A simple request for people who send boards for repair

YellowDog

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Donor 2011, 2013
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A simple request for people who send boards for repair

On behalf of myself and the other people here that do board repairs, can I ask a favor? Please, before you close that box up, can you do one simple thing: enclose a note that contains the following:
1) Your name and KLOV username
2) Your return mailing address
3) A brief description of the issues you are having.

This would really help to make sure your boards get repaired correctly and get back to you.

Last week I received 4 sets of boards with no paperwork. 3 were for repairs and one box was some boards from an eBay deal 3 weeks ago. Two of the boardsets had the return addresses of pack 'n ship places that weren't even from the town listed in the message headers. If it wasn't for the delivery confirmation numbers, it would have been very difficult to sort this out.

Please don't turn this into a bitchfest thread. I am just asking for a New Year's resolution to please add a little info to the box. It will also help the Post Office get the box back to you if they rip the label off.

Thanks.

ken
 
What boards do you fix?

Mostly the classic Williams boardsets (Defender, Stargate, Robotron, Joust, Bubbles and Sinistar). I fix all of the boards for those boardsets (MPU, ROM, I/O, Sound and Power Supply).

I've not had a Blaster boardset or a Splat! boardset, but they are basically the same.

I also have been know to fix Mystic Marathon, Joust II and Turkey Shoot boards on occasion.

ken
 
Mostly the classic Williams boardsets (Defender, Stargate, Robotron, Joust, Bubbles and Sinistar).

I've not had a Blaster boardset or a Splat! boardset, but they are basically the same.

I also have been know to fix Mystic Marathon, Joust II and Turkey Shoot boards on occasion.

Ken,

Splat is the same as the classic Williams, but Blaster is in a class by itself, it's more towards a Mystic Marathon, Joust II, Turkey Shoot (& Inferno), but I heard it's even different than those.

Just wondering, what are your rates? Are you looking for repairs, or have enough for now? Do you do stuff like 2-for-1 (send 2, you keep 1 and return 1), other, etc.?
 
This is actually important for anything you ship, the out side label can often get torn off anywhere in the shipping process (especially all the automated machines the package passes).

If you enclose a packing list with recipient and delivery address they can still get it where it's supposed to go
 
Ken,

Splat is the same as the classic Williams, but Blaster is in a class by itself, it's more towards a Mystic Marathon, Joust II, Turkey Shoot (& Inferno), but I heard it's even different than those.

Thanks for the help clarifying. As I said, I have not seen either board set in person. I knew that the major differences with Splat! were in the ROM card (not unlike Sinistar) but the basic architecture is the same for all of the classic Williams boards (except for the licensed boards, Moon Patrol, Make Trax, etc).

Just wondering, what are your rates? Are you looking for repairs, or have enough for now? Do you do stuff like 2-for-1 (send 2, you keep 1 and return 1), other, etc.?

I did not intend for this thread to become an advertisement for my services. If there are other repair people that would like to announce which boards they repair, please feel free to jump in.

Please PM for pricing and details on repairs. I am not sure if an open discussion of pricing is a violation of the rules or not (moderators feel free to chime in).

I have been known to do 2 for 1 as well as mechandise-for-repair trade deals (marquees, bezels, joysticks, etc.). I try to be flexible. My main reason for doing repairs is to give back to the community as well as keep as many of these old games running so they don't end up like most treadmills (clothes hangers and space wasters). So if cash is an issue, but you have trade bait (particularly Williams parts) we can usually find a way to work a trade to get your boards running again.

ken
 
On behalf of myself and the other people here that do board repairs, can I ask a favor? Please, before you close that box up, can you do one simple thing: enclose a note that contains the following:
1) Your name and KLOV username
2) Your return mailing address
3) A brief description of the issues you are having.

This would really help to make sure your boards get repaired correctly and get back to you.

As I've been increasingly inundated with monitor chassis repairs, I've been requesting the same info, as well as a listing of any repairs they've already attempted (just in case their "repair" is the problem). Nothing like getting five different K7000 chassis, with 3 being from "Mike" and two being from "Bob". I already have to tag them when I open the box so I don't mix them up, as I'll often be "burn in" testing one while working on another.

Can I add on other thing - especially to people who send monitor chassis? If you use packing peanuts, PLEASE wrap your chassis/boards in something first (bubblewrap, antistatic bag, etc)! I hate trying to get peanuts out from behind a flyback...
 
As I've been increasingly inundated with monitor chassis repairs, I've been requesting the same info, as well as a listing of any repairs they've already attempted (just in case their "repair" is the problem). Nothing like getting five different K7000 chassis, with 3 being from "Mike" and two being from "Bob". I already have to tag them when I open the box so I don't mix them up, as I'll often be "burn in" testing one while working on another.

Can I add on other thing - especially to people who send monitor chassis? If you use packing peanuts, PLEASE wrap your chassis/boards in something first (bubblewrap, antistatic bag, etc)! I hate trying to get peanuts out from behind a flyback...

Good points! I tag all of the boards when I get them in also. I use one of those Dymo labelmakers (the paper ones, not the old squeezy plastic ones).

The other issue with the peanuts versus bubble wrap is that the peanuts will move out of the way, allowing boards to bump into each other, sometimes adding to the damage already there. I've had chips get knocked out of boards and at least twice when boards were packed back to back they gouged each other causing broken traces adding to the time it took to repair the boards. Peanuts after bubble wrap = OK. Peanuts alone = BAD IDEA.

ken
 
Can I add on other thing - especially to people who send monitor chassis? If you use packing peanuts, PLEASE wrap your chassis/boards in something first (bubblewrap, antistatic bag, etc)! I hate trying to get peanuts out from behind a flyback...

Actually, I always tell people to never use peanuts at all. Unless you know which ones are which, a lot of them are nasty little monsters of static zapping. Most places don't care about this, they just include whatever's cheapest. This means they aren't using the anti-static types. Older NMOS stuff is pretty robust, but they can cause havok with CMOS components.

If it's not pink, green, or dissolves in water, it should not be used.

-Hans
 
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My favorite is the description of "Doesn't work"
 
Ken,

I know of no problems with you discussing pricing on repairs. If you need ideas for a repair request form, check the one on the downloads page of my web site.

If I get a board with no documentation it either A) gets returned if I know where to send it (not some UPS store) or B) it sits on the shelf until I get contacted.

If you can use the form I have I'd be happy to send you the MS Word version of it so you can edit it to your needs.

Raymond
 
Thanks Raymond.

As I said earlier I did not start this thread as an advertisement, it was supposed to be a public service announcement. Talking prices would make it an advertisement.

BTW: Please feel free to add in your list of boards that you repair. I know there was some talk of a sub-forum under the repair forum that allowed people to advertise their repair services, but since that never happened....

ken
 
I'll make a sticky post in the repair section but won't lead it off since I'm a moderator. I'll wait until a couple of posts are in the thread to add what I work on.

edit: sticky post is up and ready
 
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Not intended to offend anyone or lecture. This is advice especially for newbies and also some gems for everyone. A couple of observations for do it yourselfers who try to repair a board first then send it to a repair person. I don't discourage anyone from attempting repair work, but if you are unsure or lack the soldering skills, it's best to send the board to one of the repair people. Otherwise you can do more harm than good and maybe make a board unrepairable or increase the cost of the repair:

Some things I don't recommend:

1) Adding solder to the edge connector contacts - You've just possibly ruined the PCB and have also over stressed and stretched the contacts in the edge connector in your cabinet and it will also need to be replaced in addition to the labor of having to clean off the contacts on the PCB.

2) Using a heat gun or blowtorch (including butane torch) as a soldering iron. If the board turns black or discolors, you are using way too much heat and it's like using a chainsaw to do surgery.

3) Spraying any chemical on the PCB or ICs for better contact in a socket. A mess to clean up and these chemicals emit vapors when heated by a soldering iron (and a fume exhaust only moves them away from your nose - they are still filling the workroom). Also - don't use Krazy Glue - that stuff also emits killer fumes when heated.

4) Don't use a game board to diagnose a cabinet wiring or power problem. If you need a board checked out for a cab you are restoring, please say so. Don't send the board in for repair then plug it into a miswired cab or cab with bad power and claim the board does not work - you may have blown the board up again due to miswiring or the board is not functioning because the connections are not correct. A multimeter is your friend - take the extra time to re-verify all connections and for proper voltages before you plug a board in or power up that non-working cab or cab that you just bought and has not been powered up in awhile. Unplug the game board and check the power supply voltages first.

Bill
 
I'll make a sticky post in the repair section but won't lead it off since I'm a moderator. I'll wait until a couple of posts are in the thread to add what I work on.

edit: sticky post is up and ready

Thanks Raymond. Hopefully people will see this and stop posting "Who repairs xxxxx?" threads.

ken

Edit: The bandwagon is open, everybody pile on!
 
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