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

[Hugh Manatee]

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:



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.

[Fyron]

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.

[boran_blok]

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.

[geoschmo]

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.

[Suicide Junkie]

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.

[Thermodyne]

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.

[Baron Munchausen]

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... )

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.

[Suicide Junkie]

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?

[Jack Simth]

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

[Kamog]

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