Cleaning NES connectors

[Kitsune Sniper]

I just learned that you can fix NES connectors by using sandpaper to polish them... but can the same be done on NES games? I'm thinking of cleaning some of them but don't know how to go about doing that. I normally use alcohol plus a cotton swab to wipe some of the dirt off but it doesn't get everything. What can I do in this case?

(I tried searching the forums, but the three letter limit got in the way and couldn't find a thing...)

[rbudrick]

NEVER do this.

Ever.

K?
The answer is NO.
Sandpapering game contacts will kill your family.

-Rob

[atariboy]

I agree, you don't ever want to use sandpaper to clen your contacts, it'll ruin your games and consoles.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I agree, you don't ever want to use sandpaper to clen your contacts, it'll ruin your games and consoles.

This is why I was asking, dammit. I saw this (http://www.digitpress.com/livefaq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=77&id=16&artlang=en) (for the console) so I was wondering if there's something SIMILAR I can try with my carts...

[FABombjoy]

Don't be so hasty... While I consider it a last resort, I've brought back a few NES carts with sandpaper that were so badly filthed up that all the usual stuff wasn't working.

I'm talking starting with alcohol/q-tip all the way up through grill-cleaning scotch brite. Some ~400 grit wet sanding and they were back in business.

[chrisballer]

Try scotch-brite it works great.

[Atari 5200]

While cleaning the contacts in the NES may help a little, why dont you take the NES apart and use a toothpick or a small knife and bend the contacts down so that it takes an act of congress to put the cart in and pull it out. This method I have tried on several NESs and works great on them. The games usually boot up on the first try.

[ApolloBoy]

I would pull up on the contacts and clean them using a toothbrush dipped in rubbing alcohol (make sure it contains distilled water).

[rbudrick]

I find it easiest to take the connector out and put the dirty end in a half inch of rubbing alcohol in a flat-bottomed bowl (a margarine bowl usually works fine if wide enough). Then toothbrush away.

For game connectors, I open each NES game so I can actually see how dirty they are. Then, I use the old soft white eraser. For hopeless grime, I've found that as a last resort, a tiny bit of water does wonders alcohol and erasers won't. Of course, I didn't tell you to use spit, so I won't, but it works better than water sometimes. ;) The situations where I have to use anything other than an eraser or alcohol are very rare.

-Rob

[Kitsune Sniper]

IT LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES

http://vice.parodius.com/LJ/targetrencart.jpg

http://vice.parodius.com/LJ/targetrenscreen.jpg

I used the sandpaper (120 grit) to clean the connector inside the NES and noticed that when I pulled it back, the pins were dragged back along with it. So there was no need for me to use anything to prop the pins back up, as several posts have suggested.

I only tested this cart, I'm gonna try out the others... including my bootlegs. Whee.

I have three systems, though. I picked one out at random (the filthiest one)... wonder if I can get the others to work, too. Bwa ha ha!

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Good Old fashioned Metal cleaner. I purchased it at a Publix and it's Called "Mr. Metal." It gets off the stuff alcohol can't. I've used it on some nasty cartridges, and it always brings them back. I've used this stuff on over 40 NES, SNES and N64 games, as well as the motherboard contacts. My system probably didn't work as good new as it does now. I apply it with a regular wash cloth.

[MonoTekETeA]

IT LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES


I used the sandpaper (120 grit) and noticed that when I pulled it back, the pins were dragged back along with it. So there was no need for me to use anything to prop the pins back up.

I only tested this cart, I'm gonna try out the others... including my bootlegs. Whee.

I have three systems, though. I picked one out at random (the filthiest one)... wonder if I can get the others to work, too. Bwa ha ha!

For anyone looking at this post, he cleaned his system pins with sandpaper, not his game cart! Please recognize and don't send that cart off to heaven, aka the landfill, probably with all the E.T.s.

[Kitsune Sniper]

For anyone looking at this post, he cleaned his system pins with sandpaper, not his game cart! Please recognize and don't send that cart off to heaven, aka the landfill, probably with all the E.T.s.

Whoops! I'll edit my post, heheh. :p

[Rev. Link]

A friend of mine has a little black cleaning wand dealy that he bought on Nintendo's web site. I've seen that thing bring dirty old carts back from the dead, man. And he said it only cost him like $2. I've been meaning to pick one up myself for a long time, but I keep forgetting.

Maybe I should do that now, while I'm thinking about it.... Oh, look! A butterfly!