Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get new)
 

http://cquirke.mvps.org/badcaps.htm

Recently while playing a game, my pc just turned itself off, no shutdown, no power, no startup, nothing, just death. I thought it was the powersuply, so I replaced it, didn't work, then I noticed this:

http://cquirke.mvps.org/images/badcapsmobo.jpg

I have like 6 of them that are popped up like that(thats not the actual MB, thats just an online picture, but they look sick like that, they are kind of a jade or teal colored greenish color too, not blue) with brown in the middle. 5 are bigger ones, 1 is smaller. I know nothing of capacitors or solderng or desoldering, I have others who rre telling me to replace the MB entirely, but I have other info that tells me for roughly $15 I can get new caps, fry these off, weld new ones in, and it should fix it. But I need some education here, there are 3 sizes of those cylinder capacitors at my local radioshack, $1.50 each with a kit to solder them for 9 bucks(desoldering bulb dealie included with the kit). Is there some compatibility issue that will happen if I use these or do I need to seek out special parts(I haven't compared anything other then the actual size of them, is there something inthem that will cause damage if these are in fact the wrong type, or is it "universal"?) what do they do? aside from molten lead what are the risks of doing this myself. If I decide not to screw around with molten lead and electricity how much would a local repare shop charge for this(not a big chain, there are a couple of "fix it" guys who might do this, I might take it in later this week or give them a call, but I'd rather not sound like a dumbass on the phone or get fleeced.)

http://www.ecsusa.com/products/k7sem_v3.html

^thats pretty much the board, but it's an older version of it, v1.0 not v3 I think.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Size is not so important; capacitance is the key. Size is related to capacitance, but there are other factors. Look on the burnt capacitors for a number with units like nF or pF. If you do not replace them with identical capacitance capacitors, you will probably cause more harm.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

indeed, look for numbers on the broken one and buy with equal numbers. I with thee luck however and if you succeed and want a few Athlon motherboards gimme a ring cous I have another 5 exactly like that lying around here.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Replace the board, you are wasting your time.

Capacitors almost NEVER pop like that all by themselves. And if more than one is popped, then you can take the "almost" out of the previous sentence. Something else on the board is shorted out. Don't bother looking for the short, it's probably one of the IC chips arced internally and is putting volts on a circuit where is doesn't belong which is causing the caps to pop.

It's also quite possible your original power supply went bad frying the MB. But the chances that the only components on the MB that went bad were the 6 capacitors that you can visually identify as popped are infinitesimal.

Unless you have the schematics for the board, which you don't have, probably can't get, and wouldn't know how to use if you did, you have no chance of troubleshooting the problem down to the component level.

Unless you just need some soldering practice, in which case have at it. But may I suggest that you buy an AM/FM radio kit instead? At least then your soldering will have some practical purpose. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

I've replaced capacitors on an old motherboard from this era

Its ready to play StarControl 1 again.

If the board is under warranty, let them fix or replace it.
If not, then take a shot. It might just become an impressive story for your resume.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Contact the manufacturer of the board (or PC if OEM) and request a replacement. The bad caps saga is a long story but boils down to using parts from substandard suppliers who were using an incomplete formula to produce their electrolyte. The formula was stolen from a Japanese company, three guesses who stole it, and then built and dumped the caps on the market.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Soldering capacitors on a modern motherboard is very tricky. They have many 'layers' and the components are crowded very closely together -- not designed to be repaired. Are you a professional technician? Do you have access to professional equipment? If not, the odds are quite good that you'll just further ruin the board. (I would say "Even if you are, it's not likely you can fix it." but then you would know that... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif )

Unless this board is some sort of 'collector's item' you're much better off just replacing it. You might be able to find the same model on eBay or on one of those 'discount parts' sites like Pricewatch.com if you search a bit.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

If you can get a replacement, go for it.
But if you're gonna be tossing it in the trash for a new one anyways, why not try?

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Wait.... this ISN'T the nonsense thread? Wow. With that title.... snitching....

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

This site has some useful information on how to replace capacitors:
http://www.badcaps.net/

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Technically, I'm with Geo on this one. Don't think you can replace these and get up and running like new. Something most likely made them pop, and then while they were on their way out they most likely [pun]"incapacitated"[/pun] other board components that were depending on their properties of capacitance.

But:

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Those other components should be fine... a busted capacitor does not build up any charge, so it can't send any current down the line.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

The problem is the caps themselves. They are corroded inside which causes them to bulge and short out or in some cases loose continuity. On a mother board they seldom cause additional damage unless the electrolyte gets on other components. They are easy to replace on two ply boards, but can be difficult on four and six ply boards. Most desktop boards are two ply. This is the number one RMA problem for the industry at the moment.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

I wasn't saying that a bad cap would cause other components to go bad. I wasn't aware that there was an actual known problem with bad caps on PC motherboards. I'm still a little skeptical on that despite all the flashy websites. But if people have had success replacing them who am I to argue? Admitedly I have no experience with component level repair on computer motherboards as it was never considered cost efficent at any of the places I worked, even back when motherboards were expensive. I am quite familier with blown capacitors from my olden days working on tv's and radios. But there when a cap was blown, it wasn't because the cap went bad, it was because something else went bad and caused the cap to blow.

Those can caps are quite easy to blow actually. You will find that out if you try to replace them and put them in backwards. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Old news, but a big problem. It’s a shame, the lengths people will go to so that they can save pennies on a $100 board. Many of these companies knew they had bad caps on the shelf, and used them anyway. But for those not in the biz, here are some links, the last one has the whole low down, more or less.

linky 1
linky 2
Linky 3
Linky 3 - If you only read one link, read this one.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

Ok, say I did replace the whole motherboard, the proscesor is a socket a 1.2 ghz athalon with 133 fsb, pc 133 ram. Problem (at least in my head) is why bother hunting down a part that old? Correct me if im wrong but I can't seem to find any MBs that use that speed with that slot, and if I tried to put the slower proscessor in a faster board would that cause some problems(also socket a proscessors don't seem to get much faster then 1.8 ghz and fsb of like 200-400)? Perhaps I should take this opportunity to give myself a small upgrade. I've been shopping budget 754 slot MBs, and sempron proscessors, specifically this one:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...41&CatId=0

I can fit all of my old stuff on there, I'd just have to shell out for a new stick of ram which more or less I was planning to do anyway. I can get the board separate from the proscesser(I just might have to do that) if that's not a good one but so far between newegg and tiger I like this one. That proscessor in the bundle seems adequate to run guild wars economically and most games I could get and 754 slot goes a lot farther then a socket a if I ever had to upgrade.... The only thing is this will cost about $150 after the rebate(200+ before) total, if I cold get new caps and fix the old board myself for about $20 then I'd go that route, but if I have to replace the old MB, why not take the opportunity to do the CPU and ram as well.

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

I think that is a great idea Hugh. Personally that is how I would do it. If you want to try replacing the caps first, have at it. But I personally I wouldn't take any chances by trying to reuse the old CPU or RAM in a new board. If replacing the caps does the job, then you've saved some money. If it doesn't fix the problem then you've either got some other unknown problem with the board or you messed something up in the process of replacing the caps. Either way that would make the CPU and RAM as being suspect and not worth trying to reuse as you may just end up moving your old problem to the new board, possibly even damaging it. Take it as a reason to upgrade and enjoy. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Flux capacitors, not fluxing(where can I get n
 

i took a peek at the links. can't rmember hearing the word tension used in descibing capacitors. Anyway i was family with the stolen formula story, and it seems some of those caps may stole be floating around, but the recent rash of bad caps a repeat or a seperate issue, given that a lot of conterfeit goods are originating from the same area, in ever increasing amounts.