What are your "must have" tools for arcade repair?

wvhyperboy

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What are your "must have" tools for arcade repair?

I am slowly building my battery of tools, testers, and gadgets to help me work on, troubleshoot, repair and restore my arcade machines. My question is this: What are your top 10+/- tools/testers/etc. that you don't want to be without. Let's keep this reasonable as we would all like to have the $5000 solder station and oscilloscope. I will be using this thread to guide me in my future purchases so let's get listing.....
 
I am slowly building my battery of tools, testers, and gadgets to help me work on, troubleshoot, repair and restore my arcade machines. My question is this: What are your top 10+/- tools/testers/etc. that you don't want to be without. Let's keep this reasonable as we would all like to have the $5000 solder station and oscilloscope. I will be using this thread to guide me in my future purchases so let's get listing.....

Electrical crimps
multi meter
security bit set
soldering iron
desoldering tool
set of tube alignment tools(width adjustment tool)
various screw drivers
needle nose pliers

thats about all i can think of right now
 
Soldering iron /w solder
Driver (base is the right size for 90% of the nuts you come across)
Bits for the driver (flat, phillips, square, etc etc)
Solder pump
IC Extractor (read as "small flat head screwdriver")
Contact cleaner
Flux
Logic Probe
Multi-Meter
Monitor adjustment tools

That's 10.
 
Electrical crimps
multi meter
security bit set
soldering iron
desoldering tool
set of tube alignment tools(width adjustment tool)
various screw drivers
needle nose pliers

thats about all i can think of right now
"set of tube alignment tools(width adjustment tool)"

Not familiar with these. Any info?

Thanks and love the Avatar (kjeffery)
 
"set of tube alignment tools(width adjustment tool)"

Not familiar with these. Any info?

Thanks and love the Avatar (kjeffery)

http://www.happ.com/monitors/92019600.htm

its used for adjusting pots on the monitor chassis and adjusting width coils, kinda hard to believe you have 42 games and never heard of these

thanks, i love the old skool manson stuff
 
http://www.happ.com/monitors/92019600.htm

its used for adjusting pots on the monitor chassis and adjusting width coils, kinda hard to believe you have 42 games and never heard of these

thanks, i love the old skool manson stuff
I am an idiot, I have these and just used them to adjust the horizontal width coil on my Stunt Cycle 2 weeks ago.

Slipknot has me all worked up right now, not thinking straight.
 
Hmm coiuple must haves for monitor repair IMHO..

1. isolation transformer to power up monitors out of the cab. I have a bench
one that adjusts from 100v to 125v for different monitors. $50 on ebay.
2. pattern generator or a game board with a good set of test pattterns. $40-$100

other handy items for fixing things

1. eprom programmer - roughly a hundred bucks. Great for fixing bad roms or putting in HS save mods. ~$100

2. Digital osciliscope - these can be had new for less then $300. On ebay way less. Good for diagnosing monitor vs pcb in vector games.

3. Logic probe - $20

4. A good set of small screwdrivers
 
Hmm coiuple must haves for monitor repair IMHO..

1. isolation transformer to power up monitors out of the cab. I have a bench
one that adjusts from 100v to 125v for different monitors. $50 on ebay.
2. pattern generator or a game board with a good set of test pattterns. $40-$100

other handy items for fixing things

1. eprom programmer - roughly a hundred bucks. Great for fixing bad roms or putting in HS save mods. ~$100

2. Digital osciliscope - these can be had new for less then $300. On ebay way less. Good for diagnosing monitor vs pcb in vector games.

3. Logic probe - $20

4. A good set of small screwdrivers
Nice adds Malice, I have a logic probe and screwdrivers, access to a programmer (brother has two, soon to be one!) but haven't played with it yet.

Thanks!
 
A computer with internet access - so you can look stuff up and ask questions....
 
A large stack of schematics for all of the boards you are likely to play with.

A stash of 74xx and 74LSxxx chips.

A selection of sockets, molex connectors, crimp pins (and crimping tools).

A selection of different sizes and colors of wire.

Power supplies (or switcher adapters) for the games you plan on working on.

Time.

Money.

ken
 
I like the computer for looking stuff up response. With that and an original manual or PDF file manual for that game and a beer fridge close by, I have all the necessary tools.
 
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