6 in 1 Switcher Problems

[MK3FAN]

Please help. I just got a 6-in-1 selector from Jammaboards.com. It works, but I have MK3 and UMK3 installed an neither board has any sound. When I plug the pcb directly back into the jamma harness, it works great. Sometimes, I get really bad noise interference but no game sounds. I have a Capcom Bowling PCB and it work great though the switcher. Just the MKs seem to have an issue. Anyone else run into this problem? What is my issue? Thanks.

[Turnarcades]

It could be the close proximity of the boards are causing some kind of interference, the tracks could be substandard or the power supply going through the switcher is inadequate to power the Midway boards, which use and additional board for sound if I remember correctly.

[Kevin Mullins]

Those switchers are notorious for NOT providing the -5v required for such things as the MK series sound boards.

[MK3FAN]

Those switchers are notorious for NOT providing the -5v required for such things as the MK series sound boards.

You're right Kevin. Here is what the help desk at Jammaboards said...

"I am sorry your having a problem with the 6-in-1 switcher. Actually the switcher does not route the -5VDC to the slots on the board, only the +5VDC and +12VDC. Since there are only a few Midway PCBs that actually use the -5VDC I suppose the designer of the 6-in-1 switcher went against install the components for the -5VDC. So unfortunately games like the Midway MK series which need the -5VDC for sound will not work correctly with the 6-in-1 switcher unless it is modified. If you did want to modify your board, all that is needed to be done is just install a jumper wire from PIN E (bottom side) of the switchers JAMMA edge connection to the bottom of slot 1 pin 5. Then install another wire from slot 1 PIN E to slot 2 PIN 5, etc...for as many slots you need the -5VDC on. "

Looks like I'll have to break out the soldering Iron....

[dreamakuma]

I don't know anything so I may be asking a dumb question, Is the -5 needed for cps2 or neogeo boards(Via a MVS2JAMMA connection)? If so I'll need to bust out the soldering iron too...I suck at that stuff.

[Kevin Mullins]

Would have to look up the manuals to know for certain on those..... my suggestion to anyone would be to go ahead and just do the -5v mod then you don't ever have to worry about whether you need it or not.

[MK3FAN]

I posted a video on how to fix the -5V Audio problem for anyone who needs help in the future...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=536q_sAs9Z4[/youtube]

[YoGaBaR]

Does anybody know if you could hook all 4player games up to his switcher and have them all work? Or would they all need player 3-4 harnesses, maybe switching them all the time? Like tmnt, simpsons, sunset riders, ect. That video is awesome 

[Turnarcades]

I imagine you would have to keep switching the P3+4 harnesses as there only appears to be JAMMA connections on that board.

[Kevin Mullins]

They are strictly basic JAMMA edge connections on the switcher..... 3 & 4 player kick harnesses always connect to the individual JAMMA boards themselves.

Not that you couldn't build a little daughter board of some sort and then make some little kick harness extensions for each of the JAMMA boards to plug into and then from there to the control panel.

One of our local fellas has all 4 MK's in one machine using this very same 6in1 switcher.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkFESdgE4jU[/youtube]

[MK3FAN]

All you would need to do is piggyback the connections from board to board. That's what I did for my setup. The P-12 connection for LP,LK,and Run that's in the cabinet, I stole that one from my MK2 cabinet since MK2 uses the "Player 4" harness, and spliced it onto the one in the MK3 cabinet. The same concept could be used for as many boards as you want to use. Here's how it all turned out..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIa9ByBfO9I[/youtube]

[YoGaBaR]

Thanks

[ToplessZ]

That video from Mullins was mine, I put all 5 into that machine now, (MK1,2,3,UMK3,4) I didnt hack any of the wiring , I just made a super kick harness that connects to all 5 boards and then connects into the existing kick harness, that way I can take it all out again if I want.

If you are just putting mk3 and umk3 into that machine why not just use the dual jamma harness from Yaton?  He has the same stuff and the same missing -5v issues.  You have to be careful with all of those adapters though, I have had several of them and have ran across tons of soldering issues with them, once I got one that had the -5v and +12 lines soldered together on the third jamma plug, that could have fried one of my boards but I caught it early.