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Coleco Telstar Arcade Capacitor Replacement Guide

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Coleco Telstar Arcade AC adapter jack
The AC ADAPTER jack on the Arcade's Quick Draw panel. The console runs only from Coleco's 9 V adapter.

The Coleco Telstar Arcade (model 6175) dates from 1977, so any electrolytic capacitors in the console are close to 50 years old.[1] Coleco published no schematic or parts list for the Arcade or its cartridges, no photograph of the console's main board has been found, and no capacitor values have been published. What is known is set out below, with a method for recording and replacing your own parts. Opening and cleaning are on Coleco Telstar Arcade General Maintenance; other faults on Coleco Telstar Arcade Troubleshooting Guide.

What is known

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  • The console runs from Coleco's Telstar 9 V AC adapter Model 6041-200MA, rated 9 V DC 200 mA; Coleco's guide mentions no batteries.[2][3]
  • Each cartridge carries its own MOS Technology MPS 7600 chip on a small board; Pong-Story has published photographs of both sides of a Cartridge No. 1 board.[4][5]
  • MOS Technology's specification for the MPS 7600-001 calls for a single supply of -6.5 to -9.5 V and warns that an AC-derived supply needs "adequate filtering to eliminate sharp spikes on the supply lines", because transients can disturb the display.[6] The supply filter capacitors in the console are therefore the first to check when the picture is unsettled on a known-good adapter.
  • The specification's sound circuit is a single transistor driving the speaker, and the chip's clock is crystal-controlled.[6]

Signs of a failing capacitor

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  • A domed or split top, a capacitor leaning on its legs, or brown residue round its base.
  • A picture that jitters, rolls or shows interference on more than one television with a good adapter and clean cartridge contacts.[6][7]
  • Hum in the game sounds that remains after the steps in Coleco's chart; Coleco lists an audible hum among the Road Race symptoms and treats it first by reseating the cartridge and disconnecting the pistol.[7]

See Capacitor Failure Symptoms.

Recording your board

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Telstar Arcade electrolytic capacitors: record your own console and cartridges
Board (console or cartridge number) Designator or position Capacitance Voltage Temperature Notes
Console
Console
Cartridge No.
  1. Photograph both sides of the console board, the wiring to the three panels, and any cartridge board you open, before removing anything.
  2. Mark the position of any trimmer or coil in the RF section before touching the board; Video magazine found a test console slightly off frequency, so a disturbed coil is easy to blame wrongly.[8]
  3. Note each electrolytic's designator and polarity, and read its value from the sleeve.
  4. Keep the table with the photographs.

Replacement procedure

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  1. Unplug the adapter, remove the cartridge and unplug the pistol.[9][10]
  2. Remove the steering wheel and shift lever from their posts and the holster from its pins and screws so that the console can be turned over safely.[2]
  3. Open the case. No published source shows its fixings; find every screw on the base, including under the three suction cups, before prying at a seam.[2]
  4. Work on one capacitor at a time, desoldering from the solder side with a pump or braid and keeping heat short on the old pads.
  5. Fit a new electrolytic of the same capacitance, the same or a higher voltage rating, 105 °C, with the same lead spacing, observing polarity.
  6. Check for solder bridges, and check the console's game contacts for any that were pushed down while the board was out.[7]
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  • Temperature-controlled soldering iron, desoldering pump or braid, flux, isopropyl alcohol.
  • Multimeter; a capacitance or ESR meter for checking the parts removed.
  • Radial electrolytic capacitors from a known maker (Nichicon, Panasonic, Rubycon or similar), rated 105 °C.
  • A current-limited bench supply set to 9 V for the first power-up.

See Recommended Tools.

Checks after recapping

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After recapping a Telstar Arcade
Check Expected Source
Supply 9 V DC from the 6041 adapter [3]
Picture Steady colour picture on channel 3 or 4 with Cartridge No. 1 [1][9]
Games Road Race, Tennis and Quick Draw on selector positions 1 to 3 [11][12]
Sound Game sounds from the console, without hum [8][7]
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Coleco Industries, Telstar Arcade Installation Instructions and Game Rules, Model No. 6175, Guide No. 58024 C, 1977, p. 1, File:Coleco Telstar Arcade Installation Instructions (Guide 58024C).pdf: three video games; Cartridge No. 1 plays Road Race, Tennis and Quick Draw; each game in colour; automatic digital display scoring; audio sounds; other programmable cartridges available; AC adapter included.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Coleco, Guide No. 58024 C, p. 2: three rubber suction cups pressed and twisted into holes in the corners of the base ("Do not press too hard so as to damage front of the unit"); the steering wheel snaps onto the steering post on the left side of the Road Race panel, its long slot lined up with the post; the shift lever snaps onto the shift post on the right side of the Road Race panel; the pistol holster fits with two pins and two screws; use only the Telstar AC adapter Model #6041-200MA, plugged into the AC ADAPTER jack on the Quick Draw panel and into 120 V household current.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Photograph by Evan-Amos, File:Coleco-Telstar-AC-Adaptor.jpg (public domain, from Wikimedia Commons): label "TELSTAR AC ADAPTOR MODEL 6041 ... INPUT: 117V 60Hz 5W OUTPUT: 9 V DC 200mA".
  4. ↑ David Winter, Pong-Story, "Coleco Telstar Arcade" (retrieved 2026-10-18): released in 1977; triangular case with a side each for Pong games, target shooting and car racing, with a wheel and gear box; interchangeable cartridges, each containing a MOS Technology MPS-7600, a frame processor driven by a small program in ROM (512 words for the eight-game Pong chip); silver triangular cartridges that connect horizontally on top of the console; four cartridges, the first sold with the system and the others for $25; photographs of the component and solder sides of a Cartridge No. 1 board with its MPS 7600.
  5. ↑ Centre for Computing History, "Coleco Telstar Arcade", reference CH66264 (retrieved 2026-10-19): released in 1977; four cartridges, the first supplied with the console; Cartridge 1 chip MPS 7600-002, Cartridge 2 MPS 7600-001, Cartridge 3 MPS 7600-004, Cartridge 4 MPS 7600-003.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 MOS Technology, Specification for Video Game Array MPS 7600-001, preliminary, rev. 1, June 1976, pp. 1, 2 and 8-12, File:MOS Technology MPS 7600-001 Video Game Array Specification (1976).pdf: a 28-pin P-channel MOS chip; a programmable series in which each version is mask-programmed with its own games; a frame processor with a 512-word ROM; crystal-controlled clock, 3.579545 MHz for full colour or 3.595314 MHz for a "rainbow" display, one of which is essential to stable operation even for black and white; a single supply of -6.5 to -9.5 V, with two VDD and two VSS pins that must all be connected; most designs battery powered from C or D cells; an AC supply needs adequate current and filtering, as sharp transients "may result in perturbations of the game display"; player controls are potentiometers, which "receive considerable abuse"; sound through a single transistor driving a speaker; slide switches in the control matrix need isolating diodes; target games need a trigger switch and a photoelectric circuit feeding the HIT input.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Coleco, Guide No. 58024 C, p. 7: "Telstar - Trouble Shooting Guide" ("Be sure all connections to television and switch box are secure. DO NOT OPEN. THIS DEVICE DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY SERVICEABLE PARTS. Warranty is voided if opened or tampered with."); no game or faint picture: switch box at GAME and cable plugged in, antenna lead attached, AC adapter plugged into the wall (Telstar Model #6041-200MA only), ON-OFF on, channel 3 (or 4 if the game is set to 4), fine tune; stripes or dots: horizontal hold, colour intensity, fine tune and contrast; rolling, flutter, bottom line off screen or buzzing: vertical hold, TV volume down; a line moving across the screen: RESET, contrast; no ball, ball erratic or score not 0-0: do not place the game on top of the TV where it can get hot, disconnect the pistol, paddles must be on the court, press RESET until the score stops blinking; target does not appear when TARGET STARTER is pressed, or Quick Draw appears in all switch positions: wait for the score to go out, press RESET until the score stops blinking, press TARGET STARTER, the pistol should not be cocked, remove and reseat the cartridge and latch it; race car won't start, track outline does not move, or an audible hum accompanies the game sounds: gear lever in 1st gear, RESET until the score stops blinking, disconnect the pistol, remove and reseat the cartridge and latch it; all games appear on screen at the same time: turn the power switch off and back on, remove and reseat the cartridge. "Care of cartridge": if the game is erratic or the picture changes, remove and reseat the cartridge and latch it securely, clean the protective film off the cartridge contacts by rubbing with a pencil eraser and wiping clean, and check whether any game contacts are depressed, lifting them carefully with a pencil, nail file or thin blade; if the cartridge does not latch, press the latch forward, and if the latch loosens, wedge an eraser or small pencil behind it; keep the contacts free of sticky fingers, dirt and foreign substances.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Berger-Braithwaite Labs, "Coleco Telstar Arcade Video Game", VideoTests, Video, Spring 1979, pp. 53 and 55, Internet Archive scan (retrieved 2026-10-19): tested December 1978; the cartridges "did not always slide into place easily on the first try" and needed wiggling to seat; the channel 3 or 4 selector is on the bottom of the console; the game did not seem to operate exactly on frequency and needed re-tuning; the sound comes from the game unit, not the TV, and its volume cannot be changed; the power must be turned off during cartridge changes "to avoid 'blowing' a cartridge"; the knob on the game selector never lined up with the numerals; balls could hang up or pass through walls in some games; suction feet; 18 inches each side, 4 inches high, 4 pounds; $59.95 with AC adaptor, switch box and Cartridge 1, further cartridges $19.95; energy consumption given as 9 volts.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Coleco, Guide No. 58024 C, p. 3: switch box connections; "Always keep cartridge securely in console to protect electronic circuits"; when changing cartridges, set the ON-OFF switch to OFF, insert the lip of the cartridge into the console, press down, and secure it by pressing firmly on the word TELSTAR; push the latch away to remove; "Do not touch or tamper with contacts. Game contacts should not be left exposed."; a sound may be heard as soon as the game is turned on; factory set for channel 3, with the channel selector switch on the bottom of the unit moved carefully to channel 4 only if channel 3 reception is too strong; turn automatic colour control off.
  10. ↑ Coleco, Guide No. 58024 C, p. 4: panel diagrams: the tennis and game selection panel (left and right slam buttons, left and right paddle controls, reset button, game selector knob, skill switch 1 pro and 2 beginner, ON-OFF switch, game cable); the Road Race panel (steering wheel, dials, shift lever 1 low gear and 2 high gear); the Quick Draw panel (remote receptacle for use with other cartridges, pistol receptacle, target starter button, pistol holster, AC adapter jack).
  11. ↑ Coleco, Guide No. 58024 C, p. 5: switch off and latch the cartridge securely before play; hue or tint and automatic colour control; on black-and-white sets do not turn brightness and contrast to maximum; Road Race (game position 1): always start in low gear 1, press RESET once after the small cars appear, a crash stops the car and it restarts only in gear 1, with a 3 to 6 second penalty; Tennis (game position 2): the skill switch sets the ball speed; the game will not reset unless both paddles are within the court, and the ball always serves from a paddle; moving the serving paddle off the court calls time out; slam buttons; the first player to 21 wins.
  12. ↑ Coleco, Guide No. 58024 C, p. 6: Quick Draw (game position 3): insert the pistol connector firmly, aligned with its key, and never force it; keep the pistol in its holster when starting; do not cock the pistol, fire using the trigger only; firing range depends on the TV; set contrast so that the background is grey and colour so that the score is pink or white; a brighter target area is easier to hit; wait for the score to go out before starting the target again; 21 shots per game; game position 4 and the remote receptacle are not used with Cartridge No. 1; Cartridge No. 2 (tennis, hockey, handball and target, eight games for 1 to 4 players, with remote controls) and Cartridge No. 3 (four pinball games and two target games).


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