Frequently Asked Questions
- Above all, I strive to do no harm.
- I do not use any abrasive cleaners and when possible modifications are made to be reversible.
- All repair estimates or cost changes found during a repair will be documented and approved by the customer prior to any work being done.
- If I feel a repair is beyond my skill level, I will candidly admit to it and help you find someone more qualified for it.
- If you’ve already contacted me about your project, you can use the “Client Portal (Quote/Invoices)” links at the top or bottom of this page to login and view your documents, approve quotes or pay invoices.
How can I contact you?
- Email – info@retrotechrestoration.com
- @retrotechrestoration – Vintage Computer Federation Forums
- @retrotechrestoration – Atari Age Forums
- Phone – (850) 345-**** (Contact me about your project first)
- Address- Tallahassee, FL 32301 (Contact me about your project first)
Who are you?
- My name is David and I’m based in the Florida Panhandle. I’ve been working with computers for 30 years since my family purchased our first Tandy 1000 from Radio Shack back in the 80s.
- I’ve been actively repairing and restoring vintage computers and other electronics for the past 15 years and have worked on everything from Atari 2600s to the latest Dell Xeon data center servers.
What services do you provide?
- Electrical troubleshooting, component and circuit board repair, including vacuum tubes
- Game console repair and modding – I can upgrade your Game Boy to a backlit screen or your NES to wireless controllers, among other things
- Individual memory and logic chip testing (Retro Chip Tester Pro)
- 3.5″ & 5.25″ floppy disk recovery and archiving (Grease Weasel)
- Repair and replacement of mechanical parts (hinges, motors, belts and gears)
- Gentle cleaning, repair and retrobrighting of plastic parts
- Custom design and 3D printing of replacement parts
- I don’t offer repair services for cell phones, tablets, laptops or modern computers
What do you charge?
- Free consultation and project evaluation (up to 30 mins), additional consultation is $40/hr billed in 15 minute increments
- Labor is $100/hr billed in 15 minutes increments
- Replacement part costs vary greatly with availability
- Some parts may be rare or out of production and therefore unrepairable
Can I send you this item to look at?
- Items that have not already had a repair estimate and approval documented will be returned to sender
- Shipping heavy vintage equipment, fragile electronics and old, brittle plastic is inherently risky
- I do not accept any CRT displays or items weighing over 30 pounds by mail
- Whenever possible items should be shipped in their original factory containers and placed inside a larger heavy walled shipping box with at least two inches of foam or plastic air-filled padding in between
- Even when properly packaged, items can still be damaged in shipping, and no guarantees of safe transit can be made
- Shipping insurance for double the market/ebay value of the item is strongly recommended
- If you’re near the Tallahassee area I would be happy to pickup the item from you and deliver it when done
How long will a project take?
- Project completion times can vary greatly, from less than a week for a simple cleaning, to several months for sourcing of rare components or the design and fabrication of a replacement part.
- Prior to starting any project I will give you as accurate an estimate for the required time frame to complete the project as possible
- Any changes to an in progress project will be documented and approved by the customer