DP MYTHBUSTERS : Blowing in NES Cartridges

[blue lander]

Are you sure electricity running through the cartridge contacts when it's plugged into a NES isn't vital to the experiment? Who knows what effect that has on how fast the metal oxidizes. And are we sure that the cartridge contacts are what's getting corroded, not the contacts within the NES itself? An average NES game might be blown on once or twice a week, but if that NES gets several spit covered NES games inserted into it on a daily basis, the wear-and-tear might be even worse inside the NES than inside the cartridge.

Another interesting indicator to see if the spit works would be to use an ohm meter with a cartridge that's been blown on recently versus a dry one versus one that's been blown on for 30 days. Which one has more resistance, or does it make any difference at all?

Here's how I'd test this theory after the 30 days:

1: Take the circuit board out of a toaster NES

2: Plug the cartridge into the NES and power it up. If the game runs, pull the cartridge out and put it back in until you get the blinking light or corrupt graphics or whatever.

3: Once you get the blinking lights, use an ohm meter or a cable tester to check connectivity between each pin on the cartridge circuit board and the NES circuitboard.

4: If all the pins make connection, then obviously the problem has nothing to do with how the cartridge was seated or corrosion on the contacts.

5: If some of the pins didn't make contact, visually inspect them. Are they physically touching the connector in the NES, or is the pin bent back too far, or is the cartridge in at an odd angle?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Again.

While I appreciate all of the interest and input, all of the suggested variables are specifically why I'm running this test and only this test.

I need it to be simple to start.

Simple, basic, moisture-by-way-of-human-breath-on-cartridge-contacts.

If after 30 days this yields zero results in terms of damage, then we can move on to try other things... but I reiterate, I won't be the one continuing the experiments at that point.

I'm doing a simple environmental test. That's all.

[blue lander]

Okie dokie. Considering how spotty cartridges have been the bane of NES Gamer's existance for the last 20 years, I'm suprised nobody's done a meaningful version of this test already!

[TonyTheTiger]

Again.

While I appreciate all of the interest and input, all of the suggested variables are specifically why I'm running this test and only this test.

I need it to be simple to start.

Simple, basic, moisture-by-way-of-human-breath-on-cartridge-contacts.

If after 30 days this yields zero results in terms of damage, then we can move on to try other things... but I reiterate, I won't be the one continuing the experiments at that point.

I'm doing a simple environmental test. That's all.

You're doing it right. The most basic rule of any experiment is to change only one variable at a time.

[wkdr3d]

Well what can i say i fell upon this forum looking for retro game info during a board half hour at work, i think what your trying to do should be commended and encouraged soooooo many forums waffle on and on about crap offering nothing original or new to the scene.

This thread alone breaks this trend and i eagerly await the results (I still blow my carts to this day NDS) and just about every other nintendo console that has been released (I think i have an example of each nintendo console in my collection barring the virtua boy)

I added this page to Stumble i suggest more do the same im sure it will bring some new blood to the forum with original content like this

Regards WKD Long term video game addict

[Ed Oscuro]

You're doing it right. The most basic rule of any experiment is to change only one variable at a time.

That doesn't preclude changing that variable in different ways.

Example of my suggestion set up as an experiment:

Control group: cartridge contact kept in dry conditions
Experimental group 1: contact blown on
Experimental group 2: contact kept in moist conditions (moist basement, under dirt, etc. - this could be helpful for finding out how bad blowing on something is compared to something else)

What is important is having an objective way of testing the contacts. If you're testing insertions of a dry cartridge you can't pop it into a NES that's just had a wet cartridge removed.

My guess is that some error or bias could creep into the results, or be artificially removed. An NES that has had moist cartridges inserted regularly will probably start to have a messed-up connector, and while I would carefully dry it to test the effects on only the cartridge connector, you see that this is really a change from the actual real-world situation. In the closest test to realistic you'd have to let both the system and the cartridge dry out normally.

To make sure the cartridges are somewhat equal you'd have to find some brand-new games to test this myth out, or do it over a whole bunch of different cartridges so you can average it out and lessen the effect of wear and tear - they'd have to be the same game, and ideally they'd each be carefully tested by the start for reliability - inserted so many times each before you start testing so that obvious problem cartridges are removed from the equation.

Doing a test with just two cartridges will prove nothing, since we can attribute all the failures to some unseen and uncontrolled variable interfering.

[TonyTheTiger]

You're right that the same variable can be changed in multiple ways. The thing is, I'm not sure testing the cartridges is really necessary if the experiment is just seeking to find out if regular blowing increases the rate of corrosion. The actual functionality of the cartridges becomes moot. You don't need an experiment to figure out that corrosion is probably bad even if a corroded cartridge does play flawlessly.

If the question is that blowing in conjunction with regular use of the cartridge is what does damage and not just blowing alone, then that's a whole separate issue on the assumption that the results of the current test yield no difference.

The fact that two cartridges with unknown histories are being used does inject some slight corruption but I think that's probably negligible provided both were cleaned as best as possible prior to beginning the experiment. Honestly, the best way to test this wouldn't be getting two new sealed games. It would be to build your own cartridge contacts with the same material but that's obviously pretty prohibitive.

[Ed Oscuro]

The thing is, I'm not sure testing the cartridges is really necessary if the experiment is just seeking to find out if regular blowing increases the rate of corrosion.

You don't say. I fear this is going to sacrifice a game or two to the evil gods of vanity and false hopes that bad game handling practices will be vindicated when they can't possibly be.

Also, my personal reaction to the thought of somebody blowing on a NES cartridge over and over is this: Gross.

[TonyTheTiger]

Perhaps a better change would be to also have a cartridge that regularly gets a shot of canned air or something. That would isolate the "blowing" from the extra crap that could come out of someone's mouth.