Yes, we'll need them if the hobby continues on past the next generation.

If things keep growing in the home market, as it seems to be doing.

Yes, we need more pin techs.

Down side will be if you are that smart, you can make a heck of a lot more money in other fields.

A person who paid $14K for a MM won't understand why you don't work for less than minimum wage, why you should be reimbursed to drive to their house, and since they just spent so much money on a pin why should they have to pay for parts. Doesn't the warranty cover that ?

Best wishes to anyone considering the home repair field.

LTG

We need more people to learn how to fix their own pins.

More pin techs, if they were country wide and not just near DC, would also help revitalize the rout market . . . some operators surely are leaving the industry due to the difficulty in repair.

Others may chime in for their areas.

In my area the mindset is different to say the least. At least when it comes to pins.

LTG

I have a few ads on different sites to buy machines. The majority of replies are people looking to have theirs repaired. I don't have time to be a repairman, but I feel for some people, so I take a few on.

I'm amazed at the amount they are willing to pay for even EMs that are worth maybe $300-$400. Most don't care about the cost, just repair it so I can play it, and make it pretty.

THIS is why my TAF hasn't been restored yet...

Yeah Lloyd, as per my previous post, I have NEVER had an issue with anyone tire kicking on the cost in my area, and I am not cheap, basically because I don't want to do it, and I have better things to do.

Having said that, I never end up charging for all the time I put into something.

$85.00/hour in shop
$110.00/hour onsite plus mileage

Those are pretty standard technician rates up here.

As a hobby yes for a little extra cash, but to support your family as a real job? Hell no!

Totally agree with this, so I voted no.

I charge $100 an hour and 98% of the time fix everything on location. If there is extensive battery damage, I may remove the board and leave with it.

I try to avoid having any games brought into the shop unless it is a playfield swap or restore. Every time you move a game you risk scratching the paint or decals, even with a cover there is some risk.

I would learn if someone was willing to tech me first hand, but the only guy I know about in Georgia, that ran around and fixed pinball machines has fallen off the face of the planet. Me only knowing basic Soldering skills and replacing bumper skirts and drop targets wont get me far... So, I would say more, more of them to teach me!

My company charges out $75/hour for pin repair, although if we fix it in-house we ususally cut them a break. I get paid less than $9/hour for doing the work. Also, it's not that pins are difficult to repair, it's that they break quite often and bring in very little money compared to, say, a touch tunes. Let's say there's a broken pin to diagnose. $30 in parts and a day of work later, it's fixed. It goes out in the field and earns $20/week. Now look at a touchtunes. Just swap out a hard drive ($150), and it goes out and earns $350/week. Which would you rather run?

I just charged a local fella 550 bucks to shop out a ngg and mb. Thats tear down to wood re ring clean fix B.S etc.

YES WE DO! I was contacted earlier today though the Iowa Pinball Club's website about a pinball tech for a sick Rudy!

The sad thing is, I really don't have a "guy" that I can truly recommend! I forwarded the email to fellow members.

The truth is, there is really NO money in it. Good weekend job... I guess?

-Aaron

How long did it take? Seems very cheap for the required time and effort.

I wouldn't consider myself a home repair tech.

I don't do it. Not enough money to make it worthwhile.

And owning an arcade, in most eyes I one step ahead of the drug dealers. I fix a pin, later something else breaks. Sure as sh*t the home owner drags me into conciliation court and will likely win.

Just not worth it in my area.
LTG

I will do basic stuff at someone's home, but anything outside of easy, I usually say it's time to bring to my place. Just easier to do bits and pieces between day to day life.

I was thinking the same thing....

Even if he charged that per machine, that would be a steal.

Tony:

I thought about that and went down the road for a bit in the late 90's and early 2000's charging $75 an hour for in-home repairs and $400 for a complete shop job for a reseller and private owners in the area.

It is hard to view a beloved hobby as a business. I found myself putting tons of time into each game, time that I was taking away from other things.

The only word I can share from my experience is that once what you did for fun becomes a business, it becomes a lot less fun and stops being a hobby.

FWIW,

Dan

Duh.
There are 2 good techs in the 904 area code (maybe 3 but he is out of town much of the year).
That's 3 techs at most to cover an area code of around 1 million people.
Not Enough

I know a few years ago I offered to help some people with issues they were having with their pins, and as you say LTG people don't seem to appreciate being helped out. I wasn't even charging for my time, just parts, I was doing it for the love of pinball. Or maybe it's not they don't appreciate the help but they expected me to be at their beck and call like a real tech (I remember one lady called me at my real job when some parts came in and demanded I leave my job and come over to install the parts right that instant...) In the end I decided I didn't need the headaches, it just wasn't fun for me.

About 10 hours a game to strip and assemble maybe 12. I have a damn near photographic memory as i do substantial automotive work so it comes fairly easy for me. I in good faith cant charge that much money as its fun for me and its extremely easy work.

It takes on average about 1.5-2 hours to strip a game down to the wood. Then its mean green, Novus, 5 coats of wax and a final buff job. While that is going on posts and etc stuff is in the dishwasher bolts in the tumbler etc. Plastics go in the dishwasher on low heat setting.

I have been a service tech on and off for 5 years as well for a local op so its pretty standard stuff for me. Some stuff i still need to bounce ideas off of others to fix but thats pretty common in all things in life.