My second 'Tech' experience

Phetishboy

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 12, 2006
Messages
47,929
Reaction score
9,392
Location
Avon, Minnesota
This time it was a Street Fighter II: World Warrior in a Dynamo Cut corner cab at a small town movie theatre. The game displayed no picture, no power, switcher appeared dead, about $75 in quarters on the floor, mingling with a ton of dust and shorting out God knows what. I cleaned out the quarters, took the K7000 chassis home and capped it. Still wasn't working so I sent it to Chris and he needed to replace a few more components including the flyback if I remember correctly. He sent it back and I sat on it for a few months. Finally got a chance to get back over there and install it. Still dead. Changed out the fuse with a new 4A SlowBlow, still nothing. Reseated connectors, twisted the fuse, now she powered up, but still no picture. Pulled the monitor's AC plug, metered the transformer side, it was putting out 118 V. Plugged it back in, heard it energize. Must have been a bad connection. Went to the front, still no pic. messed with the brightness, screen and contrast. Finally got a pic but man was it touchy. I had to have all 3 dialed in just right or the pic would go black. Very small adjustment window.

Now to coin it up and play. Wouldn't coin up. Checked the micros, both 5V coin wires were off. reconnected them, was able to coin it up. Tried to start a 1 player game, wouldn't start. Finally flipped open the CP and reconnected the crimp connectors. Now I could start a game. Tried to fight, but half the buttons didn't work, player one Joy wouldn't jump, etc. Pulled the CP open again and my God what a mess. Some connections soldered, some crimped, some bent, one microswitch housing busted open, 3 tabs on the side bent over and pinched when the CP was shut. Did what I could reconnecting and securing everything, tried it again, now all controls worked. Dialed the monitor in a little better, locked it all back up and pushed it to the wall. I then packed up my gear and got the hell out of there. Another game lives in the wild.
 
I hope you were well compensated for that much work. Good job getting it going and thanks for the share.
 
I hope you were well compensated for that much work. Good job getting it going and thanks for the share.

Well that's just it, he had given me about 15 free movie passes when I first picked the stuff up and agreed to fix it, thinking it would be simple. Now several months later, it has cost me $80 in parts, $15 in shipping, 2 trips over there (30 miles 1 way) and about 4 hours of my time. I just finished the job and walked away without asking for a penny more. I checked the calendar, it had been 1 year to the day since I had picked the stuff to fix it. Holy shit, I figured we'd just call it even.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I'm realizing that my tech experience has bartered itself into a corner a few times. Nice work on the SF though, it'll start making some money again hopefully. Were there any other games at that location?
 
You know, the funny thing is that he also has a Ms. Pac in the other corner that is working, but the monitor is way out of focus, and the screen is covered in grease or condensation or something, causing it to blur even further. I'm sure when that goes he'll be calling me and I don't know if I'll want the job. His game room is waaaaay up on the second floor and I have to walk through the entire complex to get up there. I have to walk through both the ticket and snack bar lines carrying a tool kit, a box of parts, etc, and it gets to be a little cumbersome. Oh well, the game works and I can take my daughter to the movies for the next few months.
 
You know, the funny thing is that he also has a Ms. Pac in the other corner that is working, but the monitor is way out of focus, and the screen is covered in grease or condensation or something, causing it to blur even further. I'm sure when that goes he'll be calling me and I don't know if I'll want the job. His game room is waaaaay up on the second floor and I have to walk through the entire complex to get up there. I have to walk through both the ticket and snack bar lines carrying a tool kit, a box of parts, etc, and it gets to be a little cumbersome. Oh well, the game works and I can take my daughter to the movies for the next few months.

Sounds like someone spilled soda on the Ms. Pac screen.
 
Or popcorn butter film. I'm noticing the grease floating in the air at the pizzeria in town is creating a noticeable film coating things on the cabs I've worked on. I bring them in the house, and my shop smells like pizza dough for a few days :)
 
I havent done many service calls since ive been back in the rockford area but yeah it does seem to always be more involved than youd think. Make sure you pad your estimates a little lol

i have the same prob though, im too damn cheap but its more about heelping other game loving folks out and making more arcade buddies than it is making money.
 
you definitely made out on that, even being out $80. movie tickets at my amc here are something like $10 or so. that's like $150 in credit.
 
Back
Top Bottom