Recap guide
Recap the Apple Lisa
The Lisa power supply and video board use low-ESR electrolytics (2200 uF 16V HF-type) that people routinely replace.
Open the interactive checklist Tick off each capacitor as you replace it. It saves in your browser.
Worth a recap. Reports say it is a common and useful fix on this machine.
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.
- Lisa PSU 620-6103 (Medium confidence). How to tell: Part number as asked about by an owner. Capacitors: Six 2200uF 16V caps: four identical and two smaller marked HF. 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.
- Power supply electrolytics (Low confidence). A forum thread about the 620-6103 supply discusses 2200 uF 16V low-ESR caps and which replacement series to use. It is thin, and we could not open the best Lisa cap list. 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.
- Maybe: Reform the Lisa PSU caps instead (Low confidence). In a 620-6103 supply thread the most experienced reply said good original 105C caps can last well beyond 10,000 hours with airflow and may only need reforming, and that any reasonably low-ESR replacement will do. A Nichicon UPJ1C222MHD6 was floated as a replacement but flagged as unverified. Source
- Tip: ProFile supply has nine RIFA caps (search page snippet) (Low confidence). A TinkerDifferent search results page (not the original threads) shows posters finding nine RIFA caps in a ProFile drive power supply, discussing whether X2 parts can stand in for the original X-rated ones and RIFA versus WIMA for X1 replacements. Treat as a pointer to those threads. Source
- Story: A failed RIFA also blew a fuse (search page snippet) (Low confidence). The same search page lists a ProFile 5MB restoration where one failed RIFA cap in the drive supply also blew a fuse, with the owner asking for suitable replacements. The drive supply is separate from the Lisa's own PSU, but they share the RIFA risk. 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.
- A tube and its high-voltage circuit can hold a lethal charge. Do not open the tube, and leave the analog board to a professional.
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.
- Apple Lisa 620-6103 PSU Cap Question (Forum) by Applefritter forum. Thin thread about PSU caps and what replacement series to use; the best Lisa reference (a 68kmla cap list) could not be opened
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.