Neo-Geo consolized MVS or Supergun?

[Emperor Bohe]

At first I was considering an AES, but games are waaaaaaaaaay too expensive for it. So now it's down to these two. Which should I go for? I know that Supergun can play other arcade boards, but apparently isn't as reliable. Plus, I'm know nothing when it comes to hardware, so I hear that you have to change the boards whenever you wanna play a new arcade board. So, should I just stick with someone maving me a custom MVS console?

[arfink]

Well, if you want to, it's not that hard to consolize your own MVS console. The only really hard part is building the video encoder, and then you'll need to find a fancy (or maybe not so fancy) way to box it all up so it looks console-y. My first try at consolizing an MVS was just the mobo, the video encoder, some wires hooked up for sound, and an AT computer power supply for the 5V and 12V and ground. The thing you need to remember is that a Supergun will basically be the exact same thing as a consolized MVS except you can change the mobo out. And actually, if built properly, a supergun can be very reliable. However, the power supply for said supergun will be spendy, since most arcade boards besides the Neo Geo use much more current. I'd say that if you want a managable DIY project you could build a consolized MVS. It's not really all that hard, unless you want to go really crazy with the case. If you look on Neotropolis, all they are doing is putting in a video encoder and gluing it to the inside of the Neo's shell with hot glue, and then making audio and video outs, controller outs, and a power input. If you want help conslizing your own MVS board I can help you out since I have done one before.

[Emperor Bohe]

I don't think I'll need anything with more than 1 slot. Does a 1 slot work with all of the Neo Geo games?

[arfink]

Well, yes and no. Like the Dominicans say, seldom affirm, never deny, and always qualify. Anyway, a 1 slot should run all neo geo games except for the MV-1B style mobo. Look on hardmvs.com to see what an mv-1b looks like. The reason why the mv-1b sometimes doen't run all games is because some mv-1b units came with a special 1 game bios which ran the Irritating Maze game. If you get a mobo with this bios you will need to change it in order to play normal MVS games.

Edit: Oh yes, since the Irritating Maze is an MVS game, technically all MVS 1 slot boards besides the occasional mv-1b cannot run the irritating maze. Big deal... although if you really must have the irritating maze crap in your collection with all good regular mvs games (did I just say that? ) you can install a Unibios and it can run that game as well.

[scottz29]

Hey Arfink,
I'm planning on consolizing a 4-slot MVS, and want it to look much like the Neotropolis version. I can handle the RGB converter circuit, but I'm having fits figuring out a nice clean solution for board power.

I asked, and he says he uses a wall wart power supply. A standard Jamma board takes +5, -5 and +12v, but at what amperages I don't know. I was thinking of building my own power circuit, but a Jameco power supply would be the easiest. I'm wondering how he gets those voltages from a wall wart, and if you've done them before, how you do them.

Any help you can give would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Scott

[arfink]

Ah, good thing I checked the forums today!

Anyway, in my experience you don't usually need to have the +12V or the -5V. The main board doesn't use the -5V anyways, and the +12V is for the audio amp, which I imagine you will be bypassing in order to get stereo sound output for your TV. So, you'd just need to have the +5v. That's what I did with mine, anyway. One thing to know- the RGB to NTSC converters are usually pretty finicky- if they don't get enough current or a good strong ground they will do strange things, like miss the color burst and go out of sync. So, if you use a wall wart you should also make sure it has a real ground pin on it. I found that one out the hard way- ground is not always the same as neutral on the power supply.

Keep in mind that I consolized a Mv-1b, so my amperage level was lower.

-Tony Fink

[Drakon]

I bought a 50$ jamma compatible mvs and built a supergun. I also use the supergun for my sf2 board. And the rgb to s-video encoder part of it I use on my sega genesis and snes. So I figured this was a worthwhile investment