Pandora Box 3 Multi-Game 520-1 PCB

[Azathoth]

If you don't mind, can you try a couple of things for me:
1) Street Fighter III Third Strike, is it in English this time?
2) 368 Dodonpachi Dai <- which *Dai* variant of the game is this?
3) Can you check if the _cabinet_ test switch

1. Japanese still

2. Dai Ou Jou, does the title screen of black label version say so?

3. Nope

 

[mikemann]

All that info was much appreciated as well as the video, So its safe to assume that in free play since it "credits up" that attract mode on games won't be running before or after game play as it will be waiting to start/continue. If thats the case like you said free plays kinda useless.

Yeah the free play workaround they went with is no good. And you're correct, you never see an attract mode. It's just bang - credits galore. If I were going to keep this, I would turn it off. In fact right after the video I immediately changed the settings.

 

[raziel2001au]

2. Dai Ou Jou, does the title screen of black label version say so?

No, the title screen has a dark background in black label (as opposed to a light-coloured background, so some people call the original white label).

Best to check out these 2 arcade long play videos if you don't know what I mean:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBuKNb673SU <- original with light title screen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD779mLfW_8 <- black label with a dark title screen

 

[raziel2001au]

If it doesn't, it's an easy thing to add with a single wire.

So you're saying that it already allows you to access the game test menus on the Pandora's Box, you just have to make the connection to let that happen? How, I need details!

I've always wanted to be able to toggle the demo sounds on some games.

Edit: to clarify, i don't mean the PB4 test/setup menu, but the actual game test menu so you can turn on/off the attract sound.

 

[Xian Xi]

You basically just run a wire from the menu button in the side to the test switch pin on the jamma edge so when you push the test switch it activates the menu button.

 

[Xian Xi]

If that's what you need I can take pics in the morning on how to do it.

 

[raziel2001au]

If that's what you need I can take pics in the morning on how to do it.

Not sure if we're talking about the same thing... I'm talking about being able to access the game's actual configuration system... like, if you're running a neogeo game, you can set if you want the attract sounds, and all that stuff. I'm not talking about the PB4 setup menu.

 

[Azathoth]

No, the title screen has a dark background in black label (as opposed to a light-coloured background, so some people call the original white label).

It's the regular white label one.

I'm going to hook this to a VGA monitor tonight, but being that my PB3 is now DOA I don't have the ability to do a direct comparison. Is the filtering used on all games?

EDIT

Looks like Street Fighter (the first one) is unplayable in versus mode. For some reason the 2nd player cannot jump, yet when P1 jumps it makes P2 jump also. Weird. And for the first time in 30 years I finally figured out how to play this game properly. Maybe it's a holdover from the pressure sensitive gimmick, but all button presses are a negative edge thing where they don't actually come out till you release the button. Instead of doing a fireball normally, hold down punch prior to doing the motion then release it at the end (rather than pressing it at the end). 50% damage specials are awesome.

 

[munchiaz]

shame the vertical air only works via VGA.

 

[opt2not]

shame the vertical air only works via VGA.

Yeah, major deal breaker for me.

 

[mikemann]

Yeah, major deal breaker for me.

No kidding...I was so pumped for this. The Aliexpress seller I bought from too, keeps insisting that it does support CGA. While funny enough, now all the other listings on Aliexpress have been changed to say VGA only.

 

[munchiaz]

No kidding...I was so pumped for this. The Aliexpress seller I bought from too, keeps insisting that it does support CGA. While funny enough, now all the other listings on Aliexpress have been changed to say VGA only.

I really don't want to get another Monitor for my room. Already am running low on space. I do wonder how much better or worse this is than the PB4

EDIT:

This may be a good alternative to the vertical air PCB. works with CGA and VGA

http://www.hollandcomputers.com/sto...Arcade-Multigame-Game-Board-p8310.htm#details

^wasn't aware this was the game elf. I have no experience with it, but from what i've heard its not to great

 

[Xian Xi]

No kidding...I was so pumped for this. The Aliexpress seller I bought from too, keeps insisting that it does support CGA. While funny enough, now all the other listings on Aliexpress have been changed to say VGA only.

Is it at least the correct aspect ratio or are they all fixed to the same ratio?

 

[FinalbossNYC]

shame the vertical air only works via VGA.

Is it just me or doesn't that seem like a strange decision to make it VGA only, or am I foolishly trying to make sense of bootleggers

 

[mikemann]

So I have been going back and forth with my seller on the King of Air board and I was told tonight this -

"I sorry to inform you that the warehouse make a mistake, they send the VGA version to you. We will arrange to send a new CGA version pcb board to you, and you just need to change the pcb board, and then it can work for the CGA. I'm sorry to make you inconvenience. And will provide the tracking number to you once available. Thanks and best regards."

I honestly don't have high hopes as they are the only seller to list this as supporting CGA. We'll see...

I did pull our little 19" Kitchen LCD out to the garage though to try this on VGA and see it actually worked. WOW. They really did a nice job with this one. The menu is good IMO. Granted I was playing on a TV flipped on it's side, probably laggy as hell and it was stretched to 16:9 mode...but I would say most of the games I tried played decent. Almost all the CAVE games to me played as well as I know them to be (I don't own any real PCB's and I doubt I will ever be able to either, which is why I was excited about this) There does seem to be some screen tearing/refresh issues on a few games I noticed...Strikers had it, Truxton had it. Thunder Dragon 2 was either missing the background music or was very low.

The startup video is still stupid like the PB4, but again less obnoxious to me. There is no game loading tone or voice over.

Even when exiting now there is a menu that pops up to give you an exit or continue option, much like the Blue Elf.

After trying the PB4 I was very impressed. I actually came in the house going, man this blows this was the shmup board I was looking for. This definitely isn't as great as playing the real deal, but given the prices on some of these titles, this seems like a real value at around $100 to your door. I sure hope the CGA thing works out and they really do send me something that will work. And hopefully they play even better that way.

 

[munchiaz]

Thanks for the info Mikemann. Hopefully they send you a CGA one, and you are able to test and let us know how it works

 

[West]

Sounds promising. Cant wait to hear how it performs if/when you get the CGA version.

So I have been going back and forth with my seller on the King of Air board and I was told tonight this -

"I sorry to inform you that the warehouse make a mistake, they send the VGA version to you. We will arrange to send a new CGA version pcb board to you, and you just need to change the pcb board, and then it can work for the CGA. I'm sorry to make you inconvenience. And will provide the tracking number to you once available. Thanks and best regards."

I honestly don't have high hopes as they are the only seller to list this as supporting CGA. We'll see...

I did pull our little 19" Kitchen LCD out to the garage though to try this on VGA and see it actually worked. WOW. They really did a nice job with this one. The menu is good IMO. Granted I was playing on a TV flipped on it's side, probably laggy as hell and it was stretched to 16:9 mode...but I would say most of the games I tried played decent. Almost all the CAVE games to me played as well as I know them to be (I don't own any real PCB's and I doubt I will ever be able to either, which is why I was excited about this) There does seem to be some screen tearing/refresh issues on a few games I noticed...Strikers had it, Truxton had it. Thunder Dragon 2 was either missing the background music or was very low.

The startup video is still stupid like the PB4, but again less obnoxious to me. There is no game loading tone or voice over.

Even when exiting now there is a menu that pops up to give you an exit or continue option, much like the Blue Elf.

After trying the PB4 I was very impressed. I actually came in the house going, man this blows this was the shmup board I was looking for. This definitely isn't as great as playing the real deal, but given the prices on some of these titles, this seems like a real value at around $100 to your door. I sure hope the CGA thing works out and they really do send me something that will work. And hopefully they play even better that way.

 

[Electric Grave]

Oh man, well that's sorta good news...when you get it take some high quality pics of your CRT, also if you can a video wouldn't hurt, just to see the tearing. If it runs like the PB3 but vertical, I'm jumping all over it in a heartbeat.

 

[LoneSage]

Hello , PB 3 query-

When game ends , how to go back to game select

Regards

 

[GohanX]

Press start and coin.

 

[Xian Xi]

You can also change it to where you can just hold start for 5 seconds. With that setting, to continue, you have to hold start until the small window comes up and choose continue and it will add a credit to the current game or you can hit start on player 2 side iirc.

 

[TonK]

Can you turn the pb3 into a pb4 with the sd image or nah?

 

[Electric Grave]

You don't want to, apparently the PB4 is plagued with filters and what have you. The game list on th PB4 is killer though.

 

[Azathoth]

Can you turn the pb3 into a pb4 with the sd image or nah?

I just started working on this.

The PB4 SD card can be cloned with no problem. Unline the Game Elf the PB's have no unique serial number nonsense. You can interchange SD cards between machines without alternation to the original image. I mentioned my PB3 dying eariler when my 4 arrived, really the SD just blanked itself for whatever reason. I'm in the process of downloading an image of the PB3 SD from a fellow member here to raise it from the dead.

The PB3 has a wad of hot glue on the end of the card holding it in place. The 4 doesn't have anything like that.

Interesting part: a 4 SD loads and fires up on a 3, but doesn't work properly. CRT video is scrambled & VGA video appears but is shifted to the right with all kinds of weird aspects ratios going on. When you pick a game from the menu it goes to the loading screen, plays it's little loading song, then freezes at the loading screen. Purely speaking out of my ass I assume this is an issue with the way the PB 4 displays CRT/VGA versus a 3. If you hook VGA up to a 4 with CRT simultaneously, you get scrambled video on the CRT, same scrambling as being displayed here when CRT *only*. On a 3 if you hook them both up at once you get video on both outputs, although the VGA will have aspect ratio issues on vertical games.

If the file structure of both cards are the same, it might be as simple as copying over new files on a PB3 card; but the developers went farther out of their way to obfuscate what is going on than they did with a Game Elf.

The next question is would a simpler matter be the King of Air SD card work in a PB4 with no alterations? I'm sure the hardware on those are much closer to a 4 than a 3, especially if they're VGA only.

 

[Linear]

I just started working on this.

The PB4 SD card can be cloned with no problem. Unline the Game Elf the PB's have no unique serial number nonsense. You can interchange SD cards between machines without alternation to the original image. I mentioned my PB3 dying eariler when my 4 arrived, really the SD just blanked itself for whatever reason. I'm in the process of downloading an image of the PB3 SD from a fellow member here to raise it from the dead.

The PB3 has a wad of hot glue on the end of the card holding it in place. The 4 doesn't have anything like that.

Interesting part: a 4 SD loads and fires up on a 3, but doesn't work properly. CRT video is scrambled & VGA video appears but is shifted to the right with all kinds of weird aspects ratios going on. When you pick a game from the menu it goes to the loading screen, plays it's little loading song, then freezes at the loading screen. Purely speaking out of my ass I assume this is an issue with the way the PB 4 displays CRT/VGA versus a 3. If you hook VGA up to a 4 with CRT simultaneously, you get scrambled video on the CRT, same scrambling as being displayed here when CRT *only*. On a 3 if you hook them both up at once you get video on both outputs, although the VGA will have aspect ratio issues on vertical games.

If the file structure of both cards are the same, it might be as simple as copying over new files on a PB3 card; but the developers went farther out of their way to obfuscate what is going on than they did with a Game Elf.

The next question is would a simpler matter be the King of Air SD card work in a PB4 with no alterations? I'm sure the hardware on those are much closer to a 4 than a 3, especially if they're VGA only.

Azathoth: If you want I can grab a DD image of my King of Air SD and upload it somewhere for you to try in your PB4. If that works, I'd love to a PB4 image to swap in and out of my KoA PCB.