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Mattel Sub Chase Capacitor Replacement Guide

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Mattel Electronics Sub Chase handheld game
Mattel Sub Chase. No photograph of its board has been published.[1]

No capacitor values have been published for the Mattel Sub Chase (model 2937, 1978). Mattel issued only an instruction leaflet, no schematic, parts list or photograph of an opened Sub Chase has been found, and the game is not in MAME.[2][3] Whether the board carries electrolytic capacitors, and of what value, is therefore not recorded. If you open one, record what you find using the steps below.

Signs that a capacitor needs attention

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  • Display lights that misbehave with a new battery fitted. Mattel's leaflet puts a weak battery first for this symptom, so rule it out before suspecting a capacitor.[4]
  • Brown residue or corrosion on the board round a capacitor, or a domed or leaking top.
  • See Capacitor Failure Symptoms.

Reading and recording your board

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  1. Remove the battery and open the case; see Mattel Sub Chase General Maintenance. Note whether yours is the three-screw or the five-screw case.[5]
  2. Photograph both sides of the board in good light before touching anything, and note the markings on every chip; none has been published.
  3. Look for electrolytic capacitors: cylindrical cans, usually with a stripe marking the negative lead.
  4. For each one, note the board position (C number), capacitance, voltage rating, temperature rating if printed, and which way the stripe faces.
  5. Note what each one sits near: the battery snap wires, the speaker wires, or a chip.
  6. Keep the notes with the photographs.

Replacing a capacitor

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  1. Use the same capacitance and the same or a higher voltage rating, radial, of a height that fits under the case.
  2. Match the polarity to your notes and replace one capacitor at a time.
  3. Clean off flux with isopropyl alcohol.
  4. Fit a new battery and check the game against the normal behaviour on Mattel Sub Chase Troubleshooting Guide: the destroyer dot appears at switch-on, moves with each arrow key, and the beeping starts as it nears the sub.[6]
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References

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  1. ↑ Joe Haupt, "Sub Chase by Mattel, Model No. 2937-0330, Made in Japan, Copyright 1978", Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (retrieved 2026-10-19), examined at 1,920 pixels wide: blue case, black front panel, round screen overlay with concentric rings, crosses and a ship and submarine at the bottom, purple score window at the top of the screen, POWER slide switch at the left, four orange arrow keys labelled ACTION KEY at the right, orange FIRE button on the left-hand side of the case.
  2. ↑ Mattel, Inc., Mattel Electronics Sub Chase Instructions, code 2937-0920, 1978, printed in Japan. Hosted here as File:Mattel Electronics Sub Chase Instructions 2937-0920.pdf: page 1 (cover; drawing of the game naming the FIRING BUTTON on the left side, the ON-OFF SWITCH and the DESTROYER CONTROL KEY; code and imprint) and page 4 ("The control keys": FIRE BUTTON, POWER SWITCH pushed up to ON, ACTION KEYS to steer the destroyer up, down, right or left).
  3. ↑ MAME source, handheld drivers src/mame/handheld (hh_cop400, hh_cops1, hh_hmcs40, hh_pic16, hh_pps41, hh_rw5000, hh_tms1k, hh_ucom4 and others, retrieved and searched 2026-10-19): no driver for Sub Chase.
  4. ↑ Mattel, Sub Chase Instructions 2937-0920, pages 6 and 7: "Care of your game" (do not drop it or get it wet or dirty; do not leave it out in the hot sun) and the "Important notice": "Should the display lights begin to malfunction, this is the first sign of battery wear. A NEW battery should solve the problem. For longer battery life use a 9 volt Alkaline battery."
  5. ↑ Handheld Museum, "Mattel Sub Chase" (retrieved 2026-10-19): "Mattel's Sub Chase (1978, LED, 9 Volt, Model# 2937)"; a case variation, one version held together by three screws and the other by five, the earlier of the two not known.
  6. ↑ Mattel, Sub Chase Instructions 2937-0920, pages 3, 5 and 6: one, two or more players taking turns and keeping their own scores; a small dot is the player's destroyer; 30 depth charges a game; a slow beep means the sub is to one side of the destroyer, a faster beep that it is above, below or under it; a hit on the first try scores 5, the second 3, the third 2, and four or more tries 1; a hit gives a fast, steady beep ("sinking" sound) and a miss a short tune; the cumulative score flashes; a new sub appears at a new place after each sinking; torpedoes are one or two dots moving rapidly across the screen at random, and a torpedo hit ends the game with a short tune; the total score shows at the end; move POWER to OFF and back to ON for a new game.


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