How to recap a monitor

First off, can you solder?

There are places online to buy the cap kits but you need to find the make & model number of your monitor. Don't go by the big sticker on the side of the picture tube as that is the model number of the tube itself. Those are usually found on a sticker that is placed on one of the metal parts of the chassis or sometimes they are silkscreened (written in white paint) on the circuit board near the back edge.

Once you find that you will be able to order the correct cap kit.

You will need a soldering iron, solder, desoldering tool or desoldering braid, and assorted tools. I would recommend spending the extra money and getting a spring loaded vacuum desoldering tool.

Taking out the monitor board is simple with some exceptions.

First, get a long bladed screwdriver and a wire with alligator clips at both ends. Clip the wire to the screwdriver blade near the handle and to the metal chassis for the monitor. Slide the screwdriver up under the rubber cap on the side of the monitor and make contact with the metal under the center of it. If you hear a snap or a crackle then wait five minutes an repeat to fully discharge. Peel up the rubber and unclip the metal contacts from the hole in the side of the picture tube.

Next tricky part is pulling the neck board off the back of the picture tube. You will need a sharp razor knife to cut through any silicone that is on the back of the tube and the socket on the board. It's there to keep heat cycles from loosening the socket. Once you slice through it you should be able to take the board off carefully.

The other tricky part is to remove the yoke plug. Many times they are stubborn and don't want to come out. You will probably have to wiggle it from front to back, not side-to-side to get it to come off. Be careful to not yank too hard as when it suddenly comes loose you don't want to smack that picture tube or the metal chassis with your hand. You might break something or get cut.

Disconnect the rest of the wires. You may have to cut one ground wire from the neck board to the ground wire that goes around the back of the picture tube. That wire around the back is called the Dag Ground.

Once the board set is out, installing a cap kit is easy. Look on the circuit board for the caps that are on it. Next to them will be little part numbers like "C202" in the silkscreen printing. Find the right cap in the parts list that came with the cap kit. Desolder the old one, line up the new one correctly, and solder it in. MAKE SURE you line it up & install it correctly. Most of those caps are polarized and have a + or - marking on them. If you install it backwards it may pop out the bottom and stink like hell. The caps that are marked BP (bi-polar) or simply just don't have any polarization marks can be installed in any orientation.

While you have the board out, check the pins on the high voltage transformer, yoke connector, and all other connectors on the board for cracked solder joints. They will look like a little ring around the pin that is soldered in. Resolder those cracked connections. Hell, even if they don't look cracked I always resolder the connectors since it's easy, quick, and the big labor is taking the monitor all apart. Then check around the board for other cracked solder joints to fix.

Reassemble, making sure that if you clipped that ground wire to resolder it and insulate it with some tape. Don't forget to put that high voltage wire back in the side of the picture tube!

Turn on the game, tweak the monitor controls as necessary, and enjoy!

RJ