Broken NES Controller Ports

[SPAZ-12]

Awhile ago I bought a toploader NES off of Ebay, knowing that the controller ports were broken but hoping that it would be an easy fix. Long story short, I've opened up the console and checked things out, and I don't see anything broken.

The only thing I can think of is that the IC that interfaces with the controllers is fried, based upon the condition the system was in when I got it who knows what the previous owner did to it.

The system starts and displays games just fine, and I've tried multiple controllers, all of which work on my toaster nes. Any ideas?

[MrSparkle]

Have you checked to make sure the solder-points on the controller ports wires are all good? Break out a multimeter and check that really quick most of the time i have a console with dead controller ports that's the cause.

[SPAZ-12]

Thanks for the reply MrSparkle.

I've just checked the continuity of all of the controller port pins, and all of them are good. I've also now cleaned the controller ports to rule out any dirt, which did nothing. Then I cleaned the 72 pin connector thoroughly, just because I couldn't think of anything else.

The controller ports still don't work. I have one last test in mind for now. I'm going to take a battle toads cart and try that, since you can start it with the second controller. This will tell me if both ports are broken, or only the first player port.

[SPAZ-12]

I just tested it with Battletoads, and got some very strange results. The first port does not work at all, with Battletoads or any other game. However, the second port does work with Battletoads, but not properly.

Normally pressing start with the second player begins a two-player game, but on my toploader it starts a one player game, and acts as if it is the first player's controller. It doesn't act as the first player's controller in any other game as far as I can tell, because I cannot start any other games. I really have no idea what to do now.

[SPAZ-12]

I really feel like I'm talking to myself here now.

I now know that the player two controller port works, and I suspect that it always has.

But, both ports worked correctly for about 15 minutes, and I was able to play some two player Bubble Bobble, before the first player port suddenly stopped working again. This makes me think that there must be a bad solder joint or other shaky component, but I cannot find any.

I'm really close to resorting to swapping some chips around, which is something I absolutely do not want to do. So please, any suggestions?

[SPAZ-12]

Well, I fixed it.

Turned out MrSparkle was right. Although the solder joints for the controller port read as good with a multimeter, it turned out that they weren't good enough. I took a soldering iron and heated all of the solder joints on the controller port, which seems to have fixed it.

So, it works. Which is awesome, because that means that I managed to get a toploader NES for $15 off of eBay. Now all I have to do is the AV mod.

[izarate]

Congrats on getting it to work. :D