eegad Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 I recently broke out my Sega Game Gear for the first time in perhaps 4-5 years. That last time, it worked fine. This time the sound was very faint, even at full volume, and the picture could only be seen, faintly, when held at a severe angle. A quick search of Game Gear problems showed that at this point pretty much all Game Gears have failed due to decaying capacitors. I've got a bunch of other "vintage" games.... 3 Atari 2600's, 3 Atari 800xl's, an Atari 800, an RCA Studio II, a Colecovision, many old handhelds like the Mattel series, Merlin, etc. So far, the other stuff all still works. What I'm wondering about is if these are all destined to fail in the near future (or if any other specific consoles / old computers are also experiencing widespread problems). Do all caps fail after 20, 30, 40 years? Or was it more specific to the Game Gear (or certain electronics from that particular early-90s time period). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 I would think it's down to the quality of the parts used. Surely some capacitors are better than others? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Some of the higher quality capacitors are sealed and don't degrade much if any. Others evaporate their di-electric in a couple of years or downright piss it out all over the board, then explode. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Some of the higher quality capacitors are sealed and don't degrade much if any. Others evaporate their di-electric in a couple of years or downright piss it out all over the board, then explode. Good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 I'd say Atari used decent parts as I've only had to replace a cap in 1 particular location, and even that only a few times in many repairs. Sega is a different matter. I seen many GameGears pass too soon with one function failing at a time, also quite a few Genesis consoles. Both of mine, Gen1 + Gen2, are both in need of some parts. Ironically, my cheap G3 clone has the best sound and video at the present, lol. Gen1 is rainbow banded so badly that it's only playable on RF. Gen2 has RF video issues, and sound issues via composite out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krip316 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Game Gears are notorious for horrid caps. It does sound like you do need to recap it. When I get a gg, I recap it regardless. I like to start fresh. Systems like the Atari Lynx, if it works, it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 There are a bunch of different capacitor types, and the ones you need to worry about are the electrolytic ones. These have a defined service life that's pretty short; nobody builds electronics expecting people to be using them 30 or 40 years later. They're the weak link without which we all *could* be doing that without worry, though. The bad news is that almost all electronics have at least *some* electrolytic capacitors. They're easy to spot, because they're the ones shaped like a soda can. They can be big or small. Other types of caps you typically don't need to bother with; they have lifespans that are much longer. If you want to read a bit about different types of caps (it can be dry and boring, but you can see how many different kinds there are): http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/data/capacitor/capacitor_types.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 nobody builds electronics expecting people to be using them 30 or 40 years later. They why do (for example) people here bother buying and refurbishing/modding old consoles. No guarantee that parts machine from ebay or the dumpster will befixable. And recapping if it even works will last another 5 to 10 years at the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 depends on what was used, just like in the first place you spend a dollar a cap for some panasonic black's it will last quite a while, you buy a one dollar recap kit off ebay, it might last a few years also long term storage is a huge factor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I see guys writing all the time that they've re-capped their Vectrexes 'preemptively', but mine seems fine. I don't see the point in recapping a machine that is running okay; I think that you could just as easily introduce a new issue to a decent console. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 They why do (for example) people here bother buying and refurbishing/modding old consoles. No guarantee that parts machine from ebay or the dumpster will befixable. And recapping if it even works will last another 5 to 10 years at the most. Recapping will get you another 30-40 years... That said, I don't really believe in recapping unless you find a reason for it. Electrolytic caps might only have a rated life of 20 years (or whatever, it varies) but that's just how long they're supposed to work, not how long they actually will work. I've had to recap very few things in my lifetime so far, and pretty much everything I own works perfectly. I've also never had a cap split or blow or anything else. Yeah, it happens, and yeah, caps go bad in more subtle ways too. But some people go so nuts with automatic full recapping of any piece of old electronics that they're basically just wasting a lot of time. Not to mention every time you take something apart, desolder and then solder something else to it, you're putting your own wear and tear on components and also risking breaking stuff yourself. I think if you've got Game Gear with a faded screen and audio, then yeah, try a recap. But if you've got an Atari 2600 or something and it works perfectly, leave it alone. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 If or when you replace caps, opt for ceramic caps in place of electrolytics. Do some reading up on this on your own, but ceramics last far longer. Electrolytics will eventually give out, and can take your entronics with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Clae Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) Must recap: Game Gear All PC Engine/TurboGrafx, including Turbo Express Most arcade PCB's X68000 power supplies? What else? Edited February 28, 2018 by DJ Clae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 macintoshes that are pre intel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juansolo Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Must recap: Game Gear All PC Engine/TurboGrafx, including Turbo Express Most arcade PCB's X68000 power supplies? What else? Amiga 600, 1200 & 4000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltigro Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 All TurboGrafxs? Really? I know there are some that have cap issues, but I thought the standard base TurboGrafx (no CD, no TurboDuo) were fine. I've had mine since new and haven't had any issues... I mean, I have never opened it up to look, but there's certainly no noticeable audio or visual issues like can crop up in the Game Gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I have a TG-16. It's never been opened up, and it works great. I don't see the need for recapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 TG-16 and PC Engines are fine. It's the Turbo Express and DUOs that commonly have cap problems. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 The Laseractive PACS need recapping over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 I have a Sega Genesis 1 that the picture has a red tint. Does that wound like a cap problem? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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