snk now repairs neo geos systems

[17daysolderthannes]

I get the feeling 17 is saying this after fixing about 800 Xbox 360s.

it's been at least 100, maybe 200, I never actually counted.

[Jasper061992]

Well isn't that nice of SNK, acknowledging the hugely expensive, but loyal following of the Neo Geo. I wonder how they can repair those systems but Sega and Nintendo can't? I'd send in my broken Mega CD and Game Gear with a dim screen in a heartbeat for cap replacements.

[Iron Lizard]

I think it is just a matter of money. Owning a Neo Geo is an expensive enterprise to begin with. The hardcore guys probable like the thought of SNK fixing their system. They also didn't make many AES systems. Its sorta like Ferrari fixing a Ferrari. Sega and Nintendos, and I hate to say it are a bit more disposable and are easy to replace.

[17daysolderthannes]

Well isn't that nice of SNK, acknowledging the hugely expensive, but loyal following of the Neo Geo. I wonder how they can repair those systems but Sega and Nintendo can't? I'd send in my broken Mega CD and Game Gear with a dim screen in a heartbeat for cap replacements.

this:

A professional cap replacement would probably cost $50-$100 or more b/c it's a lot of nitpicky fine soldering. Professional hardware technicians don't come cheap. Shipping it to China for labor might work, but then the turnaround would be extremely long and I doubt they would get the volume to justify it. Even worse, what would they do if there were other things wrong with it unrelated to the capacitors? You think the average consumer would be OK being out $100 with a still non-working Game Gear?

Are you gonna pay $100 for your Sega CD to be fixed? doubt it. Besides, being a factory repair job doesn't mean it'll be the best quality fix. Shit, Microsoft can't get a system to work off the assembly line, what makes you think their repair staff would be any better? Hobbyists with a strong technical background would likely do a better job provided the repair doesn't require parts they can't acquire since they are actually enthusiastic about repairing the system rather than just some dude off the street looking for a paycheck (I doubt these repair people have any formal degrees). I would be more impressed/happy with companies selling OEM or (even better) revised and modernized repair parts so people could replace a broken Sega CD drive rather than having to scrounge one from another Sega CD with a dead motherboard like I had to do.

[Jasper061992]

this:





Are you gonna pay $100 for your Sega CD to be fixed? doubt it. Besides, being a factory repair job doesn't mean it'll be the best quality fix. Shit, Microsoft can't get a system to work off the assembly line, what makes you think their repair staff would be any better? Hobbyists with a strong technical background would likely do a better job provided the repair doesn't require parts they can't acquire since they are actually enthusiastic about repairing the system rather than just some dude off the street looking for a paycheck (I doubt these repair people have any formal degrees). I would be more impressed/happy with companies selling OEM or (even better) revised and modernized repair parts so people could replace a broken Sega CD drive rather than having to scrounge one from another Sega CD with a dead motherboard like I had to do.

Alright, you got me there. Must of missed your earlier take on the subject. I wonder why its only NOW SNK decided to do this...

[17daysolderthannes]

Alright, you got me there. Must of missed your earlier take on the subject. I wonder why its only NOW SNK decided to do this...

Consumer demand?

The AES is pretty reliable AFAIK since it's a cartridge system and all. I guess maybe some are starting to have capacitor issues or something.

[WoodyXP]

I wonder if SNK needs money. They quit this service a couple years ago... and now it's back.

[17daysolderthannes]

I wonder if SNK needs money. They quit this service a couple years ago... and now it's back.

Keep in mind, there has been a good bit of corporate shuffling the past few years. For a while, the former head of SNK went off to form Playmore. Later, he came back and bought SNK and merged them together. They probably stopped during the years SNK was being run by some other asshat. People don't realize how big of a difference a CEO can make. Look at how shitty Sega is today and how good Apple is compared to Apple in the 5-10 years prior to Steve Job's return and the introduction of the iMac.

this should explain why SNK sucked for a few years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNK_Playmore#Collapse

[Guntz]

Consumer demand?

The AES is pretty reliable AFAIK since it's a cartridge system and all. I guess maybe some are starting to have capacitor issues or something.

Are you kidding? Please tell me you are. I've seen lots of horror stories on those consoles having RAM or video chips dying. Here I thought I was just reading from absolute hardware nuts, but no AES systems actually do have a problem of basic parts failing. I've also seen systems that had the case cracked and were subsequently repaired. Console plastic isn't normally brittle enough to crack unless it's a SNES. If you wish, I could dig up a pic or thread or two but I'd rather not. I'd be digging for quite a while.

[17daysolderthannes]

Are you kidding? Please tell me you are. I've seen lots of horror stories on those consoles having RAM or video chips dying. Here I thought I was just reading from absolute hardware nuts, but no AES systems actually do have a problem of basic parts failing. I've also seen systems that had the case cracked and were subsequently repaired. Console plastic isn't normally brittle enough to crack unless it's a SNES. If you wish, I could dig up a pic or thread or two but I'd rather not. I'd be digging for quite a while.

I could find an example of anything failing on any system. People don't treat their shit right and thus it has issues. Are you suggesting I don't know electronics because I don't keep up-to-date on a system I have no interest in purchasing? I might look into an MVS one day, but I'll worry about hardware issues when I actually have the money and space to invest in one. The difference between a Neo Geo and any other video game system is that an AES is actually worth paying to fix vs. a $20 Genesis that most people would rather just throw in the trash and buy another. Most people aren't going to go online looking for fixes for something that isn't worth anything, that's why you never hear about problems.

[Guntz]

I could find an example of anything failing on any system. People don't treat their shit right and thus it has issues. Are you suggesting I don't know electronics because I don't keep up-to-date on a system I have no interest in purchasing? I might look into an MVS one day, but I'll worry about hardware issues when I actually have the money and space to invest in one. The difference between a Neo Geo and any other video game system is that an AES is actually worth paying to fix vs. a $20 Genesis that most people would rather just throw in the trash and buy another. Most people aren't going to go online looking for fixes for something that isn't worth anything, that's why you never hear about problems.

I'm suggesting you are underestimating the quality of SNK's hardware parts, which from what I gather after reading far too many threads on forums, to be extremely low. I'm saying the general quality of the RAM, video and other similar chips to be lower quality than any of Nintendo or Sega's. I've never heard of a SNES's video chip failing, but ho boy is the AES a different story.

[17daysolderthannes]

I'm suggesting you are underestimating the quality of SNK's hardware parts, which from what I gather after reading far too many threads on forums, to be extremely low. I'm saying the general quality of the RAM, video and other similar chips to be lower quality than any of Nintendo or Sega's. I've never heard of a SNES's video chip failing, but ho boy is the AES a different story.

I've heard of a few people report Mode 7 issues, which are probably cap related.

Do you have any specific examples of what you're talking about? I don't hang out on Neo Geo boards, but I don't think I've ever seen someone posting about a broken AES on any of the boards I check. Given the low production numbers, I would imagine most AES parts would be off the shelf like a model 1 Genesis, which usually means tried and true. If anything, I bet these problems are from the AES getting bought and sold and not being handled nicely between transactions.

[Guntz]

I've heard of a few people report Mode 7 issues, which are probably cap related.

Do you have any specific examples of what you're talking about? I don't hang out on Neo Geo boards, but I don't think I've ever seen someone posting about a broken AES on any of the boards I check. Given the low production numbers, I would imagine most AES parts would be off the shelf like a model 1 Genesis, which usually means tried and true. If anything, I bet these problems are from the AES getting bought and sold and not being handled nicely between transactions.

I haven't lurked on a Neo-Geo board in ages, but wow did I ever learn a lot about that system by just READING. Doing nothing but reading and looking through troubleshooting threads.

Video Display Problem

This is really annoying. I can't use search for some stupid reason to go through the really old threads where I'd find the stuff I'm referring to. You could always try searching yourself. Just enter something like "video ram problem" and go through the old threads.

[17daysolderthannes]

I haven't lurked on a Neo-Geo board in ages, but wow did I ever learn a lot about that system by just READING. Doing nothing but reading and looking through troubleshooting threads.

Video Display Problem

According to the thread posts, they think it was either a dirty cartridge/connector, a broken trace, or a broken solder joint. All of those are caused by abuse/mistreatment or at least poor maintenance, not fundamental hardware flaws (at least on older systems, we all know about XBOX 360). I could find a Genesis/SNES/etc. with the same problem if I looked hard enough (not exact display problem, but an equivalent one). So, I stand by my statement: a properly cared for AES should need nothing but cap replacements.

[Guntz]

Well since I have no proof to back up my argument because that damned site's search function isn't working, I have no other choice but to sit here and twiddle my thumbs...