mobo swollen cap

divxdude

Senior member
Mar 21, 2001
791
0
71
soyo FAR microATX board from a couple years back...has a swollen cap and
wont post.

my question is does replacing the cap get it working again?
i mean do people have luck doing it?

also does soyo have warranty more than a year?
 

RebateMonger

Elite Member
Dec 24, 2005
11,586
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Replacing damaged power capapcitors usually gets the board working again. Occasionally, damanged caps will subsequently damage voltage regulators or coils, making the repair much tougher.
 

bruceb

Diamond Member
Aug 20, 2004
8,874
111
106
If you know what you are doing and are very careful you can change the capacitors yourself

You will need the following:

An antistatic mat / worksurface .... An Isolated Tip or Grounded Soldering Iron with a Small Chisel Tip ... A solder suction pump (antistatic)
Fine diameter solder ... A good work light ... Grounding wrist strap ... Tweezer ... Diaganol Cutters

If you can see the leads of the cap, clip it, then use the soldering iron & a tweezer to very carefully remove the remaining piece of wire
Then use the suction tool to clean out the hole ... note the proper polarity, install new part & solder ... whatever you do, do not overheat
the circuit board foils .. be carrful not to damage the usually plated through holes, as most circuit boards are 2 or more layers of foils

 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
Most boards are warranted for three years. I do not know Soyo's policy on this, but I bet you could find it at their website.

Edit: Just checked their website and it's only one year.
 

RebateMonger

Elite Member
Dec 24, 2005
11,586
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Motherboard maker support for bad capacitors has been woeful. It normally takes class-action lawsuits, which are only resolved LONG after the usable life of the motherboards has passed. :(
 

Bassyhead

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2001
4,545
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Advice I have is to very carefully and slowly remove/insert the capacitors. Also, make sure the iron you use is pretty decent. If it's low wattage, it'll take longer to heat up the solder points and actually make the board get hotter than if you used a higher rating iron.