Recap guide

Recap the Sega Nomad

A Genesis handheld from the same cap-failure family as the Game Gear. Leaked caps appear in repair logs, and kits exist.

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.

Single known Nomad board (Low confidence). How to tell: A ChipMusic poster says only one Nomad motherboard revision exists to their knowledge. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a Nomad header with no list filled in, and a hitmanmcc log tags a Nomad repair with leaking capacitors. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source

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: Check the power brick first (Low confidence). On RacketBoy a Nomad with a black screen and only white noise was told that generic adapters often give about 350 mA while a proper Nomad supply gives 850 mA, so a real brick is needed before blaming parts. The owner then smelled toasty electronics near the power port, which pointed at a cap there. Source
Watch out: Odd factory disc cap (Low confidence). The same thread says a disc capacitor stuck down with white adhesive was a factory modification seen on other units, so do not remove it as an error. Source
Story: Blue screen and garbled sound after recap (Low confidence). One iFixit asker recapped a Nomad, added display and RGB parts, swapped CPU and RAM, and verified 5V, yet still had a blue screen and garbled sound. There were no replies in the feed, so the cause is unknown. 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 (Nomad section) (List) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Has a Nomad section but I could not confirm it is filled in
Leaking capacitors (Hitman's Museum symptom index) (Write-up) by hitmanmcc (Hitman's Museum). Index of photo repair logs for consoles with leaked caps (Wondermega, PC Engine variants, Neo Geo CD, Nomad, 3DO, Game Gear). Logs show work, not value 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.