Recap guide
Recap the TRS-80 Model 100
Aluminium electrolytics in these portables can leak and wreck solder and traces.
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.
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.
- Leaking electrolytics (Low confidence). A kit seller's note describes electrolytic failures and leakage, and says its kit is about 13 caps. It is a seller note, not a parts 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.
- Tip: Only aluminium electrolytics leak; clean corrosion carefully (Low confidence). In a cctech thread on Model 100 and HX-20 cap kits, one poster says he has only seen damage from the aluminium electrolytics and that the kits hold about 13 caps. He suggests diluted hydrochloric acid rather than vinegar on corroded solder, which another poster disputes only on the drilling advice. Source
- Watch out: Leak corrosion makes solder stop flowing (Low confidence). The thread notes leaked electrolyte can change the solder so it will not melt normally. Posters disagreed on drilling out plated holes (one for, one strongly against, preferring fresh solder and sustained heat), and one favoured SMD replacements to protect the board. 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.
- Epson HX-20, TRS-80 Model 100 Capacitor Kits (Forum) by classiccmp mailing list. Seller note about electrolytic failures and leakage, not a list
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
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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.