Joliet, IL
Quoted from Jasenwm:I've been collecting and fixing arcade machines and consoles for years. I still have all the ones I played as a kid, I'm 43. I always loved pinball the most but found the expense was too much to own my own. Fast forward to the last few years and I have a good deal of disposable income so I jumped in and bought one,kings of steel, I loved that game. I did a lot of cosmetic work to it and changed a coil or two. I sold that for a pinbot and then sold that for a mars God of War. I recently picked up a Mr mrs pacman. After putting leds in the pac started giving me trouble and would barely turn on. I looked to this site and got alot of great advice on what maybe causing the issue. But then I found a haunted house in really good condition like 9/10. Went and picked that up and takes the guy down from 3,500 to 2,000! He just didn't have the room and was a older gentleman. This this was near New. New flippers, coils, serviced boards it looks and played great. I get it home excited as hell and boom, it turns on coins up but won't start a game. Again I turn to the pinside community for advice and I get some ideas. Still nothing. As I sit her watching my beautiful 2,000$ pinball machine do everything but play a game I feel defeated. I know it's an easy fix but it's so frustrating that I paid alot of money to me anyway for something I didn't even get to play once yet after having it home. Ughhh. I know I'm a little dramatic but dammit just work already wtf
Some days I feel just like you. I'm really rubbish at fixing these pins and I bought a few machines I honestly shouldn't have. I chalk those up to expensive lessons. Its frustrating. Because, pinball machines not only take up so much space, but also they take up time not just for repairs when they break, but you need to clean and wax them frequently too.
Since this lockdown began. I just did a few repairs on some of my machines. But, I mostly focused on playing video games. I think I needed a break from pinball. Anyway. Just take a break. Relax. And if need be, you might just have to pay someone around 200 dollars to come out and fix your machine. Small price in the long run to get a machine back running.
Sure learn how to do all the repairs you can, but when you can't figure it out, it might be time to pay someone for all the years of knowledge that they have.
