Phase 1 - Make it Work - Controller

Well,

I decided to convert a SNES controller to test the MVS. The ideia is simple: re-wire the SNES controller to the MVS

Cheap Chinese version of SNES controller

Phase 1 - Make it Work - Video Converter

In order to test the video converter all I had to do was to connect a power supply, connect to the TV and done. But I decided to make a simple enclosure, so I dont have to touch the board. :)

First take measurements

My plans - where am I going

Now that I got everything it's time to lay out the plans to how am i going to make it happen. I have a 3 phases plan:

1. Make it work: Just connect everything and make sure that everything it's working;
2. Build a Supergun: build a supergun to connect to the MVS and connect the controller;
3. Consolize the MVS: This will be the harder part, but I want to consolize the MVS and that will involve a lot of work.

In between the phases I will also add some additional information. Let's see what happens.

I am happy to finally be able to start my project. :)

The last item arrived :)

Today I got the video converter :), now I am ready to start my project.

Gonbes GBS-8220 HD-Converter Board

Features:

• Latest & official Gonbes GBS-8220 HD-Converter Board
• Supports CGA/EGA/VGA/YUV Component Signal Input
• Supports VGA Output (640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1360 x 768)
• CGA/EGA/VGA signal auto scan (15KHz, 24KHz, 31KHz)
• YUV Component signal auto scan (480i, 576i, 720i, 1080i, 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080p)
• On Screen Display (English and Chinese)
• Supports image position control & image zoom control
• True digital 24-bit A/D converter for true 16.7-million color conversion.
• Supports ALL types of VGA monitors (CRT, LCD, PDP, Projector, etc)

Input Power	5VDC +/- 0.5v (2A)			P7 or P9
Input  signal	CGA/EGA	14.5kHz - 16.5kHz 23.5kHz - 25.5kHz 30.5kHz - 32.5kHz	Auto scan	P3 or P11 or P10
	RGBHV	30.5kHz - 32.5kHz	Auto scan	P10 or P11
	VGA	30.5kHz - 32.5kHz	Auto scan	P10 or P11
	Ypbpr	480p,576p,720p,1080p	Auto scan	P2
	Ycbcr	480i,576i,720i,1080i	Auto scan	P2
Output signal	VGA	640*480,800*600 1024*768,1360*768		P4 and P13
User controls	Input Switch, Image Zoom, Image Position, Output Resolution ,R\G\B gain adjust.			Menu Key R\G\B VR

Package:

• 1 x PCB Dimensions:115mm (W) x 105mm (D) x 20mm (H)
• 1 x Power Cable
• 1 x RGB Cable
• 1 x User Manual

Look what I got today :)

Today I received the HAPP buttons and joystick :)

HAPP Buttons from eBay

Shopping List

Here's my shopping list, so far.

Item	Price	Shipping	P+S
SNK NEO GEO 1 SLOT MVS ARCADE MOTHERBOARD JAMMA PCB BOARD	$99	$15	$114
SAMURAI SHODOWN neo geo MVS arcade game cartridge	$14	$10	$24
JAMMA Cabinet Wire / Wiring Harness Loom Arcade PCB	$8.50	$4	$12.50
Wired Controller for Super Nintendo SNES NES White	$4	$0	$4
HAPP 14 BUTTONS JOYSTICKS JAMMA ARCADE WKS W MAME	$40	$11	$51
RGB / CGA/ EGA/ YUV to VGA Arcade HD Video Converter Board	$27	$0	$27
DB-15 Male/Female	$10	$0	$0
Joystick Extension Cable DB15M/DB15F	$0.99	$8.01	$9
Total:			$251.50

Right now I bought enough to build a basic hardware: 

• MVS board (brain);
• One game (Samurai Shodown);
• The JAMMA connector (to connect the board to the other peripherals);
• A Super NES joystick, since it have 4 buttons, that I will convert to connect to the board - For testing purposes;
• A set of professional HAPP buttons and joystick (I will build my own controller);
• The video converter (I will explain more about this later).

I still have to add wires, connectors, cases, etc. I will keep this post as updated as possible.

JAMMA: How you connect everything to the board

The JAMMA wiring standard was introduced in 1985. Arcade cabinets wired to the JAMMA standard can be made to play all games built to this standard, simply by installing the circuit boards for the new game. By the 1990s, most new arcade games were JAMMA standard. As the majority of arcade games were designed in Japan at this time, JAMMA became the de facto world standard.

Before the JAMMA standard, most arcade PCBs, wiring harnesses, and power supplies were custom-built. When an old game became unprofitable, many arcade operators would rewire the cabinet and update the artwork in order to put different games in the cabinets. Reusing old cabinets made a lot of sense, and it was realized that the cabinets were a different market from the games themselves. The JAMMA standard allowed plug-and-play cabinets to be created (reducing the cost to arcade operators) where an unprofitable game could be replaced with another game by a simple swap of the game PCB, and an update of the artwork.

My First Game: the reason why I decided to build the console

I remember when I used to play Samurai Shodown, it is, by far, one of the best games ever. I was thinking about it one day about it and I started looking for Neo Geo console.

I got one from, again, eBay :P, for $24. This will be the first game I will play when the console is ready :)

Samurai Shodown - Japanese Cartridge

According with the auction the menus will be in english, but even if it is in japanese, I will be happy playing again this game. :)

Start from the beginning: The Board

Well, first we need to get a MVS board. :)

I end up buying this board:

MV-1FZ

Mainly because I was researching on this website: mmmonkey. It is a great site and have great mods that can be done on this board. I got the board on eBay for $114 (shipping included). Apparently MVS's boards are running around the $100 mark on eBay.

Here's the manual for this board: MV-1FZ


I am far from a working console, but it is a beginning :)

Understanding what am I talking about:

The MVS (Multi Video System), as the Neo Geo was known to the coin-operated arcade game industry, offered arcade operators the ability to put up to six different arcade titles into a single cabinet, a key economic consideration for operators with limited floorspace. With its games stored on self-contained cartridges, a game-cabinet could be exchanged for a different game-title by swapping the game's ROM-cartridge and cabinet artwork. Several popular franchise-series, including Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters, Metal Slug and Samurai Shodown, were released for the platform.

First Post

Hi, 

This blog is my attempt to document all the steps I am taking to build a consolized version of the NEO GEO MVS arcade board.

There is a lot of information online but I would like to maintain a history of my work, and leave a reference for as long my user exist. I am doing so because there is a lot of broken links (sites that no longer exist) around. 

Please understand that I have o electronic background, and everything here was, basically, information acquired on other sites. I will try my best to credit each source.

Thank you for looking and I hope what I post in here will help you with your project.