Sharp X1 Turbo Z Capacitor Replacement Guide
No Sharp service manual, schematic or parts list for the Sharp X1turbo Z series (CZ-880C, CZ-881C and CZ-888C) was found on the Internet Archive or at X1 Center, so there is no published list of the electrolytic capacitors in these computers. The tables below record what is known from Sharp's owner's manual and from collectors who have opened the machines. Survey your own board before ordering parts.
What is known
[edit | edit source]| Item | What is known |
|---|---|
| Power consumption | X1turbo Z: 32 W rated, 43 W maximum, 5 W on standby[1]; X1turbo Z II label: 32 W, 49 W maximum[2] |
| Cooling | A fan cools the computer; Sharp asks for at least 10 cm of space on the right-hand side[3] |
| Boards | On the Z III, one large main board carries the custom chips, and a separate brown board below it holds the digital telopper and front switch circuits[4] |
| Clock backup | Nickel-cadmium cell inside the computer[1] |
| Floppy drives | TEAC FD55GFV-73 (Z), FD55GFR-345 (Z II), FD55GFR-045 (Z III)[5] |
The board layouts of the X1turbo Z and Z II have not been published.
Lessons from the X1turbo
[edit | edit source]- On the X1turbo Model 20 and 30, the superimpose (telopper) board carries many electrolytics, and the Sharp Museum traced a completely dead machine to ageing capacitors on it. Those values are listed in Sharp X1 Turbo Capacitor Replacement Guide.[6] The X1turbo Z also has a digital telopper, but whether its circuit uses the same parts is not recorded.[4]
- The Sharp Museum notes that the X1turbo Z III keeps the same clock oscillator circuit, with a trimmer capacitor, as the X1turbo.[6] The trimmer is not an electrolytic; if the clock will not start, see clock faults.
- None of the X1-family machines owned by the Sharp Museum, from the first X1 to the X1turbo Z III, has had a power unit fail.[6]
Surveying a board
[edit | edit source]- Unplug the computer, open the case as described in the maintenance guide and photograph every board before removing anything.[7]
- For each electrolytic, record its reference, value, voltage, temperature rating, size and polarity.
- Look for bulging tops, electrolyte on the board, and corrosion around the nickel-cadmium cell.
Power unit
[edit | edit source]No schematic for the X1turbo Z power unit has been published. To work on it, unplug the computer, let the capacitors discharge and measure across the large ones before touching the board, then record each capacitor before removing any. For the first X1's supply, X1 Center found that the large primary capacitor had lost 12 per cent of its capacitance while the others measured normal; see Sharp X1 Capacitor Replacement Guide.[8]
Replacement
[edit | edit source]- Replace one capacitor at a time, checking the polarity marking on the board against your photographs.
- Use parts of the same capacitance and at least the same voltage, and fit 105 °C parts where the original was rated at 105 °C.
- After the work, check that the computer starts, that both drives read, and that the clock runs.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Sharp X1 Turbo Z
- Sharp X1 Turbo Z General Maintenance
- Sharp X1 Turbo Z Troubleshooting Guide
- Sharp X1 Turbo Capacitor Replacement Guide, for the X1turbo
- Capacitor Failure Symptoms
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sharp Corporation, X1turboZ CZ-880C 取扱説明書 (owner's manual, Japanese, December 1986), page 87, specifications: clock built in, backed up by a built-in nickel-cadmium cell; AC 100 V; power consumption 32 W rated, 43 W maximum (I/O output 1.6 A), 5 W standby. Hosted as Sharp X1turbo Z CZ-880C Owner's Manual (Japanese).pdf.
- ↑ "NEW Z-BASIC"が同梱され多色モードに対応した「X1turboZII」– 佐々木 潤 (Jun Sasaki), AKIBA PC Hotline! (Impress), 2021-09-15—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Photograph of the Z II's rear panel; the rating label reads CZ-881C-BK, 100 V, 50/60 Hz, 32 W (maximum 49 W).
- ↑ X1turboZ CZ-880C 取扱説明書, page 29: the computer uses an air-cooling fan, so leave at least 10 cm of space to its right.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 X1turboZ3, シャープ博物館 (Sharp Museum)—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Z III board: the brown board below holds the digital telopper and front switch circuits; the large green board is the main board, which carries all the circuits thanks to custom LSIs.
- ↑ X1/turbo/Zシリーズ搭載FDDインターフェース仕様, X1 Center—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Internal drives: CZ-880C FD55GFV-73, CZ-881C FD55GFR-345, CZ-888C FD55GFR-045.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 X1turboのよくある故障とその対処, シャープ博物館 (Sharp Museum)—link(accessed 2026-10-21) None of about six machines from the mania-type X1 to the X1turbo Z III has had its power supply fail; a completely dead X1turbo can be caused by the many electrolytics on the telopper board losing capacitance and overloading the 12 V supply; the RTC oscillator has a trimmer capacitor, and the last model, the X1turbo Z III, has the same circuit.
- ↑ X1turboZ CZ-880C 取扱説明書, page 62: the top cover comes off after removing four screws on the sides and loosening two on the back.
- ↑ CZ800C電源修理・・・できなかった。, X1 Center—link(accessed 2026-10-21) First X1 (CZ-800C) supply: the large first-stage primary capacitor had lost 12 per cent and the others were normal.