my problem with replacing 72-pin connectors on the NES

[gbpxl]

1. They're too tight.

2. The system is no longer original once a key component of it is replaced with a third-party connector.

3. Most of the issues with connectivity can be solved simply by applying rubbing alcohol to a game cartridge and pulling the cartridge in and out of the system repeatedly and moving it up and down. If you read any service manual for the console, it says one should be cleaning the system periodically- granted it says one needs the Nintendo brand cleaner system, but this method will work, and most people are doing goofy things like boiling the 72 pin or bending the pins, making them even less functional.

The design of the console was flawed but it was built to last. I have a system in front of me that was built between 1985 and 1990 with original capacitors, pins, etc and works fine.

It upsets me to see so many eBay listings advertising "new 72 pin." And with the HDMI mod, there will be even less consoles in their original condition.

[YoshiM]

I think I bought new Nintendo OEM pins from someone on this forum years back. And it works as advertised!

So the original stuff is out there.

[Greg2600]

3. Most of the issues with connectivity can be solved simply by applying rubbing alcohol to a game cartridge and pulling the cartridge in and out of the system repeatedly and moving it up and down. If you read any service manual for the console, it says one should be cleaning the system periodically- granted it says one needs the Nintendo brand cleaner system, but this method will work, and most people are doing goofy things like boiling the 72 pin or bending the pins, making them even less functional.

Goofy? Boiling the connector worked PERFECTLY for me. I had replaced mine with aftermarket ones which I hated. Too stiff/tight, and still had issues. Took it out, boiled the original, and put the original back in.

[gbpxl]

Goofy? Boiling the connector worked PERFECTLY for me. I had replaced mine with aftermarket ones which I hated. Too stiff/tight, and still had issues. Took it out, boiled the original, and put the original back in.

I meant goofy in the context that there is a much simpler and quicker method that works just as well.

[Niku-Sama]

I've only not been able to save the old connector once or twice. normally I bend them back and they are good for a long time or you don't even have to push them down any more. I remember one that the metal had lost all of its spring and was real brittle and crispy. it was odd, not rusted or any thing either. it was like something you would see if it had been heated up and cooled off a bunch of times but temps to make that happen would have melted plastic and the rest of it was in good shape.

[Aussie2B]

I'm not a fan at all of third party replacement connectors either. I feel they're just a temporary fix that ultimately leaves you in a worse position than where you started. They're so tight that having a game in there will loosen them over time to the point that you eventually end up in the same position of having a loose connection, except, in the process of getting to that point, shoving in and yanking out games when it's really tight will permanently thin the contacts on your games, making it that much harder to maintain a solid connection.

[megasdkirby]

What about the blinking light win?

[bb_hood]

Ive seen many NES systems where the pins were absolutely shot.
If you want your NES to be functional, sometimes you just need to replace the pins.

I agree that most or all replacement pins are of low quality, but what can you do.

A working nes with good pins + flash cart is all you need to play without trouble.
If you are constantly inserting/removing carts you will encounter problems at some point.

[gbpxl]

What about the blinking light win?

A video review by Game Historian talked about how the BLW had a death grip on his carts and only worked 9/10 times.

It's been out for a few years now so I don't know if that has changed but I'm not sold. If I absolutely have to mod my NES, I want something that works 99%+ of the time and is not going to wear down the PCB contacts on my cartridges.

I did just watch a review video and the guy did 5+ different carts and they all started on the first try.

[drunk3nj3sus]

A video review by Game Historian talked about how the BLW had a death grip on his carts and only worked 9/10 times.

It's been out for a few years now so I don't know if that has changed but I'm not sold. If I absolutely have to mod my NES, I want something that works 99%+ of the time and is not going to wear down the PCB contacts on my cartridges.

I did just watch a review video and the guy did 5+ different carts and they all started on the first try.

Although I typically play on my AV famicom, I have a blinking light win in my regular NES I can say it's totally worth it, It's failure rate is right with my AV famicom so as long as a game doesn't need to be cleaned it'll boot right up & it's design will last way longer than replacement connectors or refurbishing your connectors because it won't eventually get stretched out again, & it's not really "modding" your NES because you can slap the old connector and hinge back in about 5 minutes, the assembly is super easy and reversable. The death grip is a bit overstated too imo it's not really that much harder to pull out than any other cartridge based system I own the only difference is they're 20 plus years old and designed vertically so they're easier to grab, brand new connectors on a SNES, N64, or Genesis would probably be a little tight as well.

[Niku-Sama]

since we are on the topic of the blinking light win I have to ask.

how does one feel about using it to replace a pin connector in a Sharp NES tv?

do you feel it will ruin the authenticity of the item or would it upgrade it?

just something I have been toying around with, as most people know if the pins are bad you would need to bend them back a few times but in a NES tv they are a pain to get to, pretty much disassemble the whole tv to get to it...

[Cornelius]

since we are on the topic of the blinking light win I have to ask.

how does one feel about using it to replace a pin connector in a Sharp NES tv?

do you feel it will ruin the authenticity of the item or would it upgrade it?

just something I have been toying around with, as most people know if the pins are bad you would need to bend them back a few times but in a NES tv they are a pain to get to, pretty much disassemble the whole tv to get to it...

IMO, hang onto the original and there's no problem. It is completely reversible, so I don't see a problem.

[BlastProcessing402]

Blowing fixes all. No it doesn't corrode or anything, or my 30+ year NES/games would have long since shown the problem. It hasn't.:moon:

[Tanooki]

I meant goofy in the context that there is a much simpler and quicker method that works just as well.

No it doesn't. Boiling is far more effective on a dirty set of pins that may have never been or rarely been cleaned. If someone would have maintained cleanliness at a periodic rate then yes it's overkill. But buying second hand assume the worst.

It's not hard to boil water with a paper towel in the bottom, drop in the pins for 5min, then pull out and use a cleaning kit (or like) wedge into the pins and in-out that a dozen times until it comes away clean before stopping the 5min dunking again. The last time I did it the first rub of the pins had large amounts of gray nasty looking goo come off the connector using the plain OEM Nintendo Cleaning Kit (with alcohol) could not remove and it repeatedly failed as such. 2 dunks to remove the goo, that system has run like a fine watch without fail ever since for the last year.

There's nothing goofy about a process that works the best. Using after market brittle crap cheap chinese metal pins will cause you far more problems than that.