Source for replacement MVS board slots?

[tenfresh]

After years of traffic the slots in my MVS cab are getting problematically finicky; particularly the heavy-use front one. Cleaning the contacts seems to only make a nominal improvement anymore.

I'm presuming that the contacts just bent back too loose at this point and it's time to replace the parts. Or as anyone worked out a trick for bending them out? I confess I haven't pulled one off yet to see if there's a way to do it easily from underneath.

So far I've had no luck finding a source for that part new; which seems preferable over removing them from a used board. (or replacing the board entirely)

Any tips/info/suggestions for breathing new life into these slots would be appreciated!

(That's what she said)

 

[tenfresh]

To partially answer my own question: In doing some more deep reading here and elsewhere I did find more people reporting that the MVS slots seem less able to take a lot of cart swapping than the AES ones.

Wasn't able to find any source for new ones; they don't seem to be out there. Salvaging them from another used board with unknown history doesn't seem like such a hot solution.

The best solution to the issue though seems to be to buy at 161-in-1 cart to reduce cart swapping.

 

[Xian Xi]

Try sending DavidG a PM, he bought some new ones for his Daedalus converter run so maybe he knows were to get the 1-2lb force ones you need.

 

[malignantpoodle]

I did a little fix on a board that had some really damaged pins on the end that weren't making contact.

Pins were loose and bent away from the point of contact, and bending them back only worked temporarily. So, what I did was take some solid copper wire and insert it behind the problem pins. I then flowed a small amount of solder to the back of the pin where it made contact with the wire. This filled the space behind the pin preventing it from moving away from the point of contact and becoming loose.

Problem solved. Carts fit a little bit tighter than they used to but it works every time now.

 

[tenfresh]

Try sending DavidG a PM, he bought some new ones for his Daedalus converter run so maybe he knows were to get the 1-2lb force ones you need.

That's a fantastic suggestion man; he definitely seems like the man who would know!

 

[tenfresh]

I did a little fix on a board that had some really damaged pins on the end that weren't making contact.

Pins were loose and bent away from the point of contact, and bending them back only worked temporarily. So, what I did was take some solid copper wire and insert it behind the problem pins. I then flowed a small amount of solder to the back of the pin where it made contact with the wire. This filled the space behind the pin preventing it from moving away from the point of contact and becoming loose.

Problem solved. Carts fit a little bit tighter than they used to but it works every time now.

If I can't get my hands on new slots feasibly that's a really good call as well. A little bit of work but not too bad, especially to snug up slot 1, which really gets the most use.

 

[tenfresh]

Try sending DavidG a PM, he bought some new ones for his Daedalus converter run so maybe he knows were to get the 1-2lb force ones you need.

Dave says that the slots on the Daedalus won't quite fit an MV4 board (besides having 5lb force), but that he expects to have some made that are the exact spec for the board in a few months and to check back with him.

Thanks again for the suggestion!

I just imagine that somewhere in a dark corner of an old snk warehouse is a box with dozens of replacement slots that will never see the light of day.

 

[Alpha Skyhawk]

Dave says that the slots on the Daedalus won't quite fit an MV4 board (besides having 5lb force), but that he expects to have some made that are the exact spec for the board in a few months and to check back with him.

Freakin' sweet. I'd love to stock up on a few slots.

 

[mjs256]

I have never ordered anything from them, but sullins makes connectors that look a lot like neo geo ones.

http://www.sullinscorp.com

I'm not sure they stock ones with 120 contacts, but you could ask.

 

[jbroderway]

Now I'm paranoid that this will happen to me. Cripes.

 

[DavidG]

SNK went with a few companies over the years. JST USA was the main supplier and I feel made the best version of the MVS connector. The ones you find on MV1B and MV1C are JST's. JST no longer makes anything close to this connector and regardless of how much you wish to spend with them they are not interested in making more. I told them I would order whatever number was required to get it done and they still refused.

Edac Canada - A really great group of people, by far the best I have ever worked with for connectors. The new converter uses modified Edac parts which won't exactly fit the MVS boards. The Phantom-1 uses stock Edac parts. Edac can produce SNK exact replacements but doesn't want to take the project on since it's a balance between insertion force and how long the connector will last.

AMP/Tyco - Exact same specs as Edac but they look slightly different. They usually cost 2-5x more to get.
The cost is so high per connector I didn't even bother to ask them any questions.

Sullins - They make blue or dark brown connectors. The blue color looks great but sadly the design is lacking. I spent a lot of time dealing with them to try and come up with something close to what SNK has. A stock 60/120 connector has the highest insertion force than any connector I have ever seen. They tried to modifiy the part but it didn't make any difference. There is also a flaw in the production where the system that holds the housing while the pins are being added will stress and appear to crack one side of the connector. I showed them images of brand new connectors with one side clearly forced in making the connector even harder to use. When two of these were added to the new converter for testing I couldn't remove the cart. I'm not sure what level of force is needed to pull the cart out but I had to come back to it later on as I tired myself out trying. They are more than willing to make SNK style connectors for $15,000US setup cost plus $6-8 each connector. If anyone wanted to pay that fee they will use the same housing they do now which has the same defect as before.

The new connector I am making was done from the ground up for me using SNK's JST part as a sample. When completed I will have both AES and MVS versions and will have enough to supply the community for as long as the community requires them. As of now they will be black but I do have a choice of color such as red leaving little question that a system has been upgraded with new slots.

More to come as I get closer to finishing this.

 

[mjs256]

WOW You have put a lot of hard work and effort into this! I think the whole Neo Geo community owes you a big THANK YOU! I have never (yet) had to replace one of those cart connectors but I have always wondered where I would get the parts. You are awesome!

 

[neo-geo-mvs]

You are awesome!

+ 1

 

[tenfresh]

+ 1

Absolutely! This is a treasure trove of fascinating info Dave, and an amazing contribution to the community. I'd absolutely be interested in the part once you begin to get them!

If this was a kickstarter page I'd be chipping in right now.

 

[Alpha Skyhawk]

Excellent news.

 

[transam5.7LS1]

I need MVS slots replacements to fix my MVS4, anywhere I can get them?

 

[tenfresh]

I need MVS slots replacements to fix my MVS4, anywhere I can get them?

Right here in the neo store! Link in the left nav!

It's a bit of a pain of a soldering job, I'd suggest doing one set first before you spring for the other 3. It's that first slot that sees the most use anyway usually.

 

[transam5.7LS1]

Thanks, will check it out!

 

[Apocalypse]

I found this for AES:
http://www.ebay.fr/itm/2pc-Industri...hash=item1e7b5726ba:m:mvbJ27tUd-jVAg-rzkAyNEg
That's what I've used in my converter.
US$11.50 for 2.

[EDIT]
For MVS:
http://www.distrelec.ch/fr/connecteur-encartable-120p-edac-345-120-520-201/p/30034808
9.05CHF (~US$9) for one.