Weird KOF 98 MVS Cart

[CloudGamerX]

I recently purchased a rather interesting copy of KOF 98 MVS off eBay. It was more than I would pay for this game, but I bought it specifically to examine it's CHA board. As you can see, it is a CHA256, when it's supposed to be a CHA512! I had to investigate and figure out how this was done. This was clearly someone's ROM transfer, (probably from an AES cart to MVS?) and they had to resort to some hackery to make the 8MB C ROMs work on a 256.

 

[CloudGamerX]

Unfortunately while removing the glue, I accidentally snapped a pin off. But I was able to figure out how this works.

Basically, they stacked a 2nd 74LS74 on top of the original, then connected pins 3, 7, and 14 from the top LS74 to the bottom LS74. For the C ROMs, they lifted and daisy-chained Pin 11 of each 8MB C ROM together, and attached them all to the right pad of J8 (with the jumpers removed). The left pad of J9 is linked to the right pad of J10, while the left pad of J10 goes to Pin 5 of the top 74LS74. Finally, pin 2 of the top 74LS74 goes to A14 of the cartridge slot.

 

[NexusX]

Looks like a fugly repair using other cart parts.

 

[CloudGamerX]

I replaced the 74LS74 and replicated the configuration the previous owner did. And as you can see, it worked perfectly fine. I plan on just moving the C ROMs into a CHA512, so I can keep the CHA256 for spares. But I wanted to at least document it first!

 

[CloudGamerX]

Dug out a CHA512 from my parts bin, and transferred all the ROMS from the CHA256 onto it. I also went ahead and cleaned up the PROGBK1 board, since the work done on it was super jank. Loses the unique factor, but at least it's cleaner and I have a spare CHA256 ready.

 

[GoosehanX]

I've bought a few Aliexpress booties with legit boards that had some unusual PCB configurations, I always found it neat to try to figure out what they did to make it work, or in some cases what they didn't do correctly so I could fix it.

 

[Neo Alec]

Please show the solder side, otherwise how do we know it isn't just a factory cart?

Was KOF 98 AES often used to make conversions?

 

[Burning Fight!!]

That ugly solder job on the '74 would have never come from a factory, come on. It's probably some weird repair job using the CHA of a dusty old cart the operator had in hand

 

[CloudGamerX]

Please show the solder side, otherwise how do we know it isn't just a factory cart?

Was KOF 98 AES often used to make conversions?

With the exception of perhaps 2k2 and 2k3, all other KOF games were at one point in time AES conversions targets. People really wanted Metal Slugs back then, as well as other games that were either unobtanium (Euro Kizuna) or MVS exclusive. Making games like the KOF series, Fatal Fury, SamSho, and even Sengoku 3 common targets for conversion carts.

As for the solder side:

 

[CloudGamerX]

That ugly solder job on the '74 would have never come from a factory, come on. It's probably some weird repair job using the CHA of a dusty old cart the operator had in hand

Funny you say that, because when I got this cart in originally, the boards were covered in soot. I had to spend some time cleaning the board and shell first, before starting the documentation process.

 

[Evan]

I forget that back in the day AES carts would be used for conversions to MVS. Kinda strange thinking about pricing today instead.

 

[Neo Alec]

I forget that back in the day AES carts would be used for conversions to MVS. Kinda strange thinking about pricing today instead.

In this case it was only because the leftover KOF98 chips were laying around after it was sac'ed.

Waste not.

 

[kernow]

I recently purchased a rather interesting copy of KOF 98 MVS off eBay. It was more than I would pay for this game, but I bought it specifically to examine it's CHA board. As you can see, it is a CHA256, when it's supposed to be a CHA512! I had to investigate and figure out how this was done. This was clearly someone's ROM transfer, (probably from an AES cart to MVS?) and they had to resort to some hackery to make the 8MB C ROMs work on a 256.
View attachment 96898

View attachment 96902

PCBs on fabric again ffs

 

[kernow]

Let's not put them on a table or something sensible, my bed will do , fabric isn't full of static

Damn noobs

 

[CloudGamerX]

I know not to do it, i just don't give a shit. I paid for it so if I fuck it up, then that's on me.

 

[kernow]

Christ the amount of times I've seen noobs take carpet PCB photos and suddenly care about the soldering

 

[kernow]

I know not to do it, i just don't give a shit.

You care about it being "weird" though

 

[Neo Alec]

OK Dad. Christ.