Editing Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ Capacitor Replacement Guide (section)

== Is the Spectrum+ a recap candidate? ==

The Spectrum has ordinary leaded electrolytics and is '''not''' a machine with a systematic capacitor-failure problem. It is not a "recap on sight" machine.

That said, capacitors do cause real, documented symptoms here, and there is a neat diagnostic for it: if the screen shows '''wavy lines''', press down on each electrolytic capacitor in turn — if the lines disappear while you press one, that capacitor is the fault.<ref name="sm48" />

Worthwhile targets:

* '''C50''' (regulator input) and '''C34''' (regulator output) — these are the Service Manual's supply test points, so out-of-tolerance or rippling rails point straight at them.
* '''C44''' (100 µF, near IC6) — sits in the DC-DC converter area feeding the lower RAM.
* '''C46''' — Sinclair specified this be replaced with a '''high-temperature type''' as a service modification.<ref name="sm48" />
* Any electrolytic that is bulging, leaking, or that changes the symptom when pressed.