I'll Never Let You Go - Keeping Your Machines Alive

[Neon Ignition]

I post this as someone who hasn't had to do this myself but with consoles and handhelds having become increasingly complex in technology and each passing generation leading to older systems getting older and older... have you ever had to carry out work on your hardware to keep it going or do you just order a replacement?

Are their any systems you'd go to great lengths to keep the lights on for?

[wheelaa]

A balance of cost, value, effort, rarity, and anything personal to that particular item.*

EG...

Martys often need recaps now, so I'd have it done for those if / when needed. Love Marty, worth the effort and cost to me, regardless of value.

I have a PCE LT that needs some recap love I believe. Love PCE. Given their value, of course I'll look to get it fixed.

A battered MD that I use for testing stuff, if it dies, it's in the bin, buy another.

PCE DUO with a dodgy laser, cost / effort are the main considerations, much as I love PCE.

And so on.


* To be clear, I have zero tech / fix / repair skills or knowledge, so would never attempt anything myself.

[Dogg Thang]

I have about five Neo Geo Pocket Colors because they used to be so cheap (maybe still are) and I always wanted to make sure I'd have one if they started to die. Two Saturns for the same reason. And I wish I had done the same with the 3DS, to be honest.

In all honesty, though, aside from handhelds (which are always playable as long as they still work), I very rarely plug my retro consoles in because many are missing connections or just don't work well on modern televisions without other hardware. So yes, I keep them but I'm not sure when I'll ever want to use them again.

[fuse]

I have joked about my Japanese 360 being Schrodinger's 360 before, and one day I will be brave enough to test it. I have spare hardware for a few formats but this is one I don't, and given they weren't exactly manufactured to cater for high demand, the red ring factor, and then the strength of that library, it's one that really sticks out in my mind.

The ones that bum me out hardest though are arcade boards that need timely maintenance. All of my CPS2 stuff is now on infinikeys (big up speedlolita) thankfully, but CPS3 is such an obnoxious system. Thankfully I found someone brave enough to do my last battery swap who I'm hoping will still have the same nerves in five year's time.

[Brad]

Capacitors on Amigas, Sid chip on a C64, video array on and A3000, keyboard on a Vic-20, battery cleanup and replacement on various machines.

[Baseley09]

I let my CD-i go as the timekeeper went. It's a real chore to replace, having to excavate the battery which is buried within a mounted chip. Do I regret it, hmm not really, CD-i is cool from afar.

[phillv85]

I still own arcade some arcade hardware and have my soldering iron and little box of electronic components. Used to be a lot more, but when we decided to stay put in our house I sold a lot of it. Keeping PCB’s and cabinets and spares for the cabinets is very space consuming. It’s taught me not to fear hardware death though. Store stuff well enough and there’s a good chance it’ll still be alive when you come back to it. In fact I’ve got a Sony PSX in a box somewhere in Japan that will being flown over some time this week or next. I know the HDD’s die and they become bricks, but it’s so pretty, so sod it, I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

[Neon Ignition]

The stories of hardware death for it are so harrowing that whilst we don't use the Wii U, it's permanently hooked and powered up

[wakka]

I'm not very handy, so the answer is mostly no. But something I have had to do many times is take the DC apart and clean the sensor which judges whether the disc tray is open or not. That thing gets clogged with dust easily and then starts resetting you mid-game. Always makes me feel like a pro when I do it, too

The DC is really nice and easy to take apart, like Lego.

[gunrock]

I have a Memotech MTX 512 and I'd like to keep that alive at all costs. That and the rare-ish Tatung Einstein 256. I switched to an FPGA solution for my C64 fix (Ultimate 64), so should be okay there for a few decades. My Amiga 4000 needs repair and possibly beyond salvaging, so I try not to think about it, too much 😒

Consoles, oddly, I care less about. I have fondness for many of them but no actual love. Maybe my OG Xbox and launch JP Dreamcast.

[Brad]

I almost bought a memotech a while back. It's on my list to get one day. I really want an Apricot F1 or Xen as they were the first 2 computers I used for work. No good for games I'm sure but the xen had a little programmable display on the keyboard.

[charlesr]

I have joked about my Japanese 360 being Schrodinger's 360 before, and one day I will be brave enough to test it. I have spare hardware for a few formats but this is one I don't, and given they weren't exactly manufactured to cater for high demand, the red ring factor, and then the strength of that library, it's one that really sticks out in my mind.

The ones that bum me out hardest though are arcade boards that need timely maintenance. All of my CPS2 stuff is now on infinikeys (big up speedlolita) thankfully, but CPS3 is such an obnoxious system. Thankfully I found someone brave enough to do my last battery swap who I'm hoping will still have the same nerves in five year's time.

Have you done the airflow mods? Internal routing, rear grill, fans. Should help.

[fuse]

Some of them definitely had things done to them, but I can't remember if those were ones that were since replaced and which region ones they were. I've a feeling my Japanese one is still stock

[Mayhem]

Everything I own still works perfectly from the point I've bought it except for:

- a few dead pixels on one screen for the launch day US DS phat
- one of my Vectrexes needs the sound chip replacing as it also acts as the joystick signal interpreter
- the memory card slots on the 360 have lost their springs

[gunrock]

I almost bought a memotech a while back. It's on my list to get one day. I really want an Apricot F1 or Xen as they were the first 2 computers I used for work. No good for games I'm sure but the xen had a little programmable display on the keyboard.

Ooh, my college where I did my BTEC had a load of Apricot F10s that no-one liked or used due to their flaky infrared keyboard and non PC compatible architecture. I thought they were an aesthetically cool design.I borrowed one for a week and couldn't get it to do much - no software, no source of software (didn't have a modem then).

BTW, the Memotech is a class-looking machine. It's games library is 90% dross, but there are some good modern titles (usually SG-3000, Colecovision or MSX ports). The CP/M options that allow it to straddle the home computer/small business divide is what makes it special in my eyes. Great community too.