Yes I know about the whole "Node Board Argument" but this topic is clear. Is the electronic future of Pinball headed for (SME) Surface Mounted Electronics? (I think it is.) I ask this question to you guys after having an issue with my Scared Stiff involving a GLM 16 Switch Opto Board That is SME Technology. Loved this board, it had nice onboard diagnostics and self test mode. It was those very diagnostics that help me quickly troubleshoot the board failure. The Problem was : (when a ball was ejected out of the trough, half of the optos were not recognized by the board.) Basically half the optos died in the game. The problem was quickly remedied by replacing the board. I used a through component board from Marco. ( Big High Five to Marco and whomever is making those boards, Thanks Guys) Went to GLM'S website and found that the board is out of stock and has been for sometime. They also don't offer any repair service to repair the board. (although Tony might do it if I contacted him. Haven't done that yet.) So should I just pitch this GLM board? Do you guys think the hobby is headed for SME Technology? Should we be worried about the old boards not being made anymore in the future? What about the New Games using SME Tech, do you consider it being a drawback for buying NIB?

Yeah I know I am not going to try it. First of all like you say, I don't have the tools. My vision isn't what it used to be (at 54) that doesn't help. A lot of these SME boards are inexpensive so pitching them is more of an option.

Got it SMD. I was trying to be general on the surface technology. I have been repairing my own boards on my WPC games. I have also sent boards out to Rob Anthony from time to time when the board traces were damaged. I have a full set of WPC-95 boards as spares just so my games won't be down for repair.

Well said and noted. I think it should be noted here that I do have soldering skills. I have degrees in electronics EET and EMT. But even with this I do have some limitations. I would be more prone to pitch the SMD board and get a new one. But in this case I don't have that option because the GLM board is not available.

And will they be available then? with Stern I would expect them to be. CGC Hmmmm not sure...

The other direction I expected Pinball to go is PC based games. example Houdini, JJP games, even my CCC. I really like the all the new avenues that a PC based game can explore. More code that is easily upgraded. That means more toys with better abilities that are supported by such code. However, I do have concerns about PC hard drives and PCs that need cooling via fans ect... They are prone to age and failure. Expensive repairs and replacement. And there again will that pinball company be there for me in 10 years when I need that new PC...

I may have to see if you could fix this board for me!

Yeah this is a completely different situation. I would think that operators would have extra boards to just switch out. Then either do the repair on the board at the shop or pitch it.

They should at least do that for their operators! Can't believe it has taken this long.

I can identify with this! We call our selves "Pack Rats" here in Colorado!

What are we talking about for one of those Node Boards? Is the price comparable to say WPC-95 Driver Board?

So I am still a bit hazy on the topic title here. If the SMD boards are cheap enough, then it would economical to just buy a new one and toss the old one right?
Ok I know there are those that will want to fix it for a few bucks and could stand to make a few bucks off selling refurbished boards. But if the board was cheap enough it would be just a throw away.

Well if it's a $50 board, I would just toss into file 13. But if it is a $100 or more, I would want to see if it could be fixed. And how dependable would a repaired SMD board be anyway? Are they really intended to be repaired in first place? My concern is if Pinball is going the way of SMD because they are cheap boards and crappy quality. If so, they should be priced accordingly, so we can throw them away.

I have lost sleep over this at times. That's why I have a complete set of spare boards for my games. My games are all WPC-95 now but I have owned others in the past (Stern, CGC) that use SMD boards. I am "outside looking in" on NIB games right now and board design and dependability is a concern for me as a buyer. I look at my games as long term purchases and I choose games that I believe have long term collectability. For Stern (IMHO) It is GBLE, STLE and Possibly Munsters. There are others like Tron. Like you I really want to know that these boards are going to be dependable in the long term. If they are, then their prices are justified. If not, and they are cheap throw away junk, then they should be priced accordingly (like one poster implied, $35-$75)