Question on Cap Kit for My Vectrex

[Lorne]

I'm currently in the middle of installing a cap kit for my Vectrex. I
have most of the caps removed and the new ones soldered on. After
closer inspection, I noticed that the pcb's (power/logic) are dual
layered; meaning there are circuit traces on both sides. My question
is, do I need to solder the leads on both sides? If so, how do you
get at the lead on the component side when the component itself is in
the way? I fear that my iron will melt/ruin the component if it gets
too close for the amount of time I need to solder the joint. I
realize that not all the holes have traces on both sides but those
that do are the ones I'm worried about. Any comments or advice would
be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Richard Hutchinson]

The holes should be 'plated through'. Which means they are connected to both
sides already and only need soldering from one.

Richard H.

[syn...@gmail.com]

As Richard already mentioned, they're plated through, so solder from
one side only.

I'd add that you almost never solder from the "parts side" of a
circuit board as it makes it very difficult to repair down the road.
You'll also be sending a lot more heat to the component without the
added length of the solder leg and trace to distribute it if you were
to solder from the parts side.

The only exception to parts side soldering is in the case of repair
work where the PCB is already damaged or missing a portion of it's
trace, otherwise stick to the solder side and you'll do fine.

While you've got yours opened up, you should also consider doing the
modification to reduce speaker hum.

Mike Doyle

[vectr...@fastmail.fm]

Hello Lorne (and anybody else who has done the full capacitor change).
I would be really interested to hear the result after you have done
the capacitor change. Do you see a noticeable improvement?
Thanks
VectrexMad!
www.vectrex.co.uk

[Lorne PEI]

Thanks guys. Good stuff to know. I may have to test some of the
connections either way though because I used my dremel to drill away
the solder left in the holes. In doing so, I may have drilled away
the plated hole. In hind sight I should have used solder wick.

Mike: Last time I had my Vectrex apart was to do the sound reduction
mod. I was very happy with the results. I hardly hear the hum now.
It's there but not as loud.

VectrexMad: I'll certainly let you now how the cap kit works out. The
reason I am doing it is all the vector lines were squiggly/wavy.

[syn...@gmail.com]

If you're having trouble clearing the solder, try a couple of things;
first add new solder since the fresh flux will help remove the old
solder and secondly, go to Radio Shack and buy one of their
Solderpults. It's a spring loaded solder sucker that works like a
quick acting syringe in reverse. Short of buying a Hakko desoldering
gun for a couple of hundred bucks, the solderpults are the way to go.

Mike Doyle

[cnlmoore]

If you used a dremel tool to remove the solder remaining in the hole,
you likely destroyed the pass through trace. Make sure you get good
solder flow on those legs and make sure you have a proper connection.
Mike makes great points, the solderpults work very well.

Crazy question for all, anyone have a good link to the sound reduction
mod? There is a lot of info, but what's the best way?

Chris M
www.tokensonly.com

[Dave Griffith]

cnlmoore <cnlm...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Crazy question for all, anyone have a good link to the sound reduction
> mod? There is a lot of info, but what's the best way?

Go to http://www.playvectrex.com/vectech_f.htm and get the pdf file from
the very bottom (filename quiet_vectrex.pdf). That one seems to be the
best approach because it attacks the source of the problem. I'm not too
keen on using the op-amp bandaid solution found just above that one.

--
David Griffith
dgr...@cs.csbuak.edu <-- Switch the 'b' and 'u'

[hcmffm]

Perhaps a dumb question:
When would you install a new cap kit? Only when the Vectrex is damaged or
are there indicators?

[syn...@gmail.com]

If the display is showing signs of cap failure- image distortion,
uneven levels of briteness, ect. The capacitors are electrolytic and
tend to dry out over time and when they do, their values change,
affecting their function in circuit. More typical in arcade game
monitors that have seen hundreds of hours of use, cap kits can cure a
lot of problems.

With the Vectrex, I'd stick to the old adage- "if it ain't broke,
don't fix it". They're not easy to service like a typical arcade
monitor and you won't see any improvement if there's nothing wrong to
improve in the first place.

Mike Doyle

[hcmffm]

Thank you very much, Mike, for the detailed and helpful answer. My Vectrex
has run for some few hours, only, and I hope that it lasts for some more
years without repair...