Hi from Nebraska

Hilow

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I recently had a good friend of mine gift my husband a vintage centipede arcade game that looks to be in good condition, other than missing the top lit decal. It does power on, but the screen is showing vertical red static. Thinking it needs a pcb circuit board, ram? Neither me or my husband know anything about arcade games, but he is tech & mechanic savvy. We are debating on whether to attempt to fix it or sell as is. Curious of opinions here on its worth in current condition or if we should attempt to fix and then sell. Also, any ideas what it may need to get it operational. Thanks!
 

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It would be best to sell it "As Is". Putting money into something that you know nothing about or have the skill to accomplish would be wasting your money and time.
 
Thank you for your reply and advice. I've edited it to ad some pictures.
 
Do you enjoy that game? Or, if you husband just enjoys fixing things - then maybe it worth it to get back to a complete, working order. Since it was a gift, you should have very little money into it I assume....

It isn't worth much, even complete. But your starting from a good beginning state needing only the marquee and board set (potentially) - and maybe a Power Supply rebuild.
 
Welcome! If you or hubby balks at the idea of learning what is broken or need adjustment, then it'll be better to sell as-is, but if you look at it like a fun challenge of learning how to repair and maintain these 40 year old games, then dig in and start researching.

This forum is one of the best resources on the internet for figuring out what the problem is, so a dedicated thread looking for repair help will likely get you up and going. The image of static on the screen makes me think the Horizontal Hold pot on your monitor chassis needs adjusting after you moved the game home, but I don't know much about Centipede repairs. The fact you have an image on the screen means your monitor and gameboards are at least partially functioning (we can see digital artifacts on the CRT display, these are clues we use to diagnose the root-cause), might be a minor adjustment to resolve it, or could actually be a circuit board level repair needing special equipment and the right techniques. Beginners level will involve reading schematics, maybe a soldering iron, logic probe, potentially replacing chips on the board.

Value is determined largely by local availability and condition, and Centipede was not considered a rare game as they made a bunch back in the day. So don't get into fixing it for purely increasing it's monetary value, do it because you want to learn, enjoy the process, or enjoy that specific game.

For Centipede, here's how I'd value it around the Midwest:
As is, project with missing parts (marquee and what else?) needing unknown repairs: $200-300
Working in players condition (ie not perfect, or 100% restored): $600 - 800
Fully restored with no blemishes in cabinet and no gameplay problems: $1000-1200

Others might price it different depending on their own love of the game, and how frequently they come up for sale around them, condition, etc.
 
Looks like a solid cabinet.

Assuming you have the keys, it's all there apart from the marque.

I'd put it at $700 at least. You might want to contact Larry at Hollywood Candy in Omaha to see if he'd like to buy it. He has a pretty big arcade. Tell him his old tech George told you to call him.

Otherwise, there are people in the area who might be able to help you repair it. Centipede is a popular game. I like my smaller cabaret version. If you like the game, it may be worth exploring getting it repaired.

Plusses:
1. Solid cabinet - no signs of swelling / water damage.
2. CRT is intact and working
3. Looks like the game board is intact, just not working. That could be as simple as cleaning the edge connector, or something harder.

Try this: Turn the game off, open the coin door. You should see a service panel inside with a switch. That is the TEST switch. Move it to the TEST position and turn the game on, and take a picture of the screen. We'll see what it tells us.

You can also try this. I assume it is not on free play as the Player 1 / 2 buttons weren't on / flashing in the pictures. Open the coin door and drop a quarter through, and see if the red Player 1 and 2 lights light up.

If they do, push player 1 and listen and see if the game "plays blind" which means you hear the "thump thump thump thump" and the spider moving across the screen. That would indicate something goofy with the video output or the CRT.

Could be fun to fix. What part of Nebraska are you in?
 
Welcome to KLOV!

If you just want the game to work, find a local tech to fix it for you. I would not bother trying to fix it yourself unless you are serious about sticking with this hobby.

Any money you make by fixing and selling this game will most likely not outweigh the time and effort spent working on it. Ask us how we know…
 
Welcome! My commentary isn't nessisary seeing the other folks covered my thoughts.

I love me some Centipede! Thanks for sharing your story and thoughts.
 
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