Neo Geo MiniMVS - A Project Journal
Finally, the results of two months of planning, delays, foot-dragging, "responsibilities", and construction are upon us! In an effort to avoid the astronomical prices of home Neo Geo equipment and games, while still being able to enjoy the system without a full-sized MVS cabinet in the basement, I elected to build a dedicated SuperGun specifically for MVS games. For anyone not "in the know", a SuperGun is essentially a device used to play arcade boards on a TV or monitor in the home without a full-sized arcade cabinet. MVS is the arcade version of the Neo Geo and operates with cartridges just like its home counterpart. Seems simple enough. And really, it's not so difficult.
There's a shot of the MVS board I selected, now mounted in an old desktop computer case. There are several boards to choose from; 1, 2, 4, or 6 cartridge slots, all with varied attributes. The board I picked up - an MV-1 - is a single slot with onboard joystick ports, built in headphone connector, and even memory board support. As you can see, it's also a little large. The entire bottom of the case is occupied by the board - it even fills out underneath the power supply.
While blurry, there's the evidence that this is in fact an SNK board. Just in case you were wondering. After mounting the board, a whole bunch of stuff needs to be wired up - power, video, etc. To do this, I just plugged a JAMMA harness onto the end of the MVS board and played with all the wires. Here's what said wiring harness looks like...
And plugged into the board...
First, I wired up the power end of the harness to a plug, which will allow easier removal of the power supply in case of any future problems. Fuse holders (for fuses, of course) were included to protect the electronics...
Then, I wired a few existing buttons on the case to various board functions. From left to right (black, blue, then white) - Coin, Test Mode, and Power.
Since this board has a built in headphone connector, I wired that directly to left and right outputs for my component stereo system. Here, you can see them poking through the case while the wires hang over the back waiting to be attached.
Also, since the board has onboard joystick ports, I was able to avoid wiring buttons and sticks up to the harness. This left the video wiring before any real testing could be done. I finally elected to use the Commodore 1084 RGB monitor that was sitting untouched in my basement for about a year. So, after wiring the video up to an appropriate connector, I was able to power the beast on for the first time...
See that grid? That's a good thing. Since I didn't have an actual game to test out yet, this screen was what I had to settle for. At least it demonstrates that the video signal is getting through correctly and clearly. It also illustrates that the monitor held out well in the cool/damp basement through the winter. Commodore monitors are the best.
Luckily, other tasks were to be taken care of while I waited for my first game(s) to arrive. Those wiring harnesses contain approximately 27 miles of wire, yet all of it has to fit in the smallish computer case. See what a difference a few twist ties make?
Next on the To Do list was to modify the top of the computer case for easy MVS cartridge changing. I cut out a trap door large enough for a game and a hand to guide it, then attached a pair of hinges for smooth access. Finally, I painted the entire case black, which looks more cutting-edge than the milk and coffee color it was initially.
After many days of enjoying the white grid pattern, I received my first MVS cartridge to test the machine and play with. Here, you see it nestled snuggly in the slot awaiting power. If you can't read those funky Japanese characters, then I'll spoil the surprise for you - it's The Last Blade.
With game cartridge in place and the entire board wired up, the moment of truth was upon us. Would dreams be shattered or would joy triumph?
That seems to be a good sign...
... and that's an even better sign! Crisp picture, great colors, so tasty! While we're at it, let's test out the second MVS cart that just arrived today...
Success! With that taken care of, the only test left was audio. A reboot of the MVS while attached to my stereo confirmed (with the great Last Blade soundtrack) that the project was complete. Now, a few more pictures of the setup...
The open rectangle in the front of the case is for joystick cables, but most of it will be filled in eventually so that the gap isn't quite as vast. Also, there's a patch of carpet underneath the monitor to protect the paint on the case for now.
And there's my authentic Neo Geo joystick. I'll need to pick up another before enjoying 2 player action.
That screenshot pretty much says it all - victory! Besides the pride that comes along with completing a project like this, I can now play Neo Geo games on the cheap as well. Cheap is good. The next step for this project is the mini wood cabinet that I'd like to build that will contain the monitor and box. Add some side art and a marquee, and the MiniMVS will be totally complete. For now, it's very playable and very fantastic, so I'm very satisfied. Now, I must chop up some foes.
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