Cap Kits n' Stuff

[Moon Jump]

Hey folks. If your in the Unrelated section you'll see I've been asking about Krikzz's Everdrive carts for some older systems I've got.

Since I want to pretty much bulletproof all the old systems I've got so they'll last longer I was wondering if it's much of a necessity to get get cap kits for some of my systems. My NES from 86' is still running like a champ, especially after putting in the BLW. It holds the games too tight but still works as long as I made sure I cleaned the carts. I had to re-buy a SNES since my launch system died in a house fire, and that one's been running great since it's a newer version of the original model.

The two systems I was wondering about was my Model 1 Genesis and my old T-16. I haven't used my T-16 in a long time, mostly because the picture looks awful on my current TV only using RF. I was looking at Turf's BoostMastah Plus and was thinking about getting that for the save stuff and being able to use the AV jacks.

My Model 1 Genesis has been flaky since this year. It was running great and then I started to notice it wouldn't play certain games. I had my Power Base Converter in it and it wouldn't run some of my games. I also had a problem with original Genesis games. I had gotten some loose copies of Dick Tracy and Segia and they wouldn't work, even after cleaning the hell out of em'. For some reason it'll work with Virtua Racing..every time but it won't get past the Under Licence screen.

I noticed one of the pins inside had a bit of a bend to it, but I'm kinda nervous about messing up the slot. I mentioned it to a guy that I know that owns a repair shop and he said it might need to be capped. I wasn't sure if that was a thing to do or was he just trying to get a couple of bucks out of me.

So is capping my T-16 and Genny even worth doing? I saw a site online and their only 4 bucks a kit, I wasn't sure how much the guy would charge me to do it since I know dick about fixing stuff like this. Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[DNSDies]

I usually don't do it unless I see a problem going on.

But, a good rule of thumb is to give the board a visual inspection, check for bulging or leaking, and if you have the time and money, just replace the caps since you're doing at least 1 anyway.

NES is pretty robust. They used good quality through-hole caps, and it's very easy to see if they're damaged.
Genesis is the same, usually. I've yet to see a model 1 or 2 that didn't have Rubycon or other good quality caps. Any damage should be easy to see.

PC engine is another story. My CoreGraphx is fine, but the SuperCDRom2 needed several caps replaced and had notable audio problems until I fixed it.

My SuperCD2 had those shitty little surface mount electrolytic capacitors that cause problems on the Game Gear, and are hard to tell if they're leaking, as the bottom is obscured by a plastic stand.

If most games are working, and only some are giving you problems, it's likely the bent pins on the cart slot making it tempermental. My SNES had a similar problem where the carts would glitch out or not boot if they weren't seated just right until I replaced the pins.

tl;dr - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[SmokeMonster]

I would never pay a random local guy to recap a working system. If the work must be done, at least send your console out to someone with direct experience. Better yet, if you can learn to do it yourself, recapping is a great way to build up your soldering skills. I recap everything, but mainly because I enjoy the work itself.

After recapping, I always test the old caps that I removed with an ESR meter. Usually 5-10% of them are way out of spec, and certain consoles can be even worse depending on the quality of the caps and how much it was played.

 

[LegoSlug]

I have SNES system MIB, was considering selling it. Wipped it out to test and it gave me graphical glitches... from what I gather, a cap kit couldn't hurt and it is an easier and cheaper repair than other possible component failures.

I have also had a cousins Dreamcast have a cap explode... but this was before I knew anything about repairs. I am certain that was caused by a power surge or something. Looking back on that, it was probably an easy repair, but dreamcast consoles were a dime a dozen...

If you have some of the tools yourself, I would recommend attempting it. If you have arcade boards, it would not be a bad idea to invest in some basic tools. I bought stuff in order to do cps2 battery changes myself. Well worth it.

That said, I have screwed up doing a snes rgb mod... for soldering onto tiny chip legs, I would defer to someone more skilled.

 

[GohanX]

The Genesis is relatively easy to recap, as they are all through hole caps. It takes a while though, there are a ton of caps in the audio section of a model 1. I've only had to do one Genesis ever though, a launch model. It's worked great ever since. SNES is a bit more difficult with the SMD caps. Please don't pay attention to youtube tutorials that rip the things out with pliers.

 

[GTRetro87]

There's no real need to replace capacitors unless you either:

Notice issues during gameplay, open the console and literally see leakage, or one of the most distinct ways of noticing capacitor damage.. they STINK! Believe me, I know lol

Most NES, SNES, Genesis do not need re-capping. However, it can't hurt at all

If you need to get capacitor kits, you can always go to console5.com and they'll supply you. Luke at Console5 is a friendly and helpful guy, and he will answer whatever questions or concerns you may have!

Those that came with SMD capacitors (like SuperCd2, turboduo, turbo express, etc), those are best replaced with SMD capacitors from today since the quality is MUCH much better. You can use radial/through-hole capacitors, but they're just bigger, and depending on the application you can use either or. There are plenty of good brands out there, but a typically great one for SMD caps is Nichicon.


I happen to have capacitors kits from Console5 for NES, SNES, Genesis, Jaguar, TG16, etc -- just never bothered to replace them yet. I think you should do the same, have them on hand and if needed, swap em

 

[Katsu]

I would never pay a random local guy to recap a working system. If the work must be done, at least send your console out to someone with direct experience. Better yet, if you can learn to do it yourself, recapping is a great way to build up your soldering skills. I recap everything, but mainly because I enjoy the work itself.

After recapping, I always test the old caps that I removed with an ESR meter. Usually 5-10% of them are way out of spec, and certain consoles can be even worse depending on the quality of the caps and how much it was played.

Are there any trusted people that you would recommend for cap kit work? I need a Laseractive USA SEGA PAC-S10 recapped as well as a Super CDROM2.

-Rob

 

[Apocalypse]

they STINK! Believe me, I know lol

Haaaa! Dat old twat scent!

 

[Wachenroder]

The Genesis is relatively easy to recap, as they are all through hole caps. It takes a while though, there are a ton of caps in the audio section of a model 1. I've only had to do one Genesis ever though, a launch model. It's worked great ever since. SNES is a bit more difficult with the SMD caps. Please don't pay attention to youtube tutorials that rip the things out with pliers.

What do you mean rip them off? Please tell me they desoldered them first!