48-in-1 Multigame PCB FAQ
Now applies to the 60-in-1 iCade version!
Written by Tim Hensel
JammaBoards.com
Understanding the differences between the two board versions
Did you know there are actually two different 48-in-1 PCB versions out there? It is true. Commonly the 48-in-1 PCBs versions are referred to as ‘Quality A’ and ‘Quality B’ board. A ‘Quality A’ board is the better board made by the original Multigame PCB Designer, while a ‘Quality B’ board is the cheaper low-grade board or a clone of the original. The Quality A board is produced from the original Multigame PCB designers made of the most up-to-date design and components, while the Quality B board is made of an older design with many components left off (cutting corners).
Many sellers will try to pass off the ‘cheaper’ board as the one and only original 48-in-1 PCB, or simply just not mentioning the fact that they are selling the cheaper cloned version. This can be compared to an individual selling Ray ban sunglasses on the street corner in New York City…They look like Ray bans, yet they are not of the same superior material. The quality is not there and chances are the lens will be falling out with-in a month.
Most sellers will also usually give no warranty on the cheaper Quality B board, while Quality A board sellers will usually have a 60 or 90 day warranty minimum.
This manual will be continually updated as; 1 – As more questions/Answers are added, 2 – More testing/Repair data come in on each A and B board types.
The Quality B (low-Grade) Board
First let’s take a look at the Quality B (Low-Grade cheaper) board. Below is a picture of the ‘Quality B’ board (the low quality board).
Figure 1
Benefits of the Quality B board (when comparing to the Quality A board):
- The cost is lower (or should be anyhow)
Negatives of the Quality B board when comparing to the Quality A board:
- Overall board quality is much less
- Lower grade components used
- Still uses old board (copied) design/layout
- Sound quality is lower (cheaper components produce lower grade sound)
- High fail rate
Most commonly reported problems of the cheaper Quality B board are:
- The Top High Score save feature stopped working only after a month or two.
- Failure of the RGB output (Losing a single main color band)
- Single Input Function Stops Working (example Player 2 – LEFT no longer works)
These failures are not in every Quality B board. It is just the rate of having a problem or developing problem with a Quality B board is much higher than the Quality A board.
The Quality A (Original High-Quality) Board
Now take a look at the Quality A (Original High-Quality) board. Below is a picture of the ‘Quality A’ Board (The Original/High Quality PCB).
Figure 2
Benefits of the Quality A board (when comparing to the quality B board):
- High quality board built with better components
- Board design utilizing the latest board/component architecture
- Has an extremely low fail rate (proving years of trouble-free enjoyment)
Negatives of the Quality A board (when comparing to the quality B board):
- The cost of the board is higher
Common Questions asked about the 48-in-1 Multigame PCB
-For BOTH Quality A and Quality B boards-
Q - What is the new board made in JAPAN I am seeing?
A - This is basically a flat out lie. These boards are only made in Taiwan and China, NONE come from Japan. Basically the regular buyer of this board would not be able to tell the difference anyhow, and the seller of these fake 'Japanese Made' boards is taking advantage of this. The only original/best quality boards are made in Taiwan. ALL other clones are made in China.
This seller also claims with this 'new Japanese' version you can use a VGA monitor or an arcade monitor. Since these boards first came out years ago (way back when they were just a little 3-in-1) the VGA connector was there and it has always worked. This is just another lie from the seller trying to take advantage of unsuspecting buyers.
Q - The board volume is just too loud. How can I lower it?
A - Access the system software setup menu by holding down (turning on) the cabinet ‘TEST’ switch then powering on the cabinet. Once the board begins to load you can release the Test switch. After the board boots up, a monitor checkered color pattern test screen will be shown. Pressing (or toggling) the cabinets Test switch will advance the setup screen forward one page. Keep hitting the Test switch until the sound volume page is select (this is the only page which audio will be heard). Tapping the Player 1 Joystick to the left will slowly lower the volume. Once the volume is at a pleasing level, press the Player 1 START button to save the new setting.
Q - How do I change the board settings / Access the Software Setup Menu?
A - The standard method for accessing the software setup menu is by holding down/turning on the cabinet ‘Test’ switch when turning on the cabinet power. Keep the test switch on until the monitor display shows the program is loading and then let go. Once the setup has fully loaded in, the first screen shown is the color pattern test screen. Pressing/toggling the cabinet ‘Test’ switch again will advance forward to the next page.
Q - I changed a setting in the software setup menu, but the new setting did not save. Why is this?
A - Be sure to press the PLAYER 1 START button right after any change in the software setup menu is changed. Pressing the Player 1 Start button will immediately save any changes done on that particular software page.
Q - Can I add and new games onto this PCB in the future?
A - No, unfortunately the board’s software/hardware combination is locked down. It is possible to upgrade the software of the 48-in-1 PCB from an earlier version to a later version (For instance going from V305 software to V309 software). But installing software from a 60-in-1 board onto the 48-in-1 board will not work.
Q - My board will not boot up and the little red LED just flashes. What is wrong?
A - Most likely there is a problem with the EPROM IC containing the program software. Carefully inspect the EPROM IC to make sure it is properly seated in the socket. The EPROM IC is the long rectangle shape IC located next to the large black plastic cover, as seen in Figure 2.
