Console's for repair/parts

[90snostalga]

Maybe I should have included this with the Japan shipping thread but would you guys recommend buying cheap broken consoles on ebay to just repair?  If I could save 35 dollars on a Saturn and buy broken to fix, I would.  I just don't know if anyone has ran into a problem with not being able to fix them due to any being broken so much there is no hope?  I enjoyed the feedback about the shipping from Japan so I will appreciate anything on this as well.

[sin2beta]

Maybe I should have included this with the Japan shipping thread but would you guys recommend buying cheap broken consoles on ebay to just repair?  If I could save 35 dollars on a Saturn and buy broken to fix, I would.  I just don't know if anyone has ran into a problem with not being able to fix them due to any being broken so much there is no hope?  I enjoyed the feedback about the shipping from Japan so I will appreciate anything on this as well.

I wouldn't do that until you have repaired a few others. One of the big things on the Saturn being dead is it could be the laser. A broken saturn + a laser could be more than a working saturn. You can also buy an american saturn and pop in a action replay. If you shop around could be cheaper.

[scott]

I go with the US Saturn and Action Replay route. Works really well with my JP copy of Symphony of the Night.

[kingrat101]

The action replay is great, I've had no issues. Fixing a Saturn is kind of a pain, a buddy of mine and myself fixed his a couple years ago and it took like a month. They are kind of packed tightly together with some smaller parts. If you want to start fixing consoles, star with easier cart based stuff. NES,Genesis,SNES are all pretty simple

[kimimi]

Unless you already have the  equipment you need (soldering iron, etc) and working spare parts to hand then no. It's won't work out cheaper and Saturns of any kind aren't difficult or expensive to buy so it's not as if you're preserving rare hardware either.

[thecrypticodor]

Like sin2beta said most if the time the problem is a bad laser and it'd most likely it wouldn't be much more to buy a known working console and also a lot less risky.  Also there isn't a whole lot of user serviceable parts inside a Saturn. It's mostly integrated circuits and since none of them are socketed if one of them are bad than that's the end of that.

I've bought a broken Saturn once for it's motherboard because the one on my Saturn died but the laser was still good. So I deliberately looked for one that the seller said would turn on but not read disc's and transplanted the motherboard and that was a success. 

[ffxik]

I do a lot of buying, fixing and reselling consoles.  If you're just looking to get a working system for yourself.  Nine out of ten times it's cheaper in the long run to just buy the functioning console.