A beginners guide

dayturnsnight

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I've already posted in repair and have some challenges ahead of me for my first 3 games, plan to switch out games, and get a Soul Calibur machine up and running etc. Won't repeat my story but I bought my first 3 stand up arcade games and plan to start a good collection. I own a ton of console systems (22 to be exact with about 15 extras for parts and repair) but this is my first attempt at arcade games. So what tools etc would you recommend I buy since I plan to make this a full time hobby and hope to be at 20 stand up arcade games and maybe a few pins in the next 3 years? Any reading etc so I don't have to ask questions about every little thing etc.
 
A good soldering iron, alot of patience. And research and read as much as you can find about whatever you are working on.
 
basic:
- soldering iron. you can start with a cheap one but you'll appreciate a nice temp-controlled model in the future (i love my Weller WESD51 and look back on all the time wasted, struggling with a cheap $15 model, and wish i'd invested a lot sooner)
- solder sucker (Soldapult, bulb, braid, what have you)
- good set of screwdrivers including small ones
- nut drivers, especially 1/4"
- needle nose pliers
- wire cutters/flush cutters
- quality crimper
- multimeter
- adjustable wrench, either 8" or a 6" wide-mouth
- small flashlight

nice extras:
- security bit set
- wire stripper
- "hands-free" stand/clamp set
- magnifying glass
- small mirror
- "safeback" flyback discharging tool (you can make your own easily) as seen here: http://therealbobroberts.net/sb.html
- degaussing coil/ring
- desoldering gun like a Hakko 808 or a full station that does both
- heat gun for peeling up old artwork or sealing heat shrink tubing

you will also get plenty of use out of household tools like socket sets, hammers, c-clamps and cordless drills which i don't usually keep in my arcade tool kit (unlike the above items.)
 
basic:
- soldering iron. you can start with a cheap one but you'll appreciate a nice temp-controlled model in the future (i love my Weller WESD51 and look back on all the time wasted, struggling with a cheap $15 model, and wish i'd invested a lot sooner)

Agreed. I highly recommend the Hakko FX-888 soldering station. It's about $85 on Amazon.

EEV Blog has a great tutorial series about soldering. It's a bit lengthy, but the guy knows his stuff and is funny as hell. Then buy yourself a cheap kit for practice before you go to town on one of your boards.

If you really want to get fancy, a scope is always nice to have around. My Rigol DS1052E is capable and not too expensive. It's also hackable to 100 Mhz.

Good luck!
 
oh, yeah, a CRT tester/rejuvenator is pretty darn handy to have around too. you can spend a bunch of money on a B&K or Sencore but i've found that my $35/shipped Heathkit 5230 works just fine.
 
Thanks for the information. Luckily most of this stuff I have I guess working on arcade games is pretty similar just on a larger scale, but I just want to make sure I'm prepared for anything. Good advice on the not just getting crappy games, something I have to take to heart honestly. I've always bought cheap random systems (IE the hyperscan haha) because it's something I can throw in a closet and in 20 years I may be one of 10 people who own one, but while I'll have room for 20 plus games in the long run that's not a lot and when my wish list is over 50 games I do need to pick and choose until I have more room. I already have games I really don't want long term but I also knew they needed some work or I wanted to tweak them so I'd rather "learn/experiment" on average games than get something I'd want to keep for life and ROYALLY mess them up.

Hoping I take to them as easily as I did to consoles but I think the size/price is the intimidating part. Messing with a few 10.00 garage sales super nintendos to start is different than ruining a classic that is out of production and costs hundreds or thousands of dollars. Which is why I'm not making the jump to pins for quite some time.
 
it took me almost 20 years to get my first pin but now i've got 4. even a nice one usually needs some work and a project can be a total headache. but then again, i can see why a lot of collectors eventually go mostly or all pin (though i don't think i will.)
 
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Not necessarily this exact model, but some sort of LED Headlamp is a must.
 
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