Does disabling the NES lockout chip realy help the blinkies?

[Gentlegamer]

I have a toaster NES that seems to defy all attempts to restore it to non-blinkie status. I've cleaned and bent the pins on the zif connector to restore tension, but I can't get rid of the blinkies. I've read that it helps to disable the lockout chip, which can be another cause for the blinkies. Does this really help?

[jferio]

It does help, I did it to mine. The reason is that the chip is incredibly finicky, or at least, it's connection to the matching chip in the cart through the ZIF connector.

You might also go and clean the connectors on the carts, they can get just as dirty as the ZIF in the NES.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Dirty games are almost always the culprit. You need to buy some gamebits off of ebay to take your games apart and clean them. If your games are excessivly dirty you may need to get a metal cleaner like Brasso thats used to clean fine metals, instead of just alcohol. It's worked for me on many a Nintendo... I clean every game, before I ever test it. You could also take the NES apart again and clean the part where the motherboard and ZIF connect. It's super rare for me to get a blink that can't be fixed with just a tap of the reset button. Even if some games don't look very dirty you still need to clean them.

[Gentlegamer]

I should have noted that the NES in question does work intermittedly when I to the ole "push and pull" with the cart to get a better connection with the ZIF connectors, but it isn't reliable. It has good days, but mostly bad days. I'm trying to get it back to mostly good days.

[SkiDragon]

I think disabling the lockout chip gets rid of the blinking completely. Instead, you will just see a solid screen of color without blinking. I hear that a few of the pins are dedicated to the lockout technology, so disabling this would theoretically increase the probability of the system working, if only a tiny bit.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

I should have noted that the NES in question does work intermittedly when I to the ole "push and pull" with the cart to get a better connection with the ZIF connectors, but it isn't reliable. It has good days, but mostly bad days. I'm trying to get it back to mostly good days.

That's because the pins may not be that filthy, and will still allow for a good connection if you move it around enough. If the game contacts are totally cleaned you really can count on getting a good working connection most of the time.

I've found a handful of really dirty NES toasters in the wild. I took them home, taken them apart, and cleaned them- then I'd try out a few dozen of my (cleaned) games on them... And rarely I would come across a game that wouldn't fire up on the 1st try. If it didn't- I took it out and reseated it a time or two until it would work... Then that game usually wouldn't give me problems later.

[SnowKitty]

i would buy a new ZIF connector if i were you. i got one for mine and it's rock fuckin solid. it only blinks if i stick a dirty game in it but i always clean my games with 91% rubbing alcohol (strongest stuff CVS has lol) so it's not really an issue for me. a new 72 pin connector shouldnt run you more than 10$ to 12$ plus shipping. sometimes the old zif connector just gets too worn out to fix (had it happen on one of my nes decks so i replaced it) oh and one more thing, be sure to clean the new connector on both ends before installing it.

[Gentlegamer]

Related question: I dissassembled my NES a few months ago and placed most of the screws in a bag but can't find it.

What are the various sizes of the screws so I can get replacements if I don't find the originals?

[FABombjoy]

Do you have any pre-Dreamcast Sega hardware? (maybe even the Dreamcast, but I'm not sure).

I'm pretty sure the screws used in, say, a Genesis are the same pitch & type. The NES uses 3 different sizes. Shorties hold down the PCBs (about 1/4"), medium length holds everything else (about 1/2"), except the middle holes on the cartridge holder/ejector, which use longer (about an 1"). Those screws pass through the card holder & the pin connector, so they have to be longer.

Anyway, try one of those screws, and if it fits, match 'em up at the hardware store.

[RyanMurf]

72 pin connector anyone? Here at the store I refurbish all NES's that get traded in with a new set of pins. 99.9 percent of the time that gets rid of the blinks for a while.