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Cap Kits


Jomac

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Quite a few people ask me if I sell cap kits , in short the answer is no , probably for the same reasons you wouldn't go to your motor mechanic and ask for a spark plug kit to hopefully repair every problem your motor could have.

 

If you ever get a chance to look through some of the US arcade forums where this ridiculous "cap kit" term originated you will notice that in just about every post where someone has recommended getting a cap kit the following post will be something like this " I installed the cap kit as suggested and my monitor is still the same or not working at all now"! A prime example in our own forum here http://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php?t=9057 and another http://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/85398-Monitor-issues

Well no surprise here and unfortunately many of these monitors end up on my work bench usually in much worse shape than if they had been left alone.

 

In most cases where the "shotgun" approach has been used ( called shotgun because in reality it is pointing without aiming hoping you will hit the right spot ) the initial fault is masked and much harder to find.

Sure some caps just dry out , these faults are normally displayed as simple vertical fold-over etc but many more caps are damaged because certain parts of the circuit are operating over voltage or out of spec .

 

My advice in 2 parts:

 

1.When is it ok to change caps yourself?

 

A. Only when you know the cap that is causing the fault displayed.

B. When they have obviously leaked from the bottom.

C. When you have been told the exact cap causing the fault and you are competent to replace it yourself.

D. When the cap has obviously exploded from the top

 

When shouldn't you replace Caps yourself?

 

A. When you have no idea which cap is faulty

B. When you have no idea at all what you are doing

C. When someone suggests using a "cap kit" ( because they have no idea either )

D. When Someone says "It might be just caps".

E. When your soldering skills are not good.

F. Before you send to Jomac hoping for a discount because you have just wasted your money on unnecessary caps.

G. After reading on a US forum that a cap kit worked for them and you think why not give it a go hoping it will work for you.

 

 

In summary if you are not sure what you are doing don't do it, some say trying is learning but when it comes to monitors unfortunately all most people learn is that they shouldn't have touched them to begin with .

 

 

Note: Jomac is a business that supplies technical support to the amusement industry and to the private market as time permits, we don't offer repair advice.

 

Hopefully after reading the above your decision should be made easier, you can rest assured if there is any chance your chassis can be restored then Jomac can do it.

If you decide after reading the above that you want to install a cap kit or attempt to repair the chassis yourself keep in mind this decision also removes your option to have it repaired professionally by Jomac.

Edited by Jomac
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Can confirm @Jomac has helped me a lot with some recent issues on a few different monitor and chassis sets.

The support is second to none! There's a reason why Joey has an excellent reputation.
Also, reading the thread and post from above a few years ago - Do people actually ask for a discount in servicing fees because they did a cap kit first?? 😄 😄 😄 wtf

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 02/05/2022 at 7:27 AM, dedmunds said:

Also, reading the thread and post from above a few years ago - Do people actually ask for a discount in servicing fees because they did a cap kit first?? 😄 😄 😄 wtf

Yeah it's happened a lot of times, people generally say well I have changed all the caps so the problem can't be much now !! , in nearly every case caps had nothing to do with the issues they were trying to resolve anyway, then I have to spend more time repairing the crappy install of new caps, more time than if I had to replace them myself.
As most people know I charge a flat rate for most chassis repairs, if that includes me having to change every cap on the chassis it doesn't extra, so trust me if a cap needs changing it's going to be changed, I do everything possible to not have to get chassis back and of course I want you to get back a chassis you are happy with.

There is nothing techs hate hearing more from a customer than " It can't be much " , I usually reply with well you should be able to fix it yourself then!
Cap Kits really are ridiculous, there are heaps of industries that use CRT monitors but it's only the arcade industry where people seem to think a cap kit is something normal or necessary.

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