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Naomi booting games into test mode

BroadwayJose

BroadwayJose

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I'm having a weird issue or set of issues with my Naomi setup when I use the Sega 837-13551 I/O board. It's somewhat intermittent but it happens often enough where I'm sure there's something wrong somewhere in my configuration. When I netboot into a Naomi game, game does load fine but straight into test mode and I'm unable to move from there. The test buttons on the Naomi don't work when this happens and neither do any controls on the cab/supergun/whatever. If I do get past test mode on the initial boot, sometimes the game eventually goes to test mode by itself or other weird stuff happens, such as the system coins up on its own or certain control buttons (digital only, haven't wired up anything analog yet) are triggered on their own.

I'm wondering if I'm not powering up the Sega I/O correctly. Is there a recommended way to do this? Not sure where to look up that info so here I am looking for the right direction and/or things to read up on.

This does not happen with any other I/O board I've tried, including the Capcom I/O or JVS to Jamma rev B. Those work fine but I'm also looking to avoid having to use those boards in a non-Jamma environment. This is why I have the Sega I/O.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
The I/O board only needs 5V power routed to the appropriate header, this should be powered on at the same time as the mainboard (though I've discovered it re-initializes the I/O connection every-time you switch between game mode and test mode). I have my power connected directly to the PSU but you should be able to run it directly from the filterboard without any problems.

With that said this doesn't sound like a power issue. If anything it sounds like your USB cable might be junk (weak or broken internal connection), or maybe one of the USB connectors is lose or dirty. I've seen quite a few ports on the NAOMI filterboard that are banged up and lose.

You can grab a new USB cable and then pop off the cover on your NAOMI and plug into the port on the filterboard that's normally covered up (they're both wired together so you can use either of them.) that would rule out everything but the port on your I/O board.

There are a number of things that can use you to boot directly into test mode, if the I/O board is disconnected, if the coin meters are not hooked up (or spoofed), if the cabinet type is set incorrectly... some games will throw an error, some will just display a black screen, others will boot into test mode.
 
Thanks for the quick responses. I have a couple of things to check soon as I'm able to get in front of my setup again, likely over the weekend. Sure hope that it's nothing as bad as a dying I/O, considering I just got the thing about a week ago. If this is the case, is there anything I can do to confirm its functionality and is it possible to fix? Or is a replacement going to be the better/easier way to go?

Just to clarify something here:
twistedsymphony said:
I have my power connected directly to the PSU but you should be able to run it directly from the filterboard without any problems.
Click to expand...
This filterboard is something that's normally enclosed within the Naomi case? Somewhere near the area where the I/O, power, etc gets hooked up? I'm a bit new to the Naomi hardware and I'm obviously still working my way around a bit.
 
BroadwayJose said:
This filterboard is something that's normally enclosed within the Naomi case? Somewhere near the area where the I/O, power, etc gets hooked up? I'm a bit new to the Naomi hardware and I'm obviously still working my way around a bit.
Click to expand...
The "filterboard" is the panel on the NAOMI itself that you plug everything into.
 
I see. That's what I did initially with the I/O, hooked it up to the 5v header referenced on the Naomi in the post above yours. Wasn't getting anywhere towards getting my problem fixed so I tried an external power source instead. Maybe I'm not getting 5v exactly in either scenario. Is the Naomi really particular about the power? Again, no issues through a Jamma connection when using one of those style of boards, just with this one. For example, does a Capcom I/O need 5v also?

I'll play around a bit with that, check the USB cable & connector(s) as suggested, and follow up with my progress over the weekend or as soon as I'm able to. Thanks again.
 
capcom IO is typically powered from the JAMMA harness.

Your NAOMI and IO should be using the same 5v source, dialed to about 5.10 as measured at the filter board.

If you have no controls or coin counters or anything wired to the JVS IO I could see it not wanting to boot. I think there's a loopback or something too... I recall the S-JIHP taking care of this for me though when I don't use a cab. Perhaps @Mitsurugi-w can shed light there.
 
Yep, I have a S-JIHP that (hopefully) takes care of the coin counter.

@Mitsurugi-w: should I need to account for the power loopback also? I recall seeing the LED light up on your board when I powered everything. Digital controls did work also via DB25, albeit with the weird input issues, auto coin up strangeness, and sometimes one or more of the inputs didn't function at all.
 
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