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CPS1 Multi options

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edd_jedi

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After installing the CPS2 Darksoft Multi it’s given me the itch to look at CPS1 options. But while the Darksoft CPS1 Multi is clearly the best solution, I can’t justify the price for the handful of games I want to play.

I found this one on AE, which is about a tenth of the price. It only has 3 versions of SF2 and some hack, but that would be a good starting point (and would also help me troubleshoot my suspected faulty B board or EPROMS as per my other thread.)

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007621138303.html

Has anyone got experience of this particular board? Or can recommend any other cheaper ones?
 
That is just a B board, fyi. Looks like it will require an A and C board, and I’m guessing a specific C board (champ edition / ie no security) but it’s hard to tell which one. That seller makes basically mediocre stuff, often uses flash memory designed for 3v systems (arcade is going to use 5v for all power and logic), and support is going to be rough unless you speak Chinese. I had their cps 1.5 multi for a bit and was happy to sell it.

So in short, I doubt you’ll find anything cheaper, both in price and in quality.
 
Yes I already have a full set of boards (SF2CE) I was wondering which C boards would be compatible, so sounds like mine would be.

Sorry I didn’t word that very well - I meant options cheaper than the Darksoft Multi, I’m not excepting to find anything cheaper than this! Am happy to pay more for a better board.

I noticed the PCB says 2024, is this genuinely a new product?
 
I expect that’s a new pcb yes. They make other variations too, or at least they did. 4 in 1. 16 in 1. Maybe 32 in 1. I forget them all and I’m not sure what is current.

The only other cps1 multi out there is from aje_fr but I’m not sure he produces them anymore, certainly not at any scale. Registration on the French forum is closed anyway I think. so you’d be waiting a long while for someone to sell theirs. (Won’t be cheap, but shouldn’t be as expensive as darksoft. The trade off is it doesn’t do cps1.5 and has a fixed romset)
 
Sorry another question, does SF2 World Warrior work on a 12mhz A board, which is what I have?
 
It should. I’d think it would just exhibit less slowdown than normal
 
I can't find any reviews or information about it, but for the price it might be worth taking a chance on, I can't find an original B board for less than this so if nothing else may help me troubleshoot my A board.
 
It's fine for what it is. Years ago I got what I'm sure is a similar design that included 14 games and it just worked. Looks just like that B board in the link. Problem is those are the only games you can play and I don't see a path to be able to easily change that list for anything else. Also for my board at least, the kick harness connector did not match the standard 10-pin CPS1 design, which forced me to repin a harness in order to make it work. Not the hardest problem to solve, but that was something else to deal with.

As others have noted, this one appears to include only the B board so you're on the hook for everything else. Also not sure what build the SF2 Mix rom is on - that hack has gone through a number of revisions.
 
Thanks, yes I've seen others mention 14 in 1, 32 in 1 etc, but I can't find them for sale anywhere, it seems strange that if they are still making these they are only putting 4 games on them when the whole CPS1 library is about 100MB.

Ideally I want SF2 WW/CE/HF and Final Fight, that would do me :)
 
Well I got exactly what I deserved :D looked promising on first inspection:

IMG_6863.jpeg IMG_6864.jpeg

But when I fired it up the video was rolling, and half the sound / music was missing.

Upon closer inspection, some classic Ali Express soldering:
IMG_6865.jpeg IMG_6867.jpeg

X( I managed to sort out the connector using some flux, but the chip is out of my skill range.

IMG_6870.jpeg

Before I go through the hassle of a return, any ideas what might be causing the video to roll? Is it salvageable? My A and C boards are working fine with my other B board.
 
Here's a video. So let's just say this was a regular CPS1 B board and not an Ali Special, what could cause video rolling and/or sound issues if the A and C boards are known to be working?

 
I could but I use this TV for many other consoles which all work fine as-is. Also my other CPS1 B board works fine so I don't think it's a problem with the TV settings. I was wondering if anyone knows for example which pins on the B board are responsible for sync, I found a couple that were bridged so maybe there is other poor soldering I haven't spotted.
 
@edd_jedi ... me , ekorz and other guys got the cps1 multi from lydz (we paid good money at that times for it) ... its the same creator of the multi you've purchased from ali express . don't bother with it and try to recover your money . hope you not loose something (except your time). If you want CPS1 multi , get the one that Darksoft released (its the way) .
The chinesse version is a copy of CPS1 Aje_fr 's multi release (but as Ekors said , its little bit hard to obtain it) .
What ekors want to say , is ... you dont need to have headaches , trust me ( the motherboard ive received from the lydz , was repaired twice by Hammy - i sold it in the meantime , also 1 C board was broken by the multi or using the multi) .
Now ... since i sold the cps1 x in 1 i had (multi goes in australia and hope is still in working order , c board faulty goes to Hammy , a board repaired by Hammy sold and goes to Germany) only can tell others to not spend money to somebody dont offer support like the seller/creator of that CPS1 Xin1 multi

Peace ... and have a nice weekend !
 
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Yeah I hear what you're saying, I wouldn't knowingly buy a rip off of somebody else's work (eg Krikzz Everdrives, I've got original ones.) Darksoft Multi is great but I can't spend that kind of money on it as only want a few games. That's why this 4 in 1 would have been perfect.
 
edd_jedi said:
Yeah I hear what you're saying, I wouldn't knowingly buy a rip off of somebody else's work (eg Krikzz Everdrives, I've got original ones.) Darksoft Multi is great but I can't spend that kind of money on it as only want a few games. That's why this 4 in 1 would have been perfect.
Click to expand...
I don't think anything on a B board determines sync rates. I don't mean to sound harsh, but ultimately the seller should be supporting your question, not us. Did you ask?
 
I tried talking to the seller before buying, they don’t speak any English, I just get nonsensical chat gpt replies.

I have raised a return request with the above videos and images, but no response yet and figured it’s worth asking here in case it’s a simple fix I can do myself.
 
edd_jedi said:
Well I got exactly what I deserved :D looked promising on first inspection:

IMG_6863.jpeg IMG_6864.jpeg

But when I fired it up the video was rolling, and half the sound / music was missing.

Upon closer inspection, some classic Ali Express soldering:
IMG_6865.jpeg IMG_6867.jpeg
Click to expand...

Ugh, the soldering job on the MX flash chip is awful with all the bridged pins. Did he even test it to see if it works before shipping it out? That's likely the cause of your missing sound and music. I wouldn't expect it to cause your picture to roll, but if the solder bridges are sending cross-signals to the video processors, then a rolling picture could be a side-effect of that.

Also, check and see if your SuperGun has an adjustment for Vertical Hold or VSync. Make sure the video cable to the TV isn't loose either - I've had a loose cable on my SuperGun cause picture roll.
 
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