Can I tell if my Vectrex has been fixed?

[ComputerSpaceFan]

I just got a sweet deal on a Vectrex in my local retro store. $149 and since I had a twenty dollar credit, I got this great machine for only $129 instead.

 

Looks nice and sharp, I suspect the capacitors have been replaced. And I think(?) it has had the no-buzz mod but I can't be sure. It buzzes but only about half as much as my buddy's Vectrex (which is badly in need of recapping).

 

I'm also very pleased with the controller. Springs back to center just like the day it was made. Consider me thrilled.

 

Just to put my mind at rest, is there any easy way to tell if my new machine has actually been recapped and had the no-buzz mod done on it?

 

Also, a few years ago I bought Richard Hutchinson's fantastic VecFlash cartridge but unfortunately, due to the awesome amount of great homebrews out there these days, I keep running out of space. No biggie, I usually just re-flash it when I want to play some of the games I haven't enjoyed for a while. However, I do worry that the more times I re-flash this thing the less times I'll be able to do it in the future, Can anyone hazard a guess as to how many times a flash cart like this can be flashed? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?

[Richard H.]

At least 1 million erase / programming cycles.

 

 

If you look at the solder side of the PCB in the Vectrex, you will see new, shiny solder where any caps have been replaced.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Richard H.

[Game-Tech.US]

I'm guessing, but the original caps were prolly from a manufacturer that's no longer around, but i've only had one open so I don't know if they all have the same manufacturer's caps or not.

Can anyone confirm?

I think mine had all Jamicon caps.

Here's the vid I did about it, even though they are all old, they all had numbers well within spec.

http://youtu.be/VXjfaZPt4K0

[+boxpressed]

Wow, that video looks fantastic! I don't have time to watch it all right now, but how do you discharge the tube? Apologies if this is mentioned later in the video.