Tempest board problem - works but image is pushed in on left side

[channelmanic]

Do you have an ESR meter for checking caps? If so, it's just a high frequency milliohmmeter and works GREAT for finding where shorts are in a circuit. Just probe down the -15v line and find the spot with the lowest resistance to ground... it'll be down to hundredths of an ohm difference, but is very noticeable.

I use that to hunt down shorted caps when working on old boards. Works great for the pesky +/-12v supply bypass caps on old computer motherboards and for caps in the -5v lines of newer surface mount boards.

RJ

 

[ieure]

HOLY SHIT dude!

Look at that cap in the pic... a radial cap with legs spread wide to fit where an axial cap was... PUT SOME DAMN HEAT SHRINK TUBING ON IT! That'll short for sure if you bump it.

I just repaired an Asteroids board where someone had replaced every axial cap with radials. I swear I spend more time fixing shit repairs gone wrong than legitimate problems.