That's more true for early 1980's and earlier electronics with through-hole caps (though a shorted cap could easily ruin your day), but I've seen a lot of mid-80's and newer vintage computers and game systems destroyed due to leaky SMD electrolytics.
I recently fired up an old Mac Plus that has stayed in the family and everything seemed to work fine until it started smoking, the display started to go wonky, and then it quit... Almost certainly an old-capacitor issue
That sounds like the RIFA brand AC line filter capacitor blowing. Cheap and easy fix provided you have a soldering iron and the long Torx driver to get at the screws in the handle. :)
Do you have a guide or something on how I can DIY this? I know soldering from my past military experience. The Mac has been in a shop for 8 months now "waiting on a part", I'm considering reclaiming it and repairing it myself, but I know nothing about the details.
There is a lot of nostalgia invested in that thing, it was my family's first computer and my own personal first experiences gaming and programming.
