Naomi Starter FAQ: Last Updated 10/14/08

Frequently Asked Questions Technical Database
OldFoo

Naomi Starter FAQ: Last Updated 10/14/08

Post by OldFoo »

Foremost, this post is meant to be a general "Hey, the NAOMI's awesome! I'm going to buy one!" info session. This FAQ also assumes that you are somewhat familiar with JAMMA, already own a cab, and/or are just looking for info to get started. Truly, there is much, much, much more about the Sega NAOMI than is written here, as well members of this forum w/knowledge that goes leaps & bounds beyond this. So, if you're not a noob to Naomi, you might want to pass on this. And if you have questions that aren't covered in this faq, use the forums & get involved dude! That's what they're for! :]



Q: What do I need to hook up a NAOMI?



A: Probably the most important question to start with. The best, simple NAOMI setup for cartridge games can be seen here:



Image



This is a NAOMI 1 mainboard w/a Capcom I/O board, and is definitely the preferred setup to start with.



Q: What is an I/O board?



A: Important. Anyone trying to sell you a NAOMI without one is not your friend, provided it's your first NAOMI. With Jamma boards, as you know, the inputs are wired directly from the board. With NAOMI however, inputs come from the mainboard via USB. Since USB is data, there has to be a translator to read that data, and convert it to inputs that can be wired to standard controls. Hence the I/O (input/output) board.



Q: The NAOMI I saw has a different I/O board, why is the Capcom I/O "preferred"?



A: If you're looking to put your NAOMI into a Jamma wired cab, the Capcom I/O is the way to go for several reasons:



:smt075*Please Note: Although it is covered below, due to the frequency of questions about it, I wanted to emphasize the following: For those of you looking to run a GD-Rom setup, the Capcom I/O can be used, but should not be used to power your entire setup. i.e. If using the Capcom I/O w/the GD-Rom addon, you will need to power the additional 6 pin connector on the Naomi mainboard. The GD-Rom setup needs a lot of juice to run, and the Capcom I/O was designed to run a cart setup only. If you attempt to power an entire GD-Rom setup with the Capcom I/O only, you will either: receive errors, have tons of problems, or worse yet, burn out your Capcom I/O!



1. Sound: Unlike a standard Jamma board, the NAOMI outputs line out audio, meaning, there's no amplifier to turn the sound up. In the picture, on the bottom left of the Capcom I/O, you can see the volume knob, as the sound amp is built in. Thus, negating the need for a separate amplifier; a requirement when using the other typical I/Os.



2. Power: Once again, unlike Jamma, the NAOMI itself requires an extra voltage: +3.3v. But rather than having to get a new power supply, the Capcom I/O handles that for you, by taking the voltages from the Jamma harness, and converting them to supply the NAOMI, not only with the +5v & +12v, but with the needed +3.3v as well.



3. Misc: Without getting too technical, there are other reasons that the Capcom I/O is considered "the best". But essentially, the main reason is it's ease of use. For example, the first revision of the Sega Jamma I/O board would not operate properly without a coin counter hooked up. And I'm sure if you're a critic reading this, you're thinking "Oh, and don't forget..." The bottom line is, if you're looking to get started with the NAOMI, the general consensus is that this is the way to go.



Part 2: More.



Q: Ok, so I got a NAOMI, but it's different than than the "preferred" one. Am I screwed?



A: Hardly. Chances are, no matter what you purchased, as long as you made sure that you received a working I/O board, the setup that you bought is capable of running all the games you want! With one exception...



Q: Which is?



A: Your Bios. As a new NAOMI owner, if all you want is Marvel Vs Capcom 2, and then you're done, this question won't matter to you. However, as you are probably aware, the NAOMI doesn't just play cartridges, like MVC2; it plays discs 'GD-Roms' as well.



If you're looking to get a NAOMI, with the intention of playing games like Capcom Vs SNK 2, Guilty Gear XX, and Ikaruga, to name a few, you will need a certain revision bios for your mainboard to be able to run the Gd-Rom add-on. The NAOMI's bios number is like this:



Image



The part you want to pay attention to is the letter, in this case - E - that precedes the 5 digit number. E is a bios that is capable of running the Gd-Rom add-on. In fact, E, F, G, & H are all capable; it is the bios revision D, that is not. But even if you're reading this, and have just checked your bios, only to find out that you have D, it's far from the end of the world. Members on the forums here will be happy to assist you in obtaining a new bios, & if you have an eeprom burner that is capable, the bios files are available for download in the resources section, here, on sega-naomi.com.



Q: What's this "dual" bios?



A: If you look to the resources section of this site, you will find a compatibility list, which details gd-rom games, and their bios compatibility. Some will work with both (US/JAP rev. E or later), and some with only one. A dual bios, is basically a mod, where two bioses are installed, w/a switch to select the one desired. Do you need one? That's up to you - more commonly, most tend to go for the G revision "export" bios, or the Jp H bios; which are late release bioses with high compatibility rates. Just check the list in resources, and decide what's right for you.



:smt075*Please Note: Cartridge games for NAOMI 1 are compatible with most bios. However, several JP only carts like Giant Gram & Gundam, require a JP bios. In addition, there are now several post-GD-Rom (recent release) JP carts that require a later rev.H bios. i.e. Asian Dynamite, Akatsuki Blitzkampf, etc.



Q: Ok, ok, bios, whatever, my setup's still different than the one at the top -



A: Assuming you're referring to your I/O, you most likely have this:



Image



This is the common, Sega Jamma I/O. There were 2 revisions, A & B. If you don't have a sticker on yours saying which one, just hope it's a B. A wasn't bad, but if you hook yours up, and it doesn't work, it may be an A, due to the fact that A required a coin counter to be hooked up.



As you can see in the photo, the Sega Jamma I/O takes care of converting your controls from USB, as well as through putting your video. However there are some things missing; the first of which being power. Note, that's power TO THE NAOMI MAINBOARD, not power to the I/O. In order to operate properly, the I/O gets all the power it needs from your Jamma harness. As stated in red in the picture, although there is a power connector on the I/O, never use it if you have power going to your jamma harness, which, 98.9% of the time, is the case. Double power does not equal double game.



That being said, you need to power your mainboard. Hopefully, when you got your NAOMI, you got the power connectors with it. If not, they are made by a company called JST, and there is a great thread in the forums for obtaining them. Provided you have the connectors, you just need a power supply capable of outputting +5v,+12v, & +3.3v. You can either:



1. Get one like this:



Image



2. Companies like Wei-Ya & Happ make

+3.3v psus. Get one of those, and incorporate it into your existing wiring.



3. Convert a PC ATX psu to power you NAOMI. The only downside to this being, the lack of an option to adjust your voltages. However, it definitely works, and I myself have done it many times. If this is your route, search the forums for a great post containing all you need to make an adapter.



The next thing that you will have to compensate for, without a Capcom I/O, is sound. As covered, the NAOMI mainboard outputs line out audio, via 2 RCA jacks. Simply, you need to amplify this. I could spend a page going over the many different routes to take regarding this, but since you are reading this to learn about the NAOMI, and not electronics as a whole, I'll keep it really simple, & suggest these options:



1. Get an official NAOMI amp, like this one (ironically, not the simplest route):



Image



2. Wire an RCA jack from your mainboard, to a small +12v amp like this (center is +, outer is -):



Image



3. Run the audio from the RCA jacks to your home stereo.



You get the idea.



Q: What the hell? There's no VGA input on my I/O, there isn't even a Jamma connector! Man this is confusing...



A: In that case, I assume you have this:



Image



This is the Official Sega JVS I/O. Contrary to popular belief, this I/O is not that bad to be stuck with. Sure, you'll have a hell of a time wiring it to Jamma, and yes, your audio/video will have to be wired separately, and yes, you will need to supply power to this I/O; but the one thing you do have going for you is this: It's the Official Sega I/O! Unlike the Jamma I/Os, this baby has every input, period.* In other words, if you want to get Crazy Taxi, you're on your way.



*gun, driving games, etc. do often require supplemental I/Os as well



Part 3: Even more.



Ok, so before I go into the Gd-Rom add-on, a couple quick notes:



1. There is one more I/O that I didn't mention. It's an Official Sega Jamma I/O that looks like a black box. Essentially, it's the Sega version of the Capcom I/O, and has even more features. However, due to it's cost, as well as obscurity, I didn't cover it here. Bottom line is, if you have one, you scored.



2. For Official Sega JVS I/O Owners: If you need a pinout, run a search in the forums for analog I/O. Andy's laid it all out for you -



3. For Sega Jamma I/O Owners: Note that there is an adjustable jumper on your I/O with two settings available. In order for your I/O to operate properly with most games, make sure that it's set to 'in' (pins 2 & 3 shorted).



4. For Capcom I/o Owners: The two extra RCA jacks, located right next to the edge connector on you I/O, output line out audio; just like 'Q Sound' on a CPS2. So, if you want to use them for your sound, you will have to separately amplify it; the volume knob won't do anything for these -



5. When wiring your video directly from your mainboard, & running it to a standard resolution (15k) display, hook up both the H/V syncs, and make sure your monitor is set to accept an interlaced signal. (my newer Wells Gardner has a jumper on the chassis)



The NAOMI GD-Rom System:



Q: What do I need?



A: Well, since bios, power, and general setup has already been covered, this section will be fairly straightforward. Provided you've met all the requirements stated prior, you need the following:



Image



As well as a GD-Rom disc w/matching (no match = no play) security IC chip.



Image



Technically, the power splitting cable is optional, as you can also wire the 6-pin JST connector directly to your power supply. Also, the specific pinout for the GD-Rom drive's power connector has +12v on pin 2, & +5v on pin 4, however, are not needed for the drive to operate properly. The SCSI cable is a standard, type 2 72-pin HD50, which can be found at any local computer store. Lastly, even with a Capcom I/O, make sure you hook up both power connectors (8 pin & 6 pin) to your mainboard, and that your +5 voltage runs at 5.1. The setup takes quite a bit of juice, and more often than not, problems lead back to low voltage.



Q: Huh?



A: Here's the gist of it:



The DIMM board plugs in like a cart, w/the GD-Rom drive connected to it via SCSI cable. When you boot your system, w/a disc in the drive, as well as its matching security IC seated in the DIMM board slot, the system reads the data from the disc, and loads the entire game to the DIMM board. Once this process is completed, (approx. 3-5 mins., depending on the size of the game) you could essentially think of your DIMM board as a "cartridge" of the disc that you are playing. Hence, no loading times, and pure arcade quality.



Q: I already knew all that.



A: Of course you did. Wrapping up, I'll just throw some notes:



1. NAOMI Mainboard Connector Pinouts:



8 Pin:

Top Row (female) left to right:

NC, +3.3v, +5v, +12v

Bottom Row: All Grounds



6 Pin

Top Row (female) left to right:

NC, +3.3v, +5v

Bottom Row: All Grounds



2. Inserting/Removing Security ICs: Really, there's hardly any push down required on this. Although it is possible to "snap" the IC in, try to avoid that, and rather, just seat it snugly in the slot; especially when changing games often, to avoid bending the internal socket.



3. DIMM Board Battery Replacement: I see this come up all the time, and really, the battery pack is almost useless. In fact, the DIMM board will operate perfectly without one installed. The purpose of the battery was to store the game in RAM when the system was turned off, however, you would have to leave the system running for multiple hours to produce this effect, not to mention, not all games supported it. Bottom line: don't stress, even if you're an operator. (If you're an operator, you're probably not reading this)



3. START SIMPLE: When running into problems, don't assume the worst, especially with the NAOMI. As with anything complex, checklist everything: Resolution dipswitch setting correct? Voltage at +5.1? W/a GD-Rom setup + Capcom I/O, are both mainboard power connectors hooked up? Jumper setting on the I/O correct? Bad USB/SCSI cable? Region compatible bios w/GD-Rom disc? Is your Capcom I/O set for the proper sync output? (there's a small switch just inside the pcb enclosure to toggle between H/V & composite sync)



So that's it, for this anyhow. There is way more, which will either pop-up here in the tech faq section, or is readily available on the forums. I hope this laid some things out clearly, as I'm sure you relate to the tedious job of piecing together info from all over. A big thanks to the mods & owner for letting me use their bandwidth to post this, and for all this forum has done for me since it started. Word.



For those that are interested, a buddy of mine is translating this into Spanish, PM me and I'll send a copy your way, as soon as it's done.



Para aquellos que est?n interesados, un amigo m?o es la traducci?n de este al espa?ol. ?Enviar un mensaje a trav?s de los foros, y voy a enviar una copia de su forma, tan pronto como se hace. Lo siento por mi horrible espa?ol, y, si pudiera, por favor, mi mensaje en Ingl?s, gracias -
Last edited by OldFoo on Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:51 pm, edited 11 times in total.
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

That's good. This is exactly what this section is for. Keep up the good work! ;)
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

I came to this site and message boards just to ask this... And after 5 minutes mouth watering by all the great photos at the gallery, I found this. Thanks!!!! :smt007



I've just read the bottom line!! Can you send me please the spanish version of this FAQ?



Estar?a muy agradecido!



Ah, y tu espa?ol no es tan malo ;)
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

Yes this is a very very cool work do you make....



Thanks very much for all this informations..i like it... :smt007
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

Do you still have the spanish version of the guide??



:smt007 :smt007 :smt007 :smt007
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

sorry for bumping this thread, but I have a question



does this FAQ apply to Naomi 2 Setups? Do I need the same things? (I/O, PSU...)



Thanks!
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

Yes, they are connected the same. The only real difference in this case is the Naomi 2 games which don't play on Naomi 1.
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

You should probably note that on the Sega I/O JAMMA PCB, the 2-pin connector located in the bottom left corner (marked CN4) is for audio +/- to be connected from the audio PCB (the red and white "speaker out" connections as shown in one of the pics of the audio PCB above) to feed the signal into the JAMMA harness. I've included a pic of my setup with the two wires connected to it. There's no need to solder wires to the edge connector as shown in one of the pics above.



Image
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

He is correct. I've mentioned this connection once or twice in the past, but the idea has yet to sink in.
OldFoo

Post by OldFoo »

"Lastly, even with a Capcom I/O, make sure you hook up both power connectors (8 pin & 6 pin) to your mainboard,"



Doese this mean u connect the io to the main board and the psu unit together leaving one plug on the psu just want to ask before hooking it up to my naomi 2 cause i already cooked a game on my naomi 1 when i shouldve ask here first before i did anything
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