Mainboard cap replacement service references

[ranchhand]

My sis-in-law's computer has 5 bad capacitors and won't boot any more. Other than that it is a really great machine. I have heard vague rumors of services that will replace caps if I pull the mobo and send it to them. I have replaced caps on my LCD TV, but these are a lot smaller and I am a bit nervous about it. Has anyone used a service to replace caps that he can recommend?

[ranchhand]

Just in case anyone is interested, I found a pretty reputable place: http://www.badcaps.net/ In any event, its a good read and he even tutorials how to do it yourself.

[Des]

Honestly, at a minimum of $85 a motherboard I would find a board on Ebay that uses your processor/memory and coax a few more years out of an old system.
Personally, I would consider it a sign from the motherboard gods that I need to upgrade my stuff.

It is an interesting site though.

--dES

[ranchhand]

Thanks for the reply, I understand your point of view. This was a high-end unit that was fast and stable, with a high-end video card (for that time). Yes, I could save a few bucks and take a chance with E-Bay. For a few bucks more I know for sure what is wrong with this board will be fixed and I don´t know anything about one I would buy from an unknown person. I would really like to replace the caps myself, would be a fun project. However, I have an immediate need for this unit and would rather experiment with a less valuable one later. Thanks...

[teodz1984]

GOOD LUCK with your DIY repair... Hope you have better luck with me...

Even if you fixed the 5 bad capacitors, you would never know if the damage went beyond just those electric components....
Worst comes to worst when the damage reaches the chipset ,bios, CPU, etc...

I had a similar experience... with just 3 bad capacitors on my MOBO and lost pratically VIDEO, AUDIO, LAN... After replaceing the busted CAPS, VIDEO, AUDIO, LAN were still whacked out. I also invested in separate cards just to replace what was lost on the on-board... After 6 months of use as a server (on 24/7) , the BOARD was dead.... and took with it the brand new HARD DISK which was connected to it.
I eventually bought a more PC to replace it and I never looked backed at the loss...

I guess we should not get attached with what we have... heheh. PC are never exceptions to MURPHY"S LAW ["If anything can go wrong, it will"] ... They all break down at some point in time.

[MJA]

caps are cheap .I bought good brand name from digikey.com .give it a try.nothing to loose sice u have a dead motherboard anyways

I got few tips from this site

http://www.badcaps.net/forum/

[turk690]

I replace bad caps on mobos now and then. I may or may not get money out of it. All major electrolytic caps on a mobo have to be replaced, not just the ones that appear bulged. http://www.badcaps.net/ mean well, but as I have experienced, showing people (even some electronic professionals) how to do it is hit-or-miss. This is a delicate job whose finer points can only be honed from having done it hundreds, if not thousands of times; not on your precious mobo for the 1st time anyway. I personally can get by on my 0.8mm tip controlled iron and solder braid with 60/40 or 97/3 Pb-free; some have to go the whole hog and use a dedicated desoldering station. Some can just about burn and butcher the mobo any way they approach it, so I have to do it instead. Then there is the matter of in about 5% of the cases, there is damage other than the bad caps themselves (assuming they were correctly replaced) that still prevent the wretched mobo from booting. Good sleuthing and troubleshooting techniques, with a handy magnifying glass can sometimes save the day (cold-soldered connectors, etc), but if still not successful, at some point, you have to consider getting a new x79 mobo...