Old Sony Walkman from 1989 still running after a capacitor swap

My buddy Rick told me to just recap old portable cassette players instead of tossing them when the audio gets weak. I figured he was full of it but I tried it on my WM-F55 that's been sitting dead since 2018. Replaced four small electrolytics for like 8 bucks total and the thing fired right up with perfect sound. Has anyone else had luck with recapping old portables or is Rick just lucky?

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blair_lewis854mo ago

Wait, you're telling me eight bucks and a little soldering is all it takes to resurrect these things? I'll be honest, I always figured recapping was just a myth audiophile nerds used to sound cool. But seeing this actually work makes me want to dig my old Sanyo out of the garage and give it a shot.

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the_beth4mo ago

You really think a simple cap swap is all these old units need? @blair_lewis85 I've seen plenty of gear where the problem runs deeper than just bad caps, like cracked solder joints or drifted resistors.

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