Opinions wanted regarding my Neo Geo 4 slot!

LeeB99

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Ok, so here is the deal. I have a dedicated Neo Geo 4 slot cabinet that is really nice, and have been slowly refurbishing it while a friend of mine has been fixing a leaky high voltage flyback. It has been fixed for a long time, but he hasn't had a chance to get it back to me, and this has placed the game in a sort of "limbo".

I SHOULD be getting together with him some time soon, but have found myself having trouble making a decision regarding the motherboard. I have a 150-in-1 multi board, which is supposed to be more compatible with multi-slot boards, and I intend on using it in the cabinet. I have a fully working one slot board, a fully working 4-slot board, another 4-slot board that needs audio caps and a semi-working 6-slot (that is in beautiful physical shape) that I was planning on having repaired.

Now, I own a number of "early" Neo Geo cartridges that are NOT on the multi cart. BUT I find myself wondering if I should just use the one-slot equipped with the 150-in-1 and "call it a day" to keep things simple. I have already tested the one slot in the cabinet after simply re-wiring the audio outputs from the JAMMA harness to the stereo outputs of the one slot. It works like a charm. The one slot even has support for the LED displays and the headphone jacks as well. Keeping it like this would surely simplify things, and I could always plug in one of the older carts that are NOT on the multi by gaining access through opening the control panel without much effort.

So, my question is this: Should I run the 4-slot, or even the 6-slot boards in this cabinet so that I can switch between the multi and some of the older games? In an ideal world, I would get the 6-slot fixed, put the 150 cart in the first slot and fill the 5 remaining slots with League Bowling, Baseball Stars, Ninja Combat, etc. But if this is going to cause ANY potential issues (for example: some unexpected bug using a 6 slot board in a 4-slot cabinet) then I am really trying to eliminate any potential problems before going through the trouble of having the board fixed. The lights in the marquee are not working, so having the wrong game card illuminated is not a concern.

I was hoping that someone else who has been in my situation can give me their thoughts based upon their experiences. I like the idea of "keeping it simple" with the one slot, but would enjoy the convenience of being able to play the "early" Neo titles without digging into the cabinet. Any thoughts???

Lee
 
I have a 120 in 1 in a 4 slot, and it has been a pain. It works when it wants to, which isn't all that often. Lots of random resets. I also have 3 other carts, and they all play fine in any of the slots. I am seriously considering buying a 1 slot board for this cab.

The multi cart resets the system when you choose a new game when other carts are in there, so you have to wait for the it to boot again, then switch to the right slot.

I also have sound problems in some games if there is not an empty slot next to the multi cart.

The issues are weird, and not always consistent. I had a lot of the same issues with a 150 in 1 as well.

I have read posts from others who didn't have these problems, but I think it is probably best to use these in 1 slot boards.
 
If your going to use any Multi game in a cartridge. I tend to leave them in a one slot board.
I had issues trying to switch games out between slots. I had issues with bowling and a 100 n 1 in a two slot board. While both worked find with other games. Both had issues in the same two slot or four slot board.

For a while there I was almost tempted to just to make a slot in a conversion cab but my collection of cartridges hasn't grown very large.
 
Thanks for the input! I am looking to reduce any potential issues or confusion for people who may want to play the cabinet. If I feel the need to play League Bowling or something like that, it won't be too hard to simply open up the control panel and make the swap for another cartridge into the one slot board. I am just glad that my one slot has ALL the MVS system hookups, so everything will still work properly and APPEAR as normal...

Lee
 
I have a 120 in 1 in a 4 slot, and it has been a pain. It works when it wants to, which isn't all that often. Lots of random resets. I also have 3 other carts, and they all play fine in any of the slots. I am seriously considering buying a 1 slot board for this cab.

The multi cart resets the system when you choose a new game when other carts are in there, so you have to wait for the it to boot again, then switch to the right slot.

I also have sound problems in some games if there is not an empty slot next to the multi cart.

The issues are weird, and not always consistent. I had a lot of the same issues with a 150 in 1 as well.

I have read posts from others who didn't have these problems, but I think it is probably best to use these in 1 slot boards.

Weird, my 120-in-1 works great in my 4 slot.
 
Does anyone know if the 138-in-1 has issues with the 4-slot? Or the 161-in-1?

I'm excited to be picking up my MVS-4 in just over a week and it comes with 8 games but I'm undecided whether to 'get into' cart collecting. I have enough vid/pin projects on the go as is so I'm not sure I want to start another new collection and add another forum/sub-culture to the mix.
 
Does anyone know if the 138-in-1 has issues with the 4-slot? Or the 161-in-1?

I'm excited to be picking up my MVS-4 in just over a week and it comes with 8 games but I'm undecided whether to 'get into' cart collecting. I have enough vid/pin projects on the go as is so I'm not sure I want to start another new collection and add another forum/sub-culture to the mix.

The only issues ever heard of was with the carts that have the board that went on the "JAMMA" (not really) connector on the MVS. The cart only ones work on the 4 slots, I have herd that some 6 slots are flakey with them. I think a lot of the issues are dirty connectors.

Edit:
That said, I actually prefer real carts more, and hardly run my multi. Having too much of a selection is a sure fire way for me not to play.
 
The only issues ever heard of was with the carts that have the board that went on the "JAMMA" (not really) connector on the MVS. The cart only ones work on the 4 slots, I have herd that some 6 slots are flakey with them. I think a lot of the issues are dirty connectors.

Edit:
That said, I actually prefer real carts more, and hardly run my multi. Having too much of a selection is a sure fire way for me not to play.
Hmmm, that sounds like the 138-in-1 because it has that auxiliary board. BUT that particular multicart also allows you to remove games from the list, which would be nice, despite the supposedly longer load times.

I've read that, about how multicarts spoil the experience. I just don't want to waste time and money chasing carts though. I'm conflicted.
 
Hmmm, that sounds like the 138-in-1 because it has that auxiliary board. BUT that particular multicart also allows you to remove games from the list, which would be nice, despite the supposedly longer load times.

I've read that, about how multicarts spoil the experience. I just don't want to waste time and money chasing carts though. I'm conflicted.

Get a Multi, then fill out your library, I only had 4 carts when I got my multi, and now I have like 30. They are cheap, for the most part.

Edit:
DON'T get a board with the aux board, they SUCK! Get a 120, 150 or 160.
 
I agree that having TOO MANY games to choose from can be a big negative. It can be overwhelming and make you feel like "why bother sifting through all of these titles". When you have a finite number of games, it forces you to enjoy "what little" you have to work with. It's almost like the games are no longer "special" when they are crammed into an enormous list. I know EXACTLY what you mean...

Lee
 
Does anyone know what the 4 slots usually go for? I want to sell my 1 slot and my 2 slot motherboards, and just use a 4 slot for the only four cartridges I'll be playing.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
I've seen 4-slot boards for between 100-150. I haven't been in the market for one for a while though.
 
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