Easiest PCBs to diagnose/repair?

dethfactor

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So I know there's a lot of different PCBs and the repair guys on here have all been really great guys but I'm always interested in figuring things out for myself. I was wondering from out all the boardsets out there, which are the easiest to diagnose/repair? Have cheap/easy to find replacements, etc. Maybe have a small list of easily recognizable issues, etc.

I'm asking on behalf of myself as well as other collectors who don't have the engineering background to do repairs. I've done a few small repairs in my time but just looking for direction to improve my knowledge/skill base.
 
I like working on boards made around about 1984. Earlier boards are simpler, but often utilise outdated ICs that can be difficult to source, particularly RAM. Later boards can be more complex using multiple CPUs, custom ICs, surface mounted ICs, security features etc.

1942 is a good example of a board I like, it uses only common ICs, has no custom ICs or security and has a logical layout seperated into two boards, one for video and one for the program.
 
I agree with the PAC/MsPac. If you want to dabble in repair the pacs are pretty simple to work on.
I would reccomend a beginner stay away from caged boardsets and board stacks. My last tip is dont bother doing repair work unless you really enjoy doing it. Sure you can make a few bucks but you wont get rich from it.
 
I find the black and white games to be easy to work on. No custom chips, everything is TTL logic... Just need a logic probe.

Pac boards are quite easy, thanks to all the documentation.

Avoid Pole Position.

-Ian
 
I would reccomend a beginner stay away from caged boardsets and board stacks. My last tip is dont bother doing repair work unless you really enjoy doing it. Sure you can make a few bucks but you wont get rich from it.

+2. By the time you build a test rig, stock up on parts, buy a scope, logic probe, pulser, multimeter, solder/desolder station, esr meter, etc, etc. It really is easier to just have someone who's set up do it.

As far as the money goes, i could go get any minimum wage job and make more money. For me, the only advantage is that i can set my own schedule, and work in my undies if i want.
 
So far the responses have been great. I realize that learning to repair is a time consuming/expensive process and I'm not interested in learning it to get rich. It's more of a self preservation thing. As this hobby gets older there will be less people to repair/discuss things until there a few 2nd/3rd gen collectors left and I'm sure tons of experience and information will be lost. I'm wishing to learn to have something to pass on as well as be a bit more self sufficient in the hobby. Anyone have a routine or checklist they go through during a repair? What are some important things to look for? What tool has been the most invaluable in diagnosing?
 
the sticky at the top of this forum is about as good as you'll find.
 
From my experience, ____________ boards are fairly easy to repair.

The blanks can be filled in with whatever boards are either:
(a) boards from your favorite games,
(b) the boards you first learned to repair,
(c) the boards you are good at repairing,
(d) all of the above.

Everybody has a different set of boards based on their experience. I tend to agree with a lot of the previous comments. Boards with custom chips or surface mount technology are a tough place to start (I avoid them if at all possible). Boards with difficult to source parts are also hard to work with. It always seems to point to the chip you can't get or that are $35 each.

Boards that are well documented, such as the Pac boards or the Williams boards are a good place to start.

Another important issue that tends to get overlooked is to either work on boards that you are intimately familiar with how the game looks and feels or that you have one or more 100% working sets to compare to. A lot of complaints I have heard are that boards are sent off to be repaired and the something is still wrong when they get them back. Either some sprites are wrong or the sound is wrong. This usually means that the repair person didn't know what the game should look like or they didn't test everything.

Just my $0.02.

ken
 
Another important issue that tends to get overlooked is to either work on boards that you are intimately familiar with how the game looks and feels or that you have one or more 100% working sets to compare to. A lot of complaints I have heard are that boards are sent off to be repaired and the something is still wrong when they get them back. Either some sprites are wrong or the sound is wrong. This usually means that the repair person didn't know what the game should look like or they didn't test everything.

I keep a set of working boards on hand as a "standard" for this very reason. They don't have to be pretty, just work (you should see my pacman "standards" board).

I agree that a pacman board is the best one to cut your teeth on.
Other tips:
1) Don't work on boards until your have adequate soldering skills. Practice on some scrap or ruined boards before you tackle the real ones.
2) Start with boards that were not worked on by anyone else first. I generally end up re-doing most of the work that was done by a failed repair attempt as it becomes one of the problems. I'm almost tempted to charge a premium for boards that were unsuccessfully worked on previously. If you do have a board that was worked on previously, check that work out first before you dig into the rest of the board.
3)Another reason to keep a "standards" set is for multiple board games. You can swap one board at a time in the set and narrow down which boards in the set are the offenders.

And as the other folks said - it is a labor of love - you have to enjoy doing it.

Bill
 
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