Xbox:Capacitor Replacement
Between 1999 and 2007 a miscopied formula of capacitor electrolytes caused a 'higher-than-expected' failure rates in what's now known as the 'capacitor plague'. The elektrolyte caused corrosion and gas generation.[1].
If the elektrolyte leaks over the motherboard it can cause damage to the underlying traces, which can be hard to repair. This seems to happen particularily often with the clock capacitor, make sure to mitigate the potential issues of the clock capacitor before continuing with this guide.
Failing capacitors can cause varying issues in stability for the system or even prevent it from booting. And many original xboxes are ~20 years old, so even 'good' capacitors should be considered to be replaced.
Do note that some capacitors may leak from the bottom and could look fine initially, but still cause damage. Any capacitor of which the top is bulging or leaking should be removed and replaced as soon as possible. Though the 'white goo' which is mostly around the power supply, is intentional / factory default to dampen vibrations and should not be removed.
Basics
Polymer vs 'wet' capacitors:
Polymer capacitors have a solid electrolyte and typically have better service life than non-solid capacitors and do not burn or explode in case of shorts (though they will fail less obviously).[2] The downsides of 'polymer' capacitors are that they're generally more expensive, have a higher leakage current and are damageable by transients and higher voltages spikes.[3] Generally, it is recommended to stick to the original type for stability of the console. But in case you're absolutely worried about motherboard damage (by leaking/burning) or want the highest service life, you may consider polymer capacitors.
Capacitance:
The capacitance (uF) should be the same (or really close), for a 3300uF capacitor, you may get away by using 2x 1500uF capacitors in parallel but depending on the location on the board you may need to get creative to connect them both.
Rated voltage:
When choosing a capacitor, make sure the rated voltage (V) is the same or more than the original capacitor. The voltage on a capacitor indicates how much volts it can handle, not what it outputs. You can use a 16V capacitor instead of a 10V capacitor, but not the other way around. Technically higher voltage rating is better but maximizing it is not important.
Equivalent series resistance:
mOhms refers to impedance. Generally, lower is better, but there's rare exceptions. VRM capacitors must be low impedance similar to the originals.
Ripple current:
Ripple current is the fluctuation of current as a component draws/stops drawing power. With rated ripple current, higher is always better.
Capacitor lifetime:
A capacitors lifetime is measured in hours at given temperature. Higher temperature ratings are always recommended as the capacitor will last longer at hotter temps.
Brands
Any capacitor may (temporarily) work, but in case you're looking to extend the lifetime of your console significantly, it may be worth to purchase capacitors from a commonly known brand.
There's a list of brands on Wikipedia and usually, any brand that can be purchased from a trusted components store is trusted.
A sample of these brands (as an indication) and some names that are commonly used in xbox capacitor replacements are:
- AVX
- Chemi-con
- KEMET
- Nichicon
- Panasonic
- Rubycon
- Vishay
- Würth
And besides this any known brand such as 'Samsung', 'Hitachi' or 'TDK' should be fine.
You may find cheaper brands, not on the list and they may work (temporarily) but they may not work 10 or even 20+ years.
Also check the 'stores' section, as buying a specific brand from an 'untrusted' could result in buying 'counterfeit'/'fake' capacitors.
Consolemods.org is not affiliated with any brand, this list can be edited by the community and it's up to community consensus to add/remove brands.
Stores
Even when buying a 'known brand' capacitor, it's still worth to buy from a trusted store. Since if the store buys their stock directly from the manufacturer, it's less likely to contain counterfeit products.
Here's a list of commonly used component sellers, but depending on location there may be better options.
| Name | Remarks |
|---|---|
| Digikey | $22 shipping on orders <$60 |
| Farnell | £9.99 shipping on orders <£40 |
| Mouser | |
| RS-Online | Free shipping on >£50 (ex VAT) |
| Console5 | 'Kits' available with required capacitors, but these can be of varying brands/quality. |
There may be stores (like Aliexpress or Amazon) that sell capacitors for cheaper or offer no shipping costs, but their stock may come from other markets instead of directly from the manufacturer and could contain counterfeit products.
Consolemods.org is not affiliated with any brand or store, also, this list can be edited by the community and it's up to community consensus to add/remove brands/stores.
Required capacitors
See the list of capacitors per revision.
These are all the unique values from the list of capacitors with suggested part numbers. After finding a store that sells these, you can edit the amount to match the list of capacitors per revision.
- 10uF 16V
- 22uF 25V
- 47uF 16V
- 100uF 25V
- 680uF 16V
- 1500uF 6.3V
(Polymer) Chem-Con APSC6R3ETD152MJB5S 10 mOhms 15000 hrs@105C 5.56A ripple current (Polymer) Wurth Elektronik 870235175008 7 mOhms 5000 hrs@105C 6.64A ripple current (Polymer) Panasonic 6SEPC1500M 0 mOhms 5000 hrs@105C 5.56A ripple current Panasonic EEU-FM0J152 19 mOhms 5000 hrs @105C 2.1A ripple current Chem-Con EKZE6R3ELL152MJ20S Nichicon UHD0J152MPD 23 mOhms 4000 hrs @105C 1.82A ripple current
- 1500uF 16V
- 3300uF 6.3V
Panasonic EEU-FM1A332 15 mOhms 7000 hrs @105C 3.19A ripple current 10V Rubycon 10ZLJ3300M12.5X25 19mOhms 10000 hrs @105C 3.2A ripple current 10V Nichicon UHW0J332MPD 17mOhms 10000 hrs @105C 2.9A ripple current 6.3V Kemet ESY338M010AL4AA 18mOhms 5000 hrs @105C 2.77A ripple current 10V
- 3300uF 10V
Tools
The only main requirement is a (adjustable temperature) soldering iron and 'soldering tin' and something to remove the solder from the holes (i.e. desoldering pump or desoldering wick).
Besides this, 'brass wool' can be used for cleaning the tip of the soldering iron.
Replacing
Avoid pulling hard on the components, you could pull the copper off the PCB, which can be tedious to repair.
Make sure to pre-tin the tip of your soldering iron so that it makes better contact with the connections on the board.
Slightly pull on the capacitor while heating the connections on the underside of the board, alternate between the two legs of the capacitor to slowly move it out.
If the solder cannot be properly removed from the hole, you may try heating it from te backside while pushing the leg of the capacitor into the hole.
After soldering, clean the tip of the soldering iron by rubbing it through the 'brass wool', put some fresh solder on it and then remove the exces with the brass wool. The tip of your soldering iron should be 'shiny' even after cooled down, to protect it from getting dirty/rusting.
Sources
Notes
- Thanks to 'Nucken Futz' on xbox reddit for initial list of replacement capacitors.
- Regarding polymer, also see the discussion under 'Full solid state recap'