Cheap thrills - fixing your own NES

[skaar]

Alright, you've probably all done like like a bazillion times. People on here seem to go through consoles like nothing on here... I've seen LED mods, video output mods, that whole Ben Heck thing... it's all very cool.

But tonight, *I* became a GOD.

I bought a new 72 pin connector for my NES - in fact I bought THREE - off ebay, and installed it in my toaster deck. And it WORKS BEAUTIFULLY. AND I WILL DO IT AGAIN WITH THE OTHER TWO.

I mean, sure I have an extra screw left and the case fit back on funny. My reset switch is askew and I can't seem to tighten anything too tight or the cartridge won't stay down. Whatever.

I FIXED MY DAMN NES.

And tomorrow, I'll fix it better as I take it apart to figure out where the extra screw came from.

SO THERE.

[Graham Mitchell]

Oh yeah, well you suck!!! I bet you can't mod your NES to make you a martini, fill up your gas tank and give you a blowjob! Let's see you do that Mr. Smartypants.

No, seriously, that's rad. Could you direct me to a reliable pin dealer? My good NES was crushed in a horrendous cross-country moving accident, and the only one I've got left is a blinker.

[botolo]

Great! If you have any visual guide, it would be really appreciated! I am waiting for my new NES just bought on eBay (if the guy who sold it to me is not a fraud...he has not answered to me yet after I paid him and he has 0 feedback :( ) and it could be interesting to see how to do some maintenance on it!

Thank you!

[skaar]

I bought these:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250320808007

They work, they seem new... I should have taken some pics as I took the thing apart I guess ;)

I'll do it next time or when I fix this one.

[Slash]

I bought a bunch from here years ago, they are about twice as much now :O

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-3785

Edit: Here too http://www.estarland.com/product16956.html (if you don't want to buy from people on eBay)

[NES_Rules]

If it's not fitting back together properly, you most likely don't have the cartridge tray lined up right on the board. It drops down and then slides onto it a little bit, kind of hard to explain, but if you look at it you'll see what I mean.

Anyway, I've never had to replace a set of pins, I simply bend them back to where they should be. Works great and saves me precious money.

[RASK1904]

yes the screws are very finiky. I usualy leave like 3 out. You should break the pin to the lock out chip. 4th pin from the left on the front side of the chip that says 3193A. I have done it many times and It works great. There is no more blinking but instead if it wasn't going to work it wont. You get a purple screen. People have even said they miss the blinking. I guess it's part of the pakage. This also lets you play PAL games. Which I do enjoy. Try Ufouria and crackout. Not enough info google or even youtube.
THanx RASK1904:rockets:

[FxMercenary]

i replaced the 72 pins on both of my nintendos, it takea bout 5 minutes, just unscrew, slip off, slip on te new one, and screw it back together, no guides are needed to do this.

Keep in mind you better take the games apart and clean the pins, or else the new connector will just get dirty again.

Very easy to do!

[Push Upstairs]

People have even said they miss the blinking.

Getting the blinking to go away on an old system takes some finesse, luck, and more luck.

If you can get any blinking NES to work, *without* replacing a 72-pin connector, you can then put on your resume that you have "the touch".

[Blitzwing256]

or you could just cut one pin, and get rid of the blink forever more...

[XYXZYZ]

or you could just cut one pin, and get rid of the blink forever more...

I still use the original connector in my NES, but I have to pull it out and bend the pins toward the center once every two or three years. Works fine.

I need to stop leaving games in it!

[kainemaxwell]

I orginially got a pin connector from MCM, but it was faulty. Someone here was selling OEM connectors sometime ago so I got one off him, no blinking screen and extra screws since.

[skaar]

I'd agree with the extra screws - fiddling with those helped.

To all the "I bent the pins back" people please snap a pic of what pins you're bending.... because I seriously don't see what you're talking about.

[jcalder8]

Show off.
I tried to do this once and it doesn't work at all now so I just bought a top loader. I still have the toaster though.

[Cornelius]

bending the pins never worked all that well for me. I found cleaning the pins to be much better

[NES_Rules]

I'd agree with the extra screws - fiddling with those helped.

To all the "I bent the pins back" people please snap a pic of what pins you're bending.... because I seriously don't see what you're talking about.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Boardwithnocartslot2.jpg

[otoko]

Hmm.. I dunno.. I've had four different Toaster NES's and every one of them had blinking problems.. I really don't know if my constant fiddling would bend them back into place or not, but I was able to get them all working like new.

One of them was my Sharp NES tele, Thems a pain to open.. So I didn't.

BTW NESTV owners, have you had blinking problems with your teles?

[skaar]

Maybe I should have been more clear... I wasn't really able to notice them being "bent" more than the new connectors I installed. So I couldn't tell how it would have made a difference to "bend them back" - much less what/how I'd pull them upwards without doing more harm than good.

But I appreciate the pic anyway - that was cool of you.

[NES_Rules]

Maybe I should have been more clear... I wasn't really able to notice them being "bent" more than the new connectors I installed. So I couldn't tell how it would have made a difference to "bend them back" - much less what/how I'd pull them upwards without doing more harm than good.

But I appreciate the pic anyway - that was cool of you.

It's hard to notice the difference when comparing one that is new and an old one, but when you bend an old one back up, it's quite noticeable. And it doesn't take much for it to not work, it only takes one pin not touching the cartridge and the game won't play.

And no problem about the pic, I already had it for something else.

[Videogamerdaryll]

I still use the original connector in my NES, but I have to pull it out and bend the pins toward the center once every two or three years. Works fine.

!

Me too..

That's the way I sell them..
the New 72 pin connectors for me SUCK,.Death Grip and some just don't work right no matter how good you clean the games.

When I fix my own 72 pin the games always work perfectly..

[Draven]

I tried bending the pins...didn't work for me, either. Cleaning the pins is pretty difficult to do (I used swabs and alky-hall). I always thought that a credit card machine cleaner would work well (it's basically a credit card soaked in alcohol that stores use to clean the 'swiper' on atm machines). I had access to a bunch of them but that was at my last job...should have grabbed a couple to try it out. What works well for that, other than the cleaning kits?

[Cornelius]

I tried bending the pins...didn't work for me, either. Cleaning the pins is pretty difficult to do (I used swabs and alky-hall). I always thought that a credit card machine cleaner would work well (it's basically a credit card soaked in alcohol that stores use to clean the 'swiper' on atm machines). I had access to a bunch of them but that was at my last job...should have grabbed a couple to try it out. What works well for that, other than the cleaning kits?

you can do a search and there is a ton of info on nes cleaning theories. for me, find sandpaper folded over a CC works great. I also do cotton paper w/ alcohol over a CC afterwards.

[Sonicwolf]

I feel a part of the Nintendo Entertainment Systems experience is cleaning it regularly and dealing with the frustrating blinking light and lockout malfunctions. You may think I am nuts but without the regular blowing-on-the-pins, taking apart the console and swabbing this and that, it wouldnt be the NES. lol.