives over there. Kinda weird.

Excellent findings Radiac!

Pictures of your cabinet, DVD drives, DVD discs and security dongles would be much appreciated. Also, if you could check what revision software you have (in the test menu generally), that would be great. Also, when photographing the DVD drives (if you can), try to get pics of the stickers that show the rom revision, manufacture date, etc.

About the DVD drives, I have two drives, both Toshiba brand. One of the drives has a beige bezel, the other has a black. Both of the drives are the "unlocked" ones, meaning they work with all 246 software that I've attempted to load. The "rom version" as stated on the sticker on the DVD drive is different.

Since I personally haven't seen a Samsung DVD drive, nor has one been reported, I'm going to take it off of the documentation for now, until we have solid proof they do exist.

Also, I found PC toshiba DVD drives from the same era, that have the same markings with different rom versions loaded. I'm going to pick one up to experiment with. I have a good feeling that these drives share a lot of the same innards, which would be great for finding spare motors, lasers, etc.

Finally, it should be noted that I successfully fixed a "broken" 246 dvd drive this weekend. When it arrived, the drive would not even turn on. I completely disassembled it, cleaned the laser, made sure the gears for the tray were on track, and put it all back together. What do you know, it worked like a charm after that. I didn't even need to adjust the intensity of the laser.

Thanks for the support guys, lets keep it going!
-Bill

Ok, here's some pics I took. I wasn't planning on opening her back up today, but I booted it up and the left side froze. I had the two sides linked together yesterday and ran the machine for about three hours with no problems, but today the thing locks up less than a minute into the attract screen.

A few things. I'm a little leery about pulling the DVD drives for pics as they seem to be working great right now. When one dies, I'll be sure to post pics of it when I pull it. I do have a new replacement drive ready in case of an emergency. It's a beige one and the manufacturer is listed as "Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Corporation" It was made in China (of course) and the model number is SD-M1802. Manufactured in July of 2006, it is version no. 050, ROM version 1036.

In the pics I took, I included every sticker that I could get a clear shot of. Both discs are the same, so I just snapped a pic of the one. The only info I found in the settings menu had to do with ROM versions. It said:

ROM1-WMN2-B -4/1/2002
ROM2-WMN2-A -11/28/2001

Interestingly enough, the power on time was different for each board. The right side had a time of 35, 89, XX, While the left side was 47, 32, XX

It would seem that this machine has had very little power on time, so I'm thinking that the LG drives are probably the originals even though the machine is 7 years old.

Another note, and probably part of my linking problem, is that the right side board runs slightly slower than the left one. This is most noticable when the two are linked up and running in attract mode. Perhaps the right one is on it's way out.

That's about all the info I have for now. If you have any other questions, just let me know. BTW, I'd be interested in any thoughts onmy linking dilemma.

Oh yeah, heres a pic of the cab.



Edit: I just wanted to make it clear that you can feel free to use any of my pics for your upcoming site.

Thank you so much for your contributions Radiac! I'll be sure to give you proper credits in the guide/website.

When I get a moment, I'll integrate all of the info/ pictures you've provided.

On the motherboards, did you by chance notice if it said anywhere "Version B" or "Rev. B"? I have pics of the Rev. A and Rev. C motherboard, I can only assume the driving game motherboards use Rev B, but dont' want to jump to any conclusions.

My best guess about the game freezing is either you have a DVD drive that is slowly dying, and can't keep up, or one of the power supplys isn't outputting enough juice. Check both of those.

Thanks again, we need more people stepping up to the plate as you have! Now, I just need to get motivated and photograph my 246 stuffs.

-Bill

Excellent post and a hello.

I just got a system 246 today. And I was searching online for a place such as this.

I am not sure if my 246 even works yet, I don't have a monitor, and am missing the 56way JAMMA cable, and the 4+10way AMP EI cables.
I am sure I can get the cables sorted.

Any good places where I can score a cheap monitor?

If you want pictures and info, don't be afraid to ask. And when/if I get the system running, I will be happy to assist with anything else.

One thing I can help (possibly) is with the dip switch information, according the manual I have. Obviously it is different than yours but still may be useful:


MD

That's an awesome piece of information Bill.
Thanks a lot for all those who want to jump into this well-known system.

The US version of Tekken5 cabinets used the joysticks ports, and the joystick ports were accessible on the cabinet itself.

@ laugh:

I believe Tekken 5 runs on System 256, not the 246. Unless of course you ment Tekken 4?


Also, I have a few questions in regards to the 246. First of all I am interested in upgrading my 246 with the "unlocked" drive. As I would like to purchase other games for the unit.

I have found this Namco (LG) drive, and just want to make sure this is the one in question.
http://www.betson.com/products/amusement/IMP-44-9010-05

I have been looking around all over for software only vendors (everywhere seems to always be kits). Only place that has one game is www.coinopexpress.com.

And it is a Capcom game. I have heard that 3rd party developers possibly edit the hardware a bit?

Anyone know of any other vendors? The Namco site is absolutely ridiculous to try and find anything.

Thanks in advance, and I apologize for littering this thread with these questions (I am not permitted to post new threads).

MD

Damn fine posting!

I noticed a few posts up that the original threader was concerned at the then lack of interest, well I have just joined this site on the back of his post as it's a subject I am very interested in. Not only that, but I've sent a link to a much more knowledgable friend of mine who PM'd me to say he'd consider registering and posting too!

I have a Namco System 246, which I purchased (via my mate mentioned) from Yahoo Japan. It came with 2 x Gundam titles, dongles, Namco Jamma I/O and cables. Sadly it lacked a DVD unit, so I am very interested in the PC <firmware> root.

Keeping a very close eye on this one...

Out of interest, as the motherboard has a standard Playstation 2 multi-av out, has anyone simply tried hooking it up to a PS2 cable and seeing what output (if any) occurs? Just curious. I have been told that most arcade material outputs in RGB.

Thanks for a fantastic bit of work and all those contributing!

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q265/Parris1972/NamcoSystem246.jpg

Hello there,

I have 3 System 246, rev. A, B and C and some spare parts lying around.

The rev. B I have is for the game Vampire Night 3, I don't have the game sadly.

I'll make better pictures later if needed.

I have the following games, Tekken 4, Gundam AEUG vs. Titans and Capcom Fighting Jam, not complete sets except for Gundam.

Here you can find Namco's arcade manuals:
http://namco.co.uk/bandainamcogames/technical-manuals/namco.html

Bill, I have no problems reading 246 games in my regular dvd drives, maybe you have a problem with yours, or they're old...

Very interested to see if we can actually convert regular dvd drives for use in a 246. I'm looking at getting a tekken 4 cab soon and would love to be able to use off the shelf drives in case any thing were to break.

Also would anyone happen to know a good place to find a wangan midnight dvd and security IC?

Hey guys-

Just wanted to let everyone know that this project is far from dead. I haven't had the time to upload the photos of the 246 stuff that I have, but I'll get to it soon.

Thanks for everyone who contributed so far! Also, thanks to those that signed up on neo-geo.com specifically to post in this thread. Welcome!

A significant update will be coming shortly, stay tuned.

-Bill

unclejun said:

Bill, I have no problems reading 246 games in my regular dvd drives, maybe you have a problem with yours, or they're old...

Click to expand...

Hmm thats odd. The DVD drive I tried to read it in was my Pioneer 115D, which is less than a month old. I was able to see the title of the disc, however the drive timed out when I went to try and view the file structure. I was able to duplicate my games no problem on this drive. Which drive are you reading them in? I'm wondering if its a variant of the drives used in the actual hardware...

Also, thank you so much for the rev. B PCB picture! If you can, could you please post a picture of the front of the PCB (where you plug all of the connectors into)?

Thanks for the contribution!
-B

MDizzle said:

Also, I have a few questions in regards to the 246. First of all I am interested in upgrading my 246 with the "unlocked" drive. As I would like to purchase other games for the unit.

I have found this Namco (LG) drive, and just want to make sure this is the one in question.
http://www.betson.com/products/amusement/IMP-44-9010-05

Click to expand...

Hello and thanks for your input! No worries on posting questions here, I'll do my best to answer them.

About the betson DVD drive, I contacted them a few months back, and did not get a reply. At the time, they had two Namco DVD drives listed for sale. One was $75, the other $250. I'm not sure if it was an error or what. Might be best to call them.

I know one seller on ebay 828amusement has had a few NOS 246/256 DVD drives for sale. His asking price is about $150 shipped if I remember correctly. I have never dealt with 828amusement, however their feedback seems pretty solid.

Hope that helps,
-B