I know there are detailed steps on replacing the drives but I couldn't seem to find anything on the other hardware (except for the buttons and display) covered in the FAQs anywhere.

What if I should ever need to replace some of the other hardware like the StrongArm and the "mainboard"? And is there even a mainboard per se? How easy will it be to replace these. If this stuff goes out, am I just out of luck and have to go with the other alternatives, Neo, Phatnoise, etc.

It appears that the remote (kenwood, I suppose), console buttons, and displays are relatively easier to come by since some of the members here are making their own custom varieties.

What if I should ever need to replace some of the other hardware like the StrongArm and the "mainboard"? And is there even a mainboard per se?

Yes, there is a mainboard. There is a video in the troubleshooting section of the FAQ that shows how to replace the mainboard.

As far as replacing individual components on the mainboard, well, whether or not to do it is up to you. It involves soldering very small surface-mount components. If that's something you can do, then it's possible to repair components on the main board.

If this stuff goes out, am I just out of luck ?

Click here to see my opinion on this topic.

I'd say unless you're extremely good at SMD rework and have all the necessary equipment then don't even think about attempting it.

You will have trouble replacing the StrongARM and the Phillips DSP as both parts have been discontinued and were apparently quite hard to source individually even when they were still being manufactured. The mainboard is a proprietory design made specifically for the empeg/riocar so that won't be replaceable... I think everything else is reasonably standard apart from the PIC controlling the display for which the firmware has not been released.

Most hardware problems are because of blown fuses on the board, bad IDE cables and knocking off the fill nipple on the VFD.

If all else fails and there is no longer any official support for the empeg (which hasn't happened yet) then you can always try to bribe Patrick Arnold to fix it for you

- Trevor