Original Xbox Replacement Caps

[Xan03]

0.22µF/50V according to here.

I guess film would be one alternative if one can source the right pitch... and provided the presumably much lower ESR doesn't cause any issues.

[momaka]

Originally Posted by Xan03

I actually went ahead and did some pictures of the PSU, there's some discoloration on the PCB between a diode, resistor and ceramic cap (?), did anyone see that before?

Might be the snubber circuit for the standby PS or perhaps the primary-side auxiliary rail rectifier.

I know on some older Delta PC ATX PSU designs, the primary-side auxiliary rail rectifier diode would discolor like that. Delta typically used a 1N4002 there, which is just a regular diode and not even a fast-recovery type. I haven't seen one fail in an old Delta PSU like that, though. Both my DPS-300KB-1 and slightly newer DPS-300AP-15b had that darkening of the PCB. I tried a more powerful fast-recovery type (FR153) for that diode in both units, but the DPS-300KB did NOT like it at all - its 2-transistor 5VSB circuit started oscillating and screeching badly. The DPS-300AP-15b was OK with that substitution, though.

With that said, I can't really recommend anyone to do the same with this PSU... if that diode even has the same function (I haven't determined that yet - would need more pictures of the top and bottom of the PCB of that area.)

But chances are, the PSU will probably function with that hot diode for many more years. On the other hand, if the caps for the standby circuit go bad, there is a chance that diode could go up in smoke too. So that's probably a good reason to recap those Ltecs if time and budget allows.

Originally Posted by Xan03

By the way, what's the story on those sub-1µF electrolytics? I don't see any Panasonic etc. for sale with such low capacity so I guess you replace them just with whatever is available?

I probably wouldn't even worry about them.
With such a small capacity, their ESR probably hardly matters. GP 105C caps should be fine. Or entry level like Nichicon PW/PM/PS/PJ and Rubycon YXJ are good alternatives to Panny FC (and likely cheaper too.)

Or use film caps, as sjt suggested.

Originally Posted by Xan03

I guess film would be one alternative if one can source the right pitch... and provided the presumably much lower ESR doesn't cause any issues.

It shouldn't.

My guess is they went with electrolytic, because above approximately 0.1 uF, film caps start to get more pricey and a bit too large.

[Armandooooo]

Hi all, I have read through the post and even if there seems to have substitute to the Nichicon HM 3300uF ones proposed, they do not match ESR or ripple current (12mohm and 280Arms). I found Panasonic FJ matches exactly but seems an odd product that we cannot find... Any of you have a try with polymer? Even if this is more expansive.
Thank you

[stj]

3300uf in what position? infront of the cpu?

[Xan03]

Panasonic FR 3300µF 6.3V worked for me to replace those, it's a bit worse in specs yes but who knows for how long Nichicon HM of that vintage ever worked according to their spec so it may barely be a downgrade in practice. One could even go for the 16V version if feeling very adventurous, which is basically even superior to the original cap, but you'd probably have to install them at an angle to get around the bigger size.

If you want to just go the poly route there's plenty of reports here if you look back in this thread.

[jayjr1105]

Originally Posted by Armandooooo

Hi all, I have read through the post and even if there seems to have substitute to the Nichicon HM 3300uF ones proposed, they do not match ESR or ripple current (12mohm and 280Arms). I found Panasonic FJ matches exactly but seems an odd product that we cannot find... Any of you have a try with polymer? Even if this is more expansive.
Thank you

Nichicon UHV and Rubycon ZLQ are my go to. If you are working on a 1.6, you need to go ZLQ as the 12.5mm width of the Nichicon's are a little too wide.
Here is a 1.6 I did with the Rubycon ZLQ's https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...&postcount=160

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...C10X25/6049998

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...332MHD/2598225

[Xan03]

Problem with that is you can't really get those caps in Europe and shipping from overseas will cost about 10x more than the parts themselves.

[jayjr1105]

Originally Posted by Xan03

Problem with that is you can't really get those caps in Europe and shipping from overseas will cost about 10x more than the parts themselves.

Why not, just because I used a US based site, doesn't mean you can't search those part numbers in Europe based distributors.

[Xan03]

Because local distributors just don't stock them? And yes I could order from Mouser, Digikey etc. but that's where the aforementioned shipping and customs come in.

[Armandooooo]

Originally Posted by stj

3300uf in what position? infront of the cpu?

Yes, correct, the famous bulging ones!!

[Armandooooo]

Originally Posted by jayjr1105

Nichicon UHV and Rubycon ZLQ are my go to. If you are working on a 1.6, you need to go ZLQ as the 12.5mm width of the Nichicon's are a little too wide.
Here is a 1.6 I did with the Rubycon ZLQ's https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...&postcount=160

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...C10X25/6049998

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...332MHD/2598225

Hi all,

The ZLQ does not exist in 3300uF and for the uhv I see their specs are 16mohm and 2500mArms, which is close but still a bit far off. Are they working fine with those?

Thank you

[jayjr1105]

Originally Posted by Armandooooo

Hi all,

The ZLQ does not exist in 3300uF and for the uhv I see their specs are 16mohm and 2500mArms, which is close but still a bit far off. Are they working fine with those?

Thank you

It's the best you can get in an electrolytic anymore since ultra low ESR electrolytic's are a thing of the past. Panasonic Might have 1 that is slightly better mArms but ESR is 20mohm.

[stj]

Originally Posted by Armandooooo

Yes, correct, the famous bulging ones!!

well if you have 5 positions then use 5x 1500uf polymers

if you have a 1.6 board with only 3 spaces then use 3x 2000uf polymers

[Armandooooo]

Originally Posted by stj

well if you have 5 positions then use 5x 1500uf polymers

if you have a 1.6 board with only 3 spaces then use 3x 2000uf polymers

Sorry for the question but 3300x3=9900 isn’t it different from 5x1500=7500? Or there is another factor I don’t get?

[jayjr1105]

Originally Posted by Armandooooo

Sorry for the question but 3300x3=9900 isn’t it different from 5x1500=7500? Or there is another factor I don’t get?

It was originally spec'd with five 1500 caps which = 7500uf. Polymers you can get away with lower capacitance since they are a much more stout cap.

Anywhere from 6-10,000uf you'll be fine.

[NeMesiS34]

Repost from EmuXtras Forum:

I made a post on BadCaps way back in 2015 in regards to replacement capacitors
for the Original Xbox Console. That thread has since 60,000 plus views...
Special thanks to "STJ" from BadCaps for he's contributions on that thread and others.
Using that thread and all the posts within it I was able to create a comprehensive list.



The spreadsheet consist of a summary and a detailed list including designators.
There are separate pages for v1.1-1.0, v1.2-1.5 and v1.6-1.6b motherboards.
As a basic rule of thumb the larger the capacitor the shorter the lifespan.
It's highly recommended to replace the CPU and Clock capacitors as shown in
the priority column. Medium priority is optional where as low is unnecessary.

I opted for Kemet Polymer Capacitors for the CPU capacitors and Nichicon for all the
other Electrolytic Capacitors. I've installed, tested and confirmed all of these capacitors.
It's possible to use other manufacturers by sticking to the specifications within the spreadsheet.

https://www.docdroid.net/KjoNVm8/ogx...capacitors-pdf

I hope this helps people out...

[momaka]

Great work NEMESIS!

That really ties us all of the information from all of the posts into one easy to understand piece. Again, nicely done!

[NeMesiS34]

Thanks I actually fixed it up a bit...



https://www.docdroid.net/45Rfxyw/replacement-guide-pdf

I ended up dubbing the spreadsheet as a "Reference Guide" as availability may vary. Using the capacitors part numbers listed on the spreadsheet as a reference it shouldn't be too difficult in finding alternative components. However if you feel that this is out of your scope you can just follow the the suggested part numbers.


Capacitor Specifications:

Are based on the stock capacitors specifications, I did have to average out some of the sizes as they do vary a little from motherboard to motherboard but most important are lead spacings for the Through Hole (TH) capacitors.


Reference Capacitors:

I ended up using "Kemet" and "Nichicon" as references as they were the only two manufacturers that had all the capacitors at the specifications that we needed. This was mostly to put my (and I'm sure others) OCD at ease. I would recommend Polymers for the CPU and PSU capacitors whereas the others can be either Polymer or Electrolytic. I did reference for both but if you were to go all Polymer capacitors with Nichicon it will get very expensive. As a cheaper but still reliable alternative I would recommend Kemet.

[NeMesiS34]

Here are examples of Kemet Polymer Capacitor Replacement.

Note: I would recommend replacing 4-5 capacitors or even less depending on skill level and then test the console to make sure it still boots. If it does not boot you will have to figure out which capacitor is not working. I think I used too much heat on one cap and killed it...

Xbox Versions 1.0 - 1.1




Xbox Versions 1.2 - 1.5




Xbox Versions 1.6 - 1.6b

[momaka]

Again, nice work NeMesiS34!

Anyone else think this thread should be stickied?

Seems like a common recapping solution has been found for pretty much any of these boards now.