Tried recapping an old Commodore 64 power supply and got a face full of smoke instead

After three hours of soldering on that PSU I thought I'd fixed the flickering screen, but plugging it in just made a loud pop and now my living room smells like burnt electronics, has anyone else had a recap go sideways like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason2831d agoMost Upvoted

Man I've recapped like a dozen Commodore PSUs and only had one go full smoke mode. You probably put a cap in backwards or used the wrong voltage rating, it happens to the best of us when you're three hours deep and your eyes are crossing. Don't give up on fixing it though, just double check your polarity next time and you'll be good.

sage_perry1d ago

Recapping old PSUs is always a gamble, especially the Commodore ones. Sometimes you're better off just replacing it outright with a modern equivalent.