My NES is Biting The Dust. What to do?

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

I've replaced the 72 pin connector twice now in my NES, and it still has the blinking red light 90% of the time when u put a game in. It takes forever to get a game to work, and I know this is super common with these systems, but what are my options? I love my NES games and I can't stand how it's always a hassle to play them. Most of the NES consoles for sale on Amazon have the same issues.

Does anyone know which retron type systems are best for playing NES games? I bought a Retron Hyperkin and that thing blows. The title screens of most games winds up flickering crazily. I heard maybe they're hit or miss. I have no issues with any other console but for some reason God does not want me playing my NES games. What are my options here??? Are the NES toploaders reliable?

[bb_hood]

I've replaced the 72 pin connector twice now in my NES, and it still has the blinking red light 90% of the time when u put a game in. It takes forever to get a game to work, and I know this is super common with these systems, but what are my options? I love my NES games and I can't stand how it's always a hassle to play them. Most of the NES consoles for sale on Amazon have the same issues.

Does anyone know which retron type systems are best for playing NES games? I bought a Retron Hyperkin and that thing blows. The title screens of most games winds up flickering crazily. I heard maybe they're hit or miss. I have no issues with any other console but for some reason God does not want me playing my NES games. What are my options here??? Are the NES toploaders reliable?

Are you sure the system is the problem and its not the new pins you bought? Some new pin connectors, or maybe most of them are of poor general quality. Ive had numerous break just from pulling games out. Ive also had new pin connectors that were obviously refurbushed and full of dirt. If you can find a working nintendo with the original pins, those are the best. As long as your careful and always insert clean games they can last a long long time.

Toploaders are generally reliable but over time im sure they will break down from putting in/taking out games. I use a toploader and powerpak, and the powerpak never really gets taken out of the system so it always works first time. If you are gonna get a toploader, make sure to check out the metal around the cart slot pins. If it looks really corroded its a good sign that it has been used alot.

[justfadeaway]

Have you tried and disabling the lockout chip? That might have gone bad.

[Gentlegamer]

Make sure you thoroughly clean your carts. I had the same issue. I bought a new 72 pin connector, it put a death grip on the carts, but the NES still had the blinkies. I had cleaned the carts before, so they weren't actually dusty. What I discovered is the metal in the pins gets tarnished. So you have to keep cleaning, more than you might think. Use qtips and rubbing alcohol. The tarnish will come off as a darkish grey material on the qtip. Keep swabbing until no more of that comes off. I did that, and now my NES and games work like new.

[Tanooki]

There are a lot of poor quality pin replacements out there that range from crap materials that don't get a good read or being poor metal that won't grip for long or so much the zero force slot won't work.

If you still have an original there is a way to make it work right again, but it takes a little time. Safety pin and a good eye, pull up the bottom row of pins the game sits on, bend it up higher but not high enough to short it causing top/bottom to touch. Also if you don't have a legit cleaning kit, a nice thin eyeglass/lcd screen cleaning cloth wrapped over a card dipped in alcohol in there to get it nice and clean helps too, same should be done with the alcohol on a qtip, magic eraser or whatever on the pins of the game to make it clean again too.

It doesn't sound like a broken system, just a pissy connection. I'd also to kill the blinkies snip the Pin4 on the chip that controls the lockout to stop that too.


The alternative is the top loader, costs about twice the price but it's stable like a rock reading games, but it can get visual issues (look up "jailbars") to see if that would be a bother to you. Many people do modify toploaders to use RCA cables, mine does, and that more or less removes that.

[bb_hood]

The alternative is the top loader, costs about twice the price but it's stable like a rock reading games, but it can get visual issues (look up "jailbars") to see if that would be a bother to you. Many people do modify toploaders to use RCA cables, mine does, and that more or less removes that.

Yeah thats a good point about the jailbars. The toploader only has rf output standard, not AV which does suck, causes the jailbars on the screen which are kinda hard to ignore. Toploaders are stable but you gotta understand that the pins will wear down eventually, sooner or later. Replacing the worn down pins is a cinch with toaster, but not with the toploader. Id give the toaster another effort, or look on Craigslist for a NES in good shape that works. You could probably find a small bundle for around 50$ or so, sell the games and controllers and AC adapter an make most or all of your money back.

I would steer clear of amazon unless you WANT to pay too much..

[Tanooki]

Well if one is willing to drop around $150 for true greatness you get a toploader, send it to someone who can do a solid work up on the inside and give it RCA, stereo separation wheel in the back, and then a dinky little LED inside the power switch so it glows when your system is on. That's what I have so while the bars are basically 90% or so gone(depends on the color and how the game guns it to the tv) the added perks are just great. I know it's harder to swap pins out of that than the old style for most, but my original style is a bitch to get to. You have to take the back off the sharp tv, then unslot the motherboard carefully to get to a cable to disconnect the top(tv) from the base (nes), then remove a lot more screws to get into the deck so you can then start to work on it. It's a long and I feel semi-dangerous process because if you crack the board or kill that wire or plug it goes into, it's dead. I only will go inside as a last ditch effort on mine.

[ProjectCamaro]

Well if one is willing to drop around $150 for true greatness you get a toploader, send it to someone who can do a solid work up on the inside and give it RCA, stereo separation wheel in the back, and then a dinky little LED inside the power switch so it glows when your system is on.

This is EXACTLY what I did and it was well worth the money! I also had the gentleman replace all the capacitors while he was in there. I literally never have any issues with it.

[Terminusvitae]

My NES is Biting The Dust. What to do?

Give it a beefy bassline, an unchanging metronome of a drum rhythm, and rap about machine guns and how long someone can stand the heat?

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

Give it a beefy bassline, an unchanging metronome of a drum rhythm, and rap about machine guns and how long someone can stand the heat?

I'll try this, thanks.

Yea the new pins that I've gotten both have that ridiculous deathgrip which makes it awful to play a game, cuz u gotta pull it out about 10 times and blow on them cuz the screen still flickers, and its murder on ur fingers tearing the game away from those fucking pins. I think my plan is just to let my friend play with it, cuz he wants to, and find a new NES. The toploaders are more expensive, but they sound worth it. I don't care about the picture being perfect either, but I'm just sick of having to fight and fight just to play games like Ninja Gaiden or Eliminator Boat Duel.

[stardust4ever]

I'll try this, thanks.

Yea the new pins that I've gotten both have that ridiculous deathgrip which makes it awful to play a game, cuz u gotta pull it out about 10 times and blow on them cuz the screen still flickers, and its murder on ur fingers tearing the game away from those fucking pins. I think my plan is just to let my friend play with it, cuz he wants to, and find a new NES. The toploaders are more expensive, but they sound worth it. I don't care about the picture being perfect either, but I'm just sick of having to fight and fight just to play games like Ninja Gaiden or Eliminator Boat Duel.

For the love of all things holy, clip the freakking lockout pin!!!

I had one death grip connector get ripped out pins. The second one has held up well. The pins will loosen with time. I also know some peoople who get aftermarket connectors to read carts without ever pressing them down. And clean yo freakkin carts before you put them in there. Nobody likes dirrty connectors.

[Gameguy]

Are you sure the system is the problem and its not the new pins you bought? Some new pin connectors, or maybe most of them are of poor general quality. Ive had numerous break just from pulling games out. Ive also had new pin connectors that were obviously refurbushed and full of dirt. If you can find a working nintendo with the original pins, those are the best. As long as your careful and always insert clean games they can last a long long time.
A thousand times this. I actually avoid buying NES consoles if I've heard that the pin connector has been replaced. The new ones are pretty much all junk.

[Tanooki]

I won't buy one with a new set of pins either. I've had 100% success in cleaning them off after using a pin and straightening them up more towards center so they're not loose. A good clean connection you will have doing just that. If it's so far gone, you can boil the thing (instructions are on NA, I've never done it) yet it supposedly works wonders.

[treismac]

So, there's no company/ebay seller that sells a decent replacement 72-pin connector? Sad. As someone who has cleaned and restored more than a few Nintendo Entertainment Systems, I know what a difference a good 72-pin connector can make.

[BricatSegaFan]

You could always throw it out and pick up genesis collecting lol Jk.

[Niku-Sama]

such troll....

any way kill the lock out chip, its probably the main culprit.

[leatherrebel5150]

I don't know why everyone always hates on the replacement pin connectors. I replaced mine and its worked perfect for 2+ years. I just left a game in the down position for awhile when I first got it to break in the pins and Ive yet to have a problem. In fact the first thing I would do if I got another NES would be to replace the pin connector.

[Tanooki]

I know of for years now there is ONE reliable pin seller on ebay and the name escapes me, but his are of a quality super similar to the original Nintendo parts. Good metals, good tension, and a solid contact that works with no death grip. Every other the quality ranges from brittle metals that can snap or death grip a game into scraping surface off the pins, to those that are sloppy soft and will have reading problems after not too long from being squished down. I just consider the lot unreliable and avoid them.

The pin straightening I do has never failed. The boiling people keep talking up over on NA seems to work well too. Zoomer over there made a thread on it, and to not force anyone who hates the place to go there, here's a copy/paste of the steps involved.

Official 72 Pin Connector Corrector Soup Recipe

1) Remove your 72 pin connector(s)
2) Boil water (enough to fully immerse connector, optional: use bottled/distilled water)
3) Drop connector in boiling water and let boil for 3-5 mins, stir occasionally
4) Carefully remove connector from water and let cool enough to handle (about 30 seconds)
5) Take a cart and jam it in and out of connector 10-20 times (be firm but cautiuos, keep the cart straight)
6) Drop connector back in water and let boil for 3-5 more mins
7) Remove connector, tap out water and let dry (about 10 mins - optional: put in oven or use hair dryer)
8) Reinstall connector
9) Test cart, be amazed

You put the game into the wet and hot connector too, don't let it cool and dry first on step 5.

I'm going to guess the process of heating and cooling around the 10-20x cart removal helps clean any weird junk off the pins while also helping them pop back into a position they were originally manufactured, in a weird way like boiling yourself into memory metal.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

On the other hand I could just pick up a retron5 and play Famicom games as well.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

You could always throw it out and pick up genesis collecting lol Jk.

I love my Genesis collection, but theres just nothing like the classic 8bit NES games.

[Terminusvitae]

I know I picked up some great 72-pin connectors off Ebay a few years ago. I'll dig them up and see if I can find some sort of brand information or lot number or something and see if that'll help track down some high-quality ones.

[Einzelherz]

You could always throw it out and pick up genesis collecting lol Jk.

Until you get the 10 games on it worth playing...

[BricatSegaFan]

Until you get the 10 games on it worth playing...

You forgot to add a 0

[xelement5x]

You forgot to add a 0

Internet High-5 for that one!

[Edmond Dantes]

Maybe you could start putting carrots in front of your NES and see if it'll bite those instead. It's healthier.

[Niku-Sama]

kill the chip
kill the chip!

[Little Miss Gloom]

Burial at sea; a Viking's heroic send-off.