Quoted from MrMikeman

Hmmm..  How could this person tell that the display was fine since it wasn't working...  It *MAY* be an easy fix but it may also have both the wrong voltage and a crapped out display.  Are you a gambling man?

Mike

She said that she would knock down the price. So... if I can  get $200 off, it'd still be worth it, right?

Sounds like a better deal then...  As long as you realize that once you get sick of it, it will be hard to re-sell locally to the "collectors" but may sell more easily to non-pin folks.

Mike

Quoted from jonny_eh

I just spoke to the person selling the TMNT machine and she said that the display is not working, but someone came buy to look at it and said the display is fine, but the wrong voltage is being applied. Does this sound like an easy problem to fix?


I'm waiting for an invite

Until you have the power back up to see what you have, you are rolling the dice. That display is outrageously expensive to replace.

You need to buy this game dirt cheap unless they can prove to you that is all the problem is. Putting $300 into the display as Mrmikeman said is probably investing more in this game than you will recover unless you downright steal it from her.

See for yourself. Here is the display.

http://www.marcospecialties.com/Itemdesc.asp?ic=20001&eq=&Tp=

The sound board could be something easy in the amplifier section or it could be something else. Again buying a project without knowing what should be there, you don't even know as much as it being the right board in there for all you know. I suggest you buy something that is working until you get some working knowledge about these machines.

Quoted from jonny_eh

Keep in mind though, I'm only 24, so me and my friends see TMNT as a big piece nostalgia. Similar to how older folks drool over TZ

Watch it junior   someday people will be saying "Similar to how older folks drool over TMNT..." Oh wait, that will NEVER happen

As others have said, I would pass on that unless you can get is cheaper. Full disclosure -- I thought of buying one as my kids really like TMNT -- but there is no way I would pay $800 for one even if working 100%. The gameplay is limited and it will be a hard sell.

If you are looking at keeping your budget low, I would consider Sys. 11 games or low end WPC games. Unless you really want to get into the electronics I would avoid early solid state pins like the early Sterns you mentioned.

Duane

So for the sake of argument, if the DMD is broken and needs replacing, where do I buy a replacement? I believe it's a 128x16 display.

While I was writing my last reply, you wrote she took $200 off. If you really want this game, get her to take $375 off. That will roughly cover the cost of the display, shipping, and taxes. That's if you really want a TMNT...

Duane

See Necro's post. He links to Marco's site -- where it can be purchased.

Duane

Great, thanks for the advice!

Yeah, I'm with Duane. System 11. Decent games, decent pricing and you will find lots of online help from other owners. TMNT doesn't really hang with the collectors that chat this mess up. If you stick to the lines that collectors collect then you will be able to move it later and get lots of help while you own it.

Great, know anyone selling a System 11 machine within the Ottawa region?

You just missed Hippochrome's Pinbot for $700. He was probably your neighbour. Have a look through the classifieds here.

Anyone willing to sell me a T2 machine? I've had a soft spot for it ever since I was a kid.