Dreamcast VA0 Polymer Solid Recap/Mod (Have I gone mad?)

I think I've done the unthinkable on my Japanese VA0 Dreamcast, I don't know if I've gone mad or overkill on this poor little Dreamcast. Using like 90% Aluminium Organic Polymer Capacitors. Some caps do have lower VDC but I tested before buying this to make sure they are higher than the VDC going in them, so hopefully, it all good & safe.

It may just be me, but I think the video and sound are a little better now.. most likely no video noise from AC in the DC lines or something like that. I also think my loading time has gone down some as well, it just feels a little faster too me... but I may be wrong.





P.S. I've also done this to my Sega CD Model 1

 

What's the difference? Are they high end caps?

 

More expensive usually only get the lower values and don't have the same properties.

 

Clean work, seems to work well. There's an old thread on electrolytic vs polymer which is an interesting read https://assemblergames.com/threads/q-recapping-consoles-with-solid-polymer-caps.61412/

 

They use a solid polymer as the electrolyte rather than the liquid absorbed in an insulator strip that the standard aluminium electrolytics use.

The original design target was output filters in high-frequency switching regulators - as the switching frequency goes up, the size of capacitor required for the output filter drops, but the ripple current remains the same, and this tended to cause the filter caps to fail earlier. The polymer caps with their solid electrolyte don't dry out and since they have lower ESR and ESL the self-heating effects are also reduced resulting in lower temperatures.

However, they also have higher leakage and dielectric absorption than normal aluminium electrolytic caps which makes them a poor choice for applications like coupling capacitors.

 

TriMesh gives some good info on that, so I'll just say what I've seen in gameplay. For the most part, they seem to be working the same as the old electrolyte caps however I've tested & I can say for sure that my loading time has gone down a little but they may just be from adding new caps & not that they are polymer ones.

Dead or Alive 2's 3D model select screen loads a lot faster than before, load time for gameplay as well.
Loading times in Shemmue I/II look to be loading faster than before as well. Colors same to be a little nicer too but it may just be me.
Sound is a little nicer to me as well, but most likely just having new caps.
(All test was done using GD-ROMs, CD-Rs may be a little faster)

This was my 1st time adding so many SMD caps before, I've happy that I ended up being as good as I was thinking. However, it was a little scary at 1st as the big cap on the 12v line ended up being a time BOMB on me. I'm hoping this new recap will be good for a very long time & hopefully no leakage. (it was like $30 for the full set, now I just need the BIOS done)

I've done the same thing to my 1CHIP SNES, also added that big 1000uF cap that was not in it, however, my older model 1 SNES used it.

Thankfully all but one was in the right values, some lower VDC but all higher than needed.
Luckily most consoles use the lower values, it mostly just goes higher on the powering end.