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Post by sAner on Jan 11, 2004 17:05:33 GMT 2
Hi there guys,
The strangest thing happened to me a while ago. I wanted to play one of my loose Chef's. This particular game I wanted to play has always been great and it worked 100%. I insterted the batteries and ... wham! All crystals showed up nice, stong, black and bright. I pressed "game a" and .... 3 chefs showed up, each one trew a saugage or a fish up in the air, 2 of them disappeared immediately and I couldn't move the 3rd one which remained. I missed a sausage and a fish and catched just one. I thought "what the f**k???", took out the batteries and tried "game b" .... 4 chefs turned up, they all threw a sausage in the air and then only one chef was left in the center of the screen, motionless.
Whatever I try and how many other batteries I put in, the same thing keeps happening. The game is practically useless now. Of course I'll screw it open and check what's wrong but I am now afraid something like this will happen to every other g&w ....!
Anyone?
sAner
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Post by Southbomb on Jan 11, 2004 17:43:36 GMT 2
Hey Saner I never had the game chef so I wouldnt really know. I do know that these games are very sensitive and sometimes the game gets screwed up. Before you unscrew the games and probably make the game worse, I suggest tigtly pressing the batteries with your fingers in until the games works properly again. I found this strategy to work sometimes. Good Luck -Matt
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Post by sAner on Jan 11, 2004 18:08:58 GMT 2
Hi Southbomb/all, I unscrewed the game, examined it. Nothing seemed wrong. I cleaned it and screwed it back together. Still the same failure. I tried your method, Southbomb but it wasn't the solution either. Now I am trying to leave the batteries in the game for a while. Maybe the long period of no power is causing problems. Who knows. This event really made me thinking about the stupidity of investing hundreds, thousands of euros in old electronic devices which continue to get older. Maybe Dabj from Spinal's site was right all along. Maybe the ultimate threat for g&w's which should be on my blacklist is TIME. Time itself, yes. I store all my games in THE perfect condition. A continue temperature of 20 degrees celsius. No dust, sunlight, cigarettesmoke, etc. can penetrate my games. The humidity is perfect; it's not too wet and not too dry. Everything is taken care of except the passing of time. What if ALL g&w's will eventually stop working (properly). I am very afraid at the moment and I am really seriously thinking of calling it quits ... I am getting rather fed up with the whole thing. I'll let you know whether I decide to sell my collection in the near future .... sAner
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Post by mpanayiotakis on Jan 11, 2004 19:21:51 GMT 2
Pieter, have you tried other batteries ? Did you try bigger LR44 batteries ? This usually happens when batteries don't touch the small metal pieces in the battery compartment as they should. It's sad to see collectors thinking about quitting, especially ones you know so well. Anyway, if you really think you should do it, then it's up to you and noone can tell you if it's right or wrong so I won't say another word.. Michael
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Post by Southbomb on Jan 11, 2004 19:27:45 GMT 2
Hey sAner If this theory is right, then I think the value of our collections will increase. Ultimately the value of the game itself will be small, but the value of the boxes will become much more valuable. It is much smarter to have a collection full with boxes rather then just games. The artwork of the boxes will become the center of a Game & Watch collection. If only broken games are on the market, more people will purchase the boxes as a significant historic item. Think about it.... -Matt
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Post by QJ on Jan 12, 2004 1:07:12 GMT 2
Hi sAner,
I've sent you an email with some possible idea's to try and help, but to re-cap here is my thoughts:-
1. Similar to what Southbomb said:- Are all the button contacts clean (on the PCB board AND the black contacts behind the rubber buttons themselves)?
2. If you have opened the game up previously have you perhaps not tightened up or over-tightened the screws inside the game? If they are too loose it may have too much play when you push down the left/right buttons and not make contact. If you have over-tightened the screws then it's possible to damage the screw thread in the plastic and they will also ultimately be loose which will result in a similar situation.
3. As Michael said also:- Check that the batteries are OK and check the battery contacts are fine also. It's worth trying some LR44 batteries (yes I know they are meant to be LR43 for Chef) as I've had one game in the past where the LCD's kept fading in and out and using the slightly bigger LR44's cured the problem, even after I tried adjusting the battery contacts!
4. Static. If you have opened up the game it's quite possible that you may have accidently damaged the PCB board due to static electricity. It's always worth touching a metal contact and earthing yourself before opening up these games.
5. Unit finally dead? Sadly even though these games are exteremely reliable it's quite possible that it has become rarer-than-a-boxed-headache and just suddenly died. I've had a Parachute before that was stone cold dead with no signs of abuse or corrosion inside so it's possible that it's followed a similar fate?
/QJ
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Post by jonwiththewind on Jan 12, 2004 1:59:27 GMT 2
Woah QJ! (as in "hang on a minute" ). Item no.3 here: Batteries are meant to be LR43 for Chef. I have been collecting for nearly 18 months and I hadn't spotted that different games REQUIRE (slightly) different batteries. [glow=red,2,300]Doh![/glow] Would anyone out there in G&W land care to provide a list of which games actually require which batteries? And before you say, yes I could do it myself, if only I were arsed enough to do it!! I must admit I had assumed that (with the exception of Tabletop and Crystal Screen games) "game & watch" were a "one-size-fits-all" kind of affair. I suspect this merits a new thread (and I know that Mike gets cross when we "hijack" threads - like I'm doing here ;D ) I honestly didn't realise, but I have noticed that some of my batteries are of the "fat" variety which are a real pain with *some* of the widescreens. As an aside I was wondering about "bidding" on this auction (actually a BIN situation): cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3071242241&category=48447It would be really helpful to know which games these would be good/bad for! I like (if possible) to sell games on ebay with some sort of battery, but I don't have a limitless supply of the thinner ones! Please help an unobservant fool (again!). PS I'm really asking for it this time, but which one is the fat one, LR44 or LR43 - and are there any OTHER battery types that you can substitute as well. So many questions.........
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Post by jonwiththewind on Jan 12, 2004 3:16:32 GMT 2
Right, I'm going to answer my own question ;D Have just had a squizz at Tor's Website ( www.intheattic.co.uk ) and it would appear that Battery "correctness" is as follows: All Silver Series: LR43 (or SR43) x 2 All Gold Series: LR43 (or SR43) x 2 All Widescreen Series: LR43 (or SR43) x 2 All Multiscreen Series: LR44 (or SR44) x 2 All Tabletop Series: "C" batteries x 2 All Panorama Series: LR44 (or SR44) x 2 All NEW Widescreen Series: LR44 (or SR44) x 2 Both Supercolor Series: LR44 (or SR44) x 2 All Micro Vs series: LR44 (or SR44) x 2 All Crystal Screen series: CR2025 x 1 YM-901-S: LR44 (or SR44) x 2 NB Don't get caught out - Note that Widescreen/New Widescreen are different. Anyone care to disagree with the above? It's so OBVIOUS when it's pointed out to you, but I just hadn't noticed. I'll get back in my box now........
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Post by sAner on Jan 12, 2004 9:22:05 GMT 2
Hey guys, I have replied to QJ's BIG help in an e-mail to him and as he also printed his e-mail to me, I will paste and copy my e-mail aswell. -------------------------------- Hi Matt, Thanks a lot mate! I will keep a copy of your mail in my keep-folder. Very useful! The problems began before I opened up the game. And that's why I was so manic about it. This Chef is truly one of the best games I have. It's very clean and it has the brightest LCD's, 100% responsive buttons, etc. For no reason it stopped working. I thought; d**n ... this could happen to any of my g&w's ... Anyway, I put in batteries again and believe it or not; after 10 minutes of powersuply I could move Chef one position to the right. After about 30 minutes after I put the batteries in, I was able to move the Chef totally to the right. And after approx one hour I could move the Chef to whatever position I wanted to but still not smoothly. Hours later, it's now working 99,99% again. Could this really be the problem? A lack of power for too long a period? I do have witnessed something similar in the past (and I believe you have too). After not using silverscreens for a very long period, the games needed a few secs to light up after I put in batteries. After having a few minutes of batterypower and play, I took the batteries out again, put them in again and the lcd's showed up instantly again as they are supposed to. Strange eh? It seems like some games are sensitive to not having power for a long period. Could this actually be the case? Anyway, thanks a lot! Cheers, Pieter a.k.a. sAner Ps-For the time being I will conitinue collecting. But I will sell all my spares. I don't want to run any risks with games which aren't even in my main collection. Pps-You were right; the black little bumper came from this Chef.
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Post by life_is_disease on Jan 12, 2004 16:47:57 GMT 2
In reply to Southbombs post above,I would have to say that I disagree. Of course the value to the boxes etc etc will never completely deterioate,but I would say that if the time comes when every G&W out there has LCD's that completely snuff it,I would imagine that the value would certainly drop to at least to an extent.I would have to say that 'I' for one would have never started collecting in the first place if the games themselves simply didn't work! Collecting I would guess 99% of the time reflects what we loved as children.Would any collectors out there who collect Atari games because they loved them as children for example pay so much for a collection of games that don't work? Probably not! This isn't a 'Golden Rule' that I'm trying to express,I just don't think things would be as straight forward as saying that the value will increase just because they've now become a historical item.Look how much some Roman coins are worth! They're hardly worth the metal they're printed on- and these things are 2000+ years old! I personally think that we probably all know deep inside (no matter how much you don't want to admit it!) that the day will most likey come when these things won't be as 'LCD pretty' as some still are today.As mentioned in the above posts,the storage of the game throughout its entire life cycle will probably dictate the lenght of the 'Time' fuse,but I would imagine that these games when passed onto our children- (or even thier children) will reach the point where they simply don't work anymore.No amounts of 'wishing' or 'ignorance' is going to change this ticking G&W time bomb.My prediction is if you're in this for a long term investment- you've chosen the wrong thing to put your money in! I'm just glad I'm not Torsten!
Ross
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Post by mpanayiotakis on Jan 12, 2004 18:26:44 GMT 2
Jon, the information you've gathered is correct. It's included in my FAQ also.. The thinner ones are the LR43s, the bulkier ones are the LR44s. Nowadays, you can also use SR43/44 ones but they're more expensive since they're alkaline, I think. I'm sure they can last for years in a game&watch though! ;D Regarding what Ross said, I have to agree. A collectible item reaches its highest possible value when it's working and in an immaculate condition. This stands for any collection not game&watch only. It's more than certain that prices would drop if the games ever stopped working. The thing is that by that time, the prices will be so high that we won't have to worry about that.. Michael
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Post by life_is_disease on Jan 13, 2004 17:53:22 GMT 2
I'm just wondering what people make of Michaels last line in his post directly above- "The thing is that by that time, the prices will be so high that we won't have to worry about that.. "
Do you guys really think that the prices will still keep getting higher & higher still?
I'm beginning to think not myself.Maybe they'll keep rising a little as inflation/time continues to do so,but I'm honestly beginning to wonder if they've reached their peak and have now stabalized.Of course your absolute one offs like NIB NOA Punch-Outs are going to cause a bit of a stir,but your everyday 'Used' but still sought after boxed Rainshowers & Crystal series etc etc have already met absurd prices,and from what I've witnessed lately,unless examples like 'Rudewheels' NIB auctions come up,I'm beginning to see a deteriation in prices- nothing particularly worrying just yet,I'm just wondering if these games (as a rule) have now met their G&W price flatline.I'm sure 2 years ago prices were a lot more dramatic.Remember 12 months ago how much the Boxed YM-901s used to go for? Not now right! My point is that unless some sought after head-turning examples come along that interest the active hard-core collectors enough to compete against each other,then we've witnessed all that's gonna happen! And this is 'HUGELY' bad news for the modern G&W collector- we spend 'SO' much money on these games (and remember not just the games- you still have P&P fees / PayPal Fees / Internet Site fees / eBay fees when we sell on our spares etc etc),that when the day comes when these things snuff it! All we're gonna have in our hands is a load of games that don't work and nobody wants to buy! We might as well have just spent the money on cocaine and cheap women! There's a comparison that I can see between collecting these games and Star Wars figures for example.The only problem is that the Star Wars figure doesn't have a 'Time Fuse' attached to it.We can already see potential LCD problems in a 'noticeable' percentage of these games,and this is only at most 20 years + after their birth.What's gonna happen when we double that! I think there's going to come a 'We better get the F**K out of here!' time with these games- the only problem is I don't know how far away it is yet!
Obviously this is only my view,and everyone has their own.I'm just curious to know what goes through fellow collectors heads,as I once had the 'I don't want to think about it!' view.But I did think about it- and I knew it was coming!
Ross
Ross
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Post by Southbomb on Jan 13, 2004 20:38:46 GMT 2
You know it was very interesting to read your input, but you know what irritates me a little? It's not that these Game & Watch's might die (I am concerned), but its that you DON'T SPACE AFTER YOUR PERIODS! Is it me or is that a little aggravating. No hard feelings Ross.... -Matt
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Post by Leigh on Jan 13, 2004 23:51:21 GMT 2
Ross you better sell those pocketsize games you've got quick before they turn into dust ;D
Just kidding,
As for the price of games I think they peaked around 18 months ago and only the odd couple of rare games will command the high prices we have seen in the past.
I don't think there are any collectors that expect these lcd's to last forever but also i dont think they will die in the near future.........If collectors are going to spend £400-£500 pounds on a MIMB flagman then I don't think they are buying it to play if that was the case why not buy a loose one.......We seem to spend more on the Boxes & instructions than we do on the game itself so maybe when these games evenually do give up the ghost the price's may not drop or maybe they will.......Don't really care as long as I get all 60 before I give up the ghost.....it's only money.
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Post by mpanayiotakis on Jan 14, 2004 0:47:02 GMT 2
Ross has every right to think this way, after all he stopped collecting not so long ago and what he wrote were probably some of the reasons he did it. By the tone of his writings it seems that he's pretty sure about this. I'm not.
In my opinion as the items get older, the higher the prices will get (this stands for any collectible item you see). You mentioned the price of a boxed super mario bros special Ross, but I can mention the MIMB rainshower that ended at the highest price ever (and instructions weren't even included!). From what I've seen, prices haven't dropped at all (or only a bit), todbrowing sold a NIB turtle bridge a few days ago for more than $240, rudewheels sold many NIB donkey kong games for more than $300 (and some pinballs for more than $200), I sold a NIB mario juggler for more than $400 etc. What we're surely witnessing these days is that the interest for mediocre items has dropped a little because most collectors seek nice items nowadays and there's a lack of them (I remember, one year ago, that I had trouble choosing which auctions to bid on because there were so many!).
Michael
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