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Namco System 12: repair, preservation, multi?

Ape Cosplay

Ape Cosplay

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Hi all,

@DRAGONKZ generously donated a System 12 boardset for multi investigations. :thumbup:

This will actually be a multi step project:
1) Fix it: board developped a fault and is mute.
2) None of the Namco System 12 PLDs is dumped. Those need to be preserved.
3) Investigating the possibility of a multi.
 
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Step 1: fixing it

Board was actually in good condition, but didn't have any sound (nothing on the JAMMA, nothing on the RCA connectors).
The fix was actually very simple: as often on this hardware the SMT capacitors had started to leak and eaten a trace leading to the audio DAC.

After cleaning the area and scraping a bit the trace to expose fresh copper, all it needed was a bit of solder on pin 5.

20260128_141954.jpg
 
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Step 2: dumping the PLDs

Definitely more work here: there are 7 PLDs on the motherboard and 1 on the romboard (plus a CPLD for the KeyCus).


Round 1: SYSTEM 12 MOTHER (B) PCB

Starting with the motherboard: they are PLCC devices, surface mounted.

IMG-20260128-WA0002.jpeg


Hot air and batteries not being best friends I pulled the latter.

20260128_143220.jpg


Then I pulled all 7 chips and installed sockets.

20260128_194116.jpg


With a big question mark: did I do a good job?

20260128_194213.jpg


Yep! It's still working.

Of course they're all protected so brute-force it will be.

To be continued...

02/02/2026:
They are all dumped now and will be available over at the pld archive soon (https://wiki.pldarchive.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page):
- S12MOT1A @4F (PALCE22V10 in GAL22V10)
- S12MOT2A @4D (PALCE22V10 in GAL22V10)
- S12MOT3A @2B (PALCE16V8 in GAL16V8 )
- S12MOT4A @2D (PALCE22V10 in GAL22V10)
- S12MOT5A @6D (PALCE22V10 in GAL22V10)
- S12MOT6A @7D (PALCE22V10 in GAL22V10)
- S12MOT7A @3B (PALCE16V8 in GAL16V8 )

Round 2: M4F6 ROMBOARD

Only one PLD, that has also been reversed:
- A DECO @IC4 (PALCE16V8 in GAL16V8 )

20260202_142948.jpg


Bonus Round:

You've probably noticed an other chip I put on a socket in the picture above. That's actually a CPLD (MACH211 in PLCC44, 64 macrocells) used for protection (KeyCus).
Would be interesting to reproduce if we want to run unpatched code on the multi.
 
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Hello there, thanks for sharing all this useful information!

I also have a System 12 board with Tekken 3 that needs some work, but it’s still pretty new territory for me and I’m not sure where to start.

It boots with very dark colors, almost black, and they slowly stabilize as the board warms up after a few minutes.

I’ve read that a common fix for several System 12 issues is replacing capacitors, but I haven’t been able to identify which ones yet.

If you have any hints or pointers, I’d really appreciate it.
In the meantime, keep up the great work!
 
If you have an other System 12 boardset you should swap boards to narrow down the issue.
I have experienced the same symptoms before, it came from the CPU board, C213 had leaked and corroded the area.
 
Thanks, I’ll take a look over there then. Can I also ask you why dumping PLDs?
 
Understandable.
Well if you get a chance...ghoul panic...I'd be willing to test.
 
Hi! Ape Cosplay :)

Great work on what you've accomplished! :thumbup:

I have a Soulcalibur motherboard, but it is currently fitted with a Tekken 3 Type 4 ROM board, which was purchased and assembled this way.

I would like to know whether it is possible to use this Type 4 ROM board and convert it into a Soulcalibur ROM board.

I compared it with two other complete Soulcalibur ROM boards that I own, and both are different revisions.

Could you please tell me if this conversion is possible, considering that the other two ROM board revisions are equipped with a MACH211 CPLD and a smaller PALCE16V8H chip ?

Thank you in advance for your help. :saint:



 
chacal231077 said:
Hi! Ape Cosplay :)

Great work on what you've accomplished! :thumbup:

I have a Soulcalibur motherboard, but it is currently fitted with a Tekken 3 Type 4 ROM board, which was purchased and assembled this way.

I would like to know whether it is possible to use this Type 4 ROM board and convert it into a Soulcalibur ROM board.

I compared it with two other complete Soulcalibur ROM boards that I own, and both are different revisions.

Could you please tell me if this conversion is possible, considering that the other two ROM board revisions are equipped with a MACH211 CPLD and a smaller PALCE16V8H chip ?

Thank you in advance for your help. :saint:



Click to expand...
Maybe i got a good soul calibur romboard spare, need to check ;)
 
talex-tnt said:
Hello there, thanks for sharing all this useful information!

I also have a System 12 board with Tekken 3 that needs some work, but it’s still pretty new territory for me and I’m not sure where to start.

It boots with very dark colors, almost black, and they slowly stabilize as the board warms up after a few minutes.

I’ve read that a common fix for several System 12 issues is replacing capacitors, but I haven’t been able to identify which ones yet.

If you have any hints or pointers, I’d really appreciate it.
In the meantime, keep up the great work!
Click to expand...
Hi there!

Quick update, just in case somebody else encounters the same issue:
after recapping the motherboard the issue was fixed.

I also recapped the cpu board but that changed nothing.
After recapping I had to lower all the RGB channels to 0 from the display settings (had 30 before and was too bright),
I also had to lower the contrast to something around 20 for the same reason.

The first few times I tried the boards after the recap it did not boot, but also before recapping wasn't booting properly occasionally.
That got fixed after removing and reinstalling the daughter board.

Cheers!
 
talex-tnt said:
Hi there!

Quick update, just in case somebody else encounters the same issue:
after recapping the motherboard the issue was fixed.

I also recapped the cpu board but that changed nothing.
After recapping I had to lower all the RGB channels to 0 from the display settings (had 30 before and was too bright),
I also had to lower the contrast to something around 20 for the same reason.

The first few times I tried the boards after the recap it did not boot, but also before recapping wasn't booting properly occasionally.
That got fixed after removing and reinstalling the daughter board.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Hi :) talex-tnt,

Thanks for the update and for sharing your fix! :thumbup:

Just a heads-up regarding the intermittent boot issue you mentioned (the one fixed by reseating the daughterboard): this usually indicates a cold or cracked solder joint somewhere, most likely around the daughterboard connectors or the main sockets. :unsure:

While reseating it worked for now, the problem might come back as the board heats up and expands. If it acts up again, you might want to reflow the solder on those connector pins.

Good luck with the board, and thanks again for the valuable feedback!":saint:;)
 
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