hey i've got my brothers laptop,and one of the surface mount capacitors has blown, its cracked. its brown in colour and i was hoping that they had diff colours for diff values. is there anyway to identify which capacitor it is? thanx.
Hi Bixie, As far as I know, there's no way to know the value. SMT chip capacitors colours has got no relation with the value. SMT tantulum and electrolytic capacitors have their value (and voltage rating) written on them. As a long shot, if you are willing to take the risk, measure another chip capacitor which is the same colour and size; that might be the value of the burned cap. (you may have to unsolder the chip cap. before measuring, since it might be connected to other components). Hope this helps. ARM
Small smd caps shouldn't damage stuff if they are the wrong type, they wont work. Don't quote me on this though... EDIT: Just make sure you switch off quick if you see smoke...
About the only way to tell, would be to pull a few other caps that match it in size and color and measure thier values. Then use the highest voltage available for that package size and measured capacitance. It may be an part who's absence wont affect operation, or it could be part of a power supply or video circuit and be vital. The only thing I can suggest is to clean off the remains so it doesnt cause a short circuit as bits of it fall off or the internal crushed layers short out. If it's tiny and there of lots of others just like it, it's probably a decoupling cap and it's loss is no big deal, but if it's bigger than most of the others or a unique color, it's likely to be important. Check for other damage as well, cut traces, bent pins etc.
