Preventative Maintenance?

ballzdeepx · Aug 23, 2016

I'm curious if anyone does preventative maintenance to their games, arcade boards, consoles etc?

I don't have any damaged leaky caps just yet but I always wonder if I should just start replacing them for the sake of it.
Most of my games also have the stock coin batteries in them too but I haven't had time to really play the games to rely on the saves recently.

So, if it ain't broke don't fix it, or it's going to die, just a question of when, how do you guys roll?
:eye:

JoeAwesome · Aug 23, 2016

I don't have much, admittedly, but my thinking is fix things that could kill boards or cause damage (ie. suicide batteries), but leave other things be until needed for repair. PCBs shouldn't die an unfixable death unless something bad happened to it (shock, improper storage, battery leakage, etc.)

Green Beret · Aug 23, 2016

I always check my pcbs for cap leakage and replace all suspicious caps. I replace batteries like the one in PGM system regularly. Those 3v green batteries die too soon and leak.
I have replaced all brown caps from my M92 boards and I am also considering to start replacing all major caps on my boards. I keep them clean and away from humidity and dust

GohanX · Aug 23, 2016

It depends on the system. If a part is known to fail, like a TurboDuo's caps, I'll go ahead and replace them. On another system that isn't prone to failure, like the Genesis, I'll only do it when it starts to fail. Aside from that I just keep my stuff clean. I keep a bunch of save batteries in my toolbox, sometimes if I pull a game off the shelf that I haven't used in years I'll go ahead and replace the battery before I start messing with it. Given that they last 20 years, I'll likely never have to mess with it again since I probably won't be messing with video games when I'm 60.

Xian Xi · Aug 23, 2016

Regular caps aren't much of a worry compared to SMD caps as they are prone to leaking. So if you have any Namco, Konami or Sony ZN1s or anything that uses SMD caps then I'd change those.

ballzdeepx · Aug 23, 2016

Yeah those playstations could be time bombs then. I get more worried about arcade PCBs truthfully, most games from NES onwards used coins so they should't leak even if bad I'd hope.

supersega · Aug 23, 2016

I'd say just look at capacitors every once in a while and replace batteries with good ones. If you're really insane, you should clean the pins of your unit's cart slot with some 90% isopropyl or even some electrical cleaner at least once a month. But try to avoid spreading out the pins in the cart slot as well.

Tw3ek · Aug 23, 2016

If I've got something where the components are known to go bad, I'll change them out even if they still work fine when I get them, like the caps in the LaserActive PACs or the FM Towns. Otherwise, I wait until it shows signs of going south.

Wachenroder · Aug 25, 2016

supersega said:
I'd say just look at capacitors every once in a while and replace batteries with good ones. If you're really insane, you should clean the pins of your unit's cart slot with some 90% isopropyl or even some electrical cleaner at least once a month. But try to avoid spreading out the pins in the cart slot as well.

I do this sometimes but am curious to other alternatives to isopropyl for really dirty jobs

I have used Deoxit, and have been recommended CRC contact cleaner and Brasso but have never used either

ballzdeepx · Aug 25, 2016

All of my games with contacts have been scrubbed with an eraser and then deoxit. For the cart slots if not too bad, I would wrap a piece of cardboard or an old credit card wrapped in a soaked rag of isopropyl, and then the same with deoxit. If pins are totally jacked in the slot you can use a small flat head jewelers screwdriver to delicately scrape the pins clean.

If you keep up on cleaning all your games, especially if you inherit or buy, they always stay pretty clean and your slots too.

DNSDies · Aug 25, 2016

All batteries get removed or replaced on anything used I buy.
All moving parts get a cleaning and fresh dose of lithium grease.
SMD caps get replaced by rubycon electrolytic when I get the chance.

Once every year or two, I dust out my newer consoles.
I also replaced the old dried-out heat pads on my 360 and PS3 with newer, better pads.

I check for busted fans when I power on newer consoles, and my hacked PS3 has a fan profile that prevents it from going over 65-67C.

For Cartridge games, I have a felt cleaning wand to brush the contacts clean before using them. Newly purchased games get the contacts erased to clean them. For cart slots, a credit card with some felt around it will scrub them pretty clean.

Hopefully, all my stuff will last long enough for me to get sick of it.

FilthyRear · Aug 29, 2016

I'm trying to do this with my Game Gears. One is getting the fluorescent tube taken out and replaced with the LED backlight. It (knock on wood) doesn't neet to get the caps replaced, but I'm debating if I should ride it out and replace them when I need to, or do it now and save the headache.

My other one needs the whole 9 - caps replaced, new backlight, new screen cover.

GohanX · Aug 29, 2016

I'd say just go ahead and replace the caps while you are in there. Game Gears are ticking time bombs.

FilthyRear · Aug 29, 2016

GohanX said:
I'd say just go ahead and replace the caps while you are in there. Game Gears are ticking time bombs.

Any special place you suggest I should buy them from? I see some "complete" kits here and there, but some will have a different number of capacitors in them.

BTW, whoever designed the inside of those things needs to be anally raped with a broken bottle - cutting those side brackets was a PITA.

Tw3ek · Aug 29, 2016

FilthyRear said:
Any special place you suggest I should buy them from? I see some "complete" kits here and there, but some will have a different number of capacitors in them.

BTW, whoever designed the inside of those things needs to be anally raped with a broken bottle - cutting those side brackets was a PITA.

Check out console5, they're usually pretty solid.

GohanX · Aug 29, 2016

If you want easy I agree with console5. They use good caps in their kits. Either that or order them individually from Mouser or something. The only bad thing about kits is if you get a bad cap then you have no spare. I was doing a GG once that wouldn't turn on after I recapped it, turns out one of the new power caps were bad. Replaced it, all was good. It was a good quality Nichicon cap too.

ChuChu Flamingo · Aug 29, 2016

Unstable air has been giving me trouble.

co2 · Aug 29, 2016

personally I only go for caps that look bad or have started to leak
as far as my MVS the battery was already moved and everything looks ok.

if I'm going a system like a coinops xbox I usually remove the clock cap (even if it hasn't leaked but they usually have)
and any other suspect caps, in the past I've patched traces etc...

I also reversed a honkkong pal megadrive back to a NTSC-J which included some horrible surface resistor replacements

Preventative Maintenance?

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