Recap guide

Recap the Macintosh II

We have no capacitor list or tips of our own for it yet.

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

Difficulty: Not rated yet

Where to start

We did not find a clear list of what fails first on this machine, so we are not guessing. Read the guides below, check the board for leaks, and replace what you can see.

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.

• Apple Macintosh Service Guide - Macintosh II, IIx, and IIfx (Service manual)
• Apple Technical Procedures - Macintosh II (Service manual)

All 2 documents for Macintosh II in the library

Macintosh II logic board 820-0163-02 (axial capacitors)

The early board with axial capacitors.

Macintosh II logic board 820-0228-A (surface-mount capacitors)

The later board with surface-mount capacitors, so the parts are SMD types.

Macintosh IIcx logic board 820-0230-B

Fifteen capacitors.

Macintosh IIfx logic board 820-0282B

Console5 lists the first capacitor with no reference number.

Astec AA13780 power supply

Electrolytics only. C13 is a safety capacitor (0.022 uF, X-class), which Console5 replaces, and some boards have metallized paper RIFA parts there. C23 is a 22 uF 16 V OS-CON that Console5 lists for reference only and does not include in its kit. Mains power supply: unplug it and let it discharge first.

Astec AA15830 power supply

Electrolytics only. Console5 also lists several metallized paper X and Y class safety capacitors (0.22, 0.1 and 0.047 uF X-class, and 4700 and 3300 pF Y-class) and says Astec changed back and forth between paper and poly, so not all of them are paper. Mains power supply: unplug it and let it discharge first.

Astec AA15831 power supply

Electrolytics only. The Y-class safety capacitors (4700, 3300 and 1000 pF, 250 V, some on the AC plug board) are separate parts. Mains power supply: unplug it and let it discharge first.

Sony CR-45 (68-1073-5), CR-45M main board 1-621-969-11

The Sony CR-45 supply is three boards. This is the main board; the riser and the CR-45S board follow. Mains power supply: unplug it and let it discharge first.

Sony CR-45 riser board CR-45C (also on the CR-45S supply)

Four capacitors.

Sony CR-45 board CR-45S 1-621-967-11

Five capacitors.

Sony CR-45S (68-1089-3) / Apple 699-0389 main board

Console5 says at least two sticker styles exist for this supply: one with the 68-1089 number and one with only the Apple 699-0389. Mains power supply: unplug it and let it discharge first.

Sony CR-45S (68-1089-3) 45S9 board

Four 100 uF parts, plus a 2.2 uF 50 V part that Console5 says is fitted directly on IC303 (not in this list).

High Resolution Display video card 630-4222 / 630-4230

Nine capacitors.

IIfx power supply 1 (13 parts)

From oldcrap.org's list for the IIfx, noted from the original parts. The two 10000 uF 6.3 V parts are the big ones.

IIfx power supply 2 (4 parts)

From oldcrap.org's list, under the heading Power Supply 2.

IIfx power supply 3 (5 parts)

From oldcrap.org's list, under the heading Power Supply 3. One ref is not given on the list.

IIfx logic board (8 parts)

From oldcrap.org's list. The 470 uF and 220 uF parts are shown as "EL or SMD", so check which type your board has. The list gives each ref twice (for example C221/C47), probably for two board revisions.

Shopping list

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

• 49 x 47 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 17 x 470 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 13 x 100 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 11 x 10 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 8 x 2200 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 7 x 47 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 7 x 1000 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 5 x 10 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 5 x 220 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 1 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 2.2 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 470 µF, 200 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 680 µF, 250 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 10000 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 4.7 µF, 400 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 4700 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 0.47 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 4.7 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 4.7 µF, 250 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 22 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 220 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 780 µF, 400 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 820 µF, 200 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 1000 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 1500 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 2200 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 2200 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 2200 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 8200 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 4.7 µF, 100 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 10 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 22 µF, 100 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 47 µF, 100 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 100 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 100 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 180 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 1500 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 15000 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.

• Macintosh II Later Revision SMD Tantalum And Axial Main PCB Cap Kit 820 0228 A
• Macintosh Iici SMD Tantalum Main PCB Cap Kit 820 0242 A
• Macintosh Iifx SMD Tantalum And Axial Main PCB Cap Kit 820 0282 B
• Macintosh II Power Supply Cap Kit Astec AA13780 699 0389
• Macintosh Astec AA15830 Power Supply Cap Kit Mac Iici 699 0392
• Macintosh Astec AA15831 Power Supply Cap Kit Mac Iici
• Macintosh II Power Supply Sony Cr 45 68 1073 5 Cap Kit
• Macintosh II Power Supply Cap Kit Sony Cr 45S 68 1089 03
• Macintosh Nubus High Resolution Display Video Card Tantalum Cap Kit 630 4222 630 4230

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
• Macintosh II on the timeline