Non-Working Nintendo Play Choice 10 Arcade Cabinet

[pacowles | 48]

Hey all,

I came across a single monitor Nintendo Play Choice 10 arcade cabinet that’s literally right down the street from me, but when I went to check it out it doesn’t work. When plugged in, there is a three digit counter that lights up with a zero, but the monitor doesn’t seem to turn on. The seller claims that it worked fine last time they turned it on about two years ago. It seems to have been stored in an attached garage during that time. The exterior cabinet looks to be in pretty good physical condition from what I saw, and the inside didn’t look damaged or anything from what I could tell. I don’t have any arcade cabinets and have zero experience with them, so I don’t know what I’d be getting into with this thing. 
 

So, I guess I have two questions:

• What is a fair price for this thing in non-working condition? He’s asking $425 but willing to negotiate since it doesn’t work and he’s moving soon.
• Any idea of how easy/difficult it would be to find someone to repair this cabinet? 

Any thoughts from the community would be greatly appreciated.

[Tanooki | 4,929]

I wouldn't offer too much, hopefully he doesn't see Nintendo is gold bars stars in his eyes and at 425 isn't terrible but I can't see it.

I'd offer on what you can see and can assume works, cabinet itself body if it's that nice, control panel, sticks and buttons, you know the LED counter works, guessing marquee as it's not brought.

Did he say how well the screen worked when it worked?  Does it have visible burn in on the view area?

I don't have a lot of repair experience, much of it is over my head, which is an issue I have, a slight monitor problem where the top inch of mine gets various wiggle to it(solid, not moving) and horizontal cut off changes by the game as it's a Neo Geo.)  What i need is what YOU need, and I will say this now...Do NOT do it yourself.  CRT can kill you with the electrical charge stored within the flyback.  You'll need someone who can comfortably, safely, quickly re-cap the entire thing, change out the flyback for a new one.  Odds are something there failed, it can't just be the power supply(could be, very unlikely) because it would not light up generally speaking.  I mean it could be low power enough to kick on that counter, but not enough to fire up the system.  Is there sound?  That would lead more towards a messed up monitor than something worse.

 

[Mega Tank | 955]

Do you have any pics of the cabinet?

I don't know anything about arcade cabinets, but if one popped up for that price, depending on the condition, I would probably work something out for it. I am sure there has to be a way to fix or repurpose and still have a cool looking cabinet.

Maybe @SNESNESCUBE64 can help you pin point what the issue may be.

[SNESNESCUBE64 | 531]

I would start by checking fuses, if I remember correctly, newer nintendo cabinets have one in the bottom of the machine where the power supply is, I seem to remember a fuse that screws in down there.

The monitor is PROBABLY a Sanyo 20EZ. Just know that it is a japanese monitor that requires a 100V isolation transformer, which is inside the monitor. Reason I mention it is because in some nintendo cabinets, the 20EZ has a typical wall outlet plug, and I wanted to make sure you don't plug it into the wall.

There are two two fuses on the 20EZ, a large one for the main power rail and a smaller one that will blow if there is something wrong with the flyback I think (sorry, I'm not as familiar with the 20EZ). I would check that everything is all hooked up properly. You can find that information in the manual.

Regardless though, the monitor should have it's capacitors replaced, odds are that might be the problem. Although, you have to be careful with that stuff, CRTs run on high voltage that can be harmful to you.

$425 is a pretty good price these days for a project cabinet, personally I think the playchoice isn't that cool of a cabinet, but having an original cabinet is great. Just don't multicade it or cram an LCD in there. That stuff is crummy.

[Khromak | 768]

Are any games included, and if so, which games? TBH the games alone could be worth more than $425 if you part things out.

If you're planning on keeping it and trying to fix it up and the cab is in decent condition, it's definitely worth at least $425, imho. You're welcome to negotiate it down, but I wouldn't feel bad if you pay full price for it.

[pacowles | 48]

Hey all,

Thanks for the input, and sorry for the delayed reply. The cabinet looks to be in good shape overall, and the only noticeable cosmetic issue I saw was some separation on the cabinet trim on the bottom right side. I don’t have any photos, unfortunately. I did see the metal Nintendo plaque on the back panel. From what I could tell of the insides, they looked relatively clean, and I didn’t see spiderwebs or anything else unusual in there.

I haven’t used one of these machines since I was a child, and even then only a few times, so I’m not sure of what sounds/etc would be expected but I didn’t hear anything when it was plugged in. The seller didn’t make any mention of previous screen issues, just said it worked fine last time he plugged it up about two years ago. He said it has ten games installed, but he only remembered SMB3, Punch Out, Tecmo Bowl, and Chip&Dale Rescue Rangers. I asked about where he got it, and he said that his uncle owned a bar, and took it from there to give him as a house warming present. I don’t doubt anything about his story or accounting it working last time he tried it, he seemed honest about it all and willing to negotiate given that it no longer works. 

I’m definitely feeling torn about this. On one hand, it would be an awesome piece to have for nostalgia, but I don’t own any other cabinets and have no interest in collecting them. I’d also want to get it fixed and not really sure how to go about doing that or what it would cost. It would also need to live in my detached garage due to space constraints, and the garage isn’t heated/cooled, but is fully insulated. I’m not sure how it would hold up in that environment long-term, although it seems relatively common for people to store their cabinets in the garage. 

I’m considering offering $350, and I’m thinking he’d be receptive to that offer. Just on the fence given the concerns I mentioned above. 

FYI - @Tanooki @Mega Tank @SNESNESCUBE64 @Khromak

[SNESNESCUBE64 | 531]

So here's the thing with arcade cabinets, if you want to own them, you have to be prepared to either work on them yourself or pay a pretty penny to have someone fix it for you.

A lot of the maintenance that you would need to do is what I would consider beginner stuff (double checking that the power supply is solid with a multimeter, recapping the monitor, basic cabinet work, ect), but if you have no experience you would want to learn more about it and potentially aquire some basic tools such as a multimeter and a soldering iron. Realistically, this is just stuff you should learn if you want the game to be reliable for years to come. There are tons and tons of information out there to guide you through this. The manual is also scanned in and available online.

The trim is just tmolding, if it came loose, either the tmolding is just worn/damaged or the channel is a bit blown out and you can use electrical tape to add thickness.

If you want me to be fair, it's not worth picking up cabinets if the only thing you are chasing is nostolgia. Nostolgia is the MSG of good times and can make you misremember things. Arcade cabinets take up a lot of space and vintage ones require help to get back up to good working order. That said, if you are willing to take on the project, go for it! Personally I like the restore project more than actually playing the game, maybe you will find a new hobby.

[Khromak | 768]

@pacowles the 4 games you mentioned alone are worth the price of the cabinet. From an investing standpoint you'll make out like a bandit if you buy it, can't manage to get it fixed, and just sell the cartridges. They can be pulled off the board. This is also a way you could verify the other 6 games (if he can't remember). They all have labels on them which show what game it is and unless someone swapped the rom chips (seems incredibly unlikely in this scenario as that's a modern thing), it will be the game on the label. The only confusing one is TMNT/TMNT2 which both say TMNT on the label.

@SNESNESCUBE64 made a good point also though, they do take up a lot of space and require some effort to maintain, so you'll have to consider how often you're going to play it.

I consider myself a pretty avid fan of PC-10, I mean I own three of them and all of the games, but I still honestly don't fire the cabinets up all that often. It's a fun and different way to experience NES games, but I've already beaten all the ones I care about on there so in my day-to-day I just don't think to play them. They would be a fun piece to talk about and mess around with at gatherings though, if you're into that.

As an aside, if you do end up getting the cabinet I highly recommend a NES Game Link and a Powerpak, which will allow you to hook up any game you want (the Powerpak being a great option) to the PC-10 to play other NES games on arcade. Had a blast and beat a bunch of games on my Playchoice through that combo.

[Tanooki | 4,929]

On 9/20/2021 at 11:30 AM, pacowles said:

I’m definitely feeling torn about this. On one hand, it would be an awesome piece to have for nostalgia, but I don’t own any other cabinets and have no interest in collecting them. I’d also want to get it fixed and not really sure how to go about doing that or what it would cost. It would also need to live in my detached garage due to space constraints, and the garage isn’t heated/cooled, but is fully insulated. I’m not sure how it would hold up in that environment long-term, although it seems relatively common for people to store their cabinets in the garage. 

I’m considering offering $350, and I’m thinking he’d be receptive to that offer. Just on the fence given the concerns I mentioned above. 

FYI - @Tanooki @Mega Tank @SNESNESCUBE64 @Khromak

Ok how about this, google and facebook.  See if you can find someone fairly local or really local within an arcade group, has an arcade sales/repair shop, etc.  If not that, try a Nintendo group, maybe someone might have one in your area or willing to drive X distance to do the work.  At worst, it's a bitch given the weight of a screen and chassis, you can mail them out for repair and have to double cover it for the return.  Also another shot, an amateur/private repair shop that handles TVs and electronics, they probably would/could do it.

[pacowles | 48]

To conclude this saga, I ended up passing on the cabinet. I think I liked the idea of owning it more than the reality that included repairs and ongoing maintenance.
 

I have a ton of nostalgia for the NES days, but I spent those in front of a CRT in my living room, not in an arcade. I’ll have to just be satisfied with the ridiculous number of NES and Famicom carts in my collection. Maybe I’ll finally get an NES Advantage to make passing on the PC10 less painful. 

Thanks for the input, all. Your guidance was seriously helpful in allowing me to make an informed decision on this. 

[fcgamer | 4,719]

How much to buy that cab and ship to Taiwan? The games spread is amazing, and honestly the initial price didn't sound bad to me either.

[pacowles | 48]

1 hour ago, fcgamer said:

How much to buy that cab and ship to Taiwan? The games spread is amazing, and honestly the initial price didn't sound bad to me either.

He actually had another buyer ready to close the deal at full asking price, which is what ultimately forced my hand to make a decision. Unfortunately, it’s sold by now. 

[Mega Tank | 955]

1 hour ago, pacowles said:

To conclude this saga, I ended up passing on the cabinet. I think I liked the idea of owning it more than the reality that included repairs and ongoing maintenance.

I am sure someone on this board would be more than happy to purchase this cabinet. It's a solid price even for a project.

[Khromak | 768]

5 hours ago, pacowles said:

To conclude this saga, I ended up passing on the cabinet. I think I liked the idea of owning it more than the reality that included repairs and ongoing maintenance.
 

I have a ton of nostalgia for the NES days, but I spent those in front of a CRT in my living room, not in an arcade. I’ll have to just be satisfied with the ridiculous number of NES and Famicom carts in my collection. Maybe I’ll finally get an NES Advantage to make passing on the PC10 less painful. 

Thanks for the input, all. Your guidance was seriously helpful in allowing me to make an informed decision on this. 

I have a cool little joystick setup made by a NA member called HeadcolorsTV, if he made the migration to VGS maybe he's still around and could make another one. He was tossing around the idea of making them for others, not sure how many he made all-in-all.