What are common problems with NES carts, other then being dirty???

[Malon_Forever]

I have quite a few NES games that don't work very well. They are as clean as they can be, but yet they are a pain to get to work.

Such as, my Mario 3 comes up with lines all through it, and usually freezes. Also, my Mega Man 2 will end up resetting after a little bit of play time.

To sum it all up, I was just wondering if anyone knew what causes these problems, or just what some of the problems coule be. Thanks!

[Superman]

There could be a lot of different reasons for a game not working or not working properly.

Usually though, it has to do with either a dirty/corroded game chip or on the machine side, a dirty/corroded connector or loose connector.

Most problems can be traced back to one of these issues.

[aclbandit]

Lines on screen and/or resets have always, in my experience, been some sort of pin-connector problem. In fact, every issue I've ever had or "fixed" for other people was somewhere in the pin connectors.

On the cartridge side, it's almost always dirty/corroded/generally f'ed up pins.

On the machine side, it's almost always dirty/corroded/generally f'ed up pin connectors/LOOSE CONNECTORS.

Try tightening your pins using the "bending with a small screwdriver" trick.

Also disable the lockout chip -- all you have to do is disconnect the power pin on it, and no more resets.

[BetaWolf47]

Well, you asked for "common" problems, right? There are no universally common problems aside from dirty contacts. You have 3 games that don't work out of how many which do? Not all that common. So it'd be really hard to tell what the specific problem is with your games. It could be a variety of things.

If it's any help, I came across a game which I couldn't get to work no matter what. It had glitchy lines. Upon inspecting the circuit board, I noticed that some of the traces were burned out.

[Malon_Forever]

Well, you asked for "common" problems, right? There are no universally common problems aside from dirty contacts. You have 3 games that don't work out of how many which do? Not all that common. So it'd be really hard to tell what the specific problem is with your games. It could be a variety of things.

If it's any help, I came across a game which I couldn't get to work no matter what. It had glitchy lines. Upon inspecting the circuit board, I noticed that some of the traces were burned out.


I have 3-4 NES games out of my 40 games I have. I just wanted to see if anything could be solved if I opened them (would have to buy one of those screwdrivers), or just toss them.

[Zyobee]

I would try using a metal cleaner of some sort on the pins.
Or use some steel wool or sandpaper to clean the pins. (what most of people use)

[TheDomesticInstitution]

While I don't have many NES carts by some standards here, I do have about 100 currently. I have also bought and sold maybe 25-30 additional Nintendo carts. In addition to those NES carts I also have about another 150 carts from various other systems. Out of those carts, I've cleaned every single one with a metal cleaner and have never had a cart that didn't work for me. Other than a bad solder joint or a broken piece inside the cart, I don't know what the problem would be.

[Angry SNES NErd]

Dead batteries are a pretty common problem (for the few NES games that had battery pack saves, like Zelda)

[BetaWolf47]

Dead batteries are a pretty common problem (for the few NES games that had battery pack saves, like Zelda)

They won't cause a game to malfunction, however.

There is the game that is just broken. I've come across a total of 3 carts in my entire collection that simply won't function. Those are a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 my friend gave me, Bust-A-Move for SNES (which I think has a corrupted EPROM), and that copy of Little Nemo with burnt traces. No idea on what to do about either of them.

[Terminusvitae]

Heck, don't toss 'em! I'll take 'em! :D

[Sonicwolf]

Or use some steel wool or sandpaper to clean the pins. (what most of people use)

Bad idea. Steel wool and sandpaper can grind away and damage the connectors on the cartridge. It could also potentially make them rough, causing damage to the console connectors.

Best fix would be light amounts of rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab.

[Eightbit Allstar]

I would recommend buying a security bit (3.8 inverse torx), open the cartridges and clean the pins with a wet rubbing sponge (with a finer rub side). And buy a new pin-connector aswell.