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Author Topic: Trying to repair my A600 :S  (Read 2464 times)

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Offline Castellen

Re: Trying to repair my A600 :S
« on: September 16, 2007, 12:15:53 AM »
Such leaking capacitor problems are fairly common on the A600, 1200, 4000, CD32.
Simply replacing the capacitors is usually not enough.  Often the leaking electrolyte causes vias (the small holes in the PCB which pass signals between PCB layers) to be corroded open circuit.

You can usually see where there might be problems, as the surrounding area will appear dark in colour, or have a "stained" appearance.

I generally begin these kind of repair jobs by removing all affected capacitors, cleaning the board using solderwick and isopropyl alcohol then checking continuity of suspect vias using an ohm-meter.

The guide mentioned above suggests to remove SMD capacitors by twisting them with pliers(!).  Personally I would advise against this method, as the chances of damaging the PCB by lifting pads and tracks is very high.

I've written a guide on correct SMD soldering techniques here.

I've also written guides on repairing open circuit vias as well as other hardware related guides which you might find useful.