Recap guide

Recap the Amiga 1200 and 600

Both have a lot of surface mount capacitors and are well known for leaks. A good guide to the job is the best place to start.

Open the interactive checklist Tick off each capacitor as you replace it. It saves in your browser.

Difficulty: Careful

Which board do I have?

Boards changed during production. These notes come from the linked sources, and many are only partly documented, so check the board in front of you.

• A1200 rev 1A (Medium confidence). How to tell: Earliest production board; the Big Book of Amiga Hardware says some units had clockport pins and some did not. Capacitors: A repair article says C321 and C322 (audio filter, small non-electrolytic parts) are 3900pF on rev 1A against 6800pF on later boards, which is why 1A audio can distort. The electrolytic set per revision is not documented in sources I read. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: yes. Source
• A1200 rev 1D.1 (Medium confidence). How to tell: Listed as a Budgie rev -01 era board with parts E123C and E125C removed from the motherboard. Capacitors: One owner recapping a 1D1 board replaced 19 caps, 15 SMD and 4 through-hole. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• A1200 rev 1D.4 (Medium confidence). How to tell: Budgie rev -02 era; XR358 (470 ohm) removed and a 470 ohm added at pin 43 of Alice, and some boards carry a 16V 10uF cap at C460. Capacitors: No full cap list per revision found; the C460 10uF 16V note is the only capacitor difference stated. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• A1200 rev 2B (Low confidence). How to tell: Final revision, handles both Budgie revisions; resistor 118 changed from 470 ohm to 220 ohm. Capacitors: Audio filter caps are 6800pF as on rev 2 boards. A UK shop lists 1A, 1B, 1D1, 1D4 and 2B as covered by one recap service with no per-revision cap split. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• A600 rev 1.0, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5 (Medium confidence). How to tell: Rev 1.0 has an extra chip (CBM 391287-01) below Gayle and is labelled A300; later 1.x numbers are printed on the board. Capacitors: One shop covers 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2B and 2D in a single service, removing both SMD and radial caps; no per-revision cap list in sources I read. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• A600 rev 2B and 2D (Low confidence). How to tell: Rev 2D is described as about a quarter inch shorter than rev 1.0; one Thai board has soldered Kickstart. Capacitors: Same single recap service listed for all revisions, both SMD and radial caps removed; no per-revision cap list found. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source

Where to start

Clues from write-ups and forum threads, not a diagnosis. Low confidence means one thread or one repair; high means several write-ups agree.

• Leaky surface-mount capacitors (Medium confidence). Two restoration write-ups describe the A1200 and A600 surface-mount electrolytics as especially prone to leaking, unlike the A500. Recapping the whole board is the usual advice. The counts differ by author, 18 to 19 on the A1200. Source
• A recap is not always the cure (Low confidence). One A1200 black-screen case turned out to be reversed capacitors from a bad earlier recap, plus a bad Paula chip and a broken trace. Check polarity and traces if a recap does not fix it. Source

Tips, tales and maybes

Found in write-ups and forum threads. These are other people's reports, not tested by us. Check part references and values against your own board.

• Story: Black screen, flashing LED after someone else's recap (Medium confidence). An A1200 that arrived recapped turned out to have nearly all the SMD caps fitted backwards, plus a loose decoupling cap next to Paula, a broken data bus trace and a bad Paula. The author's point is that a bad recap can make things worse and recapping does not cure every fault. Source
• Story: Metal debris and solder balls on a leaked board (Medium confidence). One A1200 repair found small metal pieces and solder balls loose on the board along with leaked electrolyte near the audio and PCMCIA areas, and cheap replacement caps from an earlier job already leaking. Clearing the debris got it booting again, then it was cleaned with contact cleaner and alcohol and fitted with 18 Nichicon caps. Source
• Tip: Removing a cap can take the trace with it (Medium confidence). A recap write-up warns one SMD cap came off easily but took the trace beneath it, and the author checked continuity afterwards with Amiga PCB Explorer and tested with Amiga SysTest. Two caps on the first board were already seeping. Source
• Tip: A1200 distorted audio and dead floppy shared a cause (Medium confidence). One A1200 had distorted audio and a dead floppy, and the author traced both to leaky electrolytics, including the floppy logic board (a 4.7uF 25V SMD, one crusty, and a 100uF 10V radial). He recapped the mainboard with solid-electrolyte parts. Source
• Tip: Warning signs before it eats the pads (Low confidence). A recap service page (a seller, so promotional) lists dull greenish solder around caps, leakage hidden under the cap and caps falling off as signs of failure. It says electrolyte eats the copper pads like battery acid, even on a machine never used. Source

Before you start

• Count your capacitors and check the board revision before you order.

Guides we used

This page and the interactive bench are built from these. They have the photos and the full detail, so please read them and support their authors.

• Recapping Amiga computers (Write-up) by walkero.gr. A walk through the job.

Amiga 1200 motherboard

Eighteen capacitors, one list for the whole 1200. Console5 warns that the silkscreen at C324 and C334 (the audio caps) is backwards on some boards, so the positive side goes to U15, or fit non-polar parts there. 25 V parts are fine at those two spots.

Amiga 600 motherboard

Nineteen capacitors. Console5 says to check the schematic for polarity at C324 and C334, because some units have the wrong silkscreen or reversed caps.

Amiga 600 power supply 391029-01 (Liton PB-3230-1)

Console5 lists this by value and count rather than by reference number. The supply holds a dangerous charge in its 450 V and 200 V capacitors, so unplug it, let it discharge, and leave it to a professional if you are not trained on mains power.

Shopping list

49 capacitors in all, grouped by value. Buy a few spares.

• 8 x 22 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 7 x 10 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 5 x 100 µF, 6 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 47 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 470 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 1000 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 100 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 220 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 1 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 22 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 1 µF, 450 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 4.7 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 47 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 220 µF, 200 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 470 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 2200 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 3300 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay

Console5 capacitor kits for this machine

Console5 sells ready-made capacitor kits. Kits come in different versions, so match the board number in the kit name to yours and check the listing before you buy.

• Commodore Amiga 600 Power Supply Cap Kit 391029 01
• Commodore Amiga 600 1200 Cap Kit Surface Mount SMD Version
• Commodore Amiga 600 1200 Cap Kit

Skip the sourcing

• Ready-made kit: Amazon · eBay
• Already recapped: Amazon · eBay

While you are in there

• Need the machine itself?: Amazon · eBay
• Or the 600: Amazon · eBay
• Floppy drive replacement: Amazon · eBay

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These links only search by name. Disclosure

Step by step

1. Photograph both sides of the board before you touch anything. Zoom in on every capacitor. The photo is your map when you are three hours in.
2. Unplug it, take out the batteries and let it sit. Old power supplies and CRT parts can hold a charge. If your machine has a tube, leave the tube and its board to a professional.
3. Open it up and keep the screws sorted. A muffin tin or an egg carton works. Different screws go in different holes, and the holes never forgive you.
4. Look for leaks. Clean any sticky residue off with isopropyl alcohol and a soft brush. A leaked capacitor leaves brown crust and can eat copper traces. Look at the traces under it, not only the part itself.
5. Mark the polarity of every capacitor on the photo before it comes off. On an electrolytic, the stripe marks the negative leg. The board usually shows a half-shaded circle or a bar for the same spot.
6. Remove the old capacitors one at a time. Surface mount: add fresh solder to both ends and rock the part off, or use flux and a low-melt alloy. Through-hole: heat one leg at a time and clear the hole with wick or a pump.
7. Clean the pads and check for lifted pads or damaged traces. Clean flux off with isopropyl. A bad pad needs a jumper wire, not hope.
8. Fit and solder the new capacitor, matching polarity. Same capacity, same or higher voltage, and it has to physically fit. Work from the smallest parts up.
9. Clean the flux off and look at every joint. A good joint is shiny and shaped like a tiny volcano. A dull blob or a ball is a cold joint: reflow it.
10. With a multimeter, check for shorts across the power rails before you power it on. Use the continuity or resistance setting. A reading near zero means stop and look for a solder bridge.
11. Power it up and test everything: video, sound, controls, the lot. If something is wrong, check polarity first. It is the most common mistake and the easiest fix.

Tools

• Temperature-controlled soldering station. Steady heat so you do not cook pads. Most recaps are done between 320 and 350 C. Top: Hakko FX-951 · Mid: Hakko FX-888D · Budget: Pinecil
• Good solder. Rosin-core 63/37 flows and looks right. It is cheap and it matters. Kester 44 63/37
• Flux. Flux is what makes old joints let go and new joints flow. MG Chemicals flux pen · Chip Quik flux syringe
• Low-melt alloy (for surface mount). Melts old solder on both ends of a surface mount part at once, so it lifts off cleanly. Chip Quik SMD1
• Desoldering tool. Clears the old solder out of through-hole pads. Top: Hakko FR-301 · Mid: Engineer SS-02 pump · Budget: Solder wick
• Fine tweezers. For holding small surface mount parts exactly where you want them. ESD-safe tweezers
• Board holder. A third hand for the board, so both of yours are free. PanaVise circuit board holder
• Magnification. You cannot fix what you cannot see. Surface mount parts are tiny. Top: Stereo microscope · Mid: Head visor · Budget: Lighted magnifier
• Multimeter. Continuity, shorts and rail voltages. The one test that saves boards. Top: Fluke 117 · Mid: Fluke 101 · Budget: AstroAI
• ESR and capacitor tester. Checks old capacitors and your new ones before they go in. Top: Peak Atlas ESR70 · Budget: LCR-T7
• Isopropyl alcohol (99%) and a brush. For cleaning leaked goo and flux. Use the high-percentage kind. MG Chemicals 99.9% isopropyl
• Brass tip cleaner. A clean tip transfers heat. A dirty one does not. Hakko 599B
• Fume extractor. Pulls the smoke away from your face. Hakko FA-400 · Budget: Small bench fan
• Precision screwdrivers. Most old gear uses a mix of Phillips, Torx and security bits. iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit
• Kapton tape. Heat-proof tape to protect parts that sit close to the one you are changing. Kapton tape

Safety

• Good airflow, or a fume fan. Solder smoke is not for breathing.
• Safety glasses on. Solder spits and clipped legs fly.
• Iron in its stand when you are not holding it. Know where the cord is.
• Touch bare metal first, or use a wrist strap. Static kills old chips.
• No tube, no mains power supply. Leave those to a professional.
• Wash your hands after, especially if you used leaded solder.

Values are shown as published in the guides above, and boards changed during production. Check the board in front of you. A recap involves hot tools and, on some machines, dangerous voltages. You do it at your own risk.

More

• All recap guides
• The interactive Recap Bench
• Fix a dead vintage computer
• Amiga 1200 on the timeline
• Amiga 600 on the timeline