Leaking electrolytic capacitors—known as capacitor plague—led to mass premature failures of numerous electronic devices in the late 1990s. The cause was water-induced corrosion inside the capacitors, which caused their capacitance values to change over time and malfunctions to occur. At the latest when the corrosive electrolyte flowed over the conductor tracks of the circuit boards and attacked them, this usually meant the certain end of the device.
The Sony ICF-SW55 world receiver was also affected by this problem. In my unit, this was initially noticeable as a “farting” noise when switching it on and off. Later, sudden, uncontrolled channel hopping was added to the mix.
The only way to stop this creeping deterioration is to replace all of the electrolytic capacitors. A total of 23 electrolytic capacitors are installed in the Sony ICF-SW55. Except for three capacitors in the NF section, for which I could not find suitable replacements, I replaced all of them with low ESR SMD capacitors.
To desolder the capacitors, the device must be completely disassembled and the main circuit board removed.
This is connected to the display unit via a ribbon cable, which must be carefully disconnected. To protect the thin connecting wires between the main circuit board and the ferrite antenna, it is advisable to secure the latter to the circuit board with a cable tie.
A soldering iron with a fine tip is required for desoldering and soldering the capacitors, as the conductor tracks are sometimes very close together. After soldering, carefully check that no unwanted solder bridges have formed.
After replacing the capacitors, reinstall the circuit board and secure the ribbon cable in the cable compartment again. If the operation is successful, the Sony ICF-SW55 will work reliably again.