Help me repair this Dead Street Fighter 2 Bootleg Jamma - clueless individual!!

[slapaham]

I have recently got everything I need to build a supergun (which I'm possibly intending to put into my arcade cab eventually)

I bought 4 PCBs recently to try it out - I received the first one today - Gold Medalist by SNK - after lots of fiddling (think, this may have been due to the TVs and leads I was using, I got it to work! )

One of the other PCBs I'm getting is marked up as possibly being Street Fighter 2 - here's some photos of the pcb -











Anyone confirm this? If it isn't SF2 then thats a little disappointing but I can live with it - however, if it isn't, what on earth is it!?

Also, do I need anything other than the pcb and my supergun to run it?

This comes as untested (though I'm always suspicious when it says that!) - if it doesn't work, then how much would it cost to get it repaired?

Thanks for your help!

[Chemixtry]

You shouldn't need anything else except maybe a kick harness if you havent wired your supergun for six button per player. There are website you can look up pcbs -
http://pcbdb.net/?list|S=2
There are several version of street fighter, you'll have to compare them. If i remember right there should be a pcb# by the capcom logo on the board that should make the search faster.

[Ginsu Victim]

If i remember right there should be a pcb# by the capcom logo on the board that should make the search faster.

Which brings up the question:
Is there a Capcom logo on this board?

[slapaham]

Thanks for your help - thats what I wanted to hear - I knew I'd need a kick harness but wasn't sure if there was anything else - so I should have everything I need to test it anyway!

I'll see if I can figure out whether or not it's SF2 from the photos - I havent received it yet so cannot check the number you've mentioned. Anyway, I'm hoping (though doubtful) by that point I'll be able to set it up and get it working and hopefully that'll give me some form of confirmation!

[Ginsu Victim]

Street Fighter II does use a YM2151 audio chip plus the OKI6295, but so do a lot of other games. I also see a Z80 in that pic. And I see an MC68000.

[Ginsu Victim]

PCB image from MAWS

[slapaham]

Ginsu Victim - its a good point - Thats the first thing I looked for one in the photos when I first saw them and there is no evidence of one from what I can see. Its very difficult to gather any kind of idea of the PCB from these photos (well, not for a person new to this, like I am!)

[slapaham]

Yes, I've seen that image of the PCB before and its definately not that - you can see straight away from the top image that the chips are laid vertically and on your image they aren't...

I wonder whether it could be a bootleg? If not, then I just wonder what the hell game it is!?

Also, where the CPS1 board is on your photo (or at least thats what I'm speculating it is from my research), there are no photos that indicate this being on the pcb I purchased... thats not to say it hasn't got one as the images seem to avoid that area altogether but I'm somewhat doubtful this is a SF2 pcb or at least, a genuine one!

Quite good fun trying to figure this out though!

[srarcade]

This looks to be a bootleg SF2, I've seen ones like this before. In fact i saw one on ebay today:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Arcade-JAMMA-PCB-Street-Fighter-2-The-World-Warriors_W0QQitemZ230329033626QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item230329033626&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Is this what your pcb looks like? Notice the title screen- "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" is at the bottom.  There is not any noticable difference between gameplay on this particular bootleg and the real CPS version from what I've experienced. If it does have the numbers, this particular boot isn't even on MAME yet I don't believe.

Edit - Just noticed the dip banks on yours are positioned differently. Probably not the same version but definitely still a bootleg.

[Ginsu Victim]

Everything I've compared about what MAWS says about the processors and roms seems to show up in the pics.
My post above from above:

Street Fighter II does use a YM2151 audio chip plus the OKI6295, but so do a lot of other games. I also see a Z80 in that pic. And I see an MC68000.

[slapaham]

Cheers srarcade and Ginsu Victim - great info - and I'm pleased you have (almost) confirmed what I speculated! Now to see whether or not I can get the thing to work once it arrives - as it was marked up as 'untested' and I'm sure the person had access to a JAMMA cab I'm a little skeptical but here's hoping - I would be very, very chuffed if I can get it to work - considering this is the game (like many others here, I'm sure) that brings back a huge amount of great memories in the arcade!

Cheers guys!

[srarcade]

Good luck and stay hopefull. I just bought a SF2 CE last week that was marked "DEAD" and it arrived yesterday and powered up fine.  If it doesn't come up I can post some general tips for revival.

[slapaham]

Cheers srarcade - fingers crossed but if it doesn't work then I'd rally appreciate any advice you had to give!

[slapaham]

Now received this and I can tell you, in its current state is DOES NOT work - unfortunately, like I suspected!

It's a grubby old thing so I'm guessing it could do with a clean firstly... then the connection to the supergun looks pretty worn but I wouldn't say unuseable! But the thing that is alarming me the most is that in the top right hand corner, there appears to be a (diode? - I don't know what it is - it's a cylinder with three legs that go into the board!) missing - there is a white circle that is labelled with what I believe is '470w' (its a bit rubbed off - but going by the other bits and pieces nearby this is what I assume it said!) and there are just three solder holes and from the other side of the board it certainly looks as though it has been removed. Also, I'm not sure if it is anything of concern but in the second photo in my previous post, that chip has a dirty great dirty stain on and around it - I don't think this is necessarily anything to worry about though but perhaps I should clean it?!

When I powered up the board on my supergun, I got a black screen and no sound - so it is obviously trying to boot it but something is preventing it from doing so...

I'm totally new to this kind of thing but if anyone has any solutions or ideas as to how I can get this up and running I'd be very grateful! Cheers!

[slapaham]

Updated the title to explain the situation and get more exposure to those who know this type of thing - because I certainly don't!

[HaRuMaN]

Clean it!

It may be just a dirty connection somewhere.  Remove all the socketed chips (gently, and straight out, don't bend the legs), clean the legs with a pink pencil eraser...

Some people will tell you to remove all the socketed chips and toss the board in a dishwasher.  I have never tried this myself.

[slapaham]

I'll give it a go!

[srarcade]

A quick primer on repairing PCBs-

1) Get a magnifying glass, go over the both sides and search for broken traces (embedded tiny wires that connect components). Something simple as a small ding or scratch can break a connection and prevent the pcb from even powering up. If you find a broken trace, you will need to be handy with soldering and build a jumper wire to hop over the broken area. This involves using some 22Awg wire, a real tiny solder tip and a steady hand. Its best to tack on to a component from each side so you have something to solder to rather than trying from the trace itself.

Also as you stated about missing items- just because components are missing doesn't necessarily mean they were removed. Many times boards are made and re-used for different applications which don't take advantage of all the component spots. But since yours is a boot, they might be missing...

2) Cleaning - helps my tip above. Main areas would be edge connector, any fans/heat sinks and RAM/ROM sockets.

3) RAM/ROMs - Another easy thing to do is reset all your RAM and ROM chips. Get a flat blade screw driver and carefully pry up on each one to remove it from the socket. Inspect each for corrosion and damage, and dirt. Use contact cleaner on the pins and be careful to not bend them. Make sure you set it back in the same position you removed it from in the same orientation.

4) Continuity test - Get a multimeter and set it to check continuity. Then start tracing your voltage lines to make sure nothings breaking down. You can also check your diodes here too measuring their resistance. It really helps if you have a schematic of the board to really identify probelms. Since you have a boot, thats not an option.

Honestly, in the end you have to think about time spent versus time spent trying to fixing the game for what its worth. I realized this once upon a time trying to fix a MK2. I probably spent around some 30 hours with that thing and never fixed it.. I thought of all the things I could have done to easily paid for a new one many times over in that same time I wasted. Since this is Street Fighter II, I would just buy another pcb, they are very cheap and easy to find... aside form a few jerks on ebay who are hoarding boards and overcharging. Also, again because its a bootleg, its going to be tough to find any documentation for it to help support your troubleshooting.

Good luck!

[slapaham]

Cheers for all that advice... as I havent exactly got loads of time at the moment I guess I should print off your advice for when I have the time to dig it out and give it a go - I'm not scared of working on it (haha, just scared of failing!)

Thanks again, people!

[Kevin Mullins]

(haha, just scared of failing!)

Can't fail if it's already broken.....   

[srarcade]

Well, usually if you can't fix it in the first 15 minutes, you're not gonna fix it in the next 15 hours. At least thats how it goes for me. 

[Kevin Mullins]

I agree.... but it's educating if nothing else.

[slapaham]

Guys... I left the PCB after my initial clean up and posting last night - I had work to do (which I keep avoiding! ) - I've just taken another look at the board with fresh eyes - not with a magnifying glass as of yet but I did notice this...



Excuse me for not knowing my diode from my (see, I can't even think of anything else! ) but the thing, I'm assuming is a diode (!?) had one of it's legs loose - it wasn't joined to anything whatsoever! To me this sounds as though a link has come loose on the circuit board! However, where on earth would it have linked to? And by simply bending it into place and having it touch where it was meant to go, would that be enough to just see, if at least, it works?

More images (sorry they are poor - its dark here now!) -





                                                               |
                                       bottom of this 'corridor' is where the loose connection lies



Any help would be very welcome!

[slapaham]

Had another good look and there is only one other thing that is concerning me (from just a naked eye point of view!) There appears to be 2 points on one of the chips that have small blobs of solder - looking at other chips they either have clean points or if they have anything soldered to them, it is a diode (or, at least, the thing I think is diode - i.e. same as the loose connection mentioned above!) - might it be a good idea to buy one of these diodes and solder it to the 2 points just to give it a go?

Sorry for being totally clueless about all the bits and pieces - I'm totally new to all of this kind of stuff!

[HaRuMaN]

That's a resistor.

The color bands tell you what value resistance it is (how many ohms).

[Kevin Mullins]

There appears to be 2 points on one of the chips that have small blobs of solder -

The small part you are looking at is a resistor...
Is the one that is broke loose currently attached to the board or a chip near it?
(was hard to tell in the pics)
If it is currently connected at one end to the board, then the other end should go on that chip leg that looks like it has solder on it.
If it is currently connected to that chip, then you'll have to look for tiny remnants of where it may have been attached.

You are most likely correct in that if there are solder dabs on chip legs, then there should have been something attached there. Most likely another resistor. You'll have to look at the color rings on the existing resistors and see if it looks like they are all the same value or not. That will give you an idea if the "missing" one should be the same value.

Stuff like that is usually very minor.... the board should still do "something".

[slapaham]

Mmm, well, shouldn't cost much to give it a go - or do you really think its not worth the bother? I've figured out where all the resistors should go - I'm pretty sure I've figured out where the loose one should connect and have pushed it against the leg - still a black screen - will try and track down the correct resistor and attach that to the solder marks when I find a big of time.

I've got to admit - generally, the board looks in pretty good shape/condition - I will try looking at it under a microscope once I've tinkered with the resistors!

Thanks for the feedback guys!