Crossposted from https://lemmy.world/post/49078916
this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2026
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how does one get started replacing capacitors? what are good practice devices
Check forums if the hardware you have is prone to issues. Some manufacturer years are worse then others because of the Capacitor Plague, but any capacitor can dry out, leak out or otherwise wear out. If a cap leaks, it can damage the traces on the board. Best practice is to replace before that happens. There are kits online for diy repairs and shops that will do it if you can't solder.
Intersting reading, thanks
Luckily the ones that tend to go are the large electrolytic capacitors (the cylindrical ones that typically stand perpendicular to and proud of the board) which are also the easiest to desolder. They also have their ratings printed right on the side to make it nice and easy to source replacements. Just note the polarity denoted by the stripe on the side before you take the old one off, because your board may or may not be marked underneath with which way around it goes!
I cut my teeth doing it on Pentium 2 and Pentium 3 motherboards when I was a kid, using a $10 Radio Shack single temperature soldering iron and quite possibly the world's most awful technique, but I got away with it nearly 100% of the time.
(not the person you asked) tbh, we have an awesome local video game store that does repairs. I'd ask them. They replaced the laser on my partner's PS2 when it stopped reading discs.
Or, check ifixit.com and see if there's a walkthrough for your device.