Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Monitor/Video Forum => Topic started by: Lilwolf on November 11, 2004, 10:56:11 am

Title: How hard is doing a cap kit?
Post by: Lilwolf on November 11, 2004, 10:56:11 am

I have an arcade monitor which is really washed out looking...  

I was going to do a cap kit... But how hard is it?  Any sites for step-step?  

I've never taken the board off the back of a monitor (not even sure if its there or on the board itself) and a little worried that I'm about to do something thats really over my head.

Title: Re:How hard is doing a cap kit?
Post by: Witchboard on November 11, 2004, 04:34:18 pm

I did my first cap kit last weekend.  It's pretty easy.  Here are the tips that I learned.

1) Clean your contacts on the bottom before you start to desolder so you can see what you're doing.  I used denatured alcohol and a small acid brush.
2) Do each cap one a time.  It would be easy to get lost after you've taken them all out.
3) Double check you haven't put it on backwards.  They don't like this and let you know about it when you power it on.  Experience talking here.

I have some soldering experience, but nothing major.  I didn't have any problems exept for #3 on one of mine.  :-[  Bob Roberts kit cost $6 where the 1 replacement cap I had to buy from the Shack cost me almost $2.  It's an expensive mistake, so double check.  It also helps to have a second pair of eyes looking for your cap numbers.  That's the part that took the longest for me.

Title: Re:How hard is doing a cap kit?
Post by: SirPeale on November 11, 2004, 05:12:58 pm

Yep, I just did my first as well.  As long as you already know how to solder, it'll be a cakewalk.

If you don't, get a scrap board (dead motherboard, or whatever) and practice.