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Recap guide

Recap the HP 95LX, 100LX and 200LX

These are mechanical-first machines: broken case latches, cracked hinges (especially on the 200LX), screen columns dropping out and dirty keyboard contacts are the common faults. The one capacitor story is a 95LX with a false low-battery reading caused by a single 0.1uF tantalum.

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.

Where to start

We did not find a clear list of what fails first on this machine, so we are not guessing. Read the guides below, check the board for leaks, and replace what you can see.

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.

  • Tip: 95LX false low battery (Medium confidence). A 95LX that reports low battery with fresh cells and an empty meter was traced to a 0.1uF tantalum just above the blue resistor pack, right of the lower RAM chip. A 0.1uF ceramic chip part replaced it, with a warning that this swap is only right for that one capacitor. Source
  • Tip: Latch and hinge failures (Medium confidence). The plastic latch springs break easily, and 200LX hinges crack from repeated opening. The repair page lists glue, reinforcement or easing the hinge spring, and says never to fully strip the right-hand hinge because it is almost impossible to rebuild. Source
  • Tip: Missing pixels or columns (Medium confidence). Missing screen pixels or columns often come from loose IC solder joints on the screen board or poor ribbon and cable contacts to the motherboard. Missing rows point at the ribbon cable. Source
  • Tip: Dead keys (Medium confidence). Keys that do not respond (menu, shift, zero, dot were named) may need their pressure contacts tightened, and the graphite keyboard foil contacts can be cleaned gently with alcohol. Source
  • Watch out: Battery polarity (Low confidence). A 95LX repair note cautions that even one battery inserted backwards can destroy the motherboard, so check polarity every time. Source
  • Story: Empty battery meter on a 95LX (Low confidence). A forum owner whose 95LX battery meter always read empty was pointed to the capacitor fix article and needed a finer soldering tip to do it. Another member offered to send parts. Source
  • Story: Most units still work (Low confidence). A museum catalogue entry for the 100LX says over 95 percent of the units its owners see are fully working and still very reliable. Source

Before you start

  • Boards changed during production. Check your board number against the guides before you order parts.
  • A mains power supply can hold a dangerous charge. If you are not trained to work on one, have a professional do it.

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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