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SOLVED: Darksoft CPS2 Multi On version 4 B Board

peet said:
So the connection didn’t hold unfortunately. Are there chip clips you can buy to clip into arm processors? I have seen something called Z Axis tape I could also try.

which points are responsible for resetting the system after a flash?

thanks
Click to expand...
Yes there are sockets you could put over the ARM processor... but frankly that would still be a difficult install. As for the reset, the wire runs from the reset pin to the PAL chip. Depending on which version of the PAL you have you may need to lift the pin.
IMG_20150617_100611_2.jpg


Do share a picture of the setup2 lifted pad in it's current state. You say it "didn't hold", but I'm not clear on what you mean.
 
I lost a bit more of the trace, it does look as though I managed to tin a bit of the remaining trace though. I might have 1 more go when some thinner wire arrives. I have attached a pic.
 

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peet said:
I lost a bit more of the trace, it does look as though I managed to tin a bit of the remaining trace though. I might have 1 more go when some thinner wire arrives. I have attached a pic.
Click to expand...
Yeah still looks recoverable. Here's the wire I use for such things.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008AGUCWW/
Just tin the tip of the wire and touch it to the trace. Don't add solder. Give it a gentle tug to see if it's connected and then tape/glue it down.
 
Ok so the good news is I got key writing to work. I used the wrapping wire that kujaco suggested which made the repair much easier. I installed the resistor and also removed the Capcom installed jumper wire from the back of the board and used the wire from the GPal to dark soft board instead.

For the fine wire repair of the setup I had my iron set to 280 Celsius and used 0.7 multicore branded solder and CIF flux for reference. I also used heat resistant tape to hold things in place while I did the work. I also used a “helping hand“ with the magnifying glass which was essential as you can’t see what you are doing.

the problem I now have is unusual but I’m hoping there is an easy fix. Games are playing but missing all the character sprites so I’m seeing the background but no characters. Also bits are missing from the intro to ssr2x in the opening scene,

any ideas?

thanks!
 
Make sure you haven't accidentally bridged any pins on the ARM and look for broken or bent pins underneath.
 
Ok it that the most likely culprit, something wrong/bridged with the ARM?
 
Well since you were working in the area its something to check for.
 
Ok thanks I’ll have a look. If it’s not the arm is there anything else that could cause it? I noticed if I switch from super puzzle fighter to super street fighter 2 x it looked like bits of each game were playing at the same time
 
I found the short. A tiny thread of wire had bridged A30 and B30. Once removed the foreground Sprites returned :)

I think I’m pretty close to having this working now. On 1944 I was able to flash and play the encrypted game, however on restarting it didn’t re-flash the key so got a blue screen. I then flashed xmen vs streetfighter. The game started, selected character and went to play. The game then crashed.

I think I’m getting partial success with key writing. If a key is written but not “perfectly” would I get the symptoms I am seeing (game starts then crashes)?

thanks
 
Yes, resistor installed now. I’ll see if I can shorten the wires further.
 
I’m going to shorten the cables as much as possible and add 75Ω resistor on the clock line. Hopefully that should sort it
 
Outside of my experience at this point, but perhaps check the resistance of the wires?
 
I have added the resistor between the clock and the B Board. It has improved things (I think) as the keys are always flashed even when booting from cold. The only issue I have now is some games start up but once playing crash. I noticed on these games the QSound doesnt play when the logo comes on as the game boots.

Games that boot but crash shortly after playing (within 30 seconds) out of what I have tried so far:

Xmen vs Streetfighter
Alien vs Predator
SSF2 X

Games that work

Mighty Pang
Mega Man
1944 the loop master

This may be key related or related to something else. Is there anything special out of the games that dont work compared to the ones that do?

Thanks
 
voltage at the edge connector are:
5.3
-4.65
12.09

I have also tried 2 different A boards
 
Its all working!
5.07 on the voltage seemed to be the sweet spot.

Thanks everyone for all your help. What a mare that was!

So, for my version 4 board:

75 ohm resistor between clock on the darksoft board and clock on the b-board (dampens signal)
4.7k ohm resistor between A32 and C32 (Assists with key writing)
keep the key writing wires as short as possible
Used partitioning program to (mimitool partition wizard) to greate a 4GB partition (FAT32 default allocation) on the SD card
SD card used was a sanDisk Ultra 16Gb class 10
removed the factory installed jumber wire on the back of the B-Board and used pin 9 on the G pal and corrected to J17 on darksoft board

Thanks again, hope this helps someone with a version 4 board in the future.
 
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Sometimes it’s the simplest things we sometimes forget. I use a multimeter every time I mount a board by habit. Never “rely” on a voltmeter, even though it’s nice feature, I don’t want to get burnt :). Glad it’s working.
 
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