While recording gameplay footage of Leisure Suit Larry on an IBM 5160 PC, this vintage IBM 5154 EGA color monitor suddenly released the infamous "magic smoke" caused by a failed RIFA capacitor inside the power supply. This video documents the unexpected hardware failure along with the repair process required to bring one of IBM's classic Enhanced Graphics Adapter monitors back into working condition.
With assistance from Adrian Black from Adrian's Digital Basement, the IBM 5154 was successfully repaired through replacement of the aging RIFA capacitors followed by minor color calibration work to restore proper display quality. The IBM 5154 remains one of the most recognizable CRT monitors from the DOS computing era and an important part of IBM PC and EGA graphics history among retro computing enthusiasts and vintage hardware collectors.
Failures in vintage hardware are an inevitable part of preserving aging technology. Documenting these problems helps create a historical and technical record that can assist other collectors facing similar issues while also highlighting the challenges involved in maintaining original computer equipment decades after it was manufactured.