Recap guide

Recap the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive

A plain Genesis is fairly sturdy, and a recap is mostly for sound and picture quality or a leaked cap. The Sega CD and 32X add-ons are the real problem children.

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

Check first. A recap is not always the answer here, so look at the guides before you order parts.

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.

• Model 1 VA0 (1988, Japan) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Small daughterboard (839-0231) carrying the master clock oscillator and logic. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 1 VA1 (1989, Japan) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Integrated 315-5339 chip replaces the VA0 daughterboard. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 1 VA2 (1989) (Medium confidence). How to tell: 315-5345 EDCLK chip; layout differs between Japanese and North American units. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 1 VA3 (1989-1991) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Single consolidated 315-5364 chip for bus arbiter and EDCLK. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 1 VA4 (1989-1992) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Video encoder repositioned and resistor array has a board footprint. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 1 VA5, VA6, VA6.5 (1990-1993) (Medium confidence). How to tell: VA5 has the 315-5402 gate array and jumpers JP5-JP7, VA6 adds the 315-5433 I/O chip, and VA6.5 drops the EXT port and line filters. Capacitors: ConsoleMods groups VA5, VA6 and VA6.5 in one header but gives no cap list. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 1 VA6.8 (1993, PAL only) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Marked V6.8, with an SMD Fujitsu MB3514 encoder replacing the DIP CXA1145P. Capacitors: ConsoleMods notes cap C30 is often left unpopulated; no list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 1 VA7 (1992-1993) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Yamaha FC1004 ASIC, SMD CXA1145 encoder, PLCC 68000, single 7805 and SMD parts on the top side. Capacitors: ConsoleMods says it has SMD components on top; no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 2 VA0 and VA1 (1993-1994) (Medium confidence). How to tell: VA0 has separate VRAM and 68K RAM chips; VA1 uses one of each with big trace changes. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 2 VA1.8 (1994-1996) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Same as VA1 in components and part numbers; some boards have power jack pads. Capacitors: The wiki's only filled list is for the PAL board: 20x 10uF 16V, 7x 47uF 10V, 2x 100uF 10V, 2x 220uF 6.3V and 1x 220uF 16V (32 caps by my sum); mounting style not confirmed. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 2 VA2 and VA2.3 (1994-1996, North America) (Medium confidence). How to tell: VA2 has a discrete YM2612 and a small bodge PCB with a 74HC14; VA2.3 integrates the Schmitt trigger. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 2 VA3 (1994-1996, North America) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Shortened board with a simplified audio section; RF shield does not extend full width. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Model 2 VA4 (1996-1998) (Medium confidence). How to tell: GOAC 315-5960 ASIC, two square cutouts in the shield and a horizontal 7805 using the shield as a heatsink. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Genesis 3 VA1 (1998) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Condensed VA4 with no expansion port, a single LM324 for mono audio and a Sony CXA1645 encoder. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• Genesis 3 VA2 (1998-1999) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Different GOAC (315-6123) with 128 KB combined SDRAM and minimal discrete ICs. Capacitors: ConsoleMods' Replacing Capacitors page has a header for this revision but no cap list filled in. 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.

• Which board do you have (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods has a page for identifying your revision (Model 1 VA0-VA7, Model 2 VA0-VA4, Genesis 3) before you order parts. Source
• Cap lists (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods has a replacing-capacitors page per board, but only the Model 2 VA1.8 PAL list was filled in when we checked. Source
• Audio mod (Medium confidence). A separate page lists cap swaps for sound quality on early Model 2 and VA7 boards. It is a mod, not a general recap. 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: Cutting-out music on a VA6 is not always caps (Low confidence). An owner chasing intermittent music dropouts and stretched sound effects on a Model 1 VA6 was told the cause was how a few games (Sonic Spinball, Earthworm Jim and others named) drive the discrete YM2612, not capacitors. Cleaning the cartridge port fixed most of it. Source
• Story: Static in the sound, later Model 1 (Low confidence). On a Shmups forum thread about static and half-speed Hellfire music on a later Model 1, one poster guessed leaking caps were behind the static. Another noted a different revision had the half-speed music while their Model 1 did not, so revisions behave differently. Source
• Story: VA4 with sound but no video (Low confidence). One Mega Drive VA4 gave sound but no video on RF or AV, even with composite tapped from the video chip. The owner recapped as a precaution with no change, and the thread has no answer, a reminder that unleaked caps are not always the fault. Source
• Watch out: Black screen on two Model 1 units (Low confidence). When two Model 1s both showed only a black screen, replies pointed first at the power supply, dirty or loose cartridge pins and cold joints on the connectors, before capacitors. The poster had mentioned caps as a guess only. Source
• Tip: Lifting SMD electrolytics without ripping pads (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods' general cap guide says to heat both leads of an SMD electrolytic at once with soldering tweezers or ChipQuik, or push and twist until the leads snap, because heating one side at a time risks ripping a pad that leaked fluid has glued down. It suggests 90% isopropyl or vinegar for cleanup and super glue or a wire to repair a lifted pad. Source
• Tip: Tools suggested for Genesis recaps (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods' replacing-capacitors page recommends a flat-tip iron for better board contact, leaded solder as easier and factory-matching, 90% isopropyl for flux and leaked electrolyte, and optionally an ultrasonic cleaner. It has maps for more than the Genesis, including Nomad, CDX, Mega Jet and Wondermega boards, though not every map was filled in when we looked. Source
• Watch out: Audio mod gotchas, VA7 and Model 2 (Medium confidence). The ConsoleMods audio-circuit page says VA7 Model 1 units distort in the headphones above about volume 8, and warns against op-amps with output phase reversal such as the TL074 because one op-amp handles reset. It also says to use ceramics rated 16V or more for decoupling, flux generously, and not force op-amps off with hot air. Source

Before you start

• Boards changed during production. Check your board number against the guides before you order parts.

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.

• Mega Drive Maintenance Manual - PAL-G, August, 1992, Rev. A (Service manual)
• Sega Service Manual - Genesis II - Mega Drive II (PAL-B-I-G, RGB), No 001, June, 1993 (Service manual)
• Sega Service Manual - Genesis II - VA3, No 001-3, August, 1994 (Service manual)
• Sega Service Manual - Genesis, Mega Drive PAL, Mega CD - Sega CD, No 010, April, 1994 (Service manual)
• Sega Service Manual Supplement - Genesis II - Mega Drive II (PAL-B-I-G, RGB), No 001-1, August, 1993 (Service manual)
• Sega Service Manual Supplement - Genesis II - Mega Drive II (PAL-B-I-G, RGB), No 001-2, December, 1993 (Service manual)

All 6 documents for Sega Genesis and Mega Drive in the library

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.

• Genesis: Replacing Capacitors (List) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Has a capacitor list. Page per board (Model 1 VA0-VA7, Model 2 VA0-VA4, Genesis 3, Nomad, CDX, Mega Jet, Wondermega); only the Model 2 VA1.8 PAL list was filled in when checked, others empty
• Genesis: Motherboard Differences (Write-up) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Use it to identify which revision (VA0-VA7, Model 2 VA0-VA4, Genesis 3) you have before ordering parts
• Genesis: Audio Circuit Mod (Step-by-step) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Has a capacitor list. Cap swaps for sound quality on early Model 2 and VA7; not a general recap
• Genesis Mods Wiki (hub) (Write-up) by ConsoleMods Wiki, CC BY. Hub that points to the Console5 Genesis and Nomad cap kits plus audio/video fix pages

Genesis 3 PC board MD3 VA1

Twelve capacitors, numbered CE1 to CE12. Console5 has a separate list for the VA2 board, so read the revision off your board before you order.

Genesis 3 PC board MD3 VA2 (171-7652D)

Eighteen capacitors. The numbering jumps from CE15 to CE17, so there is no CE16 in Console5's list. The chips on this board include the 315-6123, a CXA1645M video encoder and a 7805 regulator.

Genesis / Mega Drive 1 IC board M5 837-6656

36 capacitors on the earliest Genesis 1 board. A small separate board, 839-0231, carries one more (47 uF 10 V).

Genesis / Mega Drive 1 small board 839-0231

One capacitor.

Genesis 1 IC board M5 VA1 837-6832

38 capacitors. Console5 credits this list to a community member (zerohimself). JPx is a jumper-pad position.

Genesis 1 IC board M5 VA2 837-6955

37 capacitors. Console5 notes C84 is empty on this board. This board uses 25 V parts where the others use 16 V.

Genesis 1 IC board M5 USA VA2 837-6992

39 capacitors. Console5 credits this list to a community member (segafan1989). Some VA2 boards may have one more 100 uF part that Console5 has not located, and one report says the parts at C30 and C60 were swapped at the factory. Fit the values listed, not what was on the board.

Genesis 1 IC board M5 USA VA3 837-7071

40 capacitors. The last one, marked BOT, is a 220 uF 6.3 V part Console5 says may be fitted on the underside of the board, attached to VCC (pin 18) of the VRAM.

Mega Drive PAL VA4 171-5872-20

38 capacitors. There is no 837 number on these, just 171-5872-20 etched into the board.

Genesis 1 IC board M5 VA6 / USA VA6

39 capacitors. C86 is on USA boards only.

Genesis 1 PC board M5 USA VA7 (171-6217-11)

31 capacitors, numbered CE1 to CE31. Console5 says the VA7 is basically a Genesis 2 inside a Genesis 1 shell.

Genesis 2 / Mega Drive II PC board MD2 VA0

31 capacitors, numbered CE1 to CE32. The CE14 value depends on which video encoder chip your board has, so look at the chip first.

Genesis 2 PC board MD2 VA1 / VA1.8 (USA)

31 capacitors. This is the VA0 list; only the notes on CE14 differ. Check which video encoder chip your board has.

Genesis 2 PC board MD2 VA2 / VA2.3 (USA)

30 capacitors. Positions CE7 and CE22 are not on Console5's list for this board, and several values differ from VA1, so do not reuse the VA1 list.

Genesis 2 PC board MD2 VA3 (USA, HAL)

23 capacitors. The numbering skips positions that are empty on this board.

Genesis 2 PC board MD2 VA4 (USA)

23 capacitors. Position CE10 is not fitted on this board.

Shopping list

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

• 152 x 10 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 78 x 100 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 63 x 47 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 47 x 47 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 42 x 1 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 21 x 220 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 16 x 10 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 16 x 220 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 10 x 220 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 6 x 10 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 6 x 100 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 2.2 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 10 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 22 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 22 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 330 µF, 6.3 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.

• Sega Genesis IC Series Cap Kit
• Sega Genesis Pc Series 1 Cap Kit
• Power Base Converter Mega Adaptor Master System Converter II Cap Kit
• Sega Genesis 2 Cap Kit VA2 3
• Sega Genesis 2 Cap Kit VA3
• Sega Genesis 2 Cap Kit VA4

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

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
• Sega Genesis (North America) on the timeline
• Sega Mega Drive (Europe) on the timeline
• Sega Genesis Model 2 on the timeline
• Sega Genesis 3 on the timeline