Wiring in MVS carts?

[elbarto]

another paranoid MVS cart question from me, lol

How common is it to find MVS carts with "untidy" wiring inside?
I got a Metal Slug 2 cart this morning, and on the top board there are about 5 or so wires connecting various chips.

I'm assuming its where the board has had to be repaired or something, rather than a bootleg. Both boards are SNK labelled, no EPROMS as far as I can see, and I got it from a reliable source.

The game itself works fine from what I've seen so far, I was just curious. First time I've come across a cart like this.

[ April 18, 2002: Message edited by: elbarto ]

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: elbarto ]</p>

 

[elbarto]

Anyone? <img src="graemlins/help.gif" border="0" alt="[Help]" />

 

[RabbitTroop]

Well... it could be a repair... but I would never run one of those wired games. I actually watched a Neo Geo burn due to falty wiring in a bootleg cart at my old friends Arcade.... A Bootleg, wired Pop n Bounce went up in flames and took the board out with it... not in my house, I'll tell you that much, repaired or bootleg... no thanks... I would send it back and demand another, just for the sake of getting what you paid for if for nothing else,

-Nick

 

[elbarto]

Well, don't know what to do know after reading your message Nick.. I emailed them about replacement and got this:

hi, these carts are all used..you are not buying new carts..we dont ask the
history of the carts when we get them..we only make sure they are working and
original..the cart has no more chance of failing as a cart that has never
been repaired..however if it bothers u enough and u want to swap it out just
return to us along with the s+h and we will exchange for you<hr></blockquote>

Personally I think there's a difference between "used" and "used, broken and repaired", maybe its just me.
I want to return it, but that'll mean stumping up another $30+ for shipping, making if more than I wanted to pay in the first place.. dammit <img src="graemlins/annoyed.gif" border="0" alt="[Annoyed]" />

Its times like this I hate buying MVS bits, especially internationally

 

[RabbitTroop]

I know what you mean. To tell you the truth I may be a bit paranoid... but like I said, I saw a wired bootleg (crappy mind you but still) cause a fire, so I really want nothing to do with them. That cart may never cause you a single problem, the repair job might be very professional, I am just saying, if it was me I would want another. Sorry to hear you are going to get stuck with $30 or so in fees... that is one of the reasons I choose to deal with MDGameSales and Videoconnect. They know what I like and will open up the games for me before they send them!!!

-Nick

[ April 23, 2002: Message edited by: nruva ]</p>

 

[elbarto]

This was from MDgamesales.. <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[Crying]" />
(I didn't want to name names until I'd sorted it out with them first.)

Next time I order any MVS carts from anywhere, I'm going to make sure I get a 100% original, non-boot, non-repair certificate to go with them. I would laugh, if it wasn't costing me extra $$$..

I'd much rather have an unrepaired cart than take the chance.. I'll just have to put the cost down to experience.

 

[The Super Spy]

Do wires in a cart mean bootleg for sure? I've only opened up one cart of mine, a Puzzle Bobble... It had mostly the roms with the windows in them (not sure if they are EEPROMS or EPROMS, but you get the point), and inside there is one small piece of wire with red insulation on part of it, Probably only a centimeter or so long... You really can't see it too clearly in these pics, but on "Board 2" at least it looks to me like that is where the wire is (took these pics awhile ago)...
<a href="http://subzer0s.homestead.com/files/board1.jpg" target="_blank">Board one</a>
<a href="http://subzer0s.homestead.com/files/board2.jpg" target="_blank">Board two</a>
Also, I had problems closing the cart back up, and I was afraid I could have damaged it by putting the boards in the wrong way, but I got them to fit, but when I put it in once it didn't work but reinserting it a couple times made it work... Is it safe to use this in my cab?

[ April 23, 2002: Message edited by: The Super Spy ]</p>

 

[RabbitTroop]

Originally posted by elbarto:
<strong>This was from MDgamesales.. <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[Crying]" />
(I didn't want to name names until I'd sorted it out with them first.)

Next time I order any MVS carts from anywhere, I'm going to make sure I get a 100% original, non-boot, non-repair certificate to go with them. I would laugh, if it wasn't costing me extra $$$..

I'd much rather have an unrepaired cart than take the chance.. I'll just have to put the cost down to experience.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Man, I am really sorry to hear that, usually Mike is really up on this stuff... or maybe it is just because I make a fuss about it to him. Well, sorry to hear about your troubles, hope it all works out.

-Nick

 

[RabbitTroop]

Originally posted by The Super Spy:
<strong>Do wires in a cart mean bootleg for sure? I've only opened up one cart of mine, a Puzzle Bobble... It had mostly the roms with the windows in them (not sure if they are EEPROMS or EPROMS, but you get the point), and inside there is one small piece of wire with red insulation on part of it, Probably only a centimeter or so long... You really can't see it too clearly in these pics, but on "Board 2" at least it looks to me like that is where the wire is (took these pics awhile ago)...
<a href="http://subzer0s.homestead.com/files/board1.jpg" target="_blank">Board one</a>
<a href="http://subzer0s.homestead.com/files/board2.jpg" target="_blank">Board two</a>
Also, I had problems closing the cart back up, and I was afraid I could have damaged it by putting the boards in the wrong way, but I got them to fit, but when I put it in once it didn't work but reinserting it a couple times made it work... Is it safe to use this in my cab?

[ April 23, 2002: Message edited by: The Super Spy ]</strong><hr></blockquote>

Well the chips deffinetly are not original, whether this was a repair job, or a conversion to Puzzle Bobble I don't know. The boards say SNK, but that could mean someone converted another game to Puzzle Bobble to save money... ie a cheap Sam Showdown 1 or something. For the record though, Puzzle Bobble is the no. 1 pirated game on the MVS, there are tons and tons of bootlegs out there for that game.

 

[ttooddddyy]

I think you will find that the cart does not close properly if one of the boards is put back in the wrong way, its designed like that ?
Havent pulled one apart for a while.
But Im sure its vertually impossible to get the boards mixed up or around the wrong way.

 

[ttooddddyy]

I think you will find that the cart does not close properly if one of the boards is put back in the wrong way, its designed like that ?
Havent pulled one apart for a while.
But Im sure its vertually impossible to get the boards mixed up or around the wrong way.

BTW, I was horrified once to see that a freinds idiot kid jammed a cart in the wrong way around into one of the six slot cabs. ( must get locks for the doors, for safetys sake and the sake of my carts and boards)
Anyway, I was amazed to find no damage to pcb or cart, getting off the point I know but an interesting fact.

 

[RabbitTroop]

Well, a friend of mine put a Bust a Move cart in backwards once in my old 2 slot cab. The game came up as the Green Screen. I didn't know what he did, then I realized the cart was in wrong... he didn't really jam hard I watched him put it in, it just went. I took the game out, put it in the right way, but there were these little graphical glitches on the screen. I cleaned it, checked all contacts, everything was perfect, but these glitches remained.... To this day, they are still there. I bought a new BAM, and my friend felt terrible, but it is hardly his fault (I should have warned him about the arrows, but who knew?) That is my experience with a backwards cart, I am always very careful now, and I put the games in these days

-Nick

 

[ttooddddyy]

Nick
Maybe different carts are more prone to damage with wrong way insertion. the cart in question in my case was Sengoku. Moral of the story is to have a " no change carts by novice" policy unless educated about matching the arrows up.

[ April 26, 2002: Message edited by: ttooddddyy ]</p>