Genesis Capacitor List

[NCrouther]

For Model 1 - VA3:

Label
        Voltage Rating (V)
                Capacitance (uF)
----------------------------
BOT	6.3	220
C1	16	220
C13	50	10
C23	10	100
C24	10	100
C30	50	10
C31	50	10
C32	10	220
C38	50	10
C4	10	10
C40	50	1
C41	50	10
C42	50	1
C43	50	10
C44	50	1
C49	10	100
C5	50	10
C50	10	220
C51	10	220
C52	10	100
C53	10	100
C55	50	10
C57	50	10
C58	50	1
C59	10	47
C60	10	47
C61	50	1
C62	50	1
C63	10	47
C64	50	10
C65	10	47
C66	10	47
C67	10	47
C68	10	47
C71	50	10
C72	50	10
C74	10	100
C79	16	100
C86	10	100
JP1	10	47

For Model 1 - VA2:

Label
        Voltage Rating (V)
                Capacitance (uF)
----------------------------
C1	16	220
C13	16	10
C23	10	100
C24	10	100
C30	16	10
C31	16	10
C32	10	220
C38	16	10
C4	10	100
C40	50	1
C41	10	10
C42	50	1
C43	16	10
C44	50	1
C49	10	100
C5	16	10
C50	10	220
C51	10	220
C52	10	100
C53	10	100
C55	16	10
C57	16	10
C58	50	1
C59	16	47
C60	16	47
C61	50	1
C62	50	1
C63	16	47
C64	16	10
C65	10	47
C66	10	47
C67	10	47
C68	10	47
C71	16	10
C72	16	10
C74	10	100
C79	16	100
C86	10	100
JP1	10	47

[omp]

Thats great mate,
Should this be post be made sticky?
I have 2 different types of MD1 at home (TMSS & Non TMSS) I will put those values up as well, if they are different boards.

[kool kitty89]

I think some of the voltage ratings might be arbitrary (ie higher than necessary, perhaps due to bulk prices) I seem to recall some oddball values like 27V on some capacitors in my VA3. Some were kind of hard to read as well, or a pain to do so while they're on the board. I'll try to compare to my VA3s (and one TMSS model I have yet to open) when I have time.

Also could you (and anyone else making note) also list the brand of capacitors used for comparison? (unimportant for replacement, but interesting for comparison, especialy if cheaper/poorer brands tend to show more problems)
I know one of the tech guys (probably Ace, it might have been ooXxXoo, I don't think TmEE) mentioned some brands used in a previous discussion and noted the crappy ones, but I can't seem to find that.

[NCrouther]

I think some of the voltage ratings might be arbitrary (ie higher than necessary, perhaps due to bulk prices)

That wouldn't surprise me. When I do cap replacements, I just get all 50V caps since they usually don't cost any more.

[kool kitty89]

OK, I found the qoute about the brands:

Well, I opened it up and... oh shit... I don't like the sight of the caps. They don't seem to have leaked(maybe the sound distortion on the RF output is due to a cap having dried up?), but they're of one of the worst brands of capacitors possible: Chhsi. I remember someone here mentioning that Chhsi-brand capacitors are total garbage, but I can't find that post. Time to replace the capacitors in that VA3 Genesis Model 1. Come to think of it, I should open every Genesis I have and check the capacitor brands to see if they're any of the problematic ones.

EDIT: I just opened up 10 of my Genesis systems(haven't opened my Japanese MegaDrive yet), and would you believe that 5 of them contain crap-brand capacitors? Both my VA3 Model 1s have Chhsi-brand garbage, my VA6 Model 1 has many Chhsi capacitors mixed in with a few Rubicons(those are supposedly good), and some of my VA1/1.8 Genesis 2s have Chhsi and Taicom capacitors, both of which are absolute crap. I'm under the impression that soon, many Genesis systems will suffer the same fate as Game Gears, TurboExpresses and TurboDuo: numerous electrical/audio/video problems due to leaky or dried-up capacitors.

Here's a list of bad capacitor manufacturers I found: http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpos...85&postcount=3

ANd indeed, at least one of my VA3s has Chhsi capcitors. (I haven't noted the other)

[NCrouther]

I added VA2. The only other Genesis I have is a Majesco model 2. If anybody is interested, I can inventory the caps and add them to my post.

[TmEE]

I've got a VA1, VA4 and VA5/6 around, I'll see what caps they got in them

[kool kitty89]

Ugh, that "new" HDG model 1 I got is a VA5 it seems but also has Chhsi caps so no surpise with the rainbow banding. (I'm nearly positive the other VA3 had Chhsi caps too)
I'll try to make a list for comparison when I have the time. (2 VA3s and that VA5)

I'll bet that most rainbow band suffering models have Chhsi caps in there.

[Ace]

Not quite. I took the plunge and opened my Japanese VA5 MegaDrive Model 1 and found Rubicon capacitors, but the system suffers from rainbow banding. I'm under the impression that the issues have more to do with age than anything else.

[gdement]

Not quite. I took the plunge and opened my Japanese VA5 MegaDrive Model 1 and found Rubicon capacitors, but the system suffers from rainbow banding. I'm under the impression that the issues have more to do with age than anything else.

I've noticed in people's pictures online that many Genesis have blue Rubycons in them. They still look like general purpose types though, not anything designed for long life. I agree after this many years even the Rubycons could be going bad.

The Chhsi are a much worse situation though. On the caps I took from my Genesis, all the Chhsi were laughably way out of spec while the Elecons were just getting marginal.

[NCrouther]

I just replaced the caps on the VA2. The originals were a mixture of Chhsi and Rubicon.

[skate323k137]

Do you guys use caps with 20% tolerance? Just curious.

Also, does anyone know how to determine which caps are on the audio circuit, or if there is some documentation of this elsewhere?

[pocketprobe]

The caps on the audio circuit are mostly the ones in the strip going down by the power switch and the ones down by the chip near the bottom. Also the sound did get better replacing the big one(s) near the YM2612 made it better. Honestly I'd do the whole board, cause when I did them all in my VA3, the system also was willing to boot dirtier cartridges, and the video was a lot nicer. I also have a sound clip http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OK27GPFZ. That is what it will sound like with fresh caps. It is sound test 1E in Sonic 2.

[BetaWolf47]

I like this idea, but the problem is that a lot of the same revisions use different capacitors. @Ace, remember the difference between my model 2 VA3 and your model 2 VA3?

[villahed94]

*BUMP*
Need values for genesis 1 VA6