> But it does feel a bit aggravating to throw something out every 10 years or so when you know it's probably just a couple caps or the like that have gone toast, but it's just not feasible to repair these DIY.
It’s often a power supply that’s failed and those are quite easy to test and DIY replace if it’s the caps that have failed. I know a lot of people don’t even consider doing it, but for those few who are inclined to ask the question “could I fix this?” the answer is often “yes”.
That depends on how it failed. Sometimes rectifiers fail open and there is no problem, other times they fail closed and then you might end up having to replace all of the semiconductors that that particular rectifier fed.
It’s often a power supply that’s failed and those are quite easy to test and DIY replace if it’s the caps that have failed. I know a lot of people don’t even consider doing it, but for those few who are inclined to ask the question “could I fix this?” the answer is often “yes”.