Two questions about restoring a NES

[erehwon]

I have a NES action Set with box that I'm considering selling and I have a few questions before I try selling it.

The first is about the power adapter. The set is missing the power adapter. I have one that I think will work, but I'm a little unsure.

Input:100-240V~1.0A MAX 47-63 Hz
Output: +15V 1.0A Output Level 15W Max

Will this adapter work for the NES?

I'm also wondering about replacing the connector. Is there anything I should be aware of with these replacement connectors? I've heard that these have a very tight grip, is that true? If so, is that bad for the games or just an annoyance? Is there anywhere else I can buy these besides ebay? I was considering buying two or three. I want to restore one of mine as well as the one I want to sell.

[RyanMurf]

Well when it comes to the power supply all that I can say is plug it in and see if ti powers up. If it powers up and stays on I would say your ok. And then when it comes to the replacement pins, yes they are tight. But the tighter the better. The last thing you want is for them to be loose for thats a "looser" connection to the cartridge. You can buy them here
http://www.estarland.com/product16956.html

You will get discounts on the item the more you purchase. Hoped this helped.

[omnedon]

""But the tighter the better.""

I'd have to disagree with that one. Customers return NES's that their kids can't get the games out of.

Not all 3rd party connectors are super tight. In my experience third party connectors are of uneven quality, but I suppose would likely be 'good enough' for the above purpose.

[Cornelius]

On the power supply question... 15V seems a bit high to me. The NES is pretty tolerant of a range of power, but it states 9V. I try not to go +/- more than 2V of that.

[Bratwurst]

Well when it comes to the power supply all that I can say is plug it in and see if ti powers up. If it powers up and stays on I would say your ok.

Stop posting here, please.

[RyanMurf]

Stop posting here, please.

Ouch, Sorry man just trying to help. When it comes to the NES I think we can be lenient when it comes to the power supply I mean we arent dealing with a six hundred dollar piece of equipment here. But again I was just trying to help and btw im a DP store employee so yeahhhh......

[erehwon]

I'm thinking I'll look for another adapter. I'd rather be a little careful. My father said he might have something that would work.

As far as connectors go, are there any better quality ones to look for? Since I'm considering replacing the one in mine, I would like to find good ones. Also, should I try some of the things I've heard about fixing the current connector? How effective is moving the pins? Is it worth the effort or should I just buy a new connector?

[FABombjoy]

Some of us like our loose NESes. That's how they were when shipped, how they worked for years, and how they can be made to work again if properly refurbished. This whole thing about pins getting bent over the years is nonsense.

[SnowKitty]

Some of us like our loose NESes. That's how they were when shipped, how they worked for years, and how they can be made to work again if properly refurbished. This whole thing about pins getting bent over the years is nonsense.

correct. the slot was a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force)

[Cornelius]

I'm thinking I'll look for another adapter. I'd rather be a little careful. My father said he might have something that would work.

As far as connectors go, are there any better quality ones to look for? Since I'm considering replacing the one in mine, I would like to find good ones. Also, should I try some of the things I've heard about fixing the current connector? How effective is moving the pins? Is it worth the effort or should I just buy a new connector?

I've posted this before, but here is what I do. Take some fine grit sandpaper (I use 240 cause I had some laying around), fold it over a credit card, and push that in the connector a few times so that each pin gets hit a time or two. I then use some good paper, fold it over the CC, put some alcohol on it and do it again. Not sure if this bit matter or not though.

Clean games are just as, if not more, important. Open them up and use some metal polish (MAAS from Home Depot is what I use). You don't have to go overboard, but just make it so they don't have the black marks anymore.

I used to think it was all about the pins, and had limited success bending them back, but it is way more work, and way less effective.

[erehwon]

I've posted this before, but here is what I do. Take some fine grit sandpaper (I use 240 cause I had some laying around), fold it over a credit card, and push that in the connector a few times so that each pin gets hit a time or two. I then use some good paper, fold it over the CC, put some alcohol on it and do it again. Not sure if this bit matter or not though.

Clean games are just as, if not more, important. Open them up and use some metal polish (MAAS from Home Depot is what I use). You don't have to go overboard, but just make it so they don't have the black marks anymore.

I used to think it was all about the pins, and had limited success bending them back, but it is way more work, and way less effective.
I tried the sand paper thing on another nes a while back and I don't remember it helping much.

Cleaning the games has done the most. Using just alcohol (I think my stuff is 90%) and qtips helped some. I finally tried this deoxit cleaning pen I got on clearance from Radio Shack and works very well. I'm thinking about ordering a bottle of the stuff from newark (http://www.newark.com/jsp/content/printCatalog.jsp?display=single&cat=cat125&page=1915).

I thinking of ordering at least one connector though for the nes I want to sell. It would probably look better on an auction to say that.

[FABombjoy]

The sandpaper method is as much technique as process. There is a definite method required and it might take practice. I've also had to spend up to 10 minutes on a single connector to bring it back before.

[Cornelius]

I tried the sand paper thing on another nes a while back and I don't remember it helping much.

Cleaning the games has done the most. Using just alcohol (I think my stuff is 90%) and qtips helped some. I finally tried this deoxit cleaning pen I got on clearance from Radio Shack and works very well. I'm thinking about ordering a bottle of the stuff from newark (http://www.newark.com/jsp/content/printCatalog.jsp?display=single&cat=cat125&page=1915).

Yeah, I started really cleaning the games about the same time I started using the sandpaper, so I never really got a firm feel for which was most important.



I thinking of ordering at least one connector though for the nes I want to sell. It would probably look better on an auction to say that.
you are right, it will sound better to most people.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Clean games are just as, if not more, important. Open them up and use some metal polish (MAAS from Home Depot is what I use). You don't have to go overboard, but just make it so they don't have the black marks anymore.

I used to think it was all about the pins, and had limited success bending them back, but it is way more work, and way less effective.


Cleaning the games has done the most. Using just alcohol (I think my stuff is 90%) and qtips helped some. I finally tried this deoxit cleaning pen I got on clearance from Radio Shack and works very well.

I agree. I always take apart and clean an NES, but have never replaced the ZIF connector. Cleaning games is way more important, and this really gets overlooked. Instead we hear "Buy a new 72-pin" as the standard advice.

With that advice, I don't agree.

I have about a 90% success rate on getting a game to work after I clean it properly (with a metal cleaner), the very 1st time I put it into my deck. If it doesn't work the 1st time, I usually try turning off the power and re-inserting the cart a few times- this always does the trick.

[Cinder6]

I clean my games. I take them apart, rub them with an eraser, use alcohol & Q-tips, etc. They end up all nice and shiny. Still, in the end, what helped the most was replacing the connector. Besides, the connector isn't truly ZIF, as the pins do get bent when you push the game down (on a new connector, it's not necessary to do that).

[FABombjoy]

ZIF isn't zero contact force. The contacts in a ZIP CPU socket get bent as well once engaged.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I think that it's important to take multiple things into consideration.

1.) Most toaster NES systems have weathered heavy abuse over the years. When the things started to suffer under the the 72 pin connectors and the cartridge pins not making complete contact, most people didn't take the proper corrective measures (cleaning the cartridge pins, and if necessary, the 72 pin connector inside the NES) ... and MOST people unfortunately did things that made their games work in the short-term, but damaged both the cartridges and the system heavily in the long-term like BLOWING IN THEIR GAMES.

2.) The cartridge contacts on an NES cartridge contain a copper-based metal that oxidizes pretty rapidly if not kept in IDEAL conditions, so "cleaning" is kind of a misnomer ... yes, dust, dirt, and mold gets in there (if they've been "blown" into) ... but what happens the most, and the most rapidly if not taken care of, is heavy oxidation. If you're spending a lot of time using rubbing alcohol, erasers, and my favorite, metal polish, you're not really "cleaning" them so much as de-oxidizing the metal and polishing the contacts allowing for better conductivity.

Yes, "Cleaning" EVERYTHING on an NES setup and maintaining it's level of cleanliness is paramount, but I see NO reason NOT to replace the 72 pin connector if the option is there ... unless the Toaster system you have has been in your private collection since it was new, and you know first hand that it was NEVER abused in any way (including but not limited to blowing in the cartridges/system, pressing down extra hard on the contacts by jamming a second cartridge on top of the one inserted, or forceful ramming of the cartridge into the pins, potentially bending/ripping them out of place) ... it absolutely can't hurt to have a nice, shiny new set of tight pins.

[omnedon]

Except third party connectors are proven inconsistent and unreliable in my testing of more than 1000 repaired NES's.

Don't get me wrong. Some of those shiny tight new connectors work for more than 6 months. It's just that a great many don't.

[FABombjoy]

Most of my NES games have gold plated cart edges too. I'm guessing only the earlier stuff has copper. Nintendo probably came to the conclusion after a few years that a ZIF system was prone to blinks and started upgrading contacts.

[erehwon]

Except third party connectors are proven inconsistent and unreliable in my testing of more than 1000 repaired NES's.

Don't get me wrong. Some of those shiny tight new connectors work for more than 6 months. It's just that a great many don't.
Are there any of these replacement connectors that are better than most of the other third party connectors? Since I'm considering restoring one to keep for myself as well, I want to get good quality ones, if they exist.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Except third party connectors are proven inconsistent and unreliable in my testing of more than 1000 repaired NES's.

Don't get me wrong. Some of those shiny tight new connectors work for more than 6 months. It's just that a great many don't.

I have a few questions regarding this information ...

Out of the 1000+ NES units that you've repaired ... how many (rough estimate is fine) have you used 3rd party 72 pin connectors on?

Out of all of the units that you've used the new connectors on, how many have "failed"?

What would you recommend as an alternative to putting a new 72 pin connector in?

[omnedon]

OSG has repaired more than 1700 NES's.

About 450 were done with various makes of third party connectors. This was in 2004 and 2005.

Immediately, with various brands of connectors, the initial fail rate was between 1 in 4 and 2 in 4 would fail at installation. These connectors would fail stress tests, and would go straight to trash. Expensive.

Once we ceased using these connectors, and refined our own methods, our connector fail rate dropped to 1 in 20.

Though we do not see as many now, we have seen a steady stream of submitted NES's that have third party connectors in them that DO NOT WORK. More than 30 have been units repaired by OSG during that time frame. We still see the odd one now, that we serviced in 2005, that worked then, that does not now. It is based on that experience and those returns, that we came to the conclusion we did. Even if something is out of warranty, if it's coming back, something is not right, and that is not good enough for me.

Unfortunately, I can not spell out our methodology, as it is hard won information, and my shareholders do not wish it released. However, most of the information is more or less available on this forum.

[erehwon]

OSG has repaired more than 1700 NES's.

About 450 were done with various makes of third party connectors. This was in 2004 and 2005.

Immediately, with various brands of connectors, the initial fail rate was between 1 in 4 and 2 in 4 would fail at installation. These connectors would fail stress tests, and would go straight to trash. Expensive.

Once we ceased using these connectors, and refined our own methods, our connector fail rate dropped to 1 in 20.

Though we do not see as many now, we have seen a steady stream of submitted NES's that have third party connectors in them that DO NOT WORK. More than 30 have been units repaired by OSG during that time frame. We still see the odd one now, that we serviced in 2005, that worked then, that does not now. It is based on that experience and those returns, that we came to the conclusion we did. Even if something is out of warranty, if it's coming back, something is not right, and that is not good enough for me.

Unfortunately, I can not spell out our methodology, as it is hard won information, and my shareholders do not wish it released. However, most of the information is more or less available on this forum.
Thanks. I can understand you not being able to give out details about your methodology. I was mainly interested in whether or not the third party connectors were worth trying. I'll have to do some more research into cleaning the connector. Radio shack (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104746&cp=&sr=1&origkw=Deoxit&kw=deoxit&parentPage=search) had that Deoxit stuff in spray form. That might work well on the connector.

It's too bad you can't get these connectors from Nintendo anymore. I heard they used to have them, but I'm a few years too late.

[RyanMurf]

Thanks. I can understand you not being able to give out details about your methodology. I was mainly interested in whether or not the third party connectors were worth trying. I'll have to do some more research into cleaning the connector. Radio shack (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104746&cp=&sr=1&origkw=Deoxit&kw=deoxit&parentPage=search) had that Deoxit stuff in spray form. That might work well on the connector.

It's too bad you can't get these connectors from Nintendo anymore. I heard they used to have them, but I'm a few years too late.

From personal experience replacing these pins I find that the 3rd party ones are just fine. Now I have not repaired into the thousands but definitely in the few hundreds and to tell you the truth I cant recall more than maybe 5-10 systems that didn't work after repair. Then again im sure that quality ranges in 3rd party connectors too but with the ones that I use are pretty reliable. I think you will be fine replacing the pins then again you really don't have any other options. If you want to just order two and you will have a safety set in case something goes wrong.

[omnedon]

There you go. Now you can weigh the posts and the source of the info, and the kind of advice given, and make an informed choice.

This forum doing what it does best.

[Terminusvitae]

I've posted this before, but here is what I do. Take some fine grit sandpaper (I use 240 cause I had some laying around), fold it over a credit card, and push that in the connector a few times so that each pin gets hit a time or two. I then use some good paper, fold it over the CC, put some alcohol on it and do it again. Not sure if this bit matter or not though.

Clean games are just as, if not more, important. Open them up and use some metal polish (MAAS from Home Depot is what I use). You don't have to go overboard, but just make it so they don't have the black marks anymore.

I used to think it was all about the pins, and had limited success bending them back, but it is way more work, and way less effective.

I'd read this post about a week ago and it was very helpful. As an addendum for all, if you don't have sandpaper handy, a fresh emory board will work, too (preferably fine grit, of course).

[dendawg]

Well when it comes to the power supply all that I can say is plug it in and see if ti powers up. If it powers up and stays on I would say your ok.

This method would more than likely burn out most consoles. A 6-volt difference on a console meant to take 9 is way too great, IMHO.


I mean we arent dealing with a six hundred dollar piece of equipment here.

No, we're not. We are, however, dealing with a piece of electronic equipment. Old NES's are common now, true, but if everyone applied your advice, chances are they'd be pretty rare.


But again I was just trying to help and btw im a DP store employee so yeahhhh......

An even better motivation for not giving bad advice.

[Tron2005]

Am i the only person that remembers the NES connector being tight when they first came out. i remember mine and a couple of my friends NES's where the connector was tight. did they change the connector later on?

Remember that most Electronics components have a certain tolerance yes the components might be able to take the higher voltage than what the NES is rated at but it will degrade the component faster. my advice is to stick with Power supplies with the Same Voltage same Amperage (there is a little play here the NES if i remember right rates at 850MA where the Powesupply is like 1400-1500 MA so if your greater than the base 850MA and less than or equal to the 1400-1500MA you will be fine since there was no add ons that the NES powersupply has to power also). and make sure that its matching whether is AC or DC output..

Thats my two cents..

[FABombjoy]

I'd guess they started loose, and when field service reports started coming in, they increased tension to help overcome connection issues. Or it was simply manufacturing variances.

[Cornelius]

Am i the only person that remembers the NES connector being tight when they first came out. i remember mine and a couple of my friends NES's where the connector was tight. did they change the connector later on?

Remember that most Electronics components have a certain tolerance yes the components might be able to take the higher voltage than what the NES is rated at but it will degrade the component faster. my advice is to stick with Power supplies with the Same Voltage same Amperage (there is a little play here the NES if i remember right rates at 850MA where the Powesupply is like 1400-1500 MA so if your greater than the base 850MA and less than or equal to the 1400-1500MA you will be fine since there was no add ons that the NES powersupply has to power also). and make sure that its matching whether is AC or DC output..

Thats my two cents..

I don't recall my first one being tight ever. We got it at least a year after the initial release of the system.

That's not bad advice about the power supplies, however a couple things to note: It doesn't matter if the amps are too high, it could be 50 amps and the console will only draw what it needs (although leaving that sucker plugged in will use more electricity all the time than a 1 amp supply). Voltage does matter as you say, and the amps should not be lower than the console is rated. Most consoles take DC current in my experience and will be fried or at least not work if you use AC. The NES is rated for AC, but it doesn't really care. Most of the generic replacements you can buy for the NES are DC, so you can use it on a SMS, Genesis, NES, etc. Some have a second wire for the SNES plug.