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Recap guide

Recap the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive

A plain Genesis is fairly sturdy, and a recap is mostly for sound and picture quality or a leaked cap. The Sega CD and 32X add-ons are the real problem children.

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.

  • Model 1 VA0 (1988, Japan) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Small daughterboard (839-0231) carrying the master clock oscillator and logic. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 1 VA1 (1989, Japan) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Integrated 315-5339 chip replaces the VA0 daughterboard. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 1 VA2 (1989) (Medium confidence). How to tell: 315-5345 EDCLK chip; layout differs between Japanese and North American units. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 1 VA3 (1989-1991) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Single consolidated 315-5364 chip for bus arbiter and EDCLK. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 1 VA4 (1989-1992) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Video encoder repositioned and resistor array has a board footprint. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 1 VA5, VA6, VA6.5 (1990-1993) (Medium confidence). How to tell: VA5 has the 315-5402 gate array and jumpers JP5-JP7, VA6 adds the 315-5433 I/O chip, and VA6.5 drops the EXT port and line filters. Capacitors: ConsoleMods groups VA5, VA6 and VA6.5 in one header but gives no cap list. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 1 VA6.8 (1993, PAL only) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Marked V6.8, with an SMD Fujitsu MB3514 encoder replacing the DIP CXA1145P. Capacitors: ConsoleMods notes cap C30 is often left unpopulated; no list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 1 VA7 (1992-1993) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Yamaha FC1004 ASIC, SMD CXA1145 encoder, PLCC 68000, single 7805 and SMD parts on the top side. Capacitors: ConsoleMods says it has SMD components on top; no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 2 VA0 and VA1 (1993-1994) (Medium confidence). How to tell: VA0 has separate VRAM and 68K RAM chips; VA1 uses one of each with big trace changes. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 2 VA1.8 (1994-1996) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Same as VA1 in components and part numbers; some boards have power jack pads. Capacitors: The wiki's only filled list is for the PAL board: 20x 10uF 16V, 7x 47uF 10V, 2x 100uF 10V, 2x 220uF 6.3V and 1x 220uF 16V (32 caps by my sum); mounting style not confirmed. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 2 VA2 and VA2.3 (1994-1996, North America) (Medium confidence). How to tell: VA2 has a discrete YM2612 and a small bodge PCB with a 74HC14; VA2.3 integrates the Schmitt trigger. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 2 VA3 (1994-1996, North America) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Shortened board with a simplified audio section; RF shield does not extend full width. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Model 2 VA4 (1996-1998) (Medium confidence). How to tell: GOAC 315-5960 ASIC, two square cutouts in the shield and a horizontal 7805 using the shield as a heatsink. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Genesis 3 VA1 (1998) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Condensed VA4 with no expansion port, a single LM324 for mono audio and a Sony CXA1645 encoder. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
  • Genesis 3 VA2 (1998-1999) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Different GOAC (315-6123) with 128 KB combined SDRAM and minimal discrete ICs. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. 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.

  • Which board do you have (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods has a page for identifying your revision (Model 1 VA0-VA7, Model 2 VA0-VA4, Genesis 3) before you order parts. Source
  • Cap lists (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods has a replacing-capacitors page per board, but only the Model 2 VA1.8 PAL list was filled in when we checked. Source
  • Audio mod (Medium confidence). A separate page lists cap swaps for sound quality on early Model 2 and VA7 boards. It is a mod, not a general recap. 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: Cutting-out music on a VA6 is not always caps (Low confidence). An owner chasing intermittent music dropouts and stretched sound effects on a Model 1 VA6 was told the cause was how a few games (Sonic Spinball, Earthworm Jim and others named) drive the discrete YM2612, not capacitors. Cleaning the cartridge port fixed most of it. Source
  • Story: Static in the sound, later Model 1 (Low confidence). On a Shmups forum thread about static and half-speed Hellfire music on a later Model 1, one poster guessed leaking caps were behind the static. Another noted a different revision had the half-speed music while their Model 1 did not, so revisions behave differently. Source
  • Story: VA4 with sound but no video (Low confidence). One Mega Drive VA4 gave sound but no video on RF or AV, even with composite tapped from the video chip. The owner recapped as a precaution with no change, and the thread has no answer, a reminder that unleaked caps are not always the fault. Source
  • Watch out: Black screen on two Model 1 units (Low confidence). When two Model 1s both showed only a black screen, replies pointed first at the power supply, dirty or loose cartridge pins and cold joints on the connectors, before capacitors. The poster had mentioned caps as a guess only. Source
  • Tip: Lifting SMD electrolytics without ripping pads (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods' general cap guide says to heat both leads of an SMD electrolytic at once with soldering tweezers or ChipQuik, or push and twist until the leads snap, because heating one side at a time risks ripping a pad that leaked fluid has glued down. It suggests 90% isopropyl or vinegar for cleanup and super glue or a wire to repair a lifted pad. Source
  • Tip: Tools suggested for Genesis recaps (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods' replacing-capacitors page recommends a flat-tip iron for better board contact, leaded solder as easier and factory-matching, 90% isopropyl for flux and leaked electrolyte, and optionally an ultrasonic cleaner. It has maps for more than the Genesis, including Nomad, CDX, Mega Jet and Wondermega boards, though not every map was filled in when we looked. Source
  • Watch out: Audio mod gotchas, VA7 and Model 2 (Medium confidence). The ConsoleMods audio-circuit page says VA7 Model 1 units distort in the headphones above about volume 8, and warns against op-amps with output phase reversal such as the TL074 because one op-amp handles reset. It also says to use ceramics rated 16V or more for decoupling, flux generously, and not force op-amps off with hot air. 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.

  • Genesis: Replacing Capacitors (List) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Has a capacitor list. Page per board (Model 1 VA0-VA7, Model 2 VA0-VA4, Genesis 3, Nomad, CDX, Mega Jet, Wondermega); only the Model 2 VA1.8 PAL list was filled in when checked, others empty
  • Genesis: Motherboard Differences (Write-up) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Use it to identify which revision (VA0-VA7, Model 2 VA0-VA4, Genesis 3) you have before ordering parts
  • Genesis: Audio Circuit Mod (Step-by-step) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Has a capacitor list. Cap swaps for sound quality on early Model 2 and VA7; not a general recap
  • Genesis Mods Wiki (hub) (Write-up) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Hub that points to the Console5 Genesis and Nomad cap kits plus audio/video fix pages
  • Console5 wiki: Mega Drive / Genesis (Wiki) by Console5. A community wiki page for this machine, often with board photos and capacitor lists.
  • Console5 wiki: Mega Drive II / Genesis 2 (Wiki) by Console5. A community wiki page for this machine, often with board photos and capacitor lists.

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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