NES Blinks while playing games... suggestions?

[ashtonium]

ok, first off, i'm not talking about the standard NES flahsing problem where it doesn't recogize the cartridge and flashes the grey screen.  i've taken care of that by repairing the 72 pin connector.

My problem is that i'll be in the game, (any game, it doesn't matter) and the screen will suddenly blink between the game and the TV's no signal screen.  Both video and audio cut out any where from 1 to 4 times.  Each "blink" lasts for about a second, with around 30 seconds worth of clear picture and sound in between each series of blinks.   The problem occurs if i use the RF out, or the RCA out, it doesn't seem to matter.

anyone have any ideas as to the cause and possible solutions?  

btw: this was happening --BINGO! Either that, or I was attempting to say "before" but it was too many letters to type-- i repaired the 72 pin connector, so the blinking is not a result of my tinkering.  

[sofakng]

This might be a bit obvious, but did you check the connections on the back of your TV?

On my amplifier the DVD input is a little funky.  If you nudge the cable sometimes the colors will get all faded or worse yet, start blinking somewhat randomly.

Another problem is that my TV is very old.  When a game, movie, etc, flashes anything really bright (like a full-screen spell effect or something) my TV will go black and say "Unusable signal" for a split second before returning to normal.

Finally, you might want to check the RF adapter on your NES.  Try banging on it (lightly!) and moving the cables that come out of it.  There might be a loose wire or something on the inside of the adapter.

Hope that helps...

[SirPeale]

Let me guess...you've got an RCA TV?  

I have the same problem with mine.  Good signal, but every four seconds it'll cut out to the 'No Signal' screen.  

Regretably the solution for me was to use another TV.  My SNES did the same thing.

I'm guessing it's something to do with the timing circuit since it happens on a very predictable schedule.  Whether or not it's fixable is another matter.

I have a Dreamcast that works okay, *except* in certain games that use similar timing, and it does the exact same thing.

[ChadTower]

Yeah, there are some TVs that don't work well with consoles.  I know there are a few older Zenith models that won't work with most consoles.  I had one.  Wouldn't work with any Sony systems nor half the Sega systems.

[ashtonium]

Peale: yep RCA.  i tried it on a different, older TV over at my friends's house, and it didn't flash once.

thanks for the tip, at least i know that its not something else i need to repair on my NES.  of course, that probably would have been cheaper than buying another tv...