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Recap guide

Recap the Commodore VIC-20

Few caps, and cheap kits exist for the two main board revisions. A recap here is preventive.

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.

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.

  • VIC-20 original long board, assy 324003 (Medium confidence). How to tell: Long board that fills the case width. Capacitors: Pack contents: 2x 1uF radial, 2x 10uF radial, 1x 22uF radial, 2x 100uF radial, 1x 4700uF axial. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: yes. Source
  • VIC-20 CR short board, assy 250403 (Medium confidence). How to tell: Short cost reduced board. Capacitors: Shared pack: 1x 1uF, 3x 10uF, 1x 47uF, 1x 100uF, 1x 2200uF axial; on 250403 only two of the 10uF are used and the 47uF is not needed. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: yes. Source
  • VIC-20 CR short board, assy 251040 (Medium confidence). How to tell: Short board. Capacitors: Same shared pack; the 47uF is used only on 251040. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: yes. 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.

  • Kits by board (Medium confidence). One kit seller lists the exact contents of its two packs by board assembly number, which doubles as a parts list. Source
  • Full recap example (Low confidence). One restoration replaced all the caps and added one more, without giving values. 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: Recapped but the VIC chip was the fault (Low confidence). One owner lost video on a VIC-20, replaced all the electrolytics and cleaned the board with no change, then another member diagnosed a faulty VIC chip. Single report, but a reminder not to assume caps are the cause. Source
  • Tip: Transil diodes and selective replacement (Low confidence). A VIC-20 restoration replaced only the electrolytics and added two transil diodes for surge and polarity-reversal protection, which the original lacked. The author notes Commodore left some caps out to save cost. 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.

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.

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