Recapping - Current thinking

[ArmorAlley]

Hello everybody,

 

What is the current thinking in regards to recapping boards with orginal caps that work?

I^m thinking particularly of the SE, SE/30 and Colour Classic. For the latter two, something is not working, the SE works.

 

My initial thinking was that these machines are over 20 years old and will need new capacitors anyway.

Some posters have commented, especially for the SE, that if it is not broken, do not fix it. Is preventative action wise? unnecessary?

 

My second question concerns what should be recapped? I was initially thinking of just getting the mainboard recapped. Again, from reading through posts as well as in general online, it seems that one should get both the PSU and the analog board done as well. Is this also wise and or unnecessary?

 

Getting the machines recapped is pricey (I really do not like soldering), but if I can get give these machines another 25-plus years of service, it will be worthwhile, well, until the CRT finally packs it in and I have to replace it with some wonder-LCD replacement.

 

I am interested to hear your opinions,

aa

[TheWhiteFalcon]

My understanding is that the SE uses solid caps which are pretty reliable, but the analog board and PSU do use electrolytic.

 

My view is that the SE/30 should be recapped pre-emptively since it seems to be easily damaged from cap goo, same with the Color Classic and Quadra 840av.

 

But overall? Keep an eye on your machines. It's not like caps are getting harder to find or anything. When the time comes, recap.

[Macdrone]

The radials on the SE motherboard are not surface mount that leak like the SE/30.  Analog boards are per preference, smell fishy smell, doesnt work, probably time to recap it.

[TheWhiteFalcon]

I should also point out that recapping prices vary widely. Some vendors charge an arm and a leg, others don't.

[Elfen]

With the SE\30 the Logic Board Caps need replacing no matter what. With what depends on what you can afford. Tantalum Caps would last the longest, which I joke about lasting longer than 20 years that with me being 50, the logic board would last longer than I will. Ceramic Caps will last just as long and you do not have to worry about Polarity of the Caps as you would with the Electrolytic and the Tantalum caps. They are also a lot cheapest of the options. Electrolytic caps would last 5 to 10 years before their seals give out; the only good about them is that they "restore the look" of the logic board once had. But if you use a nice looking set of Tantalum or Ceramic caps, you would be up with a better looking board (this is the reason why I use Black Cased Tantalum caps on many recapping jobs I do).

 

The SE Logic Board, as stated by others, uses solid state caps. Whether they are Tantalum or Ceramics, that remains to be seen, maybe one of the other Mac Experts can answer that. But consider this - solid state caps do fail too, it just takes a lot longer for them to do so and wont leave any physical trace like Cap Good. But if your system is running hot, experiencing system crashes for the dumbest of reasons, or just noticing your system is doing odd things (like a random reset on its own for no reason), then it is time to look into recapping the board. In a worst case, Tantalum caps do explode if they are put in wrong, but I never heard of one exploding from failing, but I would not be surprised if they did.

Enjoy Youtube on such a demonstration... 

 

The Issue with both machines is the analog board, and that uses electrolytic caps because solid state caps are not made for the high voltages the analog board runs on (C1 I believe as a 4KV cap!), so you are stuck in using those liquid in a can caps in the analog board. And the Power Supply as well, which for the SE & SE\30 is separate from the analog board. So these have to be replaced with an equal or higher rated caps.

[sstaylor]

I had my brand new dual floppy SE FDHD (score!) open yesterday to remove the battery; I mostly noticed a bunch of radial caps on the logic board.  Didn't notice tantalum caps, but I wasn't really looking for them.

[Macdrone]

I am pretty sure the SE is just a few radials, much like the 128, 512 and plus.

[eR1c]

i say re-cap as a pre-emptive measure.  Furthermore if your doing it yourself (like I did w/ my machines), -recap several at a time, like 4 or 5, then turn on machine and verify all is well. Repeat until all the caps have been replaced.  It would be a headache to recap everythign at once to find that your computer will not turn or work correctly, pain in the butt trying to identify which cap was done incorrectly.