NES Repair (I've tried the normal stuff)

[hypernova]

My mom found a bunch of our old NES stuff downstairs.  I've tried getting everything to work, to no avail, and I was hoping maybe I've done something wrong or the incorrect way.

I've purchased and installed a new 72 pin connector in the NES.  I also (before using new connector) cleaned all the games using a Qtip/windex combo.  This part I'm not so sure about.  Is there a better way/solution to clean the games with?  Even after all of that, I cannot get a single game to work even 50% of the time.  Cleaning games with a Qtip is just so damn inefficient, and difficult.

Are there other problems that can cause the blinky light?  (I also get a solid light with a yellow colored screen about as frequently as getting the blinking light.)  Occasionally, I can get the games to work, but they'll be all garbaged up with graphical errors and such, and on rare occasions, can get it to work.  I'm hoping it's still a clean thing, and I just need to go back in.

Which brings up my next question.  What is the best solution to clean games with?  What is the best fabric to clean them with (old shirt?  something else?) and the best tool?  I've read something about using a putty knife with some sort of cloth, but don't remember what exactly.

Since I may have been reinserting not-quite-clean games back into the new 72 pin connector, what is the best way to clean that?  Putty knife in and out in and out?  Once again, what is the best fabric and solution to be shoving in there?

[HaRuMaN]

You could always buy a NES Messiah.

http://www.buymessiah.com/store/

 

[ChadTower]

I've done more NES connectors than I can even remember.  Changing it rarely helps much as the new connectors just have different issues.

If the issue is the games, honestly, some very light sandpaper on the contacts will work.   Or retinning them with solder.  If it's the connector, really, you can clean an old one all you want but once they're gone they're gone.  You can bring them back some by bending the pins in but that takes forever and they never retain the contact springiness that they need.

There really is no perfect solution for an old NES.  A toploader seems to be the best bet, followed by hacking in a different type of cart connector (go to Ben Heckendorn's website for tons of different ideas on that).  I'm tempted to buy a NEX just to see what the connector is in there.

[Tahnok]

Toploaders are overrated. They don't really solve anything. If you're getting a bad connection, it doesn't matter whether or not the system is region controlled, there are still going to be other parts of the game that aren't connected properly and won't run right. Instead of getting the blank gray screen, you'll get scrambled games. I think the reason most people have better luck with the toploaders is because they're newer, and therefore have newer connectors. But, if you've already replaced your connector, then there's really no advantage.

Personally, I use alcohol to clean my games. I know a lot of people recommend against it though, as it has a tendency to eat away the contacts a bit. But, as long as you're trying things like sandpaper, alcohol is worth a shot.

[SithMaster]

Try opening the game case and using an eraser to the contacts of the games.  Ive done this to a few of my games and it works well, i just need the special bit to open the rest of em.

[AlanS17]

You could always buy a NES Messiah.

http://www.buymessiah.com/store/

 

How long will that last with the Wii's new virtual console in full swing?

[Howard_Casto]

You could always buy a NES Messiah.

http://www.buymessiah.com/store/

 

How long will that last with the Wii's new virtual console in full swing?

A loooong time considering they expect me to pay 5 bucks for nes baseball.

[hypernova]

You could always buy a NES Messiah.

http://www.buymessiah.com/store/

 

I'd rather not buy anything else.  I plan on selling everything on ebay.  If I could've gotten everything to work, it would've shot the value up somewhat.  Oh well.

So no suggestions on what to use besides straight alcohol?  What about cleaning methods/fabrics?

[ChadTower]

Fabrics?  What would you use a fabric for? 

I've done dozens of them... every method has a so so rate of success.  There is no 100% or even 80% method.  The connectors simply wear out and there is no perfect replacement part available.

[somunny]

Fabrics?  What would you use a fabric for? 

I think he was referring to emery cloth.

[hypernova]

Well, I went back in.  I used Windex again, and an old t-shirt, with a plastic putty knife.  I scrubbed back and forth, forward and backward on the games.  Took another portion of the shirt, and then dried off any remaining Windex.

Then I took the more important step.  While it was a new connector, I removed it, and bent the pins up.  This seems to make quite a difference.  While it was taking minutes before to get a game working (and I couldn't get about 5/13 to work at all,) I was able to get all the games working this time, and got them to work within 20-30 seconds of position tinkering of the cartridge.

So thanks for the help.  I've done all that can be done.

Time to list it.

[rampy]

there';s actually one more thing you can do.. hold on..

There's the silly "protection" chip... which you can disable that causes the blinky light when it's NOT just a balky connection from the cartridge...

(looking for the link I saw last week on this issue)  found it! reviving a blinky nintendo howto

rampy

[ChadTower]

That's often worth doing if you're keeping it... if you're selling it, most people have no idea what that lockout mod means, so it doesn't often help in a general sale.

[rampy]

That's often worth doing if you're keeping it... if you're selling it, most people have no idea what that lockout mod means, so it doesn't often help in a general sale.

oh, i misinterpreted the thread... I thought it was "if i can get it to work, I'll keep it... but if I can't I'll sell it as scrap on ebay" *shrug*

rampy

[hypernova]

Nope, it was a "sell regardless."

I did the latest mod.  Just made sure that the games will still work, and they do.  Didn't check to see if there's a higher probability of success though.  Didn't seem to be.

It's up on ebay now.  NES Lot

[hypernova]

What's funny about that lot of games is I can't ever recall owning some of them.  I don't recall owning about 7 of them.  I had never played them before.  Yet some of them have our name on them.

I have to think those games weren't originally ours, (perhaps a friend's at the time,) were never retrieved, and at some point down the road, my mother decided to tag whatever she found, and voila.  Freebies that I never knew about.

[ChadTower]

Nope, it was a "sell regardless."

I did the latest mod.  Just made sure that the games will still work, and they do.  Didn't check to see if there's a higher probability of success though.  Didn't seem to be.

It depends on the cart... there is a matching security chip in each cart.  In many carts, that chip is wonky, and that is a secondary cause of blinking.  If you short the verification it takes that out of the equation.

[notaburger]

just so everyone else knows
i realize it was mentioned before but sandpaper works like a charm ESPECIALLY on the pin connectors

and i would stay away from the messiahs
ignore the review on IGN, that review has many a person to lose faith in their scores
they gave it some obnoxious 9.5 or something

the colors are off, the sounds aren't quite right, and oh yeah, it doesn't even play some of the best games (castlevania 3 comes to mind)

everyone is waaaaaaaay better off buying a used nes and fixing it up


...just a note, the last time i bought an nes off of ebay, it was a lot of 5 "broken" ones from a REPAIR shop
after some light sand paper, every last one worked every try

i guess i have the benefit of having clean games though

i get some used ones and sometimes you wonder if they play their games in a sandbox

[ChadTower]

just so everyone else knows
i realize it was mentioned before but sandpaper works like a charm ESPECIALLY on the pin connectors

Temporarily, the same way that you can clean your arm by scraping off the top layer of skin.  It also produces chasms in the contacts, which reduces surface area, resulting in lower signal integrity AND higher operating temperatures.

Granted, I have NEVER seen an NES with a burned connector.  The lower signal integrity (especially if you jerk the NES once in a while) is an issue, though, as is the "sand off the top layer" concept.

[Howard_Casto]

In theory at least, the best way to repair the connections would be to tin them all.  It'd actually build up the thickness, thus ensuring better contact and on top of that it'd make for nice, clean connections. 

Now is anyone willing to solder all those connections?  I know I'm not. 

[ChadTower]

It would be almost impossible to do that, though.  You'd have to cut the plastic housing open and then retin the inside of each pin somehow, then glue the housing back together.  You'd be far better off finding some alternate connector.  I remember some of the NES portables people have built use things like old floppy cable connectors.  You can use a pair of them and just not connect a bunch of the innermost pins because they are for the security chip.  IIRC they're the same size and connector spacing as the NES carts.