Cleaning NES games with sandpaper?

[Kuros]

I sold a few NES games on Craigslist yesterday and when the buyer picked up the games, he asked how I clean my games.

"Q-tip and a bit of rubbing alcohol typically."

"Oh you shouldn't do that, the alcohol can seep into the board. You should use sandpaper, it works great."

I've never heard of using sandpaper before, maybe to get off some corrosion but otherwise I don't see the practical application of it.

Has anyone tried using sandpaper on their cart games?

[Giskard]

I used to work at a game store and we cleaned NES games with windex and those green Scotch pads. So I guess sand paper could work. I am in no hurry to try it though.

[Kuros]

Those scotch pads probably work well enough to work out the heavy grim, I'd think that sandpaper would wear down the contacts.

[Graham Mitchell]

What I've heard the best thing to do is to get the board out of the cartridge and rub the contacts with a pink rubber pencil eraser. Gets the crap off and won't damage the contacts. I haven't tried it myself, though.

[TonyTheTiger]

I know that it's possible to use sandpaper to remove the corrosion from a copper wire, the kind that you find inside a coaxial cable.

[Baloo]

I just use Q-tips and Rubbing Alcohol. If you're worried about getting the alcohol into the board, just squeeze the excess off the Q-tip, simple as that.

I wouldn't use sandpaper though, that just sounds dangerous.

[jb143]

I'd only use sandpaper if the corrosion was really really bad. Otherwise Q-tips and alcohol all the way. Still doesn't work, then I open it up and use an eraser.

And even if the alcohol does seep into the board, it will evaporate away immediatly afterwards. The place I work builds circuit boards and we run them through a regular dishwasher to remove solder flux so even whatever tiny bit of water is left behind after the alcohol evaporates won't be a problem.

The only reason NES carts say not to clean them with alcohol is so you buy their special cleaner, which (surprize!), is mainly alcohol.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I've stopped using alcohol and started using copper polish. If you were polishing up a copper vase, you would not use alcohol, so I don't think it would be the best for copper contacts either.

[Kuros]

I'd only use sandpaper if the corrosion was really really bad. Otherwise Q-tips and alcohol all the way. Still doesn't work, then I open it up and use an eraser.

And even if the alcohol does seep into the board, it will evaporate away immediatly afterwards. The place I work builds circuit boards and we run them through a regular dishwasher to remove solder flux so even whatever tiny bit of water is left behind after the alcohol evaporates won't be a problem.

The only reason NES carts say not to clean them with alcohol is so you buy their special cleaner, which (surprize!), is mainly alcohol.

This is what I figured, the guy who bought the games off of me said he got his info off of some local guy who calls himself "Nintendo Dan"

What is it with guys with the name Dan and thinking "Nintendo Dan" is a good nickname?

[tofu]

I use sandpaper all the time.

It's all I have available at work and it works everytime.

[obesolete]

I'm a rub-and-q girl too for all the games that I purchace, even if they look clean, my nes is very picky and either likes the game genie or a quick hard thumb shove of the cartridge to the right and in.

I've also seen the eraser trick in action(when i was young a friend's mom used to use a pencil with an eraser to "fix" games, and i've done it myself when i was out of solution. it works almost as well as alcohol.

[Kuros]

I use sandpaper all the time.

It's all I have available at work and it works everytime.

What grit? Ever have any issues with sanding off the contacts?

[FxMercenary]

i bought one of those cleaning kits off ebay with the solution, anti-static spray, wipes and the tool to open up the cart.

Ive never had a problem with a blinking nes game since. I cleaned all 105 of my games, none of them blink at all.

Best stuff ive ever bought.

[tofu]

What grit? Ever have any issues with sanding off the contacts?

100 grit, never had a problem with sanding off the contacts.

[Kuros]

Hm, maybe I'll give it a try sometime.

[fromfirst2last]

I know this has nothing to do with nes, but I couldn't find where else to post. I've only recently started collecting old school games and would like to know do Q-tips and rubbing alcohol work to clean other cartridges?

[phreakindee]

Be VERY careful with sandpaper... had some quickly wear through brittle contacts once. Sucked, never will use it again.

[j1e]

I've been using Brasso on some my games that I couldn't get to work. The same games I tried with alcohol and water and the rubber eraser. Brasso shined em right up and they are working perfectly in my toaster.

[Hep038]

I do not know why but Nintendo Dan sounds like a good Xbox live account name.

[Chemdawg]

i clean my games with bullets!

[Kuros]

I know this has nothing to do with nes, but I couldn't find where else to post. I've only recently started collecting old school games and would like to know do Q-tips and rubbing alcohol work to clean other cartridges?

Yep. It works fine with other cart based games.

[NayusDante]

I used to work at a game store and we cleaned NES games with windex and those green Scotch pads.

Windex on games... this sounds very familiar... Was it The Game Trader by any chance? In my local mall, they used the name GameSwitch.

Personally, I don't use alcohol unless a cart gives me a problem. First I'll try a DRY q-tip, just to wipe off the contacts and get any dirt or dust out of the channel. If it still won't boot, I use tap water. Just moisten the q-tip and clean the contacts. Then, I immediately follow up with a dry q-tip until it's dry.

The owner of my local Play N Trade has a rather neat cleaning method. There's special cleaning spray for PCI cards and slots. I can't remember if he actually sprayed a game, but he squirted a good bit of the stuff into a Genesis Model 1 that wouldn't boot up, and it was perfectly fine afterward.

[Sonicwolf]

Every time I go to my local flea market and buy NES games, the guy always gives it a good clean with a sandpaper stick. I hate it when he does that though as when you think of it, sandpaper will take the dirt but the connectors off too. I wouldnt do it. Just use a light bit of rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. Sandpaper is risky.

[dendawg]

Recently, I've taken to using these along with Dawn hand soap, followed by an alcohol wipe:

http://www.choreboyscrubbers.com/images/goldenfleece.jpg

I cleaned a batch of SNES games with that method, and every single one of them booted up. They're even better than the Scotch-Brite green scrubbies.

Use sandpaper ONLY as a last resort.

[Sonicwolf]

Use sandpaper ONLY as a last resort.


I agree. Its just the simplest way of wrecking the contacts. You can clean without grinding.

[Octopod]

My local game shop they use, I believe, Simple Green. All the carts I have bought from there still have that scent.

[StakeRaiser]

http://www.weiman.com/images/prod_kitchen_1.jpg

[klausien]

What I've heard the best thing to do is to get the board out of the cartridge and rub the contacts with a pink rubber pencil eraser. Gets the crap off and won't damage the contacts. I haven't tried it myself, though.

This is the answer. I would advise against sandpaper. An eraser is the way to go. You need to open the cart in general to get it as clean as possible, but I've had excellent luck getting non-working carts going with a pencil eraser followed by a quick q-tip with electronics grade alcohol to clean away the residue.

A dremel with a soft buffing attachment also will work, but you have to be very careful.

On a side note, electronic contact cleaner (with silicones) is great for controller ports and cart slots.

[GameBoyGeek]

What I've heard the best thing to do is to get the board out of the cartridge and rub the contacts with a pink rubber pencil eraser. Gets the crap off and won't damage the contacts. I haven't tried it myself, though.

That actually sounds like a good idea. I'll have to try that.

[Classicgamesdepot]

The chore boy pads work wonders. I have been using them for years. Highly, Highly recommended.

[VG_Maniac]

My cousin uses sand paper all the time to get games to work, but only if a q-tip and rubbing alcohol won't do the trick. He demonstrated to me how sand paper can fix games by using it on an SNES copy of Battletoads & Double Dragon that I had been trying to get to work with no luck. The game had really bad corrosion on the pins, but after he sanded them out, it worked like a charm.

[NayusDante]

What would I do for a Genesis cart that works in a Model 1 only with a Game Genie, but not a Model 2? Does that have anything to do with the contacts?

[Trade-N-Games]

We use 1500 black sandpaper and wet it down with windex. With the cart taken apart we barley rub it across on contacts and it will polish them up real nice.Then we wipe them clean with windex. I have done 10,000+ carts and never had a problem.

[Baloo]

What would I do for a Genesis cart that works in a Model 1 only with a Game Genie, but not a Model 2? Does that have anything to do with the contacts?

What game is it?

[NayusDante]

Populous. It's an EA cart.

I also have a copy of Revenge of Shinobi that doesn't boot in the Model 2, the PRODUCED BY OR LICENSED BY SEGA message comes up and hangs on a black screen. Haven't tried that one on the Model 1 yet.

[Mr. GameFix]

Do not use sandpaper. Do not use windex. Do not use rubbing alcohol. Do not use a pencil eraser. These are all terrible ways to clean a game cartridge or pin connector.
DeoxIT is the only product that can get them truly clean. It is what I use exclusively and I stand by it 100%.

[dendawg]

http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/UserFiles/spam%281%29.jpg

Fixed.

[Sonicwolf]

Fixed.

I agree with your fix. It makes it much more true.

[darkslime]

I use rubbing alcohol and a qtip, if that doesn't work i open it up and use an eraser, then wipe it down with windex.

[tomaitheous]

I've used 2000 grit and 800 grit. 2000grit works great because you don't want to remove a lot of surface material, but it's hard to fun at the local store. It does polishes up the contacts real nice though :D

[exit]

What I've heard the best thing to do is to get the board out of the cartridge and rub the contacts with a pink rubber pencil eraser. Gets the crap off and won't damage the contacts. I haven't tried it myself, though.

I prefer using a white eraser, it doesn't leave residue behind like a pink one does. I usually clean the cart with alcohol + q tip, then use the white eraser and then I wipe it down with a q tip again.

[bacteria]

I use a pencil eraser, shines up the contacts nicely and can't damage them.

[Raven1280]

I use WD40. Spray a small amount on a rag. Never had a problem with my NES after that.

[dethink]

I don't see how a high grit sandpaper would be any more harmful than the people using minor abrasives like Brasso.

Once you get up in those high grit counts, they're about as rough as a cat's tongue.

[Sonicwolf]

Imagine if you damaged the contacts enough to make them jagged or rough. It could damage the contacts on the system too then. baaaaad idea.

[Leo_A]

Do not use sandpaper. Do not use windex. Do not use rubbing alcohol. Do not use a pencil eraser. These are all terrible ways to clean a game cartridge or pin connector.
DeoxIT is the only product that can get them truly clean. It is what I use exclusively and I stand by it 100%.

That's nonsense. Just try a pencil eraser on a old penny and see how well it works. You don't know what you're talking about.

[jacrough]

Toothpaste + Toothbrush for the casing, not the pins.

[RASK1904]

When I'm cleaning my games I use a lighter and some brillo..........oh no wait, uh.... I take that back. Um yeah.....

[Baloo]

Populous. It's an EA cart.

I also have a copy of Revenge of Shinobi that doesn't boot in the Model 2, the PRODUCED BY OR LICENSED BY SEGA message comes up and hangs on a black screen. Haven't tried that one on the Model 1 yet.

Early EA Games are unlicensed, it's possible that the game is being locked out by TmSS. Have you tried the game on other Model 2s?

[tomaitheous]

Once you get up in those high grit counts, they're about as rough as a cat's tongue.

High grit so you only take a few thousandths off the contacts/surface.

[NayusDante]

Early EA Games are unlicensed, it's possible that the game is being locked out by TmSS. Have you tried the game on other Model 2s?

I only have the one. That makes sense, and it might also explain the need for a Game Genie on my Model 1.