I know and can easily identify the basic (large) electolytic type caps, easily. But, having found this site wondering why my BP6 was a bit flaky (and a BE6-II also) and having the revelation that some of my other 'bad' hardware could be suspect I figured it was time to start checking.
In this pic, I show a section of a Digital Alpha (22164A, 500MHz RISC) motherboard that decided it didn't like ANY kind of memory anymore (bios beeps out 'no memory' code even if loaded up with approved types). I stored it away for the last couple years (packrat, yes) and went and dug it up and checked it out. I noticed what appears to be a toasted resistor package (by where it's labelled "OUCH!", obviously would repair this first and then retest) and then there are a couple banks of these other type of capacitor and I don't know if they're electolytic in some different casing, or tantalum, or... can someone ID them for me and suggest if they might be bad and causing the memory detection problem? Note the discoloration/watermarking pattern around the right bank of caps... could be drool or something that got on it during the years it's been floating around outside of a case, but I was suspecting electrolyte (if those are electrolytic, and could leak somewhere like the cans)... Also do you recognize the manufaturer logo (assuming that's what the "A" with a flag thing on it is)? Obviously they are 330uf, 6.3V whatever type they are, and the 'banded' end makes me think electolytic...
Then (yes, that's not it, yet) I have a 'dead' old GeForce256 (yeah, prolly not worth fixing, but now I'm back on an even older Voodoo3 3000 so it would be an 'upgrade' if I can make it work again). I had thought the RAMDAC toasted because the symptoms were proper operation, but a very dark and shadowed output with extra dark ghosting/shadowing horizontal bands across the full width of the screen, following 'bright' regions like dragging window around and such - barely legible. But now you have me wondering about caps on it as well, but they are more of a surface mount style:
The cap in question (there is another identical one elsewhere on the board as well) is the silver part, with the numbers paraphrased next to it for legibility... how can I tell what type this is and/or who made it? There were no markings on the sides at all either. It would seem to be a 330uf, 6.3V maybe? The item above it and into which circuit it is connected is a voltage regulator so I'm thinking if the cap went bad that could drop the voltages eventually output to the monitor and thus end up being very 'dark' and difficult to 'lock' onto (basically the problem). Also wondering if the superminiature surface mount types like the one circled could be suspect (but I think those are similar to the ceramic disc style, just surface mount packaged) as there are buttloads of them all over it. Here's another shot of some other type on the same card, similar to the ones on the Alpha board:
Suggestions? And, thanks a metric ton! Can't wait to fix up my BP6 and make it fully happy again (still operates OK, but flakes now and then).
In this pic, I show a section of a Digital Alpha (22164A, 500MHz RISC) motherboard that decided it didn't like ANY kind of memory anymore (bios beeps out 'no memory' code even if loaded up with approved types). I stored it away for the last couple years (packrat, yes) and went and dug it up and checked it out. I noticed what appears to be a toasted resistor package (by where it's labelled "OUCH!", obviously would repair this first and then retest) and then there are a couple banks of these other type of capacitor and I don't know if they're electolytic in some different casing, or tantalum, or... can someone ID them for me and suggest if they might be bad and causing the memory detection problem? Note the discoloration/watermarking pattern around the right bank of caps... could be drool or something that got on it during the years it's been floating around outside of a case, but I was suspecting electrolyte (if those are electrolytic, and could leak somewhere like the cans)... Also do you recognize the manufaturer logo (assuming that's what the "A" with a flag thing on it is)? Obviously they are 330uf, 6.3V whatever type they are, and the 'banded' end makes me think electolytic...
Then (yes, that's not it, yet) I have a 'dead' old GeForce256 (yeah, prolly not worth fixing, but now I'm back on an even older Voodoo3 3000 so it would be an 'upgrade' if I can make it work again). I had thought the RAMDAC toasted because the symptoms were proper operation, but a very dark and shadowed output with extra dark ghosting/shadowing horizontal bands across the full width of the screen, following 'bright' regions like dragging window around and such - barely legible. But now you have me wondering about caps on it as well, but they are more of a surface mount style:
The cap in question (there is another identical one elsewhere on the board as well) is the silver part, with the numbers paraphrased next to it for legibility... how can I tell what type this is and/or who made it? There were no markings on the sides at all either. It would seem to be a 330uf, 6.3V maybe? The item above it and into which circuit it is connected is a voltage regulator so I'm thinking if the cap went bad that could drop the voltages eventually output to the monitor and thus end up being very 'dark' and difficult to 'lock' onto (basically the problem). Also wondering if the superminiature surface mount types like the one circled could be suspect (but I think those are similar to the ceramic disc style, just surface mount packaged) as there are buttloads of them all over it. Here's another shot of some other type on the same card, similar to the ones on the Alpha board:
Suggestions? And, thanks a metric ton! Can't wait to fix up my BP6 and make it fully happy again (still operates OK, but flakes now and then).
Was going to be more of a soldering practice exercise whereas if I melt everything it doesn't matter since it's basically something I should have tossed a while ago. 
, so my question is can I replace it with a through-hole electrolytic capacitor of the same value? Or has someone got a better suggestion?
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