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Urabutbl

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Could we possibly have a thread somewhere on the site with "best practices" and tutorials for "preparing" our setups? I realise I am maybe one of the less knowledgable members on here, but I feel like it would be really helpful to have some standardized preparations to eliminate some of the more common problems with for example the motherboards, where we are told not just what to do, but how to do it. This would also help sort out the actual problems with the multi from setup problems, as it seems the latter are actually way more common.

These are just examples, but something like:

a) Clean your MVS motherboard with this type of cleaning solution, especially here, here, and here.

b) Make sure your battery is alive by doing this test with this tool.

c) Format this type of SD-card in this way and copy the files in this manner (these guides already exist, and still people of great experience mess it up, but at least then it's easy to pinpoint what's gone wrong, which is why I think it would be useful for all steps).

d) Make sure your cab is outputting this much voltage. Reference this guide to adjust it.

etcetcetc

Then, by the time we get to the testing, we'll have done everything possible to ensure than any trouble is an actual bug in the cart; we'll also have a more pleasant experience generally, and I think DarkSoft and Mitsurugi-w would have more time to sort out actual real issues, since it would be a given that people have completed these steps in the correct way before reporting errors.

Again, I realise I'm probably more in need of this than most, as this is a site with a generally very high level of knowledge and experience, but people also come to this hobby piecemeal; just because I've learnt exactly how to re-wire a control panel or mess with the yoke on a monitor, I might have no idea how to properly clean my MV-1A, or check its battery. I see this all the time where people who know how to build a cabinet from scratch still use Mac OSX textedit to edit files on their TypeX hard-drive, for example.

I'm having some problems with my setup, but I am almost 100% sure it's the motherboard that is on the fritz, rather than an issue with the multi. I'm going to clean it and do everything else the various tutorials I google today tell me to, and then we'll see - I'll also test the multi on a friend's board later this week if nothing works. If there are still problems, I'll come back here and report in the help-thread, as then it might be the multi. I'll also try to collate whatever I find on "MVS-mobo care". Anyway, just a thought.

EDIT: Just to be clear - I'm NOT suggesting DarkSoft or Mitsurugi-W do this, quite the opposite - we as a community should find (and sometimes even write) the tutorials, videos, and tips and share them so they can do the important stuff rather than asking the same questions every single time.
 
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OK, just for reference: I have an MV-1FZ board. When I first plugged in the multi, I got a menu and dingbats - I could move around the menu system, choose and start the games, but some part of the graphics were screwed up.

- I reseated everything multiple times.
- I tried all three different Micro SD-cards I had prepared (I've learnt from experience): A Samsung Ultra 16GB, a Kingston 16GB, and a Samsung Evo 32GB. Same thing all three. I also checked that the updated menu files had disappeared from my first card.
- I tried lowering the power to the board to 4.8

At this point, I had improvement! The dingbats disappeared, and I got the actual menu graphics. However, there were clear glitchyness both in the menu and the games. Also, instead of "Axel F. Foley", I was hearing the sound you got if you turned up the volume while copying a C64-tape.

So:
- I gently pressed down on different parts of the board
- I waggled the JAMMA-connector to see if there might just be a bad connection
- I left the cabinet on for half-an-hour so I was sure the battery held a charge

During one of my "wiggles", I got proper sound and graphics! This made me think it was a bad pin somewhere, most probably on my mobo.

- After reading up online about cleaning electronics removed the plastic from my mobo.
- Using a solution of vinegar and water, I gently cleaned the jamma-connector with a very soft toothbrush, and then rubbed it clean with a q-tip. I did this many, many times until there was no more "dirt" coming off. I also inspected my battery for leaks (none), and used the tootbrush on the soft cart-connect.
- I gently pressed down, making sure the two parts of the mobo were well connected.
- I cleaned the board with a dry toothbrush (I didn't dare remove the battery).

I then set the mobo to dry on a table for an hour, just to make sure.

After an hour I tried the mobo again.

Perfect picture! Perfect sound! No graphical glitching!

It's early days, and I maybe my type of board has other bugs, but this is my point: my problem was my motherboard, and it was an easy fix by just following the instruction "make sure you've cleaned your board" before I started up about my multi being broken.

Resources used:

- Arcade Otaku's beginners guide to MVS (including all the manuals)
- Discussion on cleaning on Neo-Geo forum (drama!)
- Tips on cleaning PCBs on Arcade Museum
- PCB cleaning 101 at Arcade Otaku




Not used but interesting:
- Changing the battery on the MVS-1 (video)
- How to clean a corroded socket (video)
- How to clean and reseat ROMS
- Replacement rechargable coin- battery hack for MVS 1-Slot (this was interesting as at lots of other forums they were saying there were no rechargable replacements for the Toshiba coin batteries...)
 
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