And so it begins...

I got the encoder from JKurtz the other day, so I'm all set to go.

First of, here's the Neo Geo MV-1F that I got through Neo-Geo.com's sales forum...and from here on end, please forgive the camphone pics, bear with the quality for a bit.

Here's where I'm replacing the original MVS BIOS with Razoola's UniBIOS.

The Universe BIOS (UniBIOS)

Raz mentions using a small screwdriver to remove the original BIOS from the socket. I used my IC pullers...since I had them.

Here's the original BIOS removed from the socket.

Something that could have been avoided, but sometimes it just happens, since the package came from Finland. Some of the pins have bent out of whack. Easy fix, though.

Using my trusty Leatherman (well, it was my wife's Leatherman, but whatever), I used the pliers to get the pins straightened. Then used the level surface of the table to get all the pins aligned.

Then all I did was insert it CAREFULLY back into the socket. I pushed down on both sides of the BIOS and then firmly pushed down on the center of it. Then I did a quick double check to make sure all the pins were placed correctly in the socket.

I took the original BIOS and placed it in the package that the UniBIOS came in; a nice little matchbox!

So, for the controller, I decided to try and function my own controller. I went to Goodwill and found a pair of PC controllers that used the same DB15 connector that the Neo Geo uses. Luckily, it had both a male and female connection to it. I'm planning to hack them just so I can have basic controls for at least the initial test of my CMVS, since the PC control scheme is different from the Neo Geo's. Also, a standard DB15 is too short to work with a direct Neo Geo controller port. Again, luckily, a website belonging to MMMonkey had a cool hack to a DB15 to make it work with the Neo Geo port.

Here's my hacked DB15.

(insert pic of DB15)

Well, there' s more to come. Next up, I need to figure out where to tap the necessary RGB, Sync, +5V, and Ground. Jamma-Nation-X.com has a tutorial for that, but it shows an MV-1FZ being used and shows the points for what I need, which all are on the bottom of the board. I, on the other hand, will be taking it from the top (component side, in JAMMA terms) of the board. Hopefully I can get that AND all the power and whatnot ready to go.

Stay tuned, I guess.