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PowerBook 5300 Capacitor Replacement Guide

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PowerBook 5300 power supply (DC/DC) board: eleven 100 µF 35 V (red) and one 33 µF 25 V (cyan) electrolytics (MacDat)

Capacitor values for the PowerBook 5300 series and the PowerBook 190. On the 5300 most of the electrolytics are on the separate power supply board, which MacDat and owners call the DC/DC board; the 190 has no such board and carries its power circuitry, and its capacitors, on the logic board. Both share the inverter board, and the display boards vary with the panel fitted. Apple's Service Source works at module level and gives no component values, so the lists below come from MacDat's capacitor reference.[1]

When to recap

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MacDat says a recap can bring a dead 5300 back once corrosion and a broken power jack have been ruled out, and that a 190 does not need one as routine, though failing capacitors sometimes stop one starting.[2][3] Owners link the "green light of death", a machine that shows only its sleep light, to failing DC/DC board capacitors, and starlite found the capacitors on two working boards already slightly bulged.[4] See Capacitor Failure Symptoms.

Capacitor lists

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MacDat gives counts per board, without designators. Positions are on the photographs.

5300: logic board and power supply board

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PowerBook 5300 series logic board (all four models)[2]
Value Voltage Count Type
33 µF 25 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
PowerBook 5300 series power supply (DC/DC) board[2]
Value Voltage Count Type
100 µF 35 V 11 Surface-mount electrolytic
33 µF 25 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic

The same logic board and power supply board lists appear on MacDat's pages for the 5300cs, 5300c and 5300ce.[5]

190: logic board

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PowerBook 190 and 190cs logic board[3]
Value Voltage Count Type
100 µF 35 V 6 Surface-mount electrolytic
47 µF 35 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
33 µF 25 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
  • 5300 logic board: one 33 µF 25 V (MacDat)
    5300 logic board: one 33 µF 25 V (MacDat)
  • 190 logic board: six 100 µF 35 V, one 47 µF 35 V, one 33 µF 25 V (oldcrap.org via MacDat)
    190 logic board: six 100 µF 35 V, one 47 µF 35 V, one 33 µF 25 V (oldcrap.org via MacDat)

Inverter board (all models)

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PowerBook 190/5300 inverter board[2]
Value Voltage Count Type
10 µF 50 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
2.2 µF 50 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic

The 2.2 µF part is physically very small; starlite found tantalum replacements too large for the space.[4]

Inverter board: red 10 µF 50 V, cyan 2.2 µF 50 V (MacDat)

Display boards

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The panel fitted varies within a model, so identify yours from its label before ordering parts.[4]

Display capacitors by panel (MacDat)[2][3][6][5]
Panel Used in Value Voltage Count Type
Casio MFSTN MD805TT00-C1 190, 5300 3.3 µF 35 V 5 Low-profile surface-mount electrolytic
100 µF 16 V 3 Radial electrolytic, 5 × 12 mm
Sharp LM64185P 190, 5300 10 µF 16 V 1 Low-profile surface-mount electrolytic
3.3 µF 35 V 6 Low-profile surface-mount electrolytic
Torisan CFSTN LM-CJ53-22NAK 190cs, 5300cs 47 µF 6 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
10 µF 50 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
4.7 µF 50 V 6 Surface-mount electrolytic
Sharp LM64C352 190cs, 5300cs 33 µF 10 V 2 Surface-mount electrolytic
10 µF 50 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
3.3 µF 50 V 3 Low-profile surface-mount electrolytic
Sharp LQ10D32M 5300c 100 µF 16 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
33 µF 10 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
22 µF 16 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
10 µF 25 V 1 Surface-mount electrolytic
Toshiba LTM10C036 5300ce 68 µF 10 V 1 Low-profile surface-mount electrolytic; the replacement must be very short and thin

MacDat says some 5300c machines have a Toshiba panel that uses only solid-state capacitors; starlite bought parts for the Sharp panel and then found a Toshiba panel in the 5300c being repaired.[5][4] Mac84's Torisan panel had two capacitors on the inverter board and eight on the display board, matching MacDat's list; cleaning the display board with isopropyl alcohol cured a screen that showed only bright orange.[7]

  • Casio panel: red 3.3 µF 35 V, cyan 100 µF 16 V (oldcrap.org via MacDat)
    Casio panel: red 3.3 µF 35 V, cyan 100 µF 16 V (oldcrap.org via MacDat)
  • Torisan panel: red 47 µF 6 V, cyan 10 µF 50 V, green 4.7 µF 50 V (oldcrap.org via MacDat)
    Torisan panel: red 47 µF 6 V, cyan 10 µF 50 V, green 4.7 µF 50 V (oldcrap.org via MacDat)
  • 5300ce Toshiba panel: one 68 µF 10 V (MacDat)
    5300ce Toshiba panel: one 68 µF 10 V (MacDat)

Replacement procedure

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Remove the battery and unplug the adapter first; Apple says these PowerBooks carry the highest voltage of any PowerBook.[1]

Power supply board (5300)

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  1. Remove the battery, floppy drive, keyboard, RAM card, clutch covers, palm rest and hard drive.[1]
  2. Unplug the backup battery cable from the power supply board by pulling the male half of the connector to the right.[1]
  3. Lift the board straight up, supporting it on all sides; its connector is under the backup battery connector.[1]
  4. Boards repaired under the REA program have a shield on top of the insulator; remove it.[1]
  5. Replace the capacitors. starlite advises the smallest-diameter 100 µF parts available, so the iron can reach between them.[4]
  6. On refitting, make sure the insulator under the board is present and placed correctly, and fold any shield along its perforations as Apple shows so that its edges cannot bend onto components.[1][8]
The 5300 power supply board in place, with its insulator and the backup battery cable connector (Service Source, PDF p. 118)

Logic board (190 and 5300)

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The logic board comes out after the battery, floppy drive, keyboard, RAM card, clutch covers, palm rest, hard drive, power supply board (5300), backup battery, heat sink and, on a 190, any video board. Unplug the infrared and expansion bay LED cables, work the board back and forth until the port connectors clear the case, and pull it towards you and slightly left, clear of the expansion bay and PC Card bay. The PC Card cage stays on the board.[8] When refitting, plug the infrared cable in straight: Apple warns that a crooked connection can blow a soldered fuse on the logic board.[8]

Inverter and display

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Remove the display assembly and the display housing, then the three screws holding the display to the bezel. Lay back the EMI insulator and lift the inverter board only until you feel resistance, because four cables are attached on three sides; turn it face up and unplug them. Apple warns that the inverter's connectors and cables are fragile, the microphone cable especially.[1] Do not overtighten the lower bezel screws on reassembly, or the bezel cracks.[1]

Tools and parts

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  • T-8, T-6 and T-10 Torx drivers, a 2.3 mm and a #00 jeweller's screwdriver, an ESD wrist strap and a chip puller for the keyboard and trackpad cables.[1][8]
  • A fine-tipped iron or hot air, flux, and isopropyl alcohol for cleaning off old electrolyte.
  • Low-profile and small-diameter replacement parts, sized against the originals; see Recommended Tools.

After the recap

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  • Measure the adapter at 21.6-26.4 V and the battery at about 14 V when charged.[1]
  • Check that the machine starts from the power key, and press the reset button if it shows only the sleep light.[1]
  • Check the backlight and the display at the contrast and brightness extremes.
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Apple Computer, PowerBook 190/5300 Series Service Source (186 pp., this copy last modified July 2002), hosted here as File:PowerBook 190 and 5300 Series Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook 190 and 5300 Series Service Source). Module-level only. PDF page numbers: cautions and tools pp. 74-76; Keyboard pp. 87-92; RAM Card pp. 93-94; Clutch Covers pp. 95-97; Display Assembly pp. 100-102; Palm Rest pp. 103-105; Hard Drive pp. 112-116; Power Supply Board (5300 only) pp. 117-120; Backup Battery pp. 121-123; Logic Board pp. 129-131; Display Housing pp. 152-155; Inverter Board pp. 156-158; Display pp. 159-161.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 MacDat Capacitor Reference Library, "PowerBook 5300 Capacitor Reference" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Greyscale 5300: logic board, DC/DC power board, Casio and Sharp displays, inverter board. Secondary source.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 MacDat Capacitor Reference Library, "PowerBook 190 Capacitor Reference" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Logic board, Casio and Sharp displays, inverter board; logic board photograph credited to oldcrap.org. Secondary source.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 TinkerDifferent forum thread "PowerBook 5300C repair help :)", iPhil64, rikerjoe, starlite and Yoda, February-March 2023. DC/DC board capacitors and the green light of death; slightly bulged capacitors on working boards; replacement tips: only one 2.2 µF part, which needs a very small replacement; the smallest-diameter 100 µF parts so the iron can reach; check whether a 5300c has a Sharp or Toshiba panel before ordering. Community experience.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 MacDat Capacitor Reference Library, "PowerBook 5300c", "5300cs" and "5300ce" capacitor references (retrieved 2026-10-02). Same logic board, DC/DC board and inverter lists as the 5300; display lists for the Sharp LQ10D32M (5300c), Torisan and Sharp LM64C352 (5300cs) and Toshiba LTM10C036 (5300ce) panels. Secondary source.
  6. ↑ MacDat Capacitor Reference Library, "PowerBook 190cs Capacitor Reference" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Torisan CFSTN LM-CJ53-22NAK and Sharp LM64C352 display lists; Torisan photograph credited to oldcrap.org. Secondary source.
  7. ↑ TinkerDifferent forum thread "PowerBook 5300cs Color LCD Recapping Guide (for Torisan model displays)", Mac84, January 2022. Community experience.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Apple Computer, PowerBook 5300/190 Repair Extension Authorization (REA) program manual (November 1996), hosted here as File:PowerBook 5300 and 190 Repair Extension Authorization Program.pdf (see PowerBook 5300 and 190 Repair Extension Program). Power supply shield installation (pp. 20-21); logic board removal and the infrared cable caution (pp. 17-19).


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