Pac Man Monitor Problem

jasonlyvers

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I want to buy an arcade game. In this case, I found a beat up Pacman that has crappy side art and a monitor that comes on, but does not display the game properly. It looks most similar to the 4th picture in the left column.
http://www.arcadegameover.com/pactrouble.html

Assuming I can't fix it myself, what is a reasonable price to pay to get it working again? I'd prefer to do my own work, but, I don't own a game now, I don't know what I'm doing, and the thought of getting electrocuted by an arcade monitor makes me pee a little.

Any rough guesses about cost and difficulty to repair?
 
The monitor may be fine the trouble may be with the board.
 
Its up to you if you want to pay a 100 for it. How bad do you want one?

My first game was a dead Pac and I learned alot about game repair.
 
That is not a bad price for a Pac cab...

Plus you could have the board repaired (or buy a rock-solid board from Riptor on this forum) and possibly have a working game for around $200.

- Mike
 
I wish there was an arcade starter kit.

I don't really want pacman that bad, in fact, I don't really care about pacman, I just want something. Games seem hard to come by in KY. What I do want is a game that works, is reasonably fun (not Arlington Horse Racing) and requires minimal effort to get working.

I guess my original question remains, what is worst case scenario from a cost/difficulty perspective?
 
If you have to ask then maybe arcade game collecting isn't for you. If you are loaded and can afford to send everything out to be repaired then go for it. If you are like the rest of us then you will need to invest in some basic tools and be prepared to roll your sleeves up and get dirty.
 
avg board repair for a pac man is probably around $65 and there are lots of guys here that can do it for you inlcuding us. So for under $200 you can have a working pac man not a bad deal.
Tim
 
Thanks, that gives me a little more confidence. I don't mind "gambling" $100 if I have a reasonable shot of getting it fixed, but if it takes 10 years of experience and $10000 in tools, I'd pass.

Thanks again for the help, I think I'm going to pull the trigger.
 
Welcome to the MADNESS my friend!! Take some pics of the game inside and out so we can see what you have!

Also..you are definitely in the right place to get repair advice and help!
 
Pac mans are relatively simple from the power supply and wiring perspective. Most problems with these can be fixed relatively cheap. The board as mentioned is one of the larger possible cost in any game if it needs repair. Pacs are common though so enough people do repairs and do them cheap enough to keep this from being a money pit game. The only other concern with any game is the monitor. Two things to know/consider are how bad the burn in on the monitor looks during game play and the cost of repair if the monitor fails. If you are not gonna learn to repair on your own then monitor repair can run in the $150 range. Maybe less or a little more. If the monitor has bad screen burn to the point that the game is not enjoyable to play then the only answer is to replace it. If a replacement is necessary then you need to consider that a new monitor could cost as much as $250 plus shipping assuming you can find a source for a new monitor. I think the better option is to find a little to no burn original monitor that is local to you and you can pick up yourself. People sell them on ebay but shipping monitors in non original boxes is hit and miss. Hopefully you don't need to replace the monitor though. Just figured I'd give as much info as possible since you asked. FYI the monitor info applies to most games not just pacs.
 
definately go for it but put 75 in one pocket and 25 in another and see if he bites at 75 ! if not you can always whip out the 25 and get it. fun fun.

problem area #1 is the fuses in the bottom of the cabnet near the transformers. the fuse HOLDERS get weak over time and dont grip the fuses tight enough to allow proper electron flow. everytime i get a PAC/MS PAC this is ALWAYS the first thing i do. then on to the 3 prong plug and then i get my multi meter out and start testing voltages at important locations and looking at the schematic to determine possible failure point. this is what you are jumping into. you can get shocked so read up. heres a start read on discharging a monitor.
http://therealbobroberts.net/sb.html

my first buy was a PAC MAN cab too, only i paid 215 for it non working. talk about dumb? but it was in VERY nice shape. i took the wiring out and installed a 48 in 1 in it and sold it for 875.
 
and $10000 in tools,

Thanks again for the help, I think I'm going to pull the trigger.

"My dad has an awesome set of tools" LOL
spicoli.jpg


Pull the trigger, you won't regret it.
 
post some pics when you get it. it may not be a board issue, it could be a sync issue with the monitor itself.

but regardless, young jedi, $100 for a broken but semi working pac or other game is never a bad deal! congrats (assuming you pulled the trigger on it.)
 
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