Recap guide

Recap the Sony PlayStation (PS1)

Capacitor lists for several PlayStation board revisions live in the same community repository.

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

Difficulty: Easy to Medium

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.

• PU-7 (1994 to Nov 1995; SCPH-1000, early 1001/1002/3000/3500) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Three pots on the board (RV701, RV704, RV705) and pads for an S-Video port; made early Nov 1995 or before. Capacitors: No cap list found for this board. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• PU-8 (late 1995 to mid 1998; SCPH-1001/1002/3000/3500/5000) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Made late Nov 1995 on, with S-Video removed and three pots (RV701, RV702, RV704). Capacitors: No cap list found for this board. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• PU-18 (1997-1998; SCPH-550x, 5552, early 700x/750x) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Smaller board with one pot (RV703) and a 5-pin power supply connector. Capacitors: norly keeps a separate cap list for PU-18. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• PU-20 (Apr-Aug 1998; SCPH-700x) (Medium confidence). How to tell: No parts on the bottom side and a single CD chip. Capacitors: norly keeps a separate cap list for PU-20. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• PU-22 (Aug 1998 to May 1999; SCPH-750x, early 900x) (Medium confidence). How to tell: No potentiometers and an integrated SPU and CD DSP chip. Capacitors: norly keeps a separate cap list for PU-22. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• PU-23 (May 1999 to Aug 2000; SCPH-900x) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Parallel port removed and still no pots. Capacitors: norly keeps a separate cap list for PU-23. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• PM-41 / PSone (2000-2004; SCPH-100) (Medium confidence). How to tell: Serial port removed and no pots; this is the PSone board. Capacitors: ConsoleMods names C550 and C551 (220 uF 4V near the AV out) and C705 on the PSone, and says a higher voltage or tantalum is fine for C550/C551. 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.

• No or garbled picture (PSone) (Medium confidence). ConsoleMods says that on a PSone with no video you should replace C550 and C551 (220uF 4V, near the AV output). It says a higher voltage or a tantalum is fine. These references are for the PSone only. Source
• Discs not read (PSone) (Medium confidence). On a PSone that will not recognize PS1 discs, ConsoleMods says to replace C705. 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: Sync on luma trouble, C551 replaced earlier (Low confidence). On a Shmups thread a modded PSone gave bad sync over SCART where an unmodified PS1 was fine, with C550 and C551 (220uF) discussed and a taped through-hole cap found in place of C551 from an earlier modder. A reply said to recap fully rather than swap one or two parts. Source
• Watch out: Wrong-voltage PSU blew the main filter cap (Medium confidence). A Hitman's Museum log on an NTSC-J PS1 records the PSU main filter cap venting after a PAL supply with a different mains voltage was mixed in, and only that cap needed replacing. The same log restored a corroded power switch with isopropyl, a fiberglass pen and DeoxIT. Source
• Watch out: Tall caps in the power board (Low confidence). A diyAudio thread on an audio-quality PSX recap used 105C Nichicons on the power board and reported a 2200uF 10V part was too tall to fit. Low-ESR high-voltage parts were also hard to source. Source
• Watch out: No video after a mod, not the caps (Medium confidence). A Hitman's Museum NTSC-J PS1 log lists no video after a recap because a mis-wired mod board had shorted the 3.5V rail and blown the PS604 fuse. If a recapped PS1 has no video, check fuses and recent wiring before blaming the new caps. Source
• Story: ESR readings on the disc-read caps (Low confidence). On a Shmups thread about slim-console disc read failures, one poster measured ESR on a failing PS1 and reported C738 at 5.5 ohms, C705 at 17.5 ohms and C731 above 20 ohms, all near the DSP and servo chip. They said they were unsure what the spec is for old SMD caps, so treat it as a data point only. Source
• Story: Left channel missing after replacing DAC-area caps (Low confidence). An iFixit asker on an SCPH-1000 with no left audio replaced all electrolytics around the AKM DAC and even swapped in a known-good DAC with no change. The only reply was a link to a schematic, so audio faults may lie elsewhere in the circuit. Source
• Watch out: Cross-check any community list (Medium confidence). The same repository covers PU-18, PU-20, PU-22 and PU-23 and carries a no-warranty note, with the author asking users to validate against other sources. Use it as a starting point, not the final word. Source

Before you start

• PS1 boards changed a lot. Find your board code (such as PU-8 or SCPH-7001) before you buy.

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.

• Sony PlayStation SCPH-7500 Service Manual (Incomplete) (Service manual)
• Sony PlayStation Service Manual - SCPH-5500-5501-5502-5503 PU-18 (Service manual)
• Sony PlayStation Service Manual - SCPH-9000 - PU-23 (3rd Ed) (Service manual)
• Sony PSone SCPH-100 5th Edition (Service manual)

All 4 documents for Sony PlayStation (PS1) 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.

• capacitor-lists (List) by norly on GitHub. A repository of capacitor lists. Read the license in the repository before copying values.

PU-7 main board (SCPH-1000 to 3000 era)

Thirty-eight capacitors. Many are the same few values, so buy 10 uF 16 V and 220 uF 4 V in quantity.

PU-8 main board

This is the post -11 revision cap map. Console5 marks a few positions as empty on this board, so count what is fitted before you order.

PU-18 main board (SCPH-5500 to 5503)

Twenty-six capacitors.

PU-20 main board (SCPH-700x)

Nineteen capacitors.

PU-22 main board (SCPH-750x)

Nineteen capacitors.

PU-23 main board (1-674-987-11 through -51)

Console5 says C617 is a tantalum on revisions -11 through -41 and should not be replaced. C611 is empty. C637 is 47 uF on most boards and 220 uF 4 V on revision -51.

Power supply 1-413-997-13, -15 (Panasonic ETXA87C2J, 100 to 120 V)

The power supply holds a dangerous charge in its large primary capacitor. Unplug it and wait before you open it, and if you are not trained to work on mains power, have a professional do this one.

Power supply 1-468-158-11 (Fujitsu KS350, 100 to 120 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first and let it discharge.

Power supply 1-473-380-13 and 1-468-218-11 (Panasonic ETXNY085A1C / ETXNY122A1B, 100 to 120 V)

Console5 says the 1-468-218-11 uses the same list. Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-468-305-11 and 1-468-302-11 (Panasonic ETXNY169, 100 to 120 V)

Console5 says the 302-11 is the same but C003 is 100 uF. Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-473-380-12 (Panasonic ETXNY029A1C, 100 to 120 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-468-365-11, -12 and 1-468-366-11 (Panasonic ETXNY209, 100 to 120 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-468-218-31, -32 (Nichicon ZSSR694MA, 100 to 120 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-468-307-12 (Nichicon ZSSR797MA, 100 to 120 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply Mitsumi SR670 (1-473-381-11, -13; the SR678 and SR679 use this list too)

Console5 sends the SR678 and SR679 boards (1-468-176-23 and 1-468-218-21 to -23) to this list. Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-468-219-12, -13 (Nichicon ZSSR698HA, 220 to 240 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-468-303-11, -12, -13 (Nichicon ZSSR706HA, 220 to 240 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-468-156-11 (Panasonic ETXNY029M1C, 220 to 240 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first.

Power supply 1-468-219-21 (Panasonic ETXNY122E1B, 220 to 240 V)

Mains power supply: unplug first.

PSone PM-41 main board, 1-679-335-11

Twenty capacitors on the first PSone board.

PSone PM-41 main board, 1-679-335-21 through -61 and 6P-172143S11-B2/B3

The same board with fewer capacitors than the first version.

PSone PM-41 (2) main board, 1-679-335-82 / P-161125S-31-71 / P-161125S-41-71

The last PSone board, with thirteen capacitors. C663 is 6.3 V here.

PSone external power supply SCPH-113 (Delta ADP-15YP)

Mains power supply with a 400 V primary capacitor. Unplug it and let it discharge, and leave it to a professional if you are not trained on mains power. Console5 lists the last capacitor with no reference number.

Shopping list

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

• 86 x 10 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 38 x 220 µF, 4 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 20 x 22 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 20 x 47 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 15 x 560 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 13 x 47 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 12 x 100 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 11 x 1 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 8 x 0.47 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 8 x 180 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 6 x 560 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 5 x 100 µF, 4 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 5 x 220 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 2.2 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 47 µF, 400 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 100 µF, 200 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 4 x 120 µF, 200 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 180 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 2.2 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 4.7 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 100 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 120 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 180 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 330 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 820 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 47 µF, 35 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 47 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 82 µF, 400 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 100 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 150 µF, 200 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 330 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 470 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 680 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 1000 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 1000 µF, 6.3 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 2200 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 2200 µF, 10 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.

• Sony Playstation PS1 SMD Cap Kit Rev PU7 PU8
• Sony Playstation PS1 SMD Cap Kit Rev PU18 Pu 18
• Sony Playstation PS1 SMD Cap Kit Rev PU20 Pu 20
• Sony Playstation PS1 SMD Cap Kit Rev PU22 Pu 22
• Sony Playstation PS1 SMD Cap Kit Rev PU23 Pu 23
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Panasonic ETXA87C2J 1 413 997 13 15
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Fujitsu 100V 120V
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Panasonic ETXNY122A1B
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Panasonic ETXNY169A1B
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Panasonic ETXNY029A1C 1 473 380 12
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Nichicon ZSSR694MA 1 468 218 31
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Nichicon ZSSR797MA 1 468 307 12
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Mitsumi 100V 120V
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit Nichicon ZSSR698HA 1 468 219 13
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit 220V 240V Nichicon ZSSR706HA 1 468 303 11
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit 220V 240V Panasonic ETXNY029M1C
• Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit 220V 240V Panasonic ETXNY122E1B
• Sony Playstation PSone SMD Cap Kit
• Sony Playstation PSone Later Revs Pm 41 2 SMD Cap Kit
• Sony Playstation PSone Power Supply Cap Kit Scph 113 Delta

Skip the sourcing

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

While you are in there

• Need the machine itself?: Amazon · eBay
• Games for it: Amazon · eBay
• Save your game: 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
• Sony PlayStation (North America) on the timeline
• Sony PlayStation (Europe) on the timeline
• Sony PlayStation (Japan) on the timeline