Full electrolytic capacitor replacement — preventative, or to fix leakage and age-related faults.
78 repair logs
+34 photosSuccessful repairNEC — PC Engine LT
An epic of strife, perseverance and adaptation. The NEC PC Engine LT is the 1991 laptop-format PC Engine with a built-in colour LCD. Almost always dead from cap leakage. This one needed a full recap, a new voltage regulator, and a custom voltage boost and inverter circuit to replace the T500 LCD bias transformer, killed by the electrolyte. Without that, the screen stays dark.
+11 photosSega — Wondermega
Full board recap on this Victor RG-M1 Wondermega (JVC's branding of the Sega Wondermega), complete with a laser sled clean. Drew blood for this one; photo evidence in the thread. Everything works; the motorised tray is just waiting on a replacement belt.
+18 photosSuccessful repairNEC — PC Engine CD-ROM2
This NEC PC Engine CD-ROM² threw everything at me: 3D printed gears, a dead laser, a Discman sacrifice and a spindle height mystery, before a full recap finally brought it home. Worth every frustrating hour of it.
+7 photosNEC — PC Engine IFU-30
Capacitors, voltage regulator and the supercapacitor that keeps the save data alive on this NEC PC Engine IFU-30 interface unit. Validated with Street Fighter II and Bomberman '94.
+6 photosNEC — PC Engine CoreGrafx
A quick pre-dinner recap on this NEC PC Engine CoreGrafx, plus the standard 7805 voltage regulator replacement and jailbar fix caps thrown in for good measure. Short job.
+3 photosNEC — Ten No Koe 2
This NEC Ten no Koe 2 was harbouring what are probably the original Hudson Soft branded batteries, in there since the day it left the factory. No leakage, so the batteries were kept as-is; the compartment got a preventative treatment anyway in case of past leakage.
+33 photosSuccessful repairBang & Olufsen (B&O) — Beovision 1
This Bang & Olufsen Beovision 1 CRT TV had the audacity to emit smoke and then carry on displaying a perfect picture. A lengthy investigation eventually uncovered an X2 safety cap that had met a truly spectacular end. Came away with a cleaner TV and a great story.
+20 photosPartial fixFujitsu — FM Towns Marty
Thorough recap from top to bottom on this Fujitsu FM Towns Marty. The console boots and the CD-ROM side works, but the floppy drive remains undefeated. It spins but refuses to acknowledge any disk.
+15 photosSega — Wondermega
A pig to take apart and put back together, but the end result speaks for itself. Both the Mega Drive and Mega-CD sides of this Sega Wondermega HWM-5010 are fully operational.
+5 photosNintendo — Super Famicom
Yellowed Nintendo Super Famicom (SHVC-001) shell, no problem. Recapped, cleaned and retrobrighted; could not match all the SMD values on the day so a few remain as a future task.
+57 photosSuccessful repairSega — Game Gear
Had lunch with a couple of friends and one of them brought a Sega Game Gear along, wondering if anything could be done with it. Power LED only, nothing else.
+4 photosSega — Game Gear
Cautionary tale and full recap redo on a Sega Game Gear: do not recap Game Gears with ceramic capacitors. Replaced ceramics with proper electrolytics throughout.
+11 photosSega — Mega Drive
Duplicate Japanese Sega Mega Drive prepped for sale. Power jack and AV connector reflowed, shell cleaned with Aerospace 303, controllers deep cleaned and reassembled. Mainboard had been recapped previously.
+29 photosSuccessful repairSega — Mega-CD 1
Second Sega Mega-CD Model 1, acquired after my first one died (probably the fault of a non-OEM optical pickup I'd put in the original).
+39 photosSega — Dreamcast
Friend asked me to pick up a Sega Dreamcast VA0 from Japan and make it new again. Full recap, fan and optical drive lubrication, GDEMU install with the required VA0 resistor array mod (5V to 3.3V for GDEMU) and a dummy load resistor for the 12V PSU rail. Also fitted a resettable fuse and a fresh ML2032 clock battery.
+17 photosSega — Master System
Full treatment for a Japanese Sega Master System MK-2000 belonging to a friend: new caps, 7805 voltage regulator, thermal paste, cleaned connectors and controllers. Sent on its way looking and playing like new.
+20 photosNintendo — Super Famicom Jr.
Full refresh on this well-kept Nintendo Super Famicom Jr. (SHVC-101): recap, 7805 voltage regulator swap, shell clean, and a Borti4938 RGB bypass board install with brightness and ghosting fix component swaps.
+12 photosNintendo — AV Famicom
This Nintendo AV Famicom (HVC-101) arrived with a gray screen and a catastrophically oxidised cartridge slot. A good clean fixed the boot issue; a full recap and 7805 voltage regulator replacement took care of the rest.
+4 photosNintendo — Game Boy Player
The first time I've actually encountered genuinely leaking capacitors in Nintendo Game Boy Player (DOL-017) units. These were memorable for that alone.
+3 photosNintendo — Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64 (NUS-001) my parents bought me for my birthday as a kid. Full recap done with extra care; this one holds a special place in my heart.
+3 photosNintendo — Game Boy
Quick recap and clean on a second Nintendo Game Boy DMG-01. Less yellowed than the first and with a working screen. Still needs a replacement screen lens one day.
+3 photosNintendo — Game Boy Pocket
Thorough once-over on this Nintendo Game Boy Pocket (MGB-001): capacitors, brightness and volume pots, power button, cartridge connector and button membranes all done in one sitting.
+26 photosSony — PVM-6041Q
Removed copious dust from this Sony PVM-6041Q 6-inch professional video monitor, the smallest PVM in the collection. Reflowed solder joints and recapped the neck board, deflection board and PSU.
+29 photosSuccessful repairSony — PVM-14L1
Helped a friend source this Sony PVM-14L1 Trinitron. RGB modded with Martin Hejnfelt's design from immerhax.com (mod PCB assembled myself), neck board reflowed and recapped, audio restored after a previous owner had disconnected the speaker.
+55 photosCould not fixSharp — X68000
A proper exercise in stubbornness on this Sharp X68000. Two rounds of repair, a full recap, FDD surgery (one of the floppy drives had clear signs of a blown capacitor with charring on the PCB), a new oscillator, and still no picture. The X68000 remains on the 'future date' pile.
+135 photosPartial fixSega — Wondermega
Absolute labour of love on this Sega Wondermega HWM-5010 from Japan: corrosion, missing components, broken traces and a RAM package with broken legs. The Mega Drive side eventually came back to life; the Mega-CD side continues to freeze on the BIOS animation, defying everything thrown at it.
+28 photosMicrosoft — Xbox 360 E
The Microsoft Xbox 360 E's PSU was packed with bargain-bin caps and the board had clearly had something spilled on it. A recap, a reflow, a fresh HDD and some elbow grease on the shell later, it's a much happier machine.
+40 photosSony — PVM-9045QD
Multi-stage restoration of this Sony PVM-9045QD Trinitron spread over several sessions. PSU, neck board and deflection board all had their turn. The solder on the back of these boards really does turn to dust.
+3 photosNintendo — Game Boy
Black Play It Loud! Nintendo Game Boy DMG-01 sourced from Japan at a friend's request. Restored before delivery.
+40 photosPartial fixSharp — X68000 Pro II
Proper saga on this Sharp X68000 Pro II. Magic smoke from a reversed capacitor, an accidental probe short, and enough replaced components to fill a parts drawer before a single faulty transistor finally gave the game away. Got it booting and running R-Type, which was a hard-earned win. Video output later stopped working, so the story isn't entirely over.
+3 photosMicrosoft — Xbox 360 S
Light post-Christmas work: PSU recap and a joint reflow on this Microsoft Xbox 360 S.
+31 photosSony — PVM-9041Q
9-inch Sony PVM-9041Q Trinitron that arrived in a flight case. PSU recapped, colour trimmer pots replaced, deflection board done alongside its 9045QD sibling.
+21 photosSuccessful repair3DO Company — Panasonic FZ-1
This is the Panasonic FZ-1 3DO whose laser went to save its sibling. With the drive dead anyway, a full recap and an ODE installation was the logical conclusion.
+1 photosNintendo — Game Boy Advance
Recapped a tatty Nintendo Game Boy Advance (AGB-001). Internals are fresh; the shell and screen are still a work in progress.
+2 photosNintendo — Game Boy Advance SP
The Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP (AGS-001/AGS-101) single electrolytic capacitor refreshed. Lowest maintenance Game Boy by a considerable margin.
+3 photosSony — PlayStation
Preemptive PSU recap on this Sony PlayStation PAL backup unit. The solder joints on the power jack were already starting to crack so it was only a matter of time.
+5 photosPartial fixNintendo — GameCube
Two spare Nintendo GameCube optical drives (DOL-001) recapped. One came back to life, one didn't. The dead one reads 30 ohms on the motor where the working one is OL, which likely points to a dead motor.
+13 photosNintendo — GameCube
A bit of an identity crisis on this Nintendo GameCube pearl white: DOL-001 board in a DOL-101 shell, transplanted there many moons ago. Optical drive recapped as part of the GameCube maintenance day.
+17 photosNintendo — GameCube
This silver Nintendo GameCube (DOL-001) kicked off the mainboard recap campaign across the whole GameCube fleet. Razor-sharp Tetris blocks to celebrate.
+29 photosWork in progressSony — BVM-D9H5J
Sony BVM-D9H5J Trinitron arrived allegedly dead but just needed the right buttons pressed. Tube has 150,000 hours on it but doesn't look terrible. PSU partially recapped and a previous owner's poor rework job cleaned up; the dimness issue remains unsolved for now.
+8 photosSuccessful repairSony — KV-29FX30E
29-inch Sony KV-29FX30E flatscreen FD Trinitron CRT TV, acquired for 20€ to use in lightgun gaming sessions with friends (for the screen real estate). Full recap and deep clean (looked like a kitchen TV from the dust and grease); anode cap dielectric-greased.
+41 photosSuccessful repairSony — BVM-9045QD
Sony BVM-9045QD that arrived from Japan with an entire colour missing, the same broken neckboard solder joint that had plagued the PVM-14M4J. Full restoration followed: PSU, deflection board, colour board and anode cap all seen to.
+45 photosSuccessful repairSony — PVM-9040
Three 9-inch Sony PVM-9040s that arrived from Japan with customs drama. Monitors were fine inside, bar a known colour issue fixed by replacing the trim pots (which fixes the black-and-white-only fault). Full restoration across all three followed.
+8 photosNintendo — Nintendo 64
Full service on a Nintendo 64 (NUS-001) for a friend: recap, PSU reflow, controller overhaul and a freshly lubed joystick. Validated with Super Mario 64.
+63 photosSony — BVM-D14H1E
Savon Pat cap kit installed on this Sony BVM-D14H1E HD broadcast reference monitor, boards cleaned and reflowed, dielectric grease on the anode. The king of the bunch, also used as a testbed for Switch, PS3 and Dreamcast via Extron MVX.
+42 photosSuccessful repairSony — PVM-14M4J
Sony PVM-14M4J Trinitron with the common retrace lines issue, arrived with one colour completely missing. I made a mistake along the way but got there in the end. Trash to treasure.
+7 photosSony — PSOne
Sony PSOne (SCPH-101) gifted to me by @PointerFunction for no reason other than fellow gamer kindness. Took extra care with this one; no hot air on the SMDs.
+32 photosSuccessful repairSega — Nomad
Sega Nomad with a broken aftermarket screen, brought back to life. Plus physical mods to restore CD audio mixing and add Master System game compatibility, both omitted from the original Nomad's design.
+15 photosPartial fixSega — Game Gear
Two heavily contaminated Sega Game Gears, so badly that components were falling off the boards from the electrolyte. Many hours in, one has a partially defective screen and the other boots and plays audio with no picture. A partial result after a massive effort.
+5 photosSega — 3D Glasses
Maintenance on the Sega Master System / Mark III 3D Glasses adapter. Space Harrier 3D confirmed operational.
+42 photosSuccessful repair3DO Company — Panasonic FZ-1
PSU repairs on this Panasonic FZ-1 3DO required bridging badly damaged traces, and a missed ceramic cap connection sent the console into a reboot loop. Sourcing a replacement laser meant buying a whole other console, but it runs now, and has since gained an ODE with SD card access through the AV expansion bay.
+4 photosSuccessful repairSega — Game Gear
Should have been binned, but wasn't. This Sega Game Gear required replacing every capacitor and reflowing every solder joint before it became reliable, but it got there. Gift for a friend.
+6 photosNintendo — SatellaView
Quick recap on this Nintendo Satellaview (SHVC-029), done alongside the Super Famicom. Shell got a pass through the retrobrighting setup too.
+6 photosSuccessful repairNEC — PC Engine GT
Every single capacitor on this NEC PC Engine GT handheld had leaked. A careful removal technique preserved all the pads and it came out the other end clean and happy.
+7 photosSega — Saturn
PSU recap and retrobrighting session on the model 1 shell of this Sega Saturn NTSC-J.
+21 photosSuccessful repairSega — Dreamcast
Full refurbishment of my NTSC-J Sega Dreamcast VA0: GDEMU install with the required dummy load resistor and VA0 resistor array mods, full recap, fan lube, shell clean and Aerospace 303 protectant.
+7 photosSuccessful repairNintendo — Famicom Disk System
Belt replacement, head alignment and a full recap on this Nintendo Famicom Disk System (HVC-022 drive unit + HVC-023 RAM adapter). Now as reliable as the FDS is ever going to be.
+5 photosSuccessful repairNintendo — Super Famicom
This Nintendo Super Famicom (SHVC-001) wasn't powering on due to a failed D1 diode. A straightforward fix once the culprit was identified.
+3 photosSega — Pico
First-revision Sega Pico recapped and cleaned. Probably not the intended demographic at this point, but it works.
+3 photosSega — Pico
Second-revision Sega Pico given the same recap and clean treatment as the first. The cooking sim passed the smoke test.
+25 photosSuccessful repairNintendo — Famicom
This Nintendo Famicom (HVC-001) was self-fixing and self-breaking. The fuse measured fine one day and dead the next; a replacement sorted it. It has since gained a composite video mod board and new factory-style stickers.
+16 photosSuccessful repairSega — Mega-CD 2
Dead Sega Mega-CD 2 that turned out to have a single blown fuse. Fuse replaced, region-free BIOS installed, then fully recapped in a follow-up session. Also tidied up some interesting factory bodge cap placements along the way.
+2 photosSega — Master System II
Recap and 7805 voltage regulator replacement on an already RGB-modified Sega Master System II.
+11 photosNEC — PC Engine SuperGrafx
Full maintenance on this NEC PC Engine SuperGrafx: recap, voltage regulator and jailbar fix caps. Now pairs nicely with an EDFX in a mini-IFU shell.
+17 photosSony — PVM-14L2
My first professional monitor, a 14-inch Sony PVM-14L2 Trinitron PVM. Chassis cleaned, dielectric grease on the anode, neck board recapped. Savon Pat's full cap kit is queued for a later session.
+3 photosNintendo — Power Glove
Quick recap on a Japanese Pax-distributed Nintendo Power Glove. Came with some unexpected drama along the way but it sucked just as badly as ever at the end of it.
+5 photosSega — Saturn
This Sega Saturn NTSC-J Model 2 got a retrobrighting session and a PSU recap alongside the indigo GameCube.
+11 photosSuccessful repairNEC — PC Engine Super CD-ROM2
This NEC PC Engine Super CD-ROM² gave me a scare mid-recap when it lost the picture entirely. Turned out to be a resistor knocked off during SMD cap removal; found it on the paper towel and put it back. Also gained a new transport gear and an RGB amp.
+8 photosSuccessful repairSega — Saturn
Full recap on a bargain 3€ Sega Saturn NTSC-J Model 2: all boards seen to, including the PSU, motherboard and optical drive.
+6 photosSega — Mark III
Recap and 7805 voltage regulator replacement on this Sega Mark III, plus a first attempt at retrobrighting. Not perfect, but a marked improvement on the yellowed shell.
+2 photosSuccessful repairSony — PlayStation
Don't mix PSUs with incorrect mains voltages, kids. I accidentally did that on a Sony PlayStation NTSC-J while repairing and testing the controller ports on a friend's PS1.
+18 photosSuccessful repairNintendo — GameCube
PAL Nintendo GameCube DOL-101 in black, with a PicoBoot install using a WiiKey as the storage interface. The mainboard turned out to have almost entirely polymer caps, making the recap a very quick affair.
+27 photosSuccessful repairNintendo — GameCube
My personal Nintendo GameCube (DOL-001) spice orange. Started life with a PicoBoot and later upgraded to a FlippyDrive. The optical drive also got fresh caps as part of a GameCube maintenance day.
Nintendo — Game Boy Player
Two Nintendo Game Boy Player (DOL-017) units recapped and sent on their way to new owners: spice orange and jet black.
+18 photosSega — SG-1000 II
Quick recap, 7805 voltage regulator replacement and retrobrighting session on this Sega SG-1000 II. RF-only output means a black-and-white picture using composite on a PAL TV, so a composite video mod is on the future list.
+8 photosSuccessful repairSony — HB-F1XV (MSX2+)
Sound issues on this Sony HB-F1XV MSX2+ traced to the HIC-1 board SMDs, replaced with MLCC caps. Also gained a Carnivore 2 flashcart and a new keyboard PCB.
+7 photosNintendo — GameCube
Two Nintendo GameCubes (black and spice orange) restored for friends: Console 5 mainboard cap kit, optical drive and PSU recap, XenoGC chip and new coin cell battery holders. Wind Waker was played immediately.
+3 photosMicrosoft — Xbox
Taking a heavily rusted original Microsoft Xbox back to glory: full recap, optical drive belt replacement, metal parts soaked in a vinegar bath for days then Dremel-sanded clean, shell repainted.
