I recommend the book Languishing by Corey Keyes
HELP : Lost My Mojo ??
- Thread starter TheDaddy
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mysticmonk
Active member
Get your ass to Mars. For a holiday, like.
ataridude74
Active member
Maybe start fixing something easier Dave, you must have at least one Pacman in your board stack, and seeing that spring back to life will give you a boost to move onto the next board, and before you know it you're out there every night until your wife starts to bother you again!
John Bennett
Senior Member
I don't particularly like repairing stuff.
For every 5 minute easy-fix, there's something that just black screens and I think 'I can't afford the time to understand this properly, and I probably don't have the spares anyway.'
I'd much rather make/invent stuff, I love that. Shame I don't finish more things though. If I could make arcade stuff for a job, I would.
I think I'm lucky the 'mojo' is strong, I just wish I had more spare time for this, other hobbies and home maintenance. I'm actually typing this from my parent's house as I'm 'living in' this week for similar reasons mentioned above. I saw a psychologist this year. The conclusion was I'm not depressed, just miserable as I've got too much going with work, kids and parents 😬. While I might sometimes think I've needlessly overwhelmed myself, this hobby does keep me sane and happier, for sure.
For every 5 minute easy-fix, there's something that just black screens and I think 'I can't afford the time to understand this properly, and I probably don't have the spares anyway.'
I'd much rather make/invent stuff, I love that. Shame I don't finish more things though. If I could make arcade stuff for a job, I would.
I think I'm lucky the 'mojo' is strong, I just wish I had more spare time for this, other hobbies and home maintenance. I'm actually typing this from my parent's house as I'm 'living in' this week for similar reasons mentioned above. I saw a psychologist this year. The conclusion was I'm not depressed, just miserable as I've got too much going with work, kids and parents 😬. While I might sometimes think I've needlessly overwhelmed myself, this hobby does keep me sane and happier, for sure.
I think a lot of people are struggling with the way of the world right now. There is a hopelessness out there. The 'What's the point of doing anything' vibe sets in. Has happened to me at various points for sure. It's depression, if only slightly. The other thing is that this hobby used to be a good escape but it is getting harder and harder to squeeze enjoyment out of it. The market is dead and as others have said not much is really going on. Over on pinball info everyone is talking about the latest Stern game, but there isn't that incentive here. If the hobby was more upwardly mobile, it would feel much more vibrant. People obviously still enjoying their games, but it has all got a bit stale especially if you are trying to sell anything. I am solely buying fixer-uppers as the thought of spending 1k plus on a machine now is just not feesable. But that's what people seem to want for any old thing.
Shoryu-stu
Active member
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Dont sweat it the daddy,i have simular thing happen to me from time to time.for me,i find that im constantly thinking about arcade related stuff to the point i just get fed up with it (which i shouldnt as i love it as a hobby)so i step away from it for a while,our woman says "all i hear is machines machines machines,i get the same thing with other things i do, like music production,ive got songs ive not completed since 2017!from what ive seen of your work regarding your other hobbies etc,i dont think youve lost your mojo mate,it seems to me me that because were constantly doing the same thing over and over again,its sad to say but it does sometimes get monotonous, even though my eyes light up when i see a cheap project cab appear online.only my opinion.
Phils Arcade
Senior Member
Alzheimer's has to be one of the worst diseases out there. My mum suffered too and finally passed away there last November on the eave of my father's passing, now some 10 years ago. This can be a real strain, even if you think you are coping okay.
I had just started to get into repairing the cabs again, these are the current batch, plus 2 more in the workshop. Has taken me nearly 4 years to get to these, but hopefully by months end I'll get them sorted and down to the arcade. At least this will free up space for a few more, lol.
Thinking of putting the restore up on YouTube, but not too sure at this stage. Would anyone really be that interested since there are so many around these days.
Well, my 2 cents worth is, just to take it easy and one day at a time. You can sometimes find that doing a bit of a clear out helps the brain focus again, and you never know, you may come across something that you've forgotten about, or didn't even know you had, that sparks that flame of interest again.
Take care and good luck.
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NivagSwerdna
Active member
Tell me about it!
I'm determined to fix the bootleg JF board I'm working on and it's ground me to a complete halt.
When this happens I just pack everything away and ignore it for a few months and so something different... In fact I might do just that!
I'm determined to fix the bootleg JF board I'm working on and it's ground me to a complete halt.
When this happens I just pack everything away and ignore it for a few months and so something different... In fact I might do just that!
Thank you all for your comments , I cant answer all as there is too many but I have read and taken it all in.
Hopefully something in my brain will click and I will get back to it. I walked in the room and back out again last night , Wanting to do something but my brain just kept saying no !!
I just never get a board with one issue , I watch other repair logs that say " Replaced faulty ram and fully working " , I replace ram and there is still lots of Vid / Audio issues. I never seem to catch a break. I am glad its not just me though as I doubt myself a LOT of the time. I think stick some in the too hard pile and revisit another time.
Fingers crossed it comes back.
Dave.
For me the fix is what entertains me,once a PCB is working I tend to lose interest in it.
But I also understand those niggling little graphic glitches which just take forever to track down. They aren't much fun.
I feel as though i'm in the same boat to be honest, i've got a couple of projects (one being a nice U4) and I've lost motivation at the moment.
Perhaps you need something to look forward to and prepare for..like for example if someone challenged you to a FIGHT!!!
Perhaps you need something to look forward to and prepare for..like for example if someone challenged you to a FIGHT!!!
Lets go bro !! Got my MOJO back ! lol.
You come to me and repair some PCB's / Cabs and then I can come over to you and help with your U4. Give us both some inspiration and bounce of each other !
Dave.
Sounds good, certainly better than battering one another!
Get into pinball if you haven't already. It's got enough connections with video arcade stuff to be familiar, and it's a whole new world to learn about - especially if you like computers and want to try out virtual pinball. Plus the new pinball machines are actually awesome, in stark contrast to new video arcade machines, so it doesn't seem like such a dead end/dying art. There's plenty of old stuff to repair if that's what you enjoy too. I've found that taking the focus off video arcades for a while has helped me to appreciate what I love about them.
I think I’m the opposite to this. The last couple of boards I’ve repaired have been literally one chip to replace that’s fixed it. I get a bit disappointed as sometimes I was hoping for more of a challenge. The last pcb I fixed was an original Galaga. I purchased it as a non worker. I thought great, Galaga’s are usually a bit of work so was looking forward to getting stuck in. When it arrived it booted to a white screen. I had a feeling straight away that it was probably a problem with one of the 07xx custom chip. I fitted a spare 07 custom to the main CPU board and it booted right up with no other issues. It was like “FFS, is that all it was?!!”
Anyway, with this hobby I try and mix it up a bit, which for me, keeps it interesting . I do a bit of board repairs, some machine restorations, design repro pcbs using CAD software, watch Arcade related videos and like reading various blogs/books that’s related to the hobby. This year I‘m determined to do something a little bit different, fix a CRT and overcome my fear of HT voltages. I’m currently working on restoring a vector monitor and at the moment I’m really enjoying it.
Another thing I find quite satisfying, is having a bit of a clear out/tidy up once in a while. If you‘ve got a load of stuff sitting around then sort it out, find a home for it or move it on.