Thank you FABombjoy, my nes is ziffy!

[whoisKeel]

i've had a new pin connector for awhile now...and something just didn't feel right about it...and after reading omnedon's 'alarming discovery' post, i only felt worse about the new pin connectors.

so i tried FABombjoy's method today just for the hell of it (luckily i had kept my original pin connector)...and lo and behold it worked!

i got the finest sandpaper i could find 3M's 600 Ultra Fine...you can rub your face with this sandpaper and it won't hurt...yeah, that ultra fine. i wrapped it around my gamestop discount card, and got to work...then i used some canned air on it...but i don't have a cleaning kit, so i wrapped a fabric softener damp with alcohol around the gamestop card and cleaned, then aired the connector again.

my original pin now works better than my mcm one! and the carts just slide right it all ziffy-like. now i don't feel like i'm wearing out all my connectors everytime i play a different game :)

sorry, i just can't get over how easily these games slide in. :-P

[omnedon]

Yup. It's a good method.

My only gripe is the time it takes. I sell or charge for the repairs, so a refurbed pin has to work with varying condition carts too. I find I sometimes have to re-do the pin (sand it twice) before it passes 'stress' testing.

It's worth it though. :)

If I go back to a 'new' connector, it's going to have to be perfect every time, and not terribly expensive.

[chadtower]

I've noticed that the term "new connector" is an ebay buzzword for an NES. It brings in a good amount more money than a regular NES... how do you think trying to tout a system as "cleaned with this method" is going to work in that manner?

[FABombjoy]

Sweet, glad to hear it! It's funny to me to see so many people using a technique that I once considered a bit of a dare. But hey, it's free, and based on the (now long-term) experience of many other people it seems to work well.

The NES really is the old British sportscar of the video game world. Quirky, confusing, and frustrating for many people, but all it takes it the right technique and expertise and she'll treat you right (and provide lots of enjoyment to boot).

I've sold a refurbed NES on eBay once to test the waters and I included a brief set of instructions for proper care and maintenance. I think that's the way to go: educate the consumer. Adding the phrase 'new connector' will probably fetch more attention, mainly because most folks don't know the joys of a properly functioning OEM connector. Or they just want it to work so badly they don't care if it takes vise-grips to remove the cartridges. Myself, I had no idea how awful the replacements were until I bought one. The pins were so tight that one of them unseated itself from the plastic connector and slipped out the back of the connector.

I haven't really decided if it's better PR to say "refurbished" connector, or something like "properly functioning low-resistance OEM connector". 'Refurbish' is a scary word to a lot of people, even though it loosely translates into 'works'. I hate to berate a competeting product on eBay, simply because it's the de-facto way of promoting yourself when you've got a highly-competetive market. I think it looks tacky and makes you sound like an informercial. "Why settle for brand X pin connector when you could have the fantastic refurbomatic connector!!"

I'm sure we can all agree tho that the manual pin-bending procedure is way way too much effort in the wrong direction, and needs to go away.

[omnedon]

I get many request from Canadians for new pins. I won't sell the new pins anymore, so I send them to the "Alarming discovery' thread. Once they read that, I leave it up to them whether or not they want to try it themselves, buy a tested one from me, or go their own way.

About 50% of the people buy one from me, as opposed to the 100% I had when I was selling the inferior 'new' pins. :roll:

It hasn't affected the number of systems I do. I 'replace' the connector. (It's true, I always replace, as I have a float of them- I do a bunch at a time)
The refurbed pins seem more reliable. I have had 0 returns in 5 months, while with the new connectors I'd have had a few at least. 0 returns on sold refurbed connectors either. Everyone is happy.

I'm sure Ebay pin sellers know all about it. Every once in a while they get a buyer who complains (I know one of these sellers) that it doesn't work. They seller then blames the install technique of the buyer. :o

Oh well. At least we know better, and that's something. :)