Let’s talk about the flood of Chinese CPS-1 conversions on ebay

[duffcon]

Update; I was expecting this with the audio hackery. Tested this with SF2 HF. Because I’m very familiar with the audio on this game, i’m able to hear a lot of issues. Voice clips like the round announcements and special moves are very muted in comparison to the background music.

On my forgotten worlds conversion (HKlegend) they posted pictures of an unaltered audio section so if I dispute it I will probably win. I asked for a unaltered board so we’ll see.

This other A board was sold by itself by “arcade fun” they did post correct pictures, but also claimed tested and working. I’ve written the seller, so we’ll see what they do.

I expected issues, so I’m not mad, I thought it would be fun to tinker with Forgotten Worlds until the multi comes out. Also, I was curious to find out and document it for the community. Bottom line is if you want a fully functional board, then look elsewhere. I don’t think they’re selling anything but hackjobs.

 

[GeorgeSpinner]

Update; I was expecting this with the audio hackery. Tested this with SF2 HF. Because I’m very familiar with the audio on this game, i’m able to hear a lot of issues. Voice clips like the round announcements and special moves are very muted in comparison to the background noise.

On my forgotten worlds conversion (HKlegend) they posted pictures of an unaltered audio section so if I dispute it I will probably win. I asked for a unaltered board so we’ll see.

This other A board was sold by itself by “arcade fun” they did post correct pictures, but also claimed tested and working. I’ve written the seller, so we’ll see what they do.

I expected issues, so I’m not mad, I thought it would be fun to tinker with Forgotten Worlds until the multi comes out. Also, I was curious to find out and document it for the community. Bottom line is if you want a fully functional board, then look elsewhere. I don’t think they’re selling anything but hackjobs.

That's unfortunate.

I have a Ghouls n Ghosts that works correctly. I'm very familiar with Ghouls n Ghosts/Daimakaimura.

When the MiSTer CPS1 core was updated a few months ago, I was able to immediately identify issues with the sound effects vs the real hardware.

Sorry if this muddies the waters.

Edit:

I want to add to this post.

When I got this A board with the odd sound setup, I believed the sound didn't work at all.

When I fist powered it up, there was no sound at all coming from the JAMMA edge.

I swapped the Ghouls n Ghosts B board that came paired with the A board into another known-good A board and the sound was working, as expected.

When I swapped backed to the original A board (for return), I decided to try it 1 more time and the sound was working fine.

I have since learned that the sound just doesn't work on this board sometimes. Cycling the power seems to fix the issue.

It seems that when I use the board regularly, it doesn't have any issues. That could be coincidence.

I played through Ghouls n Ghosts on the A board with the odd sound setup tonight for the first time in weeks.

When I first started it up, there was no sound. I cycled power and sound was present.

At the end of level 1 I heard some odd sounds. At the start of level 2, I noticed some notes and/or instruments were missing. The sound ceased functioning at the level 2 boss.

I powered down, adjusted voltage from 4.99 to 5.03, and powered back up.

I played through the game with no issues at all.

I wanted to make sure my earlier statements were accurate, after I read @duffcon's comments.

 

[duffcon]

The Seller has asked for videos showing the audio issue; I sent them and they asked if I could take it somewhere to have the audio controller repaired. I responded with the truth, there isn't really any electronics repair in my area and the cost would likely exceed the value of the unit. Waiting response. Worst case, this board has a good A-01 chip that could save another board that likely has a bad custom.

 

[duffcon]

So my forgotten worlds A board is in transit back to ‘legend’ for replacement with another aboard with original audio. I have asked for a replacement from ‘arcadefun’s’ bad audio board. Have not heard back yet.

 

[duffcon]

So Arcadefun refunded me, so that's good. I seem to have a glut of failed CPS1 boards now.

 

[duffcon]

I should be ok one way or the other for the multi. I bought a sheepnova b-21 c board just in case. HKlegend (allegedly) is sending me a legit dash a-board for the hackjob one I sent back to him. Failing that I can use my legit Champ/turbo set.

Of course now I have 4 CPS1 A/B/C sets, 3 of which are in various states of failure.

 

[duffcon]

So I got the replacement A Board. It looks like a 'dash' to me. The audio section is original and works well. One complaint is the C dip block doesn't work so freeplay and demo sounds didn't work initially. I worked around it by just soldering the pins closed as a work around. I'll replace the block when I get to it, I never change these settings so not really a big deal.

So I will say that "HKLegend" did make it right in the end. In this auction he showed the A board with original audio so I would warn potential buyers to double check the pics and make sure you are getting what you are seeing.

 

[GeorgeSpinner]

So I got the replacement A Board. It looks like a 'dash' to me. The audio section is original and works well. One complaint is the C dip block doesn't work so freeplay and demo sounds didn't work initially. I worked around it by just soldering the pins closed as a work around. I'll replace the block when I get to it, I never change these settings so not really a big deal.

So I will say that "HKLegend" did make it right in the end. In this auction he showed the A board with original audio so I would warn potential buyers to double check the pics and make sure you are getting what you are seeing.

I have had trouble with dip c block on most boards I have received from China. The dip blocks have all been replaced on most of the boards.

Dip c7 is the one that matters most. That's the one that controls continue in most games. It's not the same for all games either.

Ghouls n Ghosts dip c7 off - continue on
Street Fighter 2 dip c7 on - continue on

This caused trouble with my multi and I had to find a good board.

 

[GeorgeSpinner]

I was messing around with my Chinese-replacement-sound A board last night and discovered the A board was not the cause of my sound issues. I started having problems with the same B/C combo in a known good A board.

There C board with in that B/C combo that came with the Chinese-replacement-sound A board was filthy. I cleaned it up with some contact cleaner, isopropyl alcohol, and de-oxit and all the problems went away.

I just wanted to add this information because my earlier posts painted a different picture.

It seemed like the A board was flaky. It appears it is not.

 

[noorimaru]

I was curious (and I didn't see this thread to be honest ) so I bought a CPS1 board from legendhk.
Very impressive packaging but I also have issues with the sound. Not sure if it's due to it being a conversion or fauly sound hardware as you mentioned above. Do you guys have similar problems with the music breaking up/stuttering or is this another fault? See video:

View: https://youtu.be/aSD_Ruk5-

 

[duffcon]

What does the audio section look like? Is it orignal or the hack job like i pictured above. If it's a hack, then you options are limited because of non-original parts. I would just message the seller and ask for a solution.

 

[noorimaru]

What does the audio section look like? Is it orignal or the hack job like i pictured above. If it's a hack, then you options are limited because of non-original parts. I would just message the seller and ask for a solution.

Thanks for your answer!

I have inspected the board now, this seems to be the hack as well? It seems to also be CPS Dash from what I understand?

I removed the roms, cleaned the connectors and reseated them, no improvment.

I also noticed some GFX problems

View: https://youtu.be/lTW7YJlQ6fw

 

[Kujako]

Thanks for your answer!

I have inspected the board now, this seems to be the hack as well? It seems to also be CPS Dash from what I understand?

I removed the roms, cleaned the connectors and reseated them, no improvment.

I also noticed some GFX problems

View: https://youtu.be/lTW7YJlQ6fw

Yup, that's one of the cursed rebuilt audio boards. In addition those are not original ROMs, so I'd wager that your C board has been modified as well. Welcome to the club!

 

[duffcon]

Yeah, just message the seller. In my case they replaced the a board

 

[GeorgeSpinner]

Yup, that's one of the cursed rebuilt audio boards. In addition those are not original ROMs, so I'd wager that your C board has been modified as well. Welcome to the club!

I would just like to add again that my A board with the same setup works fine.

My issues were finally traced to a bad ROM on the B board.

 

[djsheep]

Those A boards are really rough. Avoid them if you’re looking for a multi donor.

They’re loosely populated with crappy caps and the sound pot has two settings only. 0 or 100. I have no idea why people are still wasting their time. There’s so many “proper” CPS-1 boards in the wild still that can be got for roughly the same price, if not just $30-50 more.

 

[GeorgeSpinner]

Those A boards are really rough. Avoid them if you’re looking for a multi donor.

They’re loosely populated with crappy caps and the sound pot has two settings only. 0 or 100. I have no idea why people are still wasting their time. There’s so many “proper” CPS-1 boards in the wild still that can be got for roughly the same price, if not just $30-50 more.

The quality probably varies greatly between units. Like almost all low cost products from China.

I have no issues with the volume control on my unit. I use it often.

That being said; I agree, and have a couple original A boards, so I should be ok for the multi.

This board is working fine in it's current role, but I would never rely on it as my main and only A board.

 

[djsheep]

The sound section repopulation is junk. Even for casual use they should be avoided. Look at all the missing caps, components, heatsink, etc. Pretty sure this kinda shite will put a strain on the main board and probably kill it over time.

Capcom:

LegendHK:

 

[GeorgeSpinner]

The sound section repopulation is junk. Even for casual use they should be avoided. Look at all the missing caps, components, heatsink, etc. Pretty sure this kinda shite will put a strain on the main board and probably kill it over time.

By main board you mean the A board? Where the offending hardware currently resides?

If it's all garbage and will break itself eventually (which hasn't been established but let's just say you're correct because you know more about it than me) - what's the harm in using it casually?

If it's to be avoided at all costs, then it's an A board that is never used; it essentially serves no purpose. Why not use it casually with the expectation that it probably won't last forever?

From what I've seen first hand, and heard about, the original sound setup is no great shakes either and is prone to failure.

I can only speak from my experience, but I don't have any issues with this PCB (as of yet).

I have 1 additional game running, that I didn't pay much for, that works well and provides a lot of entertainment.

Even if it lasts only a year or 2, for what it cost me, it's not bad.

When I get the darksoft multi I'll have a 3rd string backup to use if all my other boards fail.

These boards may not be collector quality, but I do think there is some value to them, if they are in the shape mine is in.

 

[djsheep]

If you’re happy with it. It’s all that really matters. I was just pointing out the obvious.