Do NES game cart contacts seem to get dirtier faster than other system's? Is it due to poor care or the blow into cart syndrome? Mine seem to and wondered if anyone else has this happen? Thanks.
Do NES game cart contacts seem to get dirtier faster than other system's? Is it due to poor care or the blow into cart syndrome? Mine seem to and wondered if anyone else has this happen? Thanks.
NES are the dirtiest of the 3rd gen and up, in my experience. But the most consistently nasty carts I've come across are TI-99 4a carts. 3 Q-tips minimum per cart. Never found one that didn't need scrubbed.
Seems like some carts with really dirty or tarnished or whatever was on them, after cleaning some seem like they almost need to be cleaned everytime I use them if they've sat for a bit. I know it's not the connector so I'm thinking worn contacts from previous use, care, and age? I don't have this problem with any other cart based system I have. Just the front loading nes. I have tried repairing the connector and even trying a new one with the same results.
I think the problem is not that the contacts get dirtier than other cartridges, it's that the NES is more sensitive to dirt than other systems. Everything has to be perfect for the NES to recognize the cartridge. I don't have the technical expertise to back that up; it's just based on my own experience. Many non-NES games I own have severely darkened contacts, but play just fine in their respective systems.
My Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/GamingTheSystems/featured
The reason that NES carts get dirtier is due to the Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) connector used in the standard NES. The commonly used slot type of connector has friction on insertion and removal that helps keep the contacts clean on both the cart and the connector. Simply a poor design.
I'm sure if all you ever used was a Famicom or top loader NES you'd have much less problems.