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Recap guide

Recap the Amstrad PCW and PC1512

We found only one PCW8256 thread, where a year-long hunt for a fault ended at a bulging cap on the CRT board. Nothing turned up for the PC1512.

Open the interactive checklist Tick off each capacitor as you replace it. It saves in your browser.

Check first. A recap is not always the answer here, so look at the guides before you order parts.

Which board do I have?

Boards changed during production. These notes come from the linked sources, and many are only partly documented, so check the board in front of you.

  • PC1512 and PC1640 (Low confidence). How to tell: Supply sits inside the monitor. Capacitors: No cap lists found. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • PCW 8256 (Low confidence). How to tell: Model name on the machine. Capacitors: A bulging CRT board cap reported; no values. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source

Where to start

Clues from write-ups and forum threads, not a diagnosis. Low confidence means one thread or one repair; high means several write-ups agree.

  • Bulging cap (Low confidence). One user's year-long hunt for a PCW8256 fault ended at a bulging cap on the CRT board. Source

Tips, tales and maybes

Found in write-ups and forum threads. These are other people's reports, not tested by us. Check part references and values against your own board.

  • Story: PCW8256 popped and smoked, then only 5V (Low confidence). A PCW8256 gave an unstable picture, spun the drive, then popped and smoked; afterwards only 5V reached the motherboard and replies suggested checking the +12V rail, since the board needs both. The bulging cap turned up on the CRT board; unplug the monitor mains lead before probing. Source

Before you start

  • Boards changed during production. Check your board number against the guides before you order parts.

Guides we used

This page and the interactive bench are built from these. They have the photos and the full detail, so please read them and support their authors.

The capacitor list

We have not checked a capacitor list for this machine yet, so none is shown. Follow the guide above for your board, then add the capacitors in the interactive checklist and it builds a shopping list for you.

Skip the sourcing

While you are in there

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These links only search by name. Disclosure

Steps, tools and safety

The steps, the tools in top, middle and budget picks, and the safety list are the same for every machine, so they live on one page: How to recap, step by step.

Values are shown as published in the guides above, and boards changed during production. Check the board in front of you. A recap involves hot tools and, on some machines, dangerous voltages. You do it at your own risk.

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