Tip for finding a cheap pinball machine:

Send messages to old listings that are a bit expensive. The seller will find it hard to lower the price if the listing has just gone up, but a month later, they may become very cooperative!

As he lives far away, I put it on the back burner and contacted him again 40 days later.

And there, he is already ready to significantly lower the price. It must have been 3 weeks since anyone sent him a message, he needs space in his garage!

So I ask him for photos to be able to assess the cost of the repairs:

Photo analysis 👍

• Driver board dead, to be replaced.
• CPU board with a solder joint, it can't hurt to replace it.
• No displays lighting up in the powered-on photo, this could come from the CPU, so I would go with that option.
• Underside of the playfield clean, no tinkering.
• Cabinet floor without ground mod, the power button has been changed, it's not very tidy, but it shouldn't cause a problem.

Estimating Repair Costs

Potential cost of Repairs:

• Transport: Depends on your location. Pinball machines fit easily into a diesel estate car. For example, a 500 km transport in a BMW 320d E46 estate (consumption 6.4 l/100 km) would cost around 55€.
• CPU and Driver Renovation: Renovation pack at Pinballs.store at 289€ + 12€ shipping = 301€.
• Small Supplies: Rubber ring pack, balls, bulbs, fuse kit = 65€.
• Other: Glass cleaner, elbow grease, patience, soldering iron, etc.

Total Estimate:

The seller is offering the pinball machine at 800€, but it's easy to negotiate once on site given the seller's profile!

• Purchase: 800€
• Supplies: 65€
• Renovation pack: 301€
• Transport: 55€

Total: 1221€

Installation and Repair

Once the pinball machine is in your living room:

1. Step 1: Do a ground mod: https://www.papinball.com/tips/sys80b_Ground_mods.html. This will save you a huge number of random problems.
2. Step 2: Install the new boards by following this tutorial: Installation tutorial. Check the power supply voltage and start it up. In 80% of cases, everything works!

If that is not the case, follow this troubleshooting video. If the problem persists, contact me for free video-call assistance.

Conclusion

With a little patience, you can get a pinball machine at a reasonable price and bring it back into working order. Once repaired, you will be able to enjoy great games without any problems! If something does not work the way you want, use the test mode of your lisy80 to diagnose and solve problems easily. Good luck in your quest for the perfect pinball machine!