Recap guide

Recap the Sega Dreamcast

Power supply caps are the headline risk (leaking or blown), plus motherboard and GD-ROM board caps. ConsoleMods says to recap the original supply rather than swap it.

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

Worth a recap. Reports say it is a common and useful fix on this machine.

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.

Motherboard VA0 (1998-1999) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Circled 0 to the left of the NTSC-U or PAL code on the sticker; BIOS chip MPR-21068; one log shows KATANA MAIN VA0 on the silkscreen. Capacitors: ConsoleMods gives no cap detail; hitmanmcc recapped the VA0 motherboard and optical drive board without values. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
Motherboard VA1 (1999-2000) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Circled 1 on the sticker; BIOS v1.01d chip MPR-21931; runs at 3.3V and is the most common NA and PAL revision. Capacitors: No cap detail found. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
Motherboard VA2 (Oct to Dec 2000) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Circled 2 on the sticker; drive microcontroller on the motherboard, 28 data pins and an orange ribbon cable. Capacitors: No cap detail found. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
PSU 171-7874B-X2, 171-7962A, 171-7962A-X1, 171-7970A (Medium confidence). How to tell: Power supply model number printed on the PSU board. Capacitors: ConsoleMods says these share one Console5 cap kit. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: yes. Source
PSU 171-7960 (220V) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Power supply model number printed on the PSU board. Capacitors: ConsoleMods says it needs its own 220V-specific cap kit. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: yes. Source
PSU 171-7874A, 171-7874A-X1, 171-7874B (Medium confidence). How to tell: Power supply model number printed on the PSU board. Capacitors: ConsoleMods says this group uses a different cap kit from group 1. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: yes. 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.

Power supply caps (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods recommends recapping the original PSU, lists eight PSU revisions that each have a kit, and has a 68uF/400V C3 note for voltage conversion. Source
Identify your board (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods has a model differences page for telling VA0, VA1 and VA2 apart. It has no cap information. Source
Full recap log (Low confidence). One VA0 NTSC-J refurbishment log recaps the motherboard, PSU and optical drive board, with photos but no values. 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 after a few seconds, PSU already recapped (Low confidence). One Dreamcast lost video 5 to 8 seconds after power-on even after the leaking PSU caps were replaced, and the cure was a 10k resistor between the 5V and RPM wires of a low-draw replacement fan. The poster's theory was that the supply needs a minimum load. Source
Watch out: Reads only one game: not caps (Medium confidence). A Gigazine write-up of a Dreamcast that would only read Soul Calibur fixed it by adjusting the laser's variable resistor, from 720 ohms to 400 ohms, and replacing the dead ML2032 battery. It is a reminder that disc-read faults are not always capacitors. Source
Watch out: Do not touch the sealed laser pot (Low confidence). A RacketBoy poster who damaged the laser potentiometer while trying to adjust it lost all disc reading. It is sealed under red epoxy, and the options discussed afterward were GDEMU, a laser assembly or USB-GDROM. Source
Story: Laser or recap? (Low confidence). A skilled r/dreamcast poster (seen on the lr.in.psf.lt mirror) noticed suspect caps on the drive board and asked whether to replace the laser or recap first, to avoid fitting a new laser and having the same fault. No replies were captured. Source

Before you start

Boards changed during production. Check your board number against the guides before you order parts.
A mains power supply can hold a dangerous charge. If you are not trained to work on one, have a professional do it.

Manuals and technical documents

Service manuals, schematics and datasheets for this machine, kept in our own library. Check your own board and part numbers against them.

Sega Dreamcast Optical Drive Gear Replacement Guide (Service manual)
Dreamcast GD-ROM XU937 (Datasheet)
Dreamcast GD-ROM XV779 (Datasheet)
Dreamcast VA0 FULL (Datasheet)
Dreamcast VA1 FULL (Datasheet)
HKT-7700 (Datasheet)

All 6 documents for Sega Dreamcast in the library

Circuits 1

Circuits we redrew in one plain style, with the parts listed. Our own drawing from the source diagram, so check it against the original before you build anything.

Circuit Dreamcast power supply 837-13570: mains input and primary side

Swipe the drawing sideways to see all of it.

Mains comes in at CN1, through the 1.6 A fuse F1, the choke L3, the CN2 contacts, C1 and R2 across the line, and the second choke L1 to the bridge RC1. C3 (68 µF, 400 V) smooths the result. That high-voltage rail goes to T1 pin 1. Pin 3 of T1 goes to the drain of Q1, which is switched to ground through the 0.2 Ω sense resistor R3. D1, R12 and C4 sit across the primary as a clamp, and R31 with C26 runs from the drain to the source. The controller M1 (FA5317) drives Q1's gate through R4 on pin 5, and reads the current through R11 into its IS pin. At start-up the controller's VCC (pin 6) is fed from the high-voltage rail through R13 and JP1. After that, the winding on pins 4 and 5 of T1 feeds it through D2 and R5, with C10 and C9 holding the supply. D3, an 18 V zener, and R10 lead to the CS pin, which has C8 to ground. The feedback pin FB meets the transistor side of the optocoupler PI1. That is our reading of the drawing, so check it against Console5's page before you build or repair anything.

Qty	Part
1	1.6 A fuse F1.
2	Common-mode choke L3 and L1. The drawing gives no value.
1	68 nF 275 VAC capacitor C1, across the mains.
1	270 kΩ resistor R2, across the mains.
1	S1NB60 bridge rectifier RC1.
1	68 µF 400 V electrolytic C3.
1	62 kΩ ½ W resistor R13, start-up chain.
1	62 kΩ ½ W resistor Marked JP1 on the drawing, in series with R13.
1	10 nF 1 kV capacitor C4.
1	100 kΩ 2 W resistor R12.
1	EG01C diode D1.
—	C11, marked NC Not fitted, so it is not on the parts list. Drawn as it is on the source.
1	Transformer 28-8258 T1. Only the pins on the primary and the auxiliary winding are drawn.
1	ERA91 diode D2.
1	56 Ω ½ W resistor R5.
1	18 V zener diode D3.
1	20 kΩ resistor R10.
1	0.22 µF capacitor C8.
1	560 pF capacitor C5.
1	0.1 µF capacitor C9.
1	47 µF 10 V electrolytic C10.
1	FA5317 controller M1.
1	22 Ω ½ W resistor R4.
1	P5NA80 MOSFET Q1.
1	0.2 Ω ½ W resistor R3.
1	180 Ω resistor R11.
1	510 Ω resistor R9.
1	1000 pF capacitor C6.
1	100 Ω 2 W resistor R31.
1	100 pF 1 kV capacitor C26.
1	5.1 kΩ 1% resistor R8.
1	750 Ω resistor R6.
1	0.22 µF X7R capacitor C7.
1	P521 optocoupler PI1. Only the transistor side is drawn.

This is the first half of the source drawing only. The secondary outputs, the 3.3 V, 5 V and 12 V rectifiers and the LED side of the optocoupler are not drawn here. CN2 is drawn as a switch on the source. The source marks C11 as NC, which we take as not fitted.

Redrawn by us from the Sega part 837-13570 power supply schematic on Console5.

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.

Dreamcast: Replacement Power Supply (Write-up) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Recommends recapping the original PSU; lists eight PSU revisions with kits and a 68uF/400V C3 note for voltage conversion
Dreamcast Mods Wiki (hub) (Write-up) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Links the general capacitor guide, PSU page and video fixes
Dreamcast: Model Differences (VA0, VA1, VA2) (Write-up) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Identify your board first; no cap information on this page. Content credited to io55.net and albalog
Sega Dreamcast VA0 NTSC-J: GDEMU, recap and dummy load mod (Write-up) by hitmanmcc. Full recap on motherboard, PSU and optical drive board with photos; no values

Dreamcast VA0 main board

Eleven capacitors. CE303 and CE304 are marked BP on Console5's list, which means bipolar (non-polarised). Use bipolar parts there.

Part	Value	Volts	Type
CE301	10 µF	16 V	check your board
CE303 Bipolar (BP) on Console5's list.	10 µF	10 V	check your board
CE304 Bipolar (BP) on Console5's list.	10 µF	10 V	check your board
CE305	22 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE306	22 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE308	47 µF	16 V	check your board
CE309 Console5 says 25 V is OK.	4.7 µF	35 V	check your board
CE310	10 µF	16 V	check your board
CE401	220 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE403	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE503	47 µF	25 V	check your board

Dreamcast VA1 main board 837-13778 (IC BD Katana Main VA1)

Sixteen capacitors. CE303 and CE304 are bipolar (BP).

Part	Value	Volts	Type
CE103	47 µF	16 V	check your board
CE301	10 µF	16 V	check your board
CE302	10 µF	16 V	check your board
CE303 Bipolar (BP) on Console5's list.	10 µF	10 V	check your board
CE304 Bipolar (BP) on Console5's list.	10 µF	10 V	check your board
CE305	22 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE306	22 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE307	100 µF	16 V	check your board
CE308	47 µF	16 V	check your board
CE309 Console5 says 25 V is OK.	4.7 µF	35 V	check your board
CE310	10 µF	16 V	check your board
CE401	220 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE403	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE503	47 µF	25 V	check your board
CE601	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board

Dreamcast VA2.1 main board

Twenty-five capacitors, the longest of the three main lists. CE303 and CE304 are bipolar (BP).

Part	Value	Volts	Type
CE103	47 µF	16 V	check your board
CE301	10 µF	16 V	check your board
CE302	10 µF	16 V	check your board
CE303 Bipolar (BP) on Console5's list.	10 µF	10 V	check your board
CE304 Bipolar (BP) on Console5's list.	10 µF	10 V	check your board
CE305	22 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE306	22 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE307	100 µF	16 V	check your board
CE308	47 µF	16 V	check your board
CE309 Console5 says 25 V is OK.	4.7 µF	35 V	check your board
CE310	10 µF	16 V	check your board
CE401	220 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE403	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE601	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE701	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE801	100 µF	16 V	check your board
CE802	100 µF	16 V	check your board
CE803	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE804	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE805	100 µF	16 V	check your board
CE806	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE807	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
CE808	100 µF	16 V	check your board
CE809	47 µF	25 V	check your board

Dreamcast controller interface / battery board

One capacitor. Console5 includes it in its VA0, VA1 and VA2.1 kits.

Part	Value	Volts	Type
CE1	47 µF	16 V	check your board

Dreamcast GD-ROM board XU937

Eight capacitors. Console5 includes the GD-ROM boards in its main board kits.

Part	Value	Volts	Type
C2	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C3	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C10	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C14	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C17	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C20	100 µF	16 V	check your board
C61	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C122	100 µF	16 V	check your board

Dreamcast GD-ROM board XV779 / KS-7S

Console5 lists C510 as empty.

Part	Value	Volts	Type
C10	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C14	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C17	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C20	100 µF	16 V	check your board
C61	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C127	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C203	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C205	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C509	100 µF	16 V	check your board
C511	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board

Dreamcast GD-ROM board 171-8129A

Eleven capacitors.

Part	Value	Volts	Type
C10	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C14	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C17	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C20	100 µF	16 V	check your board
C61	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C127	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C203	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C205	47 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C509	100 µF	16 V	check your board
C513	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C520	100 µF	6.3 V	check your board

Dreamcast power supply (110 V) 171-7874A, 171-7874A-X1, 171-7874B

Mains-voltage supply. The big primary capacitor can hold a dangerous charge, so only work on it if you know how to discharge it safely. Console5 says this looks like the initial release version, paired more often with VA0 boards.

Part	Value	Volts	Type
C3	100 µF	200 V	check your board
C10	47 µF	35 V	check your board
C13	1000 µF	25 V	check your board
C16	220 µF	25 V	check your board
C17	2200 µF	10 V	check your board
C20	1500 µF	6.3 V	check your board
C21	2200 µF	10 V	check your board
C22	470 µF	10 V	check your board

Dreamcast power supply (110 V) 171-7874B-X2, 171-7962A, 171-7962A-X1, 171-7970A, 171-7970A-X2

Mains-voltage supply. The big primary capacitor can hold a dangerous charge, so only work on it if you know how to discharge it safely. Console5 calls this the more common revision, usually found with VA1 and VA2.1.

Part	Value	Volts	Type
C3	100 µF	200 V	check your board
C10	47 µF	35 V	check your board
C52	470 µF	35 V	check your board
C53	470 µF	16 V	check your board
C54	2200 µF	10 V	check your board
C56	470 µF	10 V	check your board
C58	3300 µF	10 V	check your board
C59	1000 µF	10 V	check your board

Dreamcast power supply (220-240 V) 171-7960A, PWR UNIT PANA EU V01, ETXSE239E2C

Mains-voltage supply. The big primary capacitor can hold a dangerous charge, so only work on it if you know how to discharge it safely. Console5 says C301 is 35 V on some units, and 25 V is a safe replacement.

Part	Value	Volts	Type
C006	47 µF	400 V	check your board
C101	1800 µF	16 V	check your board
C103	1200 µF	10 V	check your board
C201	1800 µF	16 V	check your board
C204	470 µF	16 V	check your board
C301 35 V on some units. 25 V is a safe replacement.	1000 µF	25 V	check your board
C302	1000 µF	25 V	check your board

Shopping list

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

21 x 100 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
12 x 47 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
12 x 100 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
8 x 10 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
6 x 10 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
6 x 22 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
6 x 47 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
3 x 4.7 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
3 x 47 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
3 x 220 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
3 x 1000 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
3 x 2200 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
2 x 47 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
2 x 100 µF, 200 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
2 x 470 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
2 x 470 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
2 x 1800 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
1 x 47 µF, 400 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
1 x 220 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
1 x 470 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
1 x 1000 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
1 x 1200 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
1 x 1500 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
1 x 3300 µF, 10 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.

Skip the sourcing

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

While you are in there

Need the machine itself?: Amazon · eBay
A box of spare capacitors: Amazon · eBay

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

Step by step

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.