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computer motherboard capacitor repair

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luke9511

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first off i want to say hello to everyone, im new here and i hope you can help me with my problem :), im a computer nerd and have alot of old computers and parts and my uncle gave me a computer motherboard that was made back in 2000 or 2001 or something like that,

and i hooked it up and tried to run it and it wouldnt work or show anything on screen etc, upon looking closer i found that 5 capacitors were blown and leaking,

now i have removed them and cleaned up the old solder, but now i need to know how to clean up the residue from the blown capacitors and also where can i get replacements?

i tried radioshack but the didnt have the ones i need in the right size, they had 4700uf 6.3v but they were way to big, so any help with these questions would be awesome, thanks in advqance
 
first off i want to say hello to everyone, im new here and i hope you can help me with my problem :), im a computer nerd and have alot of old computers and parts and my uncle gave me a computer motherboard that was made back in 2000 or 2001 or something like that,

and i hooked it up and tried to run it and it wouldnt work or show anything on screen etc, upon looking closer i found that 5 capacitors were blown and leaking,

now i have removed them and cleaned up the old solder, but now i need to know how to clean up the residue from the blown capacitors and also where can i get replacements?

i tried radioshack but the didnt have the ones i need in the right size, they had 4700uf 6.3v but they were way to big, so any help with these questions would be awesome, thanks in advqance

Hi there, and welcome to the forum.

First, a couple of hints which will help you get useful answers faster (we're a bunch who like information!):

It would help a lot if you said what size you actually need. Otherwise we're shooting in the dark.

It would also help if you filled in the location information in your User CP (look for the link near the top left-hand side of pages on the forum) so we know where we might send you. There are people on this board from almost every continent. Not aware of any Antarcticans here but I think we cover the others. :)

That said, you said 'Radio Shack' so I'm going to figure you're probably in the United States. Try going to https://www.digikey.com and typing "4700uF 6.3V" into the Keywords search box and click Go. That will take you to a form where you can set more search terms. Only select terms in the list boxes which you need and ignore the others. Then click the "Apply Filters" button.

You can also search on https://www.digikey.com and https://www.mouser.com if you want to compare prices and shipping rates etc.


Good luck!

Torben
 
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Hi there, and welcome to the forum.

First, a couple of hints which will help you get useful answers faster (we're a bunch who like information!):

It would help a lot if you said what size you actually need. Otherwise we're shooting in the dark.

It would also help if you filled in the location information in your User CP (look for the link near the top left-hand side of pages on the forum) so we know where we might send you. There are people on this board from almost every continent. Not aware of any Antarcticans here but I think we cover the others. :)

That said, you said 'Radio Shack' so I'm going to figure you're probably in the United States. Try going to Digi-Key Corporation - USA Home Page and typing "4700uF 6.3V" into the Keywords search box and click Go. That will take you to a form where you can set more search terms. Only select terms in the list boxes which you need and ignore the others. Then click the "Apply Filters" button.

You can also search on https://www.digikey.com and Mouser Electronics - Electronic Component Distributor if you want to compare prices and shipping rates etc.


Good luck!

Torben

thanks for the reply and the welcome!! also sorry for not doing my profile i just have gotten to the point where i join so many forums i just hate doing it, but i fixed it to help better, to answer your question about size i not sure what size they are lol, but if i had to guess maybe one quarter inch high or long depending on if its standing or laying on its side, i will try to get a picture of it to help better and thanks again
 
Unfortunatly several blown capacitors of the same size and or voltage rating on a computer can be a strong indicator that the voltge they normaly ran at went way high. 6.3 Volts capacitors are on the 5 volt ad 3.3 volt rails and most 6.3 volt capacitors can take 8 to 10 volts for a short duration before going up in smoke!.
If either rail voltage went high enough and long enough to pop that many capacitors it also took out most of the logic circuits too!

Bet your board is dead! Sorry.
 
Unfortunatly several blown capacitors of the same size and or voltage rating on a computer can be a strong indicator that the voltge they normaly ran at went way high. 6.3 Volts capacitors are on the 5 volt ad 3.3 volt rails and most 6.3 volt capacitors can take 8 to 10 volts for a short duration before going up in smoke!.
If either rail voltage went high enough and long enough to pop that many capacitors it also took out most of the logic circuits too!

Bet your board is dead! Sorry.

well while i was waiting for replys i was doing some research on this motherboard to see what kind of ram it had etc and found this **broken link removed** apparently there was a formula stolen for caps and alot of motherboards got a batch of bad caps mine included so im hoping thats the reason why its happening though i have noticed other caps bulging a little bit so i may have to replace about 14 others but we will see once i get replacements
 
Unfortunatly several blown capacitors of the same size and or voltage rating on a computer can be a strong indicator that the voltge they normaly ran at went way high. 6.3 Volts capacitors are on the 5 volt ad 3.3 volt rails and most 6.3 volt capacitors can take 8 to 10 volts for a short duration before going up in smoke!.
If either rail voltage went high enough and long enough to pop that many capacitors it also took out most of the logic circuits too!

Bet your board is dead! Sorry.

As the OP has already posted, this is most likely not true, huge numbers of motherboards were made using faulty capacitors, it's a VERY common problem. Replacing the bulging capacitors normally produces a 100% cure - and has in all those I've done.
 
Just going by what I have seen in my field of expertise. I dont do much with PC stuff.
Hope for the OP your right.
 
That 4700uf 6.3v capacitor comes near the processor.My caps burned due to excess heat generating by the processor.I replaced the caps with local ones but couldn't solved.

My latest design motherboard comes with Polymer Aluminum Solid Capacitors which is more durable to heat.And its a key option highlighted in motherboard manuals "Solid capacitors design in CPU VRM"
 
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to answer your question about size i not sure what size they are lol, but if i had to guess maybe one quarter inch high or long depending on if its standing or laying on its side, i will try to get a picture of it to help better and thanks again

erm... don't you know how to use a ruler ??? a piture won't help alot as your talking very specific if its a motherboard
 
problem is i dont have a ruler and payday aint til tomorrow but i also stated in another reply that i think its about one quarter in length
 
Use a dime for scale.
 
problem is i dont have a ruler and payday aint til tomorrow but i also stated in another reply that i think its about one quarter in length

ok but hec not a ruler in the house ? as suggested you could use another object of known and recognised size to give us a reference (after all thats all a ruler is), if it were me I'd be using a caliper
 
im so broke right now i dont have a penny or a dime lol, im almost out of gas right now in my car
That's because you live in Tennessee.We are all broke in Tennessee
 
this pic is not good but i would say it's what your looking for
 

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im so broke right now i dont have a penny or a dime lol, im almost out of gas right now in my car

well aledgedly you've just been paid, sure you've got the money for the caps ?
 
yes that pic looks like it thanks for that :), and yes i do have money to buy them but right now im trying to find a local place that sells them before i go online :), and yes we are all broke in tennessee

EDIT: forgot to add that i managed to clean up the area on the motherboard where the caps had leaked but there is some that wont come off like its caked on or something would it be ok for it to stay there?
 
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Probably not, if it's electrolyte high humidity may make it conductive enough to disturb the system.
 
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