DP MYTHBUSTERS : Blowing in NES Cartridges

[Press_Start]

Are you playing as Jamie or Adam? (Can't be Buster as R.O.B. fits perfectly for that position.)

Here's something that been bugging me, is there a difference (long-term) is you use 70% concentration alcohol compared to 100% concentration? Just something to think about.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Are you playing as Jamie or Adam? (Can't be Buster as R.O.B. fits perfectly for that position.)

Here's something that been bugging me, is there a difference (long-term) is you use 70% concentration alcohol compared to 100% concentration? Just something to think about.

I'm playing Kari.

I think that 100% alcohol has a higher PH and could eventually "strip" the base metals down ... same basic concept as what I'm doing with "moisture" ... prolonged repeated exposure to pure concentrations of alcohol would probably do progressive damage on a small scale over time.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

I tried something similar a while back. I took a Pac-Man board and left it in a container of spit for a couple months. Amazingly, all it needed was a wipe with a dry cloth and it worked perfectly, there was no visible corrosion on it at all.

The metal would have to be exposed to both moisture and oxygen in order to corrode, so your container of spit wasn't doing much but waterlogging the circuit board. However, I'm still fairly skeptical that there will be any noticeable corrosion in Frankie's experiment after 30 days. If there's anything visible it would probably just be some dried salts left behind by Mr. Says_Relax's breath, which could be wiped away easily (those same salts would surely contribute the oxidization of the metal in the long run however). Maybe i'm wrong, though, and the oxidization will happen faster.

Where are you performing this experiment, Frankie? If you're somewhere dry like Nevada, you're probably wasting your time. Unless the air is relatively humid, the moisture in your breath will evaporate too quickly. And if you're really at the bottom of Suda Trench, you'll have the same problem as NES_Rules and his bucket of spit.

Here's something that been bugging me, is there a difference (long-term) is you use 70% concentration alcohol compared to 100% concentration? Just something to think about.

Have you ever seen 100% alcohol for sale before? We use it at my work and we have to order it from a laboratory equipment distributor. The highest I've ever seen for sale in a store is 85%. The remaining percentage is made up of water, though, which is indeed more likely to be left behind and cause oxidization after the alcohol evaporates, so I guess pure grain alcohol would be better in theory. I doubt it's anything much to worry about in reality, though, since you're not using it very often.


...word is bondage...

[Haoie]

I'll add that for Playstation memory cards, sometimes they malfunction [reading data] when there's dust inside.

Blowing almost always seems to help if it's a minor issue.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Where are you performing this experiment, Frankie?

New Jersey, where the air alone is probably toxic enough to corrode metal.

[dao2]

The metal would have to be exposed to both moisture and oxygen in order to corrode, so your container of spit wasn't doing much but waterlogging the circuit board. However, I'm still fairly skeptical that there will be any noticeable corrosion in Frankie's experiment after 30 days. If there's anything visible it would probably just be some dried salts left behind by Mr. Says_Relax's breath, which could be wiped away easily (those same salts would surely contribute the oxidization of the metal in the long run however). Maybe i'm wrong, though, and the oxidization will happen faster.

Where are you performing this experiment, Frankie? If you're somewhere dry like Nevada, you're probably wasting your time. Unless the air is relatively humid, the moisture in your breath will evaporate too quickly. And if you're really at the bottom of Suda Trench, you'll have the same problem as NES_Rules and his bucket of spit.


Have you ever seen 100% alcohol for sale before? We use it at my work and we have to order it from a laboratory equipment distributor. The highest I've ever seen for sale in a store is 85%. The remaining percentage is made up of water, though, which is indeed more likely to be left behind and cause oxidization after the alcohol evaporates, so I guess pure grain alcohol would be better in theory. I doubt it's anything much to worry about in reality, though, since you're not using it very often.


...word is bondage...

I see isopropyl 91% all th time does that count ;S?

[gum_drops]

I see isopropyl 91% all th time does that count ;S?

I use 99% isopropyl alcohol produced by Swan all the time to clean cart contacts/whatever else needs cleaning. I have always assumed the 99% is better since it evaporates in seconds but I wonder if its rougher on the contacts?

[Vroomfunkel]

I have been wondering whether the same principle applies to people as to Nintendo cartridges and, in the interests of science, I humbly submit myself as subject B in the corresponding experiment to determine whether a month of 'no abuse' compared to a daily blow will result in long term harm.

I nominate Kamino for the month of 'no abuse'.

[c0ldb33r]

Not to derail your thread but has anyone seen the ... uhmmm ... images floating around of Adam? I'm not going to say anything more about this but mannnn.... very gross stuff.

[debian4life]

Sounds good. I am curious though if constant insertion and removal of games from the various systems also helped to corrode contacts. The 72 pin dilemma happened from inserting and removing cartridges since insertion and removal of games caused the contacts to wear.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Sounds good. I am curious though if constant insertion and removal of games from the various systems also helped to corrode contacts. The 72 pin dilemma happened from inserting and removing cartridges since insertion and removal of games caused the contacts to wear.

It could be.

In the case of damaged cartridge contacts that don't have a random pattern of corrosion, but oxidation in the shape of the uniform markings of the 72 pin connectors ... that could be something we'll have to look into.

And that nude picture of Adam Savage was proven to not be him.

VERY VERY VERY VERY NSFW proof here. Don't click if you're uncomfortable looking at overweight explicitly naked men that look very much like but are in fact not Adam Savage. Don't say I didn't warn you.

[remowilliams]

I use 99% isopropyl alcohol produced by Swan all the time to clean cart contacts/whatever else needs cleaning. I have always assumed the 99% is better since it evaporates in seconds but I wonder if its rougher on the contacts?

It's not 'rougher on the contacts.' 99% should be used all the time if possible. Lower percentages contain (obviously) more water and that's the enemy of electronic contacts, not the alcohol.

[s1lence]

I'm surprised by all the "negative" comments here. I think its a good idea, especially since a good portion of us live in not so dry areas. It should be interesting how bad those pins start to look.

[Krook]

Not to derail your thread but has anyone seen the ... uhmmm ... images floating around of Adam? I'm not going to say anything more about this but mannnn.... very gross stuff.

uuhm, what have i missed?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm surprised by all the "negative" comments here. I think its a good idea, especially since a good portion of us live in not so dry areas. It should be interesting how bad those pins start to look.

I haven't seen any negatives really ... just people with their own theories, which I absolutely welcome, and it's totally cool with me.

I enjoy provoking thought/discussion over this kind of thing.

And even MY theory, while I base it on years of first-hand visual evidence may in fact turn out to be "busted" (at least in the short term of one-month worth of mouth spit moisture exposure).

[punkoffgirl]

Frankie, if the contacts don't show any visible corrosion after the month is up, are you open to extending your experiment?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Frankie, if the contacts don't show any visible corrosion after the month is up, are you open to extending your experiment?

If people want me to keep going until something happens, I don't see why not. If I don't net any results, I could even modify the conditions...but I don't want to "force" it to happen. That's not very scientific.

The whole reason that I believe that blowing in games is a direct correlation to them having increased oxidation comes from my years at Funcoland:

Every time there was a batch of awful looking, heavily oxidized games, I'd ask the owner if they blew in their games to get them to work, and the answer was always "yes". And in each batch of games, the ones that were popular and likely heavily played often had the worst of it (and probably got blown in the most frequently).

I don't believe that heavy oxidation (especially to the point of damaging the contacts) is a spontaneously occurring phenomenon ... it has to come from somewhere, and most people didn't keep their games next to a humidifier. I really think it's directly linked to "blowing".

In any case, we'll take a look at the results at 30 days and go from there.

[punkoffgirl]

Then, like others, the only condition I'd suggest modifiying if that ends up being the case would be actually putting it into a system. That, and the system being powered for a length of time, are about the only two "missing" factors I can think of.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Then, like others, the only condition I'd suggest modifiying if that ends up being the case would be actually putting it into a system. That, and the system being powered for a length of time, are about the only two "missing" factors I can think of.

Well, I don't own a toaster NES ... SO, if at the end of this, somebody would like to take up the mantle of continuing this under the varied condition of -

Blowing into a game and then inserting it into a working NES which is then powered on and used for an extended period (which I would imagine would "stimulate growth" like a heated incubator) for 30 days (or longer)

they're more than welcome to. I'll send them the two Gyromite carts if they pay for shipping.

I just wanted to cover the straight-up environmental / moisture / spit side of things.

[Bibliophile]

Well, I don't own a toaster NES ... SO, if at the end of this, somebody would like to take up the mantle of continuing this under the varied condition of -

Blowing into a game and then inserting it into a working NES which is then powered on and used for an extended period (which I would imagine would "stimulate growth" like a heated incubator) for 30 days (or longer)

they're more than welcome to. I'll send them the two Gyromite carts if they pay for shipping.

I just wanted to cover the straight-up environmental / moisture / spit side of things.

I am willing to continue the experiment after 30 days if you want me to, and I am willing to pay for shipping. Let me know. I'd be interested in seeing the results of this experiment, both after 30 days, and after longer periods of time. I also do have NES front loaders and top loaders to try the carts on.