Recap guide

Recap the Sega Pico

Sega's learn-and-play computer for little kids is now collectible, and the capacitors inside are old enough to fail. One tidy list covers the whole board.

Open the interactive checklist Tick off each capacitor as you replace it. It saves in your browser.

Difficulty: Medium

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.

• HPC-0001 (Japan, 1993-1994) (Low confidence). How to tell: Japanese launch model with a DE-9 connector on the left side and a hidden expansion port. Capacitors: ConsoleMods gives one 23-position capacitor table (EC1 to EC23, EC15 empty) for the Pico and does not say which model or board it was taken from; no per-model split was found. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• HPC-0003 (Japan, 1994-1996) (Low confidence). How to tell: Japanese revision of the HPC-0001 with the extra connectors removed; audio and video phono jacks on one side. Capacitors: ConsoleMods gives one 23-position capacitor table (EC1 to EC23, EC15 empty) for the Pico and does not say which model or board it was taken from; no per-model split was found. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• HPC-0007 / MK-49002 (Asia and North America, 1994-1998) (Low confidence). How to tell: HPC-0007 has a dark blue inner shell instead of yellow and a relocated power switch; the North American MK-49002 is based on it with a teal and purple shell. Capacitors: ConsoleMods gives one 23-position capacitor table (EC1 to EC23, EC15 empty) for the Pico and does not say which model or board it was taken from; no per-model split was found. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• MK-49002-50 (Europe PAL, 1994-1996; board 837-10846 IAC Main PAL VA0) (Low confidence). How to tell: The European unit uses a 9-pin mini-DIN AV socket instead of RCA jacks, and one owner reports the mainboard silkscreen reads 837-10846 IAC Main PAL VA0 with a 1994 date. Capacitors: ConsoleMods gives one 23-position capacitor table (EC1 to EC23, EC15 empty) for the Pico and does not say which model or board it was taken from; no per-model split was found. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• HPC-0008 / MK-49325 (cost-reduced, 1998-2001; US 1999) (Low confidence). How to tell: Late cost-reduced board built around the 315-6123 ASIC; the US MK-49325 was the last international model. Capacitors: ConsoleMods does not list a separate capacitor set for this late model; the Pico capacitor table on the wiki is not tied to any model. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• HPC-0009 Kids Communication Pico (Japan, 2001-2005) (Low confidence). How to tell: Slimmer redesign with a thinner bottom half and a translucent kickstand, no expansion connectors. Capacitors: No capacitor information was found for this model. 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.

• Which capacitor first? (Low confidence). We found no report of one Pico capacitor failing before the others. Both hobby write-ups below replaced every electrolytic and also the 7805 regulator, so plan on the full set. Source

Before you start

• Capacitor EC15 is not fitted on the board. Leave it empty.
• The list does not say surface mount or through-hole. Look at your board and set the type picker.

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.

• Sega Pico Capacitor Kit (List) by ConsoleMods wiki, CC BY. The values on this page are taken from this list. Read the page itself for photos and the original table.
• Pico recap, the first (Write-up) by HitmanMcC. A hands-on write-up of a recap.
• Pico recap, the second (Write-up) by HitmanMcC. A second Pico, with what he did differently.

Capacitor values from the ConsoleMods wiki page “Sega Pico Capacitor Kit”, credit to Sound Retro (Christa Lee) for collecting them. Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).

Main board

The same three values turn up again and again, so buy them in bulk. Check them off in order and watch the meter.

Shopping list

22 capacitors in all, grouped by value. Buy a few spares.

• 11 x 10 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 47 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 100 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 1 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 220 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay

Skip the sourcing

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

While you are in there

• Need the machine itself?: Amazon · eBay
• Games for it: Amazon · eBay

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These links only search by name. Disclosure

Step by step

1. Photograph both sides of the board before you touch anything. Zoom in on every capacitor. The photo is your map when you are three hours in.
2. Unplug it, take out the batteries and let it sit. Old power supplies and CRT parts can hold a charge. If your machine has a tube, leave the tube and its board to a professional.
3. Open it up and keep the screws sorted. A muffin tin or an egg carton works. Different screws go in different holes, and the holes never forgive you.
4. Look for leaks. Clean any sticky residue off with isopropyl alcohol and a soft brush. A leaked capacitor leaves brown crust and can eat copper traces. Look at the traces under it, not only the part itself.
5. Mark the polarity of every capacitor on the photo before it comes off. On an electrolytic, the stripe marks the negative leg. The board usually shows a half-shaded circle or a bar for the same spot.
6. Remove the old capacitors one at a time. Surface mount: add fresh solder to both ends and rock the part off, or use flux and a low-melt alloy. Through-hole: heat one leg at a time and clear the hole with wick or a pump.
7. Clean the pads and check for lifted pads or damaged traces. Clean flux off with isopropyl. A bad pad needs a jumper wire, not hope.
8. Fit and solder the new capacitor, matching polarity. Same capacity, same or higher voltage, and it has to physically fit. Work from the smallest parts up.
9. Clean the flux off and look at every joint. A good joint is shiny and shaped like a tiny volcano. A dull blob or a ball is a cold joint: reflow it.
10. With a multimeter, check for shorts across the power rails before you power it on. Use the continuity or resistance setting. A reading near zero means stop and look for a solder bridge.
11. Power it up and test everything: video, sound, controls, the lot. If something is wrong, check polarity first. It is the most common mistake and the easiest fix.

Tools

• Temperature-controlled soldering station. Steady heat so you do not cook pads. Most recaps are done between 320 and 350 C. Top: Hakko FX-951 · Mid: Hakko FX-888D · Budget: Pinecil
• Good solder. Rosin-core 63/37 flows and looks right. It is cheap and it matters. Kester 44 63/37
• Flux. Flux is what makes old joints let go and new joints flow. MG Chemicals flux pen · Chip Quik flux syringe
• Low-melt alloy (for surface mount). Melts old solder on both ends of a surface mount part at once, so it lifts off cleanly. Chip Quik SMD1
• Desoldering tool. Clears the old solder out of through-hole pads. Top: Hakko FR-301 · Mid: Engineer SS-02 pump · Budget: Solder wick
• Fine tweezers. For holding small surface mount parts exactly where you want them. ESD-safe tweezers
• Board holder. A third hand for the board, so both of yours are free. PanaVise circuit board holder
• Magnification. You cannot fix what you cannot see. Surface mount parts are tiny. Top: Stereo microscope · Mid: Head visor · Budget: Lighted magnifier
• Multimeter. Continuity, shorts and rail voltages. The one test that saves boards. Top: Fluke 117 · Mid: Fluke 101 · Budget: AstroAI
• ESR and capacitor tester. Checks old capacitors and your new ones before they go in. Top: Peak Atlas ESR70 · Budget: LCR-T7
• Isopropyl alcohol (99%) and a brush. For cleaning leaked goo and flux. Use the high-percentage kind. MG Chemicals 99.9% isopropyl
• Brass tip cleaner. A clean tip transfers heat. A dirty one does not. Hakko 599B
• Fume extractor. Pulls the smoke away from your face. Hakko FA-400 · Budget: Small bench fan
• Precision screwdrivers. Most old gear uses a mix of Phillips, Torx and security bits. iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit
• Kapton tape. Heat-proof tape to protect parts that sit close to the one you are changing. Kapton tape

Safety

• Good airflow, or a fume fan. Solder smoke is not for breathing.
• Safety glasses on. Solder spits and clipped legs fly.
• Iron in its stand when you are not holding it. Know where the cord is.
• Touch bare metal first, or use a wrist strap. Static kills old chips.
• No tube, no mains power supply. Leave those to a professional.
• Wash your hands after, especially if you used leaded solder.

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.

More

• All recap guides
• The interactive Recap Bench
• Fix a dead vintage computer
• Sega Pico on the timeline