What's a fair price for fixing arcade games?

[2PacMan]

There's only one place here in Omaha that will repair arcade games and they charge $65.00 and hour for a house call, and $55.00 an hour if i bring it to their shop...and then additional $$$ for whatever parts are needed.

Does this seem like a reasonable cost?  I know it's best to find someone that just does this stuff in their spare time, but i'm having no luck finding anyone.  It's very frustrating, cause there are arcade machines all over Omaha in restaraunts and bars etc. and i'm sure they need maintenance, and i can't believe only one place does this stuff, but that's all i can locate.

The green color on my Super Pac Man game is gone, and there are slight vertical waves going through my screen.  I've checked the connections, so i think i need new parts, any idea what it would cost to fix this?

[menace]

If that's their businees then yes that much per hour is expected.  By the sounds of it your monitor needs a cap kit as well as a good look at the board to see where the green went--it might be something as simple as a cold solder joint on the neckboard or as complicated as a blown green drive transistor.  to test that you could switch the red and green leads to the monitor and if you see the red disappear and the green come back it could indicate a failure in the green circuit somewhere (likely neckboard).  Get your specifica monitor info and head over to the monitor board and ask there--i'm sure others could provide more detailed info.

(this post took 2 minutes to write @ 45$/hr=.....just kidding)

[Chris]

$65 an hour for a house call sounds cheap to me...

[2PacMan]

OK, thanks for the input guys....i guess i'll just take it there and see what happens.

They guy on the phone i talked to said it sounded like i needed a cap kit as well.

Anyone know what $$$ these typically run and how long it takes to put one in.  Just a general idea so i don't get ripped off.

I only paid 500.00 dollars for the game, so i hate to put in much more than $200-250.00 work into the game, it just doesn't seem worth it when getting it fixed costs half as much as the game itself.

[RayB]

 

Cap kits cost under $10. Just so you know. Ask the guy what he charges for "parts".

[clanggedin]

I paid $6.75 for a cap kit from Zanen Electronics yesterday. You get free phone support if you have any problems installing the cap kit. I should only take an hour or two to install a cap kit by yourself.

I will be doing 4 this weekend, so I will be able to give you a better idea of time. My first cap kit was on a Sanyo 20-ez, which they say is the worst one to start on, and it took me 2 hours from pulling the monitor to cappping to re-installing the monitor.

[Otraotaku]

got a guy to come fix monitor, up color and tunning it etc,set up new speakers and a lamp, (cause im lazy) for 60$