Recap guide

Recap the Atari Lynx

A classic cap-failure handheld: failing power-circuit caps are blamed for no power, flicker, display problems and crackly sound, and leaks can damage the board.

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.

Lynx Model 1 (1989-1991) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Wider body, mono audio and a shorter battery life; ConsoleMods says its board has revisions with no external effect. Capacitors: K-Retro sells a Lynx 1 kit of 16 electrolytics (4x 10uF 6.3V, 3x 47uF 6.3V, 220uF 6.3V, 470uF 10V, 2x 10uF 35V, 100uF 35V, 2x 1uF 50V, 2x 2.2uF 50V); an AtariAge poster uses C39 and C50 as the Lynx 1 power test points. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
Lynx Model 2 (1991-1995) (Low confidence). How to tell: Smaller, stereo audio (Hayato chip) and a power LED. Capacitors: K-Retro sells a separate Lynx 2 kit (no list seen), an AtariAge poster uses C41 and C40 as the Lynx 2 equivalents and says the power stage is otherwise identical, and a DragonBox service uses one polymer and ceramic kit for both. 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.

Kit symptoms (Low confidence). A Lynx 1 and 2 power-circuit kit page lists the symptoms and says the kit also adds a voltage regulator. It was out of stock when we checked. Source
Lynx 1 kit (Low confidence). One seller says its Lynx 1 kit has 16 caps across six value and voltage groups, with a component map included. The Lynx 2 kit is sold separately. Source
One-cap fix (Low confidence). An older iFixit student guide re-solders a single defective capacitor (C10). It is not a full 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.

Tip: C3 under the RF shield (Medium confidence). A Lynx recap and LCD article says C3 sits inside the RF shield with a copper sheet over its contacts on the far side, so it needs solder wick and extra desoldering on both sides. It also warns that the power MOSFET and zener can fail and take the motherboard with them, and says to confirm about 5V out before reassembly. Source
Story: Two dead Lynx 2 after part swapping (Low confidence). After swapping parts between two Lynx 2 units, both stayed dead, and replies said to check that the voltage at C41 (regulator output) is 5V or less and to inspect the scratched flex ribbon. They also noted that screens are not always interchangeable between units and that overvoltage can kill an LCD. Source
Maybe: Stuck at title screen after full recap (Low confidence). A Lynx II stuck at the title screen with no sound did not improve after replacing all caps, the Console5 voltage-refresh parts and the power jack. A reply guessed the 4464-type RAM chips, which differ from Lynx I, were at fault. Source
Story: Dim Lynx II screen (Low confidence). One Lynx II had a dull screen visible only tilted back with contrast up, then white after long use, and the fixes discussed were a cap kit, an LCD mod and a speaker swap. One poster warned that recapping after a McWill mod is harder because the display is no longer detachable, and said the shield tabs need desoldering from both sides. Source
Watch out: Short to ground after recap (Low confidence). One owner's Lynx would not power up after a full recap, a power-refresh kit and an LCD mod, with a suspected 5V to ground short. Putting the old caps back and lifting cap legs did not isolate it, so the poster planned to look under the shield by the cartridge connector, which the recap never touched. 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.

Replacing an Atari Capacitor (Lynx C10) (Step-by-step) by John Lopez (Cal Poly student team) on iFixit. Short, clear teardown and re-solder of one capacitor (C10). Not a full recap and older student guide
Lynx 1+2 polymer/ceramic capacitor and regulator kit (Kit page) by DragonBox. Covers Lynx 1 and 2 power-circuit recap, lists symptoms; says the kit also adds a voltage regulator. Listed out of stock when checked; no value table
Capacitor replacement kit for Atari Lynx 1 (Kit page) by K-Retro. States 16 caps across six value/voltage groups and that a component map ships with it; the table itself is not on the page. Lynx 2 kit is sold separately
Console5 wiki: Atari Lynx (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

Ready-made kit: Amazon · eBay
Already recapped: Amazon · eBay

While you are in there

Need the machine itself?: Amazon · eBay
A box of spare capacitors: Amazon · eBay

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.