Evaluation - Step Four

The fourth step in the evaluation process is to assess the overall playability of the machine, including the printed circuit boards, the score displays, and all other mechanical and electrical components.

The machine’s playability is judged on the following criteria:

• Have the circuit boards been previously repaired or “hacked”?

• Are any of the connectors burnt or in need of being re-worked?

• Do the serial numbers on all of the printed circuit boards match?

• Has alkaline from the battery installed on the main CPU leaked all over critical components?

• Are all of the score displays (or the dot matrix display) functioning correctly?

• When the machine is placed in the self-test mode, does it pass all applicable tests (sound, lamp, solenoids, display test, etc)?

Here is an example of a very nice coin door.

Here is a Bally CPU with a 30 year-old battery still installed.  Eventually, this battery will leak alkaline (acid) all over the board and ruin it.

Here is the inside of a very clean Bally backbox.  The boards are in nice condition, the plastic pieces that are installed over the high voltage sections are still present, and the instruction cards are still stapled inside.