Arcade Cab question

[pvt_awol]

I've been contacting the guy to find out "everything."

The power supply is out, AND the "monitor chassis"? is out? From what I can tell, that is the part that actually powers the monitor. I've been reading up, and the thing that scares me every time is how everyone says, "Only install this part if you a trained repairman, and don't mind getting blown up if you mess up"

That's got me a little nervous. Is it really that bad? Is the fact that the monitor chassis is out a bad sign?

[driph]

I've been contacting the guy to find out "everything."

The power supply is out, AND the "monitor chassis"? is out? From what I can tell, that is the part that actually powers the monitor. I've been reading up, and the thing that scares me every time is how everyone says, "Only install this part if you a trained repairman, and don't mind getting blown up if you mess up"

That's got me a little nervous. Is it really that bad? Is the fact that the monitor chassis is out a bad sign?

Honestly, until you get down to pcb soldering and other board-level work, there's nothing on an arcade machine that is actually difficult to fix... it's the diagnosing that can be the hard part, so once you know what's wrong, it's only a matter of research and following instructions.

The danger of working on monitors is that if you're careless, you can shock yourself. The monitor tube stores energy, and mucking around with the anode plug (the flat round rubber plug on the back of the monitor) haphazardly could lead to you receiving a bit of that energy in a not pleasurable way.

The best way to avoid shock is to discharge the monitor. The idea might be scary at first, but after the first time it'll become a non-issue (really).

What kind of condition is the monitor itself in? If the crt isnt in good shape, and there's a load of burn-in, etc, it might just be easier to swap out the entire thing. Otherwise, get the model number of the monitor and do a bit of hunting through the KLOV forums, you'll find plenty of info.

Finally, what kind of shape is the rest of the Neo-Geo unit in? If everything else (cabinet, MVS board, controls, etc) is in great shape, it's still not a bad deal, and project cabs are a good way to start and learn the basics of the hobby. :]