Consolizing a Neo Geo arcade board

[Husk4197]

So i've been playing around with this idea about consolizing a Neo Geo arcade board.

Its been done and documented fairly well online

http://www.jammanationx.com/jammax/tutorials.html

but i decided to do one here. So this thread will serve as my progress report/documentation for anyone else who may want to try it in the future.

For this lil project I'll need some components

Neo Geo MVS board
Jamma Harness
Video Encoder
Power supply
Soldering Iron
Solder
Soldering Skills
Patience

So far I've got
Neo Geo MVS board  - $660 [Using ebay $600 + $60 skybox]
Soldering Iron - $45 [40watt]
Solder - $110 [Roll]
Soldering Skills [Intermediate]
Patience.....

The board I'll be using for this project will be the Neo Geo MVS MV-1FZ
this is a one slot board and easiest to convert [imo]

There are 2 video encoders that come recommended
Either JROK or Neobitz

I've decided to go with the Neobitz why?
1. Its cheaper for the lowend model [which will output s-video and composite only] than the JROK version
2. Neobitz come recommended for neo geo where as JROK is universal.

As of today the Neobitz Composite/S-Video encoder will cost USD $55 + $6 shipping
So I'll be ordering that soon enough [low on funds atm]

As for the power supply after looking around it seems that all 1 slot neogeo boards
can work with +5V 2 amps so with that in mind i decided to go with something a little
more as the board is rated for 7amps.
I finally settled on this power supply which is rated @ +5v 4 Amps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220960385060?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Currently waiting for this item to arrive I'll update the pricing of the items as I get them.

I'll also want to build a case to house my console so I'll need to get some help with that if any of you guys know where I might be able to make a plastic [plexi?] enclosure feel free to let me know.

I'll post again when more parts arrive.

[Arcmanov]

Veggieman built an arcade cab recently.  His expertise will assist you greatly.





Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Omega v18 | SwiftKey | Tapatalk 4

[Husk4197]

Thanks for the info I'll pm him for Jamma Wiring assistance.

[Husk4197]

Well it turns out that veggieman is not too familiar with the MVS boards so I'll have to rely on good ole google for that info.
My power supply came in today and I got an alerts from paypal and ebay that my video encoder and harness has been shipped. So that should arrive in a week or so.
In the mean time I've been working on performing the battery mod on my MV-1FZ. Halfway through the procedure my soldering iron broke....need to replace that as its the heart of my operation here....

[Husk4197]

So I got a replacement soldering iron Stanley 30w @ Dansteel for $52
also got the powersupply from the skybox.

Now a good point to note which somehow no one ever mentioned in ANY of the faqs i read, the SMD's on the MV-1FZ are GLUED down to the board! This makes the process of removing some of the components somewhat difficult. So have a needlenose [birdbeak] pliers handy so you'll be able to gently rock the components off. They will break so be ready for that just keep your hand steady and make sure it's just the component you want to remove that you're gripping. Once thats done you're good to go.
Attached are the pics of the resistors before and after removal.

[Husk4197]

So the Jamma harness and video encoder finally arrived today here's a pic of it on the actual board.

MUCH smaller than what I though it would be which is a good thing! Makes putting everything together much easier.

I have a few ideas for a case to house the board once I'm finished but who knew plexi was soooo damn expensive! Anyone know where I can get a 2x3 piece of plexi?

Shelling out 700+ for a sheet that I'm only going to use literally 1/3 of is a bit bogus.....until I can find that I'll build a template out of cardboard!

[RustyPlumber]

ugh,i commend you on going the route of wiring a jamma,i wouldnt touch those things with a 10ft pole after reading all the headache it is of converting. Good luck!

as for plexi, call SWS hardware,you can get a sheet for around $570,currently cheapest in the country.
Thats the thinnest ones though,and its 5x8 sheet.

[Husk4197]

ugh,i commend you on going the route of wiring a jamma,i wouldnt touch those things with a 10ft pole after reading all the headache it is of converting. Good luck!

as for plexi, call SWS hardware,you can get a sheet for around $570,currently cheapest in the country.
Thats the thinnest ones though,and its 5x8 sheet.

lol thx for the info man. will check out sws hardware.

[Husk4197]

So its been a while since I last updated this post.
Time for a status update.

The consolization idea was scrapped.
This was due to a few factors namely the cost of Plexi and time.
Plexi seems to be quite expensive and most hardwares wont sell you a piece, so you have to buy a full sheet when all I would need was probably 1/2 sheet.
Anyway I decided to go the next best route and that was making a supergun!

Whats a supergun you ask?
this link should answer that question http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperGun

This proved to be pretty economical route and so far it turning out pretty ok.
I posted a few pics of it in action on facebook but I'll upload it here for you guys to see.
This opens up a world of gaming thats pretty much almost dead in T&T.
Not to mention that old arcade ops would rather see the board rot than sell it off at a reasonable price [thank you ebay!]

Anyway I'll upload the pics and you can judge for yourself. Enjoy!

[Husk4197]

Pics of WIP

Pics 1 : Donor Case

Pic 2: Internals. A/v inputs, POwer Supply, Video Encoder and Harness.

[Husk4197]

Pic 1 : Close up of wiring.

Pic 2: Wired up Controller ports and Jamma Connector.

[Husk4197]

So I managed to get most of the power wiring done today. Salvaged a socket from a dead power supply added a switch on one of the terminals and wired it up. Also worked on the joystick and buttons. decided to add Quick disconnect connectors in case a switch went dead. Took a little time to get it all done but I'm finished with it for today. Also did some tweaking on the Tekken 3 board. I need to find a kick harness its a 48pin aux harness that used in conjunction with teh standard 56pin JAMMA connector. With out it tekken 3 plays minus the kick buttons....so need to find it or i might just solder some leads directly to the board [extreme last resort] Here's some progress pics. Enjoy.

[Husk4197]

Spent some time neatening up the wiring. Pretty pleased with the results.
Still have some wiring to finish up but i ran out of buttons and switches.

Still outstanding are:

1.  Mvs,jamma test and service switches.

2. Noticed that the neogeo board registers 2 coins  and start on player 2 controls ie if I insert a coin 2 coins register and when I push start both player 1 and 2 start however when I swap it with the tekken 3 board it works fine.....need to hit the neogeo forums and see if anyone can help with that.

3. Need to locate,purchase and wire kick harness for midway ,namco and capcom cps2 boards.

4. Add a power led to the case so I'll know if the unit is on without having to open it up and check the internal power supply led.

Here's a pic of the wiring before and after.

[W1nTry]

I don't really understand most of what you are doing but keep it up

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

[Husk4197]

I don't really understand most of what you are doing but keep it up

Lol. Thanks? What don't you understand?