3 ms·
The date code on the capacitor is 1976 so I’m guessing not.
by grahamlee 5y ago
The date code on the capacitor is 1976 so I’m guessing not.
- christkv 5y agoI wonder what it will do to the value once they have to recap to keep it booting.
- jecel 5y agoIt was much later that cheap, but improperly copied, electrolytic capacitors started to be widely used. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague Even equipment from the 1950s rarely have to have their capacitors replaced, though sometimes they have to be "reformed".
- grahamlee 5y agoNonetheless old capacitors degrade, despite predating the plague. It’s SOP among retro computer folks to recap 80s/90s micros to avoid electrolyte damaging the boards, and I’ve had 80s-era Unix workstations go pop when powered on. For most things I’d expect there to be no difference between the value of a computer with original caps _and no damage_ and one with recaps _and no damage_, because the buyer is going to recap anyway. For this Apple I, which is a museum piece rather than a hobby piece, I really don’t know if that holds.