Editing IBM PS/2 Model 80 (section)

== SMD Electrolyte Leakage ==

The Model 80 planar (along with the Model 70 planar) is the source of the famous '''PS/2 plague'''. Surface-mount aluminium electrolytic capacitors — 10 µF / 16 V and 47 µF / 16 V — leak after 30+ years and produce progressive corrosion of the planar's traces and IC pins.

Symptoms:

* Brown / green residue near a SMD cap base.
* Crusty deposits on nearby PCB traces.
* Intermittent POST faults; system passes POST cold but fails when warm.
* Random reboots.
* Specific functional area (onboard VGA, RTC, serial, ESDI controller) becomes intermittent.
* Eventually, planar dies completely.

The Model 80 planar typically carries '''40–50 SMD electrolytics''' (more than the Model 70 because of the additional MCA slot count and server-class memory subsystem). Full recap is a substantial undertaking — see [[IBM PS/2 Model 80 Capacitor Replacement Guide]].