MV4FT2 oddities

[matt5cott]

Hey all,

I got a new (to me not brand new!) 4 slot off eBay the other day and am having some real oddities with it as only a few games worked, so I went and cleaned the games and the slots as per the hardmvs guide... Some dirty toothbrushes and earbud things later and it's precisely the same!

I've tried swapping slots, all different kinds of combos with old and new games, I've reset the memory via the bios, and via the dipswitches, still the same!

Only about a third of them seem to work, if it 'likes' the game it'll work in any slot, if it dislikes it, well it just plain won't work, if you put all games it dislikes in it just sits at the crosshatch.

All these games worked with my old (sadly now backup RAM errored) 4 slot which was the older slightly bigger style.

Any help really appreciated

 

[matt5cott]

Inspected the board, spotted this on the rear, looks like 2/3 traces cut at least, was sold as 100% working as well!

 

[skate323k137]

If you're stuck with it, it looks like at least most of those traces shouldn't be too hard to jumper.

 

[MuppeT]

If it was from ebay - open a case and return it. You don't want a 4 slot as they are quite finicky.

 

[mikejmoffitt]

I don't really see how the 4-slots are finicky, other than having more slots and more potential switching logic to debug. The separate PCB for the slots makes isolating a logic board vs cart board problem pretty simple.

Those traces should be a deluxe easy fix. I'd just go for it. Perhaps message the seller and see if you can get a partial refund for your time spent fixing it :P

 

[bustedstr8]

4 sluts are notorious for damage from pcb flexing. I put a few extra anti-static foam wedges in mine to help fight it.

 

[MuppeT]

Mostly everyone who had a 4 slotter had to deal with some kind of malfunction at some point. I myself had problems with the sound.

 

[matt5cott]

Thanks for the help guys, is it pretty safe to jump them using some thin cable or do I need to repair the traces properly!?

 

[Electric Grave]

That's it, that's all you need.

All my 4 slots have worked without a flaw, knock on wood of course but the main thing is to have the PCB feet right underneath the slots, the board has the holes for it and the PCB feet will give you the support you need when your pushing carts in without flexing the board at all. Remember also that there are spacers in between the 2 boards so you're gonna need those as well. People have this problems 'cause the boards are usually missing feet and spacers, not sure whether is a production issue or just neglect.

 

[matt5cott]

Cheers all, I've inspected it under a jewellers loupe and the damage is worse than I first thought.

The seller has given me full money back which is more than fair and he's not bothered about the getting the board back, so if I ever find someone local to have a look and get it working I'll wire him some money.

 

[channelmaniac]

4 sluts are notorious for damage from pcb flexing. I put a few extra anti-static foam wedges in mine to help fight it.

I've never seen that.