(Topic ID: 291616)

Contemplating apprenticeship DFW

By BubbaPin

2 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 19 posts
  • 7 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by BubbaPin
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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    #10 2 years ago

    The thing you need to remember is not everyone wants perfect working machines. A lot of folks don't even know things aren't working as they should. And when things REALLY break down then they seek help. Usually with the caveat "do whatever costs less to get it working". As long as it starts games and makes noises they are happy. There are more ppl like that around than ppl like you who want their machines to be perfect. In any case the anal collectors usually do the work themselves anyway.

    BTW it pays very little unless you are a big name restorer like HEP and I'm pretty sure even HE isn't rich from this...

    I fixed machines for a while (including board repair) and it killed the hobby for me. Sucked the life right out of me really. Most of the work I did was for a local guy with 50-60 machines in a warehouse. Turds he'd buy on eBay for re-sale locally (usually at a loss or very little profit). The direction was always "Just MacGyver it so it works so I can sell it". Uggh. Took me to the point where I sold off all my games and hundreds in parts for next to nothing. Wanted nothing to do with the hobby anymore and got rid of EVERYTHING. Came back into it 10 years later (2019) but now I buy NIB or much newer games. Minimal work. Minimal parts on hand. I'd rather play than fix now. But at least when something isn't right I know how to fix it right away.

    The main thing is get proper tools like a GOOD DMM, GOOD soldering/de-soldering irons. Read all there is to read on repairs - there are a bunch of wiki pages out there. Changing coils and switches is too basic. You need to learn to read and understand schematics, do connector replacement (proper crimping tools and techniques) and board repair if you really want to be able to fix things for people.

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