View Full Version : new guy with a messed up snes...
hey everyone, i was wondering if you guys could help me out with my snes. i use to have one as a kid, it belonged to my cousins but when they got they're N64 for xmas one year the super was passed down to me and my brother. anyways that snes is long gone, a couple days ago i bought another one a thrift store for $7.99. i brought it home and started playing the only snes game i had, super mario kart. the game loaded up fine with nice clear graphics and good quality sound. but when it came time to race in mario gp, after choosing what gp cup you wanna race in (flower cup, star cup, ect.) the screen just fades to either a tan-yellowish colour or a blue screen. when you choose a time trial you can see the track selection screen but it's all fudged up; the screen looks as if it's split in two, all the words are missing some letters in random places, ect. as soon as you choose a track the screen is still split horizontially and the words "game over" appear in doubles. you can hear some sounds like the ready, set, go beeping sounds and you can kinda of hear the sound of the kart accelerating but that's about it. so my question is...wtf is wrong with my snes??! is it the cartridge, or is it the console? could it be the battery in the cart? i took apart the cart and gave it a good cleaning with some Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. but thats about it. any help would be great, below is a picture of the screen when trying to choose a track in time trial.
*edit, i also just noticed if you wait for about 20 secs or more on the title screen, the screen will fade just like in mario GP to a yellowis tan color.
Blanka789
02-11-2010, 10:52 AM
Try using the q*tip and alcohol to clean the cartridge port itself.
nensondubois
02-11-2010, 10:59 AM
This has happened to me before a few time and it scared me. Here's what you do.
1.Clean the game with a Q-tip and tape head cleaner as rubbing alcohol leaves residue on the contacts and will eventually build up and not give it a quality cleaning).
2. Clean the SNES pins connector slot.
3. Enjoy.
It could also be a more serious problem like you VRAM burning out, disallowing Mode-7 and other such functions.
i havn't really tried cleaing the pins on the system yet... are you guys saying that it'slikely not the batt?
goldenegg
02-11-2010, 11:10 AM
i havn't really tried cleaing the pins on the system yet... are you guys saying that it'slikely not the batt?
Are you talking about the battery in the game cart? If that dies, the worst that'll happen is your saves will be gone.
I agree with the others that this really sounds like a case of the game and system needing a cleaning. Just remember to get everything time to dry before trying it all again.
Orion Pimpdaddy
02-11-2010, 02:30 PM
Start with the cleaning, as everyone else has said. If that doesn't work, then you've narrowed it down to something else.
In addition, look inside the system for any debris. I had a similar malfunction with a 2600 console I got from a flea market. I unscrewed it, opened it up and found some dead roaches laying accoss the circuit board. After cleaning it up, it worked fine.
alright so i gave the cartridge pis a good cleaning with rubbing alcohol and q-tips and cleaned up the contacts on the snes where the cart connects too. it's still doing the same thing. i havn't cracked open the system yet so i'll have to try that next. whats the worst case scenerio??
Jorpho
02-11-2010, 03:28 PM
It's not the first time I've heard of a dysfunctional Mario Kart cartridge. Why don't you try another game before you take apart the system?
izarate
02-11-2010, 03:33 PM
You don't need to take apart the system to clean the cartridge slot. Just a toothbrush and some isopropyl alcohol.
BetaWolf47
02-11-2010, 03:38 PM
I've never found that to be very effective. The way I clean my systems is to clean a game, then insert it into the system, pull it out, then clean it again. Repeat until no dust and dirt comes off the game.
Gameguy
02-11-2010, 03:48 PM
I clean my systems using actual cleaning kits. No idea why so few collectors have them.
It's not the first time I've heard of a dysfunctional Mario Kart cartridge. Why don't you try another game before you take apart the system?
really?? i'll have to go to my thrift store tonight and see if i cant pick up another cheap snes game. i followed a tutorial on youtube about taking these apart, cleaning them, and then putting them back together. i gave mine a good cleaning, i tried the game again and still does the same things. starting to piss me off.
well crap, i bought another game (ncaa basketball) just so i could eliminate whether the console was messing up or the game, turns out its the console. Ncaa b-ball does the smae type of things. how much can i get to re-sell this somewhat working but not really snes. $10??
Cornelius
02-12-2010, 09:00 AM
I would try some fine grit sandpaper folded over a credit card to clean the cart slot on the SNES before giving up on it. You may have a glop of corrosion in there. Unfortunately I don't have high hopes for that. I have several broken SNESs that sound like yours, except mine have the buggered graphics from the moment you switch them on.