Option paralysis

jehuie

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I've got 5 games that each have something broken. If I'm lucky I get a couple hours a week to work on them between all the other family obligations. I can't focus on one project enough to really give it the attention it deserves. I'm heading out now to try to squeeze in a half-hour before I have to run out to an open-house thing with my kids. As I type this I can't decide which game I'm going to work on. I have bags of parts.....how do you guys find the time to do all this stuff? Gotta run.....
 
I've got 5 games that each have something broken. If I'm lucky I get a couple hours a week to work on them between all the other family obligations. I can't focus on one project enough to really give it the attention it deserves. I'm heading out now to try to squeeze in a half-hour before I have to run out to an open-house thing with my kids. As I type this I can't decide which game I'm going to work on. I have bags of parts.....how do you guys find the time to do all this stuff? Gotta run.....

I have no schedule on when things need to be done (other than fixing games to take to CAX). Sometimes I have time but no motivation. Sometimes it's the other way around. I work on them when the time and motivation comes together. The best strategy which I never use seems to be to focus on one game at a time. Work on that one until it's fixed. Far too easy to get distracted and do a little to a lot of games and never get any of them fixed. I also have no family or obligations other than work. This is really the key as it frees up a ton of time.
 
Yeah that would certainly free up a lot of time! But I see some of the guys on here who are constantly fixing up games, decorating game rooms, going to shows and parties and still manage to have a family life. Or maybe the family is more of the side hobby! :)

Anyway, I settled in on working on the Phoenix first. Managed to pull the cab out from the lineup, remove the monitor chassis (G07) and perform just about half a cap kit before I had to shut it all down for the night. It didn't really need a cap kit but it seemed like the right thing to do. This monitor has like zero screen burn. It should be real pretty when it's back together and cleaned up!

Then comes either: Star Wars for my friend, Pin Bot, Mr. Do's Castle or Defender....hmmm....
 
I'm in the same boat as you ..... so many things to do, and so many games to fix.

I try to prioritize, but sometimes that means things get bumped. I have never capped a monitor or done work "just because" -- even though I have some items that fit that description perfectly.

This hobby definitely keeps you very busy.

-- Bruce
 
I finally got around to installing my multipede kit this week. I was hoping for a quick install, but I had to replace a couple of ram chips that were kinda flaky. The tube I bought a while back was mislabeled, so I had to wait a day to go buy more. Then one of the pokeys went bad. I tried swapping a few of them, and after it was all done, one of my new pokeys was bad, and one of the sockets was bad on the board. I replaced the socket, put another good one in, and now it is working.

That is why nothing ever gets done around here! what should have been a 5 minute install ended up taking two evenings to finish. And I still have to cap the monitor after I place my next order with Bob. Then I need a new CPO and Marquee...

I am taking a break for the rest of the night. :)

Tomorrow: try to find and fix the cold solder joint on my Neo Geo monitor!

BTW John, if you ever want to sell or trade for your Pinbot, let me know. :)
 
This is hard - I've got a bum switch on my Striker pin, the right joystick on Assault won't go right, and I've got a dead Space Shuttle pin in the garage. What I WANT to do is just 'pick one and go at it' (this actually worked great the other night when I ripped into the pachinko machine and got that unjammed), but I often have trouble with actually 'just picking one'. I stare at them all, then I play some Neo-Geo, then I'm too tired anymore and I go to bed!
 
I finally got around to installing my multipede kit this week. I was hoping for a quick install, but I had to replace a couple of ram chips that were kinda flaky. The tube I bought a while back was mislabeled, so I had to wait a day to go buy more. Then one of the pokeys went bad. I tried swapping a few of them, and after it was all done, one of my new pokeys was bad, and one of the sockets was bad on the board. I replaced the socket, put another good one in, and now it is working.

That is why nothing ever gets done around here! what should have been a 5 minute install ended up taking two evenings to finish. And I still have to cap the monitor after I place my next order with Bob. Then I need a new CPO and Marquee...

I am taking a break for the rest of the night. :)

Tomorrow: try to find and fix the cold solder joint on my Neo Geo monitor!

BTW John, if you ever want to sell or trade for your Pinbot, let me know. :)

Yeah, I hear you. We got back a bit early last night so I ran out to finish the cap kit on the Phoenix and just as I finished the soldering my wife came out and asked me to take her out to a late dinner. How do you say no to that? So it's still sitting on the bench (table) waiting to be put back in to see if it's going to work. But...someone is coming over later to pick up another game and I noticed something minor wrong with that that I'd like to fix before he comes to get it. So another delay. And this weekend is booked up solid. Oh well. :)

And on the Pin Bot...I actually got very close to selling it recently but I just couldn't do it. I decided to work on repairing it too. With the help of another KLOVer I was able to verify that two of the displays are bad. So I went to order the Pinscore displays but due to earthquake in Japan, they are currently not available. At least that helps me narrow down what to work on!
 
I've got a nice dedicated Double Dragon sitting in my shop. It's been there for the better part of a year now. When I picked it up the seller told me that the P2 right didn't work. I had all kinds of worries about bad IC's, new boards needed, etc etc.

This morning I was tidying up a bit (I'm having company on Mon) and I decided to give it a go. Started tracing wires. Followed the P2 right all the way to the JAMMA connector, only to find that the pin had partially come out of the connector. DOH! Plugged in the pin, and now I have a fully working DD cab again. Took all of 15 minutes.

I spent so much time fretting about that cab, and the repair was simple.

My advice: just do it. You'll find you have more time than you think.
 
I spent so much time fretting about that cab, and the repair was simple.

My advice: just do it. You'll find you have more time than you think.

It sure is nice when it works so easily huh? I don't have a problem getting motivated. It's more about finding time. I have lots of half hour increments that I could try to go out there but then just as I get started I have to wrap it up which is also frustrating. Congrats on fixing it though. Rep to you! :)
 
Working second shift, 4 month old baby, always looking for a job in the art field..

Leave no time to work on things, or even dust the ones that do work!

I did play with my Pooyan's 5v adjust and realize I need either a new power board, or a kit to redo it a bit. It goes into a constant rolling reset mode when to many game are on. Only one in my game room to have this issue. My Tut works fine!
 
As fast as I get to projects with everything else that goes on in life, this hobby alone could keep me busy well into retirement age. Typically, I get to needed repairs of games that I had working long before I get to work on a project cab. While I really enjoy troubleshooting and repairing, I am one of those that enjoy playing the games even more so I always make sure there is time to play even if the projects are backlogged for a few (or more) years.
 
You're not alone Puddleglum. I have 10 projects (down from 14 just 2 months ago) that need to be either started or finished or both. I step into the shop, and within minutes I have a kid who needs me or a wife who thinks she does. I just get started and have to set everything down to run in, wash up and take care of whatever tasks that require my attention that moment. By the time they are all sleeping, it's 10 pm, I'm bushed and I can't make any noise anyway. I really think this is it for me. Finish these last 10 projects, sell what I can't keep, clean the remaining turds out of the pool, and just tread water for a few years.
 
Phet, you can start by letting me have your Karate Champ ;)

It's a conversion in a Gremlin cab you know. Spent time getting the monitor working, other than that, it still needs restoration. The roof piece needs to be sanded and hit with wood hardener as it's flaking, otherwise it's a solid cab. I'd let it go as is for $150, only because the monitor is a nice, rebuilt (caps, new fly and HOT) burn-free G07 and the game board works 100%.
 
Another problem for me is just a lack of a dedicated place to work on them. I have no garage and no separate area to store stuff at all. So every time I have people over I have to shift everything back into some semblance of order. We are having about 50 people over for a backyard movie night next week so I've got to get it all prepped before then. (Showing Kung Fu Panda in preparation for the next one coming out).

Here's what it looks looks like now. Games in the middle of the room, away from the walls, blocking other games. Can barely walk through the place. Camping crap piled all over. Completely unusable! But one week from today....it will all be sorted once again. Until the next day when I want to work on stuff again...

And on top of it all I've got to find room for X-Men now! :)

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I can't help with the time, money or motivation, but I can offer a suggestion about the workspace. Put them on mover's dollies. I buy the $20 ones from HongKong Fooie Tools (Harbor Freight) when they go on sale for $12. Slide one of those under each one of your machines. Now you can shove them all up against the wall and out of the way. When you want to work on one, a gentle tug will pull it out into the room. Much easier than the 20 minute tug and lug if they are not on wheels.

It makes it a lot easier to do quick things or to move them around back to back when you need to test a monitor or whatever.

ken

Edit: link: http://www.harborfreight.com/movers-dolly-39757.html
 
I can't help with the time, money or motivation, but I can offer a suggestion about the workspace. Put them on mover's dollies. I buy the $20 ones from HongKong Fooie Tools (Harbor Freight) when they go on sale for $12.

Thanks Ken, good idea. Giving some rep for that! :) I'm thinking I might go for the carpet sliders that some people use though. They might look better when people are actually out playing the working games.
 
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