Showerthought: I think people are too quick to replace old power supplies

I was in my garage last week trying to get my old Packard Bell 486 running again. The thing just wouldn't turn on, and everyone online said the power supply was a goner and to just buy a new old stock unit. I pulled it out, opened it up, and found one bulging capacitor. I replaced that single 1000uF cap for about two bucks, and the whole machine booted right up. It's been running fine for three days now. I get that PSUs can be dangerous, but a full replacement for a simple cap job feels wasteful. Has anyone else had luck with just fixing the specific part that failed?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.margaret16d ago

Lol, of course the internet's first answer is always "just throw the whole thing out.

sarahsullivan16d ago

Totally feel you on this. It's so satisfying to fix something with a two dollar part instead of buying a whole new unit. The internet's default to replace everything makes me nuts, especially with older tech where the fix is often obvious. Good on you for actually opening it up and looking.