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Sony HB-F1XV Capacitor Replacement Guide

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Sony HB-F1XV main board
HB-F1XV main board. The HIC-1 module with its three surface-mount electrolytics is at the top right.

No parts list for the Sony HB-F1XV has been published. Owners have recorded the three surface-mount electrolytics on its HIC-1 video and audio module, which are known to leak and corrode the module.[1] The main board has the same layout as the HB-F1XDJ's, and the values found on that machine are in the Sony HB-F1XDJ Capacitor Replacement Guide; no owner has published a full list for the HB-F1XV's main board.[2]

HIC-1 module

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HIC-1 electrolytic capacitors
Ref Value Voltage Notes
C10 10 µF 16 V SMD aluminium electrolytic
C14 10 µF 16 V SMD aluminium electrolytic
C22 100 µF 16 V (6.3 V found on one HB-F1XV) The one most often found leaking

The values are from sd_snatcher's list on the MSX Resource Center forum, which names the HB-F1XV among the machines with this module.[1] On one HB-F1XV, dublevay found the original 100 µF part was a 6.3 V type marked "6A" and the two 10 µF parts were 16 V.[1]

Two HB-F1XV owners have described their replacements:

  • Wierzbowsky fitted tantalums before any leak appeared: 10 µF 16 V in case size B and 100 µF 16 V in case size D.[3]
  • dublevay first fitted Kemet tantalums, then replaced them with Panasonic SMD electrolytics, HD series for 10 µF and HC series for 100 µF, to match the original sizes. He kept 16 V for the 10 µF parts and 6.3 V for the 100 µF part, as fitted originally.[1]

A tantalum's band marks the positive end, the opposite of an aluminium electrolytic.[1] Tantalums fail short, and the author of a redrawn HIC-1 schematic recommends fused types.[4]

FM sound capacitors

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The MSX Resource Center gives Niga's fix for a slight crackle on FM sound: replace C99 with a wire link and C20 with a non-polarised capacitor of the same value.[5] On the HB-F1XDJ, C99 is a 1 µF 50 V electrolytic.[6] Read the value on your own board before ordering.

Recording the main board

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  1. Take out the main board as described in the Sony HB-F1XDJ General Maintenance guide; the sequence is the same.
  2. Photograph the board and each electrolytic close up.
  3. Record each capacitor's designator, value, voltage, brand, size and polarity.
  4. Compare the list with the HB-F1XDJ values, and mark any ELNA parts and any with leakage.
Template for your own board
Ref Value Voltage Brand Diameter × height Notes

Procedure

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Follow the procedure in Sony HB-F1XDJ Capacitor Replacement Guide#Procedure. Two points from HB-F1XV repairs:

  1. Use low airflow with hot air near the HIC-1 capacitors. On one module it blew off an 820 Ω, a 1 kΩ and a 0 Ω resistor.[1]
  2. After the recap, reflow the 22 µH inductor below the lower 10 µF capacitor if composite or RF output is missing.[1]

After the recap

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Measure the rails at a cartridge slot (+5 V at pins 45 or 47, +12 V at 48, −12 V at 50, against pin 41).[7] Check the sound level from both the PSG and FM, and check the composite, RF and RGB pictures.

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Urgent alert to MSX2/2+ owners: suicide capacitors on HIC-1 daughterboard, July 2015 onwards—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Opening post by sd_snatcher, 19 July 2015: the HIC-1 (EMC-NX0039) module in the Sony HB-F1XV, HB-F1XDJ, HB-F1XDmkII and HB-F1XD and the Panasonic FS-A1, FS-A1mkII and FS-A1F carries three SMD aluminium electrolytics that leak and damage the board: C10 10 µF 16 V, C14 10 µF 16 V and C22 100 µF 16 V, C22 the worst; ceramic or tantalum replacements in 3216 (10 µF) and 4532 or 6032 (100 µF) sizes, rated 16 V or more. Reply by jltursan: two HB-F1XD and one HB-F1XV affected, the first symptom usually lower sound volume. Reply by RetroTechie: cut through the solder or use two irons to lift the old parts without heating the board. Reply by dublevay, 5 September 2020, on an HB-F1XV: the original 100 µF part was a 6.3 V type marked 6A and the 10 µF parts were 16 V; hot air blew three small resistors (820 Ω, 1 kΩ and 0 Ω) off the module, which he refitted; he fitted Kemet tantalums first; the band on a tantalum marks its positive end, unlike an aluminium electrolytic, which marks the negative; after fitting tantalums, then Panasonic HD (10 µF, 16 V) and HC (100 µF, 6.3 V as original) SMD electrolytics chosen to match the original sizes, there was still no composite or RF picture until the 22 µH inductor (marked 220) below the lower 10 µF capacitor, which had a bad joint, was reflowed; RGB worked throughout. Reply by Louthrax, 23 December 2025, on reassembling an HB-F1XDJ: the three cables from the lamp and slider housing go in the space between the drive and the top of the keyboard, not on top of the drive.
  2. ↑ File:Sony HB-F1XV main board.jpg, photograph of an HB-F1XV main board uploaded to the MSX Resource Center wiki by Gdx on 4 April 2016. Read from it: the same layout as the HB-F1XDJ board, with "MSX2+SYSTEM" and "AUDIO & VIDEO" printed on it, the large reservoir capacitor at top left, the HIC-1 module at the rear right, the coin cell at the right, and a trimmer marked CV2 beside test point TP1 near the front right.
  3. ↑ Sony HB-F1XDJ capacitor leakage repair guide, 21 December 2017—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Repair report by Omega: an HB-F1XDJ that sometimes would not start, was unstable when it did, and produced wrong key presses (EF for E). Electrolyte had leaked round the HIC module and from through-hole capacitors on the main board, through to the solder side; all four ELNA 47 µF capacitors (6.3 V, per his later correction) had leaked and lost their capacitance. He desoldered the SMD capacitors with hot air, cleaned with isopropyl alcohol, neutralised with vinegar, scraped the pads, used SMD flux and fitted Panasonic parts, replaced every ELNA electrolytic on the board, left the Nichicon ones, and removed the flat CR2032. The capacitors on the HIC module served only the RGB to composite circuit; RGB passes through the module unaffected. Some copper was corroded but no traces needed repair, and the machine then started every time and the keyboard worked. He advises HB-F1XDJ owners to check for leakage and have the ELNA capacitors replaced preventively, because broken traces mean labour-intensive repairs. Reply by Wierzbowsky, 7 January 2018, on an HB-F1XV: replaced the three daughterboard capacitors with 10 µF 16 V size B and 100 µF 16 V size D tantalums before any leak, and replaced the soldered cell, which he calls the clock battery, with a socket for a CR2032.
  4. ↑ MSX2以降用ハイブリッドIC「EMC-NX0039」の回路図, 19 May 2020—link(accessed 2026-10-21) In Japanese, with the author's redrawn schematic as a PDF. Mitsumi hybrid IC EMC-NX0039 (HIC-1): RGB to NTSC encoder (CXA1145M), sound output amplifier mixing the PSG, the 1-bit sound port and the audio from slots 1 and 2, reset and pause muting, cassette interface amplifiers and relay control. Used in the Sony HB-F1II, HB-F1XD, HB-F1XDmk2, HB-F1XDJ and HB-F1XV and the Panasonic FS-A1mkII and FS-A1F. Sony part number 1-464-877-11. Two 10 µF and one 100 µF electrolytics, all known to leak; the author replaced them with tantalums and advises fused types because tantalums fail short. C26 is a through-hole part on early modules and an SMD part on later ones. R32 and R33 are 220 kΩ on Sony modules and 150 kΩ on Panasonic ones.
  5. ↑ Sony HB-F1XV, MSX Resource Center wiki—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Community specification and maintenance page: MSX2+, released 1989-10-21 at ¥69,800, the last MSX made and sold by Sony; S1985 MSX-Engine, Zilog Z0840004SPC CPU, MB89311 floppy controller, V9958, YM2413; 64 KB RAM in slot 3-0 plus 16 KB SRAM; 720 KB drive; three or four disks supplied (F1 Synth, F1 Tool Disk II, a Japanese word processor with MSX-DOS 1, and on some units a Story Disk). Maintenance notes: the drive belt is the main cause of failure and softens with age (59 mm diameter, 186 mm long, 2.8 mm wide, 0.4 mm thick); HIC-1 daughterboard with three SMD electrolytics that leak; FM crackle fix (C99 replaced with a wire, C20 with a non-polarised capacitor of the same value, after Niga; a 4.7 kΩ resistor between C20 and the sound input can be added but is not essential); link to a keyboard repair kit for the HB-F1XD, XDJ and XV from classicpc.org; lithium AA or Eneloop cells recommended, alkaline advised against.
  6. ↑ 8ビットパソコン HB-F1XDJ (MSX2+) ネタ, 25 October 2016—link(accessed 2026-10-21) In Japanese. An owner's notes on the HB-F1XDJ, which he says apply to the HB-F1XV because its hardware is the same: kanji dictionary SRAM backed by a tabbed Sony CR2032 soldered to the main board under the keyboard, which clears the dictionary at every start when flat; calendar and clock backed by two AA dry cells, manganese cells recommended, alkaline cells acceptable but watch for leaks; Mitsumi D357B 720 KB drive without VFO, with a rubber belt that stretches or melts; floppy drive powered by +5 V only, 34-pin signal connector, pin 1 on the left; AC 100 V present at the left-hand side of the case; disassembly sequence; old jumper wires on the main board come away easily and the board's joints and traces are fragile; some lots lose FM volume, cured by replacing C99, a 50 V 1 µF electrolytic in the YM2413 block on the left of the main board; quaternary-salt electrolytics used in places, which leak and break traces when the machine is stored unpowered in damp places; match the height of replacement capacitors; keyboard film traces corroded by spilled liquid, repaired with conductive silver ink; joystick ports gold-plated but prone to dirty contacts; a start-up password can be set and is cleared by holding GRAPH and STOP while switching on; after a drive swap, a reversed signal cable leaves the drive lamp lit and makes the head chatter, and a drive that is not recognised gives "Disk Offline".
  7. ↑ MSX Cartridge slot, MSX Resource Center wiki—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Pin-out of the MSX cartridge slot: pins 41 and 43 ground, 45 and 47 +5 V, 48 +12 V, 50 −12 V, 49 sound input, 42 CPU clock 3.579545 MHz; +5 V must supply up to 300 mA per slot and ±12 V up to 50 mA for all slots.


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