What collecting/repair info have you learned "the hard way?"

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Permalink Reply by Brian Hanifin on June 30, 2009 at 9:56pm

I have learned that I should:

1. Look over the entire cabinet before handing over cash and driving away.*
2. Turn the power off, then attach insulated alligator clip jumpers to test voltage to avoid shorting header pins which are too close together, before turning the power back on.**

* I didn't notice the black plexiglas covering the side of my cocktail table (with a big red credit button), where the coin door should be. Ah, the excitement of my first craigslist purchase.
** Luckily I only blew a fuse when shorting two connector pins together on my Space Station pin last week.

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Permalink Reply by MiMatt on July 1, 2009 at 7:14pm

If you're a collector, having a pickup truck is an absolute necessity :)

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Permalink Reply by Brian Hanifin on July 2, 2009 at 12:00am

MiMatt said:

If you're a collector, having a pickup truck is an absolute necessity :)

Unless you're a stay-at-home dad. In which case space for the kids and their stuff trump space for arcade games. Which means you are stuck with a minivan. Which can only fit a cocktail table when filled with kids.

I keep dreaming of installing a hitch under the bumper and buying a smallish trailer. But, I need that money for games, so I am stuck calling my dad. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Shane on July 2, 2009 at 12:26am

Well, honestly, i havent learned anything the hard way... yet. Simply because ive only been collecting for about 3 years. I have to say iam happy with all the purchases ive made as they have been everything that i have expected. What i have learned i own to people right here at COS which has kept me further form learning something the hard way. I think it helps extremely that you have some sort of mechanical and electrical aptitude to be doing what we do here. And even a little wood working experiance can be a great benefit. All these skills should be enough to keep you from having too many mistakes. Asking alot of questions and getting some advice can go a long way. In this hobby alone, there is going to be trial and errors made. Bur before those errors are made....learn as much as you can before you make any trials. Remember, "Knowledge is power" and the same applies to this hobby. : )

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Permalink Reply by Paul Olson on July 2, 2009 at 2:51am

I have learned that it is better to just go put and buy whatever tool is needed to make working on games easier and more enjoyable. I just bought some nice molex crimpers, and they are absolutely worth every penny. If you try to struggle without the right tools, this hobby can get pretty frustrating.

I also learned that I will shock myself anytime I mess with a Space Invaders monitor. The design of those cabs makes it really difficult to do anything in there. Speaking of Space Invaders, I learned that I do not care for the game anymore. Of course I owned an upright, a cocktail, and a pin before I figured this out. Both problems are now solved because the upright was the last to go, and it was sold a few weeks ago.

I have also learned that you really need to make sure a few games are working at all times. Nothing is worse than having zero playable games.

Having a MAME cab will save you a lot of money. Play before you buy. It kept me from buying a really bad Batman game that was really cheap. I am glad I passed.

The most important thing I have learned is that you need to have games you want to play. I recently changed the lineup, and now I have some really cool projects, that hopefully soon will become playable additions to my little garage arcade. The new ones are Super Offroad, Spy Hunter, and Tempest. If anyone has a monitor for a Tempest, please let me know.

wait, wait, wait...! I was really wrong, That is not the most important thing that I have learned. DO NOT tear down a working High Speed pin to restore the playfield unless you know what you are doing. And when you decide to put it back together without finishing it, so you don't do any more damage to it, don't lose all of the teardown pics you took! I took about 300 pics to make sure I could get it all put back together, and now I can't find them.

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Permalink Reply by Rob Carroll on July 2, 2009 at 7:44am

Just about all of it. :^\

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