Editing Atari 800 General Maintenance (section)

== Capacitor Health & Replacement ==

While the Atari 800 is less prone to catastrophic capacitor failure than later machines, original electrolytics are now over 40 years old and may dry out or leak.

=== Key Capacitors to Check/Replace ===
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:90%; text-align:center;"
! Location !! Value !! Function !! Notes
|-
| C98, C99 (mainboard) || 2200 µF / 16V || +5V & +12V smoothing || Replace if bulging or ESR is high
|-
| C100, C101 || 470 µF / 25V || Regulator input filtering || Replace if leaking
|-
| C102, C103 || 10 µF / 16V || Audio & reset decoupling || Replace if audio is noisy
|-
| Power LED || 1 µF / 16V || LED filter || Rarely fails, but easy to replace
|}

* Use high-quality, low-ESR electrolytics rated for 105 °C.
* Inspect for leakage, bulging, or crusty residue.
* If video is unstable or the machine randomly resets, suspect failing capacitors.