The thing is, the problem isn't always on the driver board. Put in a new driver board with bad connectors, you're still gonna have reset problems.

Replacing parts blindly because it fixed the same problem for someone else is foolish. Troubleshoot the problem, and fix it right.

On TZ, for example, the Z connector between the driver board and the CPU is often a prime location for voltage drop. A new driver board won't fix this problem - repinning the connector will! And a bridge rectifier is 4 diodes - it's more often a cap problem than a bridge problem - but a lot of techs replace C5 and not C4. C4 is 25 cents, and can be a prime cause of voltage drop.

Clive's good. Rob is good. The guy at your distributor may be good, and the friend mentioned earlier might be good.

Shop rates may seem extreme, but what did you pay the mechanic who fixed your car last week, or the doctor that treated you last? In all cases, a person has to have some level of education and experience. They do have liability, if they screw something up.

Having fixed my fair share of games for fellow collectors and operators, there are some people who shouldn't solder on expensive boards. Not that this is something that most people couldn't learn, but I've cleaned up after other people before. And I'm sure there are techs who have cleaned up after my earliest work, too.

You solder with high heat. High heat is destructive. It lifts traces and destroys plated through holes. If your problem is a connector on another part of the board, you've replaced parts that didn't need replaced, weakened traces that may make future repairs more difficult or more expensive, and you may have more problems than you did before when you turn the game back on.

People have even burned themselves with soldering irons, and I'm sure they have burned houses down with them before.

If you are going to do the repair yourself, be careful. Know your limits. Troubleshoot the problem first, and be certain what you are going to replace or rework has a very good chance of fixing the problem. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Shotgunning parts, in nearly all situations, is dangerous and wasteful. The rare exception occurs, like DMD High Voltage power supplies.

I wrench on my own cars, too. I drive older cars that don't have payments and have colorful nicknames for the last 10 years or do, my daily driver has been a 1995 Ford Thunderbird SC. I spent about 12 hours earlier this month replacing a water pump, power steering pump and thermostat. The shop wanted $500+ in labor. They said it would take 8 hours. They must work faster than I do I had to buy a $35 power steering pump pulley removal tool - but I lucked out and had a $10 off coupon