Timeharvest cbox stuck in arcade protect.

Terrella

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Sep 22, 2022
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Hi guys,

Got a timeharvest cbox from AliExpress. I put it in arcade protest messing around. I cannot get it out of this mode since it will not let you in to the bios. I read that you can set dip 1 on the board but the geniuses at timeharvest removed the hard dips. Also there was mention of a test button fix for this but I cannot find that on the board (heard that might be a Jamma pin). What are my options short of shorting the battery?
 

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Terrella

n00b
Joined
Sep 22, 2022
Posts
40
Hi guys,

Got a timeharvest cbox from AliExpress. I put it in arcade protest messing around. I cannot get it out of this mode since it will not let you in to the bios. I read that you can set dip 1 on the board but the geniuses at timeharvest removed the hard dips. Also there was mention of a test button fix for this but I cannot find that on the board (heard that might be a Jamma pin). What are my options short of shorting the battery?
Oh this is a 1B
 

BIG BEAR

SHOCKbox Developer,
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All you have to do is cut a piece of wire,expose both ends.You touch one end to the ground point and the other to the point you want to activate.
So if you want to activate dip one just touch both points aligned with the number 1 and keep the wire touching those points before turning your unit on.
BB
 

BIG BEAR

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If you still have the edge on that unit,touch the ground point on the edge at point 1 or 2 of it and then touch the other part of the wire to point 14,if not the top,try the bottom point..just check a Jamma edge diagram..
The key is just using a piece of wire exposed on both ends and knowing which points to touch while one end stays touching the ground connection.
BB
 

SignOfGoob

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WTF is this bastard garbage?

“Time Harvest” is the perfect name. You’ll spend hours undoing their moron slob conversion.

I don’t see any good excuse whatsoever to permanently fuck with a JAMMA PCB to consolize it. Do whatever you want, just make it reversible.
 

Terrella

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Sep 22, 2022
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WTF is this bastard garbage?

“Time Harvest” is the perfect name. You’ll spend hours undoing their moron slob conversion.

I don’t see any good excuse whatsoever to permanently fuck with a JAMMA PCB to consolize it. Do whatever you want, just make it reversible.
I know it’s crap. It was cheap, you get what you pay for. Just something to familiarize my self with the board. I won’t cry if I break it.
 

Terrella

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Sep 22, 2022
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All you have to do is cut a piece of wire,expose both ends.You touch one end to the ground point and the other to the point you want to activate.
So if you want to activate dip one just touch both points aligned with the number 1 and keep the wire touching those points before turning your unit on.
BB
Thanks. Will try that. Will any ground pout do or do I need it somewhere on the board itself?
 

Terrella

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I know it’s crap. It was cheap, you get what you pay for. Just something to familiarize my self with the board. I won’t cry if I break it.
Further more… it won’t even play my Neo sd flash cart. Just get the cross hatch. It play other games fine though. Not sure what it could me. Voltage perhaps?
 

maki

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Further more… it won’t even play my Neo sd flash cart. Just get the cross hatch. It play other games fine though. Not sure what it could me. Voltage perhaps?
you can measure the voltage with a simple multi meter, below 4.9V on the ICs and you can expect problems, epspecially with a NeoSD which has extra ICs in it that need more power than a normal cart.
I use my NeoSD for "load tests", many a system that will work fine with a 161-in-1 or normal carts start to fail.. great way of telling of the MVS is funcitoning properly.

Games to test:
- Matrimelee - if the background music disappears during the first round, its usually because the +5V rail voltage drops below 4.7V
- Garou Mark of the Wolves - graphic glitches if the MVS is not 100%, check the +5V rail voltage
- Metal Slug 5 and X - timing and proper voltages are required to not make it sound "scratchy" and MS 5 will exhibit graphic glitches if the timings are off

These are "big games", they will push the system to its limits.

So you'd need an a-okay MVS to be able to play a NeoSD without stability issues IME.

Do you get any other games to start apart from he crosshatch with the NeoSD?
 

Terrella

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you can measure the voltage with a simple multi meter, below 4.9V on the ICs and you can expect problems, epspecially with a NeoSD which has extra ICs in it that need more power than a normal cart.
I use my NeoSD for "load tests", many a system that will work fine with a 161-in-1 or normal carts start to fail.. great way of telling of the MVS is funcitoning properly.

Games to test:
- Matrimelee - if the background music disappears during the first round, its usually because the +5V rail voltage drops below 4.7V
- Garou Mark of the Wolves - graphic glitches if the MVS is not 100%, check the +5V rail voltage
- Metal Slug 5 and X - timing and proper voltages are required to not make it sound "scratchy" and MS 5 will exhibit graphic glitches if the timings are off

These are "big games", they will push the system to its limits.

So you'd need an a-okay MVS to be able to play a NeoSD without stability issues IME.

Do you get any other games to start apart from he crosshatch with the NeoSD?
My ninja Kombat, metal slug and ss4 work fine. The 161 will play but has nightmarish sound issues on every game. The Neo as is the only thing that won’t play at all.
 

maki

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My ninja Kombat, metal slug and ss4 work fine. The 161 will play but has nightmarish sound issues on every game. The Neo as is the only thing that won’t play at all.
TBH, I find it odd that the crosshatch would show up on the NeoSD, IME power issues should result in garbled boot/graphics/instability.
Any chance someone else has a MVS that you can test it with?

Sound issues on the 161-in-1 can be a common sign of power issues, however sometimes its bad soldering joints and most of the time missing caps in the module.

You got a multi meter?
 

Neo Alec

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Make sure the NeoSD isn't plugged in backwards. (They were sold with the cart shell facing the opposite way most games do. Most people opened theirs and reversed it after purchase.)

You also may need to remove the plastic spacer piece at the bottom of the cart. I thought this was an issue that only affected the AES NeoSD, but the previous owner of my MVS NeoSD Pro also shaved this one down to fit.
 

Terrella

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TBH, I find it odd that the crosshatch would show up on the NeoSD, IME power issues should result in garbled boot/graphics/instability.
Any chance someone else has a MVS that you can test it with?

Sound issues on the 161-in-1 can be a common sign of power issues, however sometimes its bad soldering joints and most of the time missing caps in the module.

You got a multi meter?
The Neo as works fine in my analogue mvs so it’s not the cart. Thanks for the insight.
 

Terrella

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Make sure the NeoSD isn't plugged in backwards. (They were sold with the cart shell facing the opposite way most games do. Most people opened theirs and reversed it after purchase.)

You also may need to remove the plastic spacer piece at the bottom of the cart. I thought this was an issue that only affected the AES NeoSD, but the previous owner of my MVS NeoSD Pro also shaved this one down to fit.
Interesting. I will try removing the blocker. Thanks.
 

maki

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Terrella

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FWIW some one had a broken NeoSD MVS, smelled of "magic smoke", opened it up and it turned out that one flash IC was burned, probably caused by a bad solder joint on the voltage regulator.

this is in german, but you can use google translate:

its not much but I haven't seen an open NeoSD on the web yet, let alone someone repairing it
Yeah I’m not putting my Neo sod back I. That thing. I actually got it to work for a bit but while playing it just stops and goes back to the crosshatch. Scary stuff.
 

maki

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Yeah I’m not putting my Neo sod back I. That thing. I actually got it to work for a bit but while playing it just stops and goes back to the crosshatch. Scary stuff.
The problem described in the other forum I've linked was caused by bad solder joints on the voltage regulator (U18 U19), that eventually cooked the flash IC.

The author explained that the NeoSD showed weird signs before it went out completely (graphic glitches etc.), then the magic smoke happened..

It is possible to open the NeoSD, its not a seal but just a sticker with the serial number that you might have to remove carefully so to preserve it.

Al in all it does sound like a power issue, but if a 161-in0-1 works without problems its possible that the NeoSD itself has a fault, and if the voltage regulators go funky in it, it will look like a power issue.
 
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