One of the delights of our tips line is that from time to time it brings us retrocomputing hardware that, despite years of reporting, we were not aware existed. [Hitmanmcc] has just such a machine, an NEC PC Engine LT. It’s a PC engine in a laptop form factor, and like many of this super-rare console, it has succumbed to capacitor failure. We’re treated to the process of bringing it back to life.
Replacing capacitors was only part of the story for this repair, as the electrolyte had caused damage elsewhere on the board. In particular there is a small transformer that forms part of an inverter to generate an LCD bias voltage, and this had been destroyed. Fortunately the art of switching power conversion has advanced in the decades since the console was produced, and a small module was procured to do the same job.
The result of all this surgery is another rare console rescued from e-waste, and an opportunity for the rest of us to take a look too. The PC engine is a relative rarity here, but we’ve had a few hacks over the years. This converter for its American cousin is one.