Recap guide
Recap the Rare 90s consoles
AtariAge names the LaserActive as one of the most cap-prone consoles. The rest of these rare machines are likely to age similarly, but we found no guide.
Open the interactive checklist Tick off each capacitor as you replace it. It saves in your browser.
Check first. A recap is not always the answer here, so look at the guides before you order parts.
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.
- Most cap-prone consoles (Low confidence). An AtariAge thread ranks NEC consoles, Game Gear, pre-1995 CD consoles (Sega CD Model 1, LaserActive, 3DO) and the Xbox clock cap among the worst. It is community opinion. 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.
- Story: FM Towns Marty recap exists (Low confidence). Hitman's Museum's front page lists a Fujitsu FM Towns Marty entry that involves a full recap, but the summary there gives no values or symptoms. We found nothing else on the other rare consoles. 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.
- Which consoles are the most prone to need recap? (Forum) by AtariAge forum members. Community opinion: NEC, Game Gear, pre-1995 CD consoles (Sega CD Model 1, LaserActive, 3DO) and Xbox clock cap rank worst; 8-bit systems hold up better. Opinion, 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
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.