Just found out how many old game consoles fail from one specific capacitor type

I was watching a repair video for a Sega Genesis and the guy said over 70% of the failures he sees are from the same small surface mount capacitor, the 2200uF one near the power input. He said he buys them in packs of a hundred because he replaces them so often. I checked a few boards I have lying around from jobs, and sure enough, three out of four had that exact cap bulging or leaking. It's wild that one cheap part can take out so many systems. Has anyone else noticed this being the main culprit for a specific piece of gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

troy_scott11d ago

It's like that capacitor is the designated scapegoat for every Sega Genesis! You almost have to admire its dedication to causing chaos. I bet the factory that made them is still wondering why they got such a huge repeat order for that one part.

kelly.daniel11d ago

Wow, that's crazy. I mean, does anyone know why that exact cap fails so much more than the others on the board? Just a bad batch from the factory or something?

terry_barnes10d ago

Yeah, it's like the factory's one bad day got shipped out over and over. I feel you, @kelly.daniel, my old Genesis is probably held together by hope and that one cranky cap.