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Cost of repairs- Bally Lost World


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I have been asked to look at a Lost World for a friend of a friend.....

It's been dead for at least the last 3 years ( probably more).

Obviously doesn't boot, mpu board locks on first flash. Not many lamps working.

Battery looked good and all rubbers are totally perished.

On further investigation, battery was replaced in 2006 and is flat, also was obviously replaced after the last one had already corroded. The lamp driver board is riddled with corrosion mainly along a vertical line under the old battery. The Mpu also has a pile of corrosion on the original single swipe sockets and 9316 chips. I have started to look at it but have found several corroded through holes so I suspect it may never be really reliable :(

After putting in a spare mpu board until I fix the original, and repairing the lamp driver board. I find that most of the lamps are now working but about a dozen sockets are corroded and not working.

One display is flickering.

All solenoids fire in test but the switches give very weird results and don't work in game.

Also the displays only show 1,3, 5 , 7 in test.

I believe that all connectors need replacing.

The power/regulator board has had a mass of repairs, with direct soldered wires and terminal block cable connectors fitted.

 

I have suggested to the owner that it would be around $300 to $500 to fix ( if we buy a new mpu) but unless he replaces the mpu it would never be reliable.

 

I do this as a hobby and there is no timeframe

 

Do you think I am on the right track with estimated price.?

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That's the problem as a hobby I do it for beer money but every now and again a job comes along that just doesn't work.

 

That’s it keep it enjoyable and it doesn’t really matter beer money is always good

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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A guy has to have a hobby. :D

 

The problem is the owner, my estimate of repair is probably half the value of the machine when running.

 

I want to fix it, but I don't want it to cost me to make it so :D

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Sadly mate the best option is, if he doesnt want to pay the money to have it running then walk away, nothing you can do about that and its not your responsibility.

 

you quickly get sick of doing shit for free, hobby or not, been there done that and its not worth the stress.

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I have been asked to look at a Lost World for a friend of a friend.....

It's been dead for at least the last 3 years ( probably more).

Obviously doesn't boot, mpu board locks on first flash. Not many lamps working.

Battery looked good and all rubbers are totally perished.

On further investigation, battery was replaced in 2006 and is flat, also was obviously replaced after the last one had already corroded. The lamp driver board is riddled with corrosion mainly along a vertical line under the old battery. The Mpu also has a pile of corrosion on the original single swipe sockets and 9316 chips. I have started to look at it but have found several corroded through holes so I suspect it may never be really reliable :(

After putting in a spare mpu board until I fix the original, and repairing the lamp driver board. I find that most of the lamps are now working but about a dozen sockets are corroded and not working.

One display is flickering. Reflow all header pins on all boards, and/or replace them all IMO

All solenoids fire in test but the switches give very weird results and don't work in game. Guessing MPU related, switch matrix.

Also the displays only show 1,3, 5 , 7 in test. Check J3 on solenoid driver and J1 on the MPU

I believe that all connectors need replacing. Maybe not all but still a good idea and very time consuming

The power/regulator board has had a mass of repairs, with direct soldered wires and terminal block cable connectors fitted. Maybe replace with aftermarket one, no bias here, just my opinion but Tangles one looks nice.

 

I have suggested to the owner that it would be around $300 to $500 to fix ( if we buy a new mpu) but unless he replaces the mpu it would never be reliable. Can still be reliable with original MPU if repaired correctly, acid damage can be a real problem and way way time consuming to fix stuff like broken traces that may look good but are in fact broken.

 

How do you feel about doing the repairs for $300- $500? $500- for you and he buys all the parts needed?

Sometimes it's a labour of love.

 

I do this as a hobby and there is no timeframe

 

Do you think I am on the right track with estimated price.?

Good luck!
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Just say 'its not worth the time to fix but i can take it off your hands for $50'. That works suprisingly often, you either pick up a cheap project or parts machine, or old mate gets mildly offended and decides to keep it. Either way you aren't stuck trying to fix a basket case unless you want to.
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Ray. I'd evaluate the whole machine 1st just like you'd do with buying a pin. Look at the pf for colour and wear 1st?. How's the backglass?. Plastic's damaged?. Hows the cabinet?. If all those come anywhere about 6-7/10 especially the 1st two then throw a rectifier board in it and ancillary molex plugs and terminals. Given its present condition at least IF it has reasonable presentable possibilities you can quote on the board and box of beer scenario.
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Just say 'its not worth the time to fix but i can take it off your hands for $50'. That works suprisingly often, you either pick up a cheap project or parts machine, or old mate gets mildly offended and decides to keep it. Either way you aren't stuck trying to fix a basket case unless you want to.

 

Yep, 100% agree

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A wise man once told me “If the playfield is good and the backglass is good everything else is fixable”.

If the guy doesn’t want to spend the money and can’t help himself a little there are plenty of people around that will take it off his hands.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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You need to know what it cost him to actually own something that needs so much work to start with.

 

I find if the person paid say $1000 for the machine, $500 to get it working is exceptable.

 

It's when the repair costs are close to or exceed the purchase price you have issues.

 

A smart person also has the owner pay for the parts required to as they are needed.

 

You get a good indication of how serious they are when it is there pocket paying as you go rather than you racking up a massive bill to give them at the end of the operation.

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Not sure I get your logic there @Autosteve.

 

If I pick up a machine for $1000, but restored it's worth $4000, if I can restore it for less than $3000 I figure I'm in front. Your logic would say because I have to spend more than $1000 is a losing option.

 

Let's say I picked up the same machine, but it cost me $3000 and still needed the $3000 to restore it. By your logic that's fine, but by mine I'd lose $2000.

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Hypothetically how much less than 3k is it costing you to restore? As I see it, if you pay 1k then after restore, its worth 4k but cost you 3k to get it there, my logic says you worked for free and didn't make a dollar profit? Maybe $2.70 p/h is the going rate:lol

 

If someone buys a game and asks you to get it working then just do that and get it working and that doesn't mean globes and rubbers, if they want it restored then that's a completely different job.

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Cost of repairs- Bally Lost World

 

If he thinks $500 is expensive walk away he’s a tight arse that’s a bargain, I was quoted $1200 for a service when I wanted someone to have a look at one of my machines and it was really neat and just ended up only needing some contacts cleaned and adjusted.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Not sure I get your logic there @Autosteve.

 

If I pick up a machine for $1000, but restored it's worth $4000, if I can restore it for less than $3000 I figure I'm in front. Your logic would say because I have to spend more than $1000 is a losing option.

 

Let's say I picked up the same machine, but it cost me $3000 and still needed the $3000 to restore it. By your logic that's fine, but by mine I'd lose $2000.

 

Been down that path many times trying to get paid for work on machines and the owner saying that repair bill is more than I paid.

 

You would not have liked doing what you are doing on pinballs now in the 80's I can assure you when most people bought them for a couple of hundred dollars....Ten years later you are called in to "get it working again".

 

What you value the machine at is of no consequence. All they think is this machine cost me $**** and you want to charge me $****. You are trying to rip me off.

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Been down that path many times trying to get paid for work on machines and the owner saying that repair bill is more than I paid.

 

You would not have liked doing what you are doing on pinballs now in the 80's I can assure you when most people bought them for a couple of hundred dollars....Ten years later you are called in to "get it working again".

 

What you value the machine at is of no consequence. All they think is this machine cost me $**** and you want to charge me $****. You are trying to rip me off.

 

Exactly, he paid 100 GBPounds to buy it, so my estimate is way above what he paid 12 years ago in the UK,

My concern is reliability, also not sure how to bill the fact that I drove 1 1/2 HR return trip to buy parts to fix the display issues, (resistors, header pins and crimp pins). Actually a 30 min fix but took 2 hours to get to it.

What price for my time?

When does a "friend of a friend" become mates rates?

When is a carton of beer , not worth doing it for?

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When does a "friend of a friend" become mates rates?

They don't. If they're your friend that's a different matter. A friend of a friend is a business transaction. Unless you're really enjoying doing it I would tell them clearly how much it has the potential to cost including your time per hour. If they're still happy to proceed then go for it. Otherwise point them to a pinball repair business and move on to other things you will enjoy doing

 

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

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