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Cap Goo Horror Story IIcx

macuserman

macuserman

68000
Picked this machine up and the board has one of the worst cases of what I assume is cap damage that I’ve ever seen. Not sure if this one will be repairable the more I look the worse it gets.
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At least the battery didn’t leak! Bah! Rather have they then this crap all over the board.
 

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What. On. Earth.

I’ve never seen anything like this before. That doesn’t look like any kind of cap leakage I’ve EVER seen either… neither brown or green but BLACK? That looks more like a fungus or mold but nope it’s clearly coming from the caps… almost looks burnt. I wonder when those caps first leaked. Would have had to be back in the 90s plus being stored very poorly… I’m still wondering what on earth could have turned the board black like that. That looks nothing like the cap leakage I’ve ever seen, photos or in person.

Still, it’s weird. If you look some areas right around the caps look completely fine in small patches. Would like to see a photo of this board cleaned to see the extent of the damage.
 
That's a weird one. @3lectr1cPPC Probably late '90s, but, yeah, machines were beginning to suffer around then. My first SE/30, which was purchased sometime around 2004 or so, already had bad caps on it.
 
Looks like heavily decomposed rat droppings or something to me, that’s not normal cap leakage! What happens when you scrape it back?
 
I didn't think it was cap goo either but it's uncanny that its only in areas where there are caps. It's quite tough to remove with a toothbrush and alcohol I need to get something better definitely has been eating at the board though whatever it is.
 
macuserman said:
I didn't think it was cap goo either but it's uncanny that its only in areas where there are caps. It's quite tough to remove with a toothbrush and alcohol I need to get something better definitely has been eating at the board though whatever it is.
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Is was wondering if someone tried to clean cap goo with something even nastier? Put something on it and left it/forgot about it.
 
macuserman said:
I didn't think it was cap goo either but it's uncanny that its only in areas where there are caps. It's quite tough to remove with a toothbrush and alcohol I need to get something better definitely has been eating at the board though whatever it is.
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Yeah, this is super weird. Whatever method you attempt to remove it, it might make sense to take extra precautions for self-protection - gloves, perhaps eye protection and mask, and good ventilation - no idea what might be getting airborne.

I'm not even sure what to suggest what products to use, not knowing what you're dealing with... perhaps test a small area with vinegar, another with baking soda, see what happens.

Very interested to see what's remaining underneath!
 
desertrout said:
I'm not even sure what to suggest what products to use, not knowing what you're dealing with... perhaps test a small area with vinegar, another with baking soda, see what happens.
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Use litmus paper to check if it is acid or alkali, and how strong for safety, then use the opposite to neutralise, check with litmus paper that it worked. You can buy books cheap on Amazon. It's a good idea to have some in the house to check when you don't know what you're dealing with.
 
Phipli said:
Use litmus paper to check if it is acid or alkali, and how strong for safety, then use the opposite to neutralise, check with litmus paper that it worked. You can buy books cheap on Amazon. It's a good idea to have some in the house to check when you don't know what you're dealing with.
Click to expand...
I like it!
 
Not seen that before - even on boards with excessive leakage. It looks like a reaction with something else.

What happens after a vinegar bath? As others have said, testing in a small area first is a good idea.
 
I’m currently at the VCF swap meet and had the idea to ask Mac84 about it - he’s seen this exact same thing also on a IIcx, apparently the cap goo reacted with the solder mask. That definitely makes sense to me!
 
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