Beginner looking for help

[II_DeLo_II]

I’m looking to purchase a home in Connecticut (close to NYC). Unfortunately, upon purchasing this home, I’m going to be more concerned with building my arcade collection instead of concentrating on the actual home. Probably not the smartest idea, but I’ve been saving money for this particular endeavor for years now, so at least I can afford it.

 

That being said:

 

1. Are there any guides or epic forum threads that I should read for beginners in order to understand everything I need to know? From where/ how to purchase, what to look for, anything I need to know about the entire process, etc.

 

2. How in-depth is it to repair/ learn to repair standup arcade games? I see a lot of EBay auctions list these games “AS-IS”. Just wondering how difficult it is to diagnose and repair any problems that might arise.

 

 

Any help would be fantastic.

 

Thanks!

[+DamonicFury]

The best resource I've found for collecting old arcade games is the old Usenet group: rec.games.video.arcade.collecting. It's easily accessible through Google Groups these days.

 

While I have some basic electronic knowledge and amateur-level soldering skills, I've only been able to perform very basic maintenance tasks for classic games (I own a Missile Command and a Star Wars.) My proudest achievement was installing a cap kit on the MC monitor which brought that back to life when it died. I've also installed multi-game kits for both machines. But board level repairs are tricky, and are best left to those with some skill and knowledge. (I hosed up my MC board at one point trying to replace a RAM chip.) Thankfully, a number of people exist who will fix a broken system board if you send it to them for about $100-$200. Assume you'll need to do this at some point (I did, with both machines)

 

Best of luck in building an arcade collection!

[MattG/Snyper2099]

go here:

http://www.marvin3m.com/

and also click on the game repair link on the left. Best repiar webpage for classic cion ops and pinballs!

[Atari5200]

when it comes to purchasing, the only thing I care about is that the game works and that the monitor and sound work.

 

I'm not that technical so I don't want to mess around with trying to refurbish monitors, game boards, etc. but don't be afraid to purchase something if there are problems with the joystick or buttons as they are usually very easy to repair, as well as coin doors and mechanisms.

 

a web site I have used numerous times to replace parts on my cab is www.lizardlick.com, I recommend them highly