Neo Geo 64 Revisions vs Versions compatibility

[Morden]

Ok, so here's the deal, and the problem. I'm aware of different board versios and revisions. It's telling them apart that's problematic. I would like to gain some clarity when it comes to revisions, namely:

● Are all versions [fighting, driving, shooting, korean] available in both revision 1 with the volume pot?

● Are there any model numbers or serials that can with all certainty tell you which board you're looking at?

● How does one tell the boards within the same revision apart, visually? More specifically, how does one tell the rev. 2 JAMMA fighting game board apart from the rev. 2 korean one, which cal only run sahsho games?

● I only have the fighting game rev. 2 board. Are there any additional sub-baords in Xtreme Rally and Beast Busters? There seems to be space and connectors for that in the housing.

I'd appreciate any info, but the most important part is telling the boards apart, especially the korean one from a fighting game one. Thanks!

 

[suicidekiller]

In general: The easiest way to identify the boards is from the connectors edge as all are different.

Rev. 1 Fighting: JAMMA edge & volume pot
Rev. 2 Fighting: JAMMA edge & one red cable harness from top to bottom board
Driving: JAMMA edge & two multi-color cable harness from top to bottom board
Shooting: no JAMMA edge at all, just molex connectors

In particular:

● Are all versions [fighting, driving, shooting, korean] available in both revision 1 with the volume pot?

No. The volume pot on the connectors edge is only on the Rev. 1 Fighting Board. This is also the only board that got a second revision.

● Are there any model numbers or serials that can with all certainty tell you which board you're looking at?

See above. I don't think there are numbers or serials that matter to this cause.

● How does one tell the boards within the same revision apart, visually? More specifically, how does one tell the rev. 2 JAMMA fighting game board apart from the rev. 2 korean one, which cal only run sahsho games?

First off, I don't think the Korean board got a second revision. And then the Korean board should be quite rare too. Never came around to see one consciously. Who needs them anyway

● I only have the fighting game rev. 2 board. Are there any additional sub-baords in Xtreme Rally and Beast Busters? There seems to be space and connectors for that in the housing.

You have sub boards for the driving and shooting boards but they are not on the main unit themselves. Just from the looks the boards are the same (except for the connectors edge, see above)

 

[Morden]

Thanks for the reply! This is essentially everything I needed to know. In other words, if you have a rev. 2 board, it can only be the one compatible with all four fighting games. Which is what you'd want, anyway. This wasn't clear when I read arcadeotaku and Wikipedia entries.

Too bad NG64 titles never got ported. I don't even count Wild Ambition for PlayStation, since it's such a bad conversion. Multi-layered and animated backgrounds are mostly static in the PlayStation version, animation is choppy as hell, and resolution is lower.

 

[suicidekiller]

Thanks for the reply! This is essentially everything I needed to know. In other words, if you have a rev. 2 board, it can only be the one compatible with all four fighting games. Which is what you'd want, anyway. This wasn't clear when I read arcadeotaku and Wikipedia entries.

Yup, the Rev.2 board is what you want for the fighting games Do you have all four ones yet? I can really recommend the first SS64 which then again is the most expensive one of the bunch unfortunately. But it's a great game, much better than the second one IMO. FF:WA is also a very solid game. Buriki One is kinda experimental but still worth checking out.

Enjoy the games

 

[Morden]

I'm currently in the process of acquiring SS64, Buriki and WA. I've had Warrior's Rage for a while now, and did get a chance to borrow other two games, except for Buriki. But hopefully, within a month or so, I'll have the set. One thing that bothers me a bit is the forced interlaced mode. I usually turn it off in Namco's System 12 games [Soul Calibur, Tekken 3, Tekken Tag], because I don't like the flicker.

 

[Heinz]

I've owned WA, Buriki and SS64-2 before, WA would have to be the best game out of those three. In all honesty the Hyper is a cool look at what could've been but at the end of the day you're going to have more fun with the MVS.

 

[Neo Alec]

I have a Rev 1 fighting board because the new one I bought was so cheap. To run it, I have the auxiliary power connector it uses wired to my supergun with an arcade power supply. Still sometimes the video output seems to get messed up after playing for a while. Probably something wrong with how my supergun was wired. Working on adding some caps and resistor to the recently added pots.

 

[koki]

I owned a fighting board which can play Samurai Spirits 2 WR but unable to boot Buriki and Fatal Fury. Any idea ?

 

[doaal]

Sounds silly but thoroughly clean all the cartridge pins. The HNG keeps a death grip on its cartridges but it is very picky about keping good contact.

 

[ChuChu Flamingo]

Ditto on that. Only cartridge i ever have problems with seating right is samurai spirits 64 1. I read a thread a while back xian xi stated the same thing with that game. Maybe the pins are slightly different like metal slug 4

 

[Mr.Kevums]

I owned a fighting board which can play Samurai Spirits 2 WR but unable to boot Buriki and Fatal Fury. Any idea ?

Going to sound silly but hang with me - have you tried booting Fatal Fury first then swapping to the other carts?

 

[koki]

Going to sound silly but hang with me - have you tried booting Fatal Fury first then swapping to the other carts?

Yes I tried. Not work.

 

[awbacon]

It’s just bad contact or a bad cart. My Round Trip RV cart loves to do this. 9/10 times it’ll have graphical corruption.

It needs to be seated PERFECTLY. Then it runs like a champ. But getting it seated correctly is not easy.

I had to rework the metal itself to get it to finally be consistent

I don’t know if manufacturing tolerances weren’t great for the hardware or if over time the metals became slightly bent but here’s what I recommend

1) make sure the cart that won’t boot is flat. The metal wings cannot have any bow to them. Like we’re talking +/- 1 degree off dead flat.

If they aren’t flat it’s just gonna be trouble

2) make sure the cart contacts are clean. This is garbage Charley work but go over them all closely.

 

[2EXtreme]

Along the same lines, it was my understanding that the language of the game was based on the bios of the motherboard. Is there any relationship between the motherboard types and what bios they have? Were there any that had both?
Thanks!

 

[Technos]

It’s just bad contact or a bad cart. My Round Trip RV cart loves to do this. 9/10 times it’ll have graphical corruption.

It needs to be seated PERFECTLY. Then it runs like a champ. But getting it seated correctly is not easy.

I had to rework the metal itself to get it to finally be consistent

I don’t know if manufacturing tolerances weren’t great for the hardware or if over time the metals became slightly bent but here’s what I recommend

1) make sure the cart that won’t boot is flat. The metal wings cannot have any bow to them. Like we’re talking +/- 1 degree off dead flat.

If they aren’t flat it’s just gonna be trouble

2) make sure the cart contacts are clean. This is garbage Charley work but go over them all closely.

I received a motherboard today that had bent upward so much on the bottom, that there was no way a jamma harness was going to fit between the tiny gap and the pin edge. Had to unscrew that piece and physically bend it back.

The whole thing feels like aluminum. Very pliable, clearly not in a good way. I think it probably bent by itself over time just sitting flat, with the weight of everything on top pushing down.