cart blowing

[googlefest1]

im sure this has probbaly been asked before

i searched but came up with nothing


why does blowing on cartrages always make them work

- ive tried using alcohol - that dosent work

i thought mabey that blowing on the carts heated up the traces just a bit - so i tried rubbing the traces with soft cloth - and heat - this also didnt work

-- im afraid blowing on the carts will cause them to build up oxidation fromt he moisture in the breath

my carts are very clean and i dont see a reason why they shouldnt work with out blowing on them

mabey someone here will enlighten me as to why blowing on the carts works-
please?

[Daria]

I read once that some of the saliva that you spit out during blowing actually works an a conductor between the pins and the cartridge. Don't know how accurate that is though.

[-hellvin-]

it's magic

[Kejoriv]

Rubbing Alcohol and a qtip ALWAYS work for me. Ive only had one dead cart in all my 12 years of collecting and playing

[bargora]

There was a lengthy thread on this topic somewhere in the past. Basically, the conclusion seemed to agree with what Daria said regarding the incidental saliva providing a conductive liquid matrix (I just wanted to say matrix there). Also, the saliva assists formation of further corrosion, so it's not really recommended for the long-term health of your carts.

If alcohol and a Q-tip didn't work for you after one treatment, then go ahead and do it again. And again. If you see green junk on the Q-tip after a cleaning, you're still removing electricity-blocking corrosion from the traces.

Another thing to think about is possibly replacing the 72-pin connector on your NES deck, if it's NES carts that are causing you trouble. The pins on the connectors can become both bent and corroded over time, which compounds the problems of corrosion on your carts.

[musical]

I've had N64 carts that looked absolutely BLACK on the connectors. Some alcohol and Q-tips made them work. In some case I had to literally SCRUB the connector until it wa shiny.

[Mr. Smashy]

http://www3.telus.net/smashy/blow%20final.JPG

First you wanna kill me, now you wanna kiss me. Blow.

Gotta love MS Paint.

[badinsults]

According to Nintendo, you should not blow into your carts, as it corrodes the connectors. It only makes sense. :p

[kainemaxwell]

I clean my carts but I still blow them out of force of habit growing up. Know what I mean?

[Lemmy Kilmister]

I clean my carts with either a cleaning kit or a q-tip with some form of solution. It always makes me faint when i see some redneck or fat kid blowing inside the cart. It just makes me want to run over and slap them in the face.

[googlefest1]

like i said my carts are very clean - i clean them every time before i use them

it crossed my mind that saliva could be adding conductive paths - but i dismised that becasue the traces are VERY clean and there should be no reason why there isn't enough conductivity at the traces --- thats why i leaned more towards heating up the traces

i dont have this problem with all carts

also i have this problem with all systems from NES to N64 - not pre-NES

heating, alcohol, fast wipe - dont work -- they just clean the cart - i HAVE TO blow on them -- and its realy freaking bothering me

thanks every one

[omnedon]

O_O

[Dr. Morbis]

heating, alcohol, fast wipe - dont work -- they just clean the cart - i HAVE TO blow on them -- and its realy freaking bothering me
That makes no sense. It's not the blowing that is making your carts work, it's the fact that are taking them out of the system (to blow them) and then reinserting them, that is making them work. This is especially true for NES.

Pitfall Harry has a rather lengthly explanation/FAQ on the harms of blowing on game carts in a thread on Atari Age, if you want to bother looking for it.

[jonjandran]

There is actually 2 different reasons blowing on carts get them to work.

1. Blowing on them sends hot air over the contacts causing condensation which provides a slightly better conducor than the corroded contacts , allowing the game to work sometimes..

2. Sometimes in electronics you get "cold circuits" . This is where an electronic part stops conducting properly when cold. Blowing the hot air warms it up enough to start properly working.

[zmweasel]

This thread is filled with almost as much pseudo-scientific bullpuckey as a creationist website. "Incidental saliva" and/or condensation creates a "conductive liquid matrix"? Hot breath revives "cold circuits"? I-yi-yi.

I have no idea why Googlefest's carts are working only when he blows on them. Perhaps he's not properly swabbing the cart contacts with the alcohol/Q-Tip. Perhaps he's conveniently forgetting the misses when blowing doesn't work, and only remembering the "hits" (which may or may not have anything to do with his blowing). We'd need to look at his cartridge contacts and/or game system to know for sure. But there's certainly a logical reason that has nothing to do with incidental saliva or conductive liquid matrixes.

Sorry for the rant, but my skeptical self needs more than a few anecdotal theories to accept something as fact.

-- Z.

[jonjandran]

This thread is filled with almost as much pseudo-scientific bullpuckey as a creationist website. "Incidental saliva" and/or condensation creates a "conductive liquid matrix"? Hot breath revives "cold circuits"? I-yi-yi.

I have no idea why Googlefest's carts are working only when he blows on them. Perhaps he's not properly swabbing the cart contacts with the alcohol/Q-Tip. Perhaps he's conveniently forgetting the misses when blowing doesn't work, and only remembering the "hits" (which may or may not have anything to do with his blowing). We'd need to look at his cartridge contacts and/or game system to know for sure. But there's certainly a logical reason that has nothing to do with incidental saliva or conductive liquid matrixes.

Sorry for the rant, but my skeptical self needs more than a few anecdotal theories to accept something as fact.

-- Z.

I've been repairing electronics for 15 years now.

You need to know a little more before you run your mouth sir. :roll:

If you've never heard of " cold circuits " then you don't need to be responding to this thread. That's why they sell super cold electronic spray at electronics stores. Sometimes you can have cold solder joints or also electronic parts that will fail when hot. Cold spray helps to find and solve these problems. And I've got many electronic items to work by using a hair dryer to warm up "cold solder joints".

And as for water being a good conductor. OMG are you just stupid ? Do you also use your blow dryer and toaster in the bath tub.

Think and/or do research before posting. :roll:

Sorry if this comes across as being rude, but seeing how you could care less if you're rude, I'll respond in kind.

[zmweasel]

I didn't say water isn't a good conductor. I said it's ridiculous to claim that "incidental saliva" is the reason why blowing on a cart works (when, in fact, it often DOESN'T work). That twists good science (water as conductor) into non-science (anecdotal "evidence").

Google's claim that his carts ONLY work when he blows on them is dubious, and the explanations in this thread are equally so.

And are you seriously comparing the heating effects of a puff of breath to a hair dryer?!

-- Z.

[Predatorxs]

i THINK girls started the whole blowing thing?! :roll: ..........Ohh wrong thread.. :o

Also i'm not sure but have you tried cleaning your snes console (as in using a cleaning cart!? on the console?)

..XS

[jonjandran]

And are you seriously comparing the heating effects of a puff of breath to a hair dryer?!

-- Z.

Why yes I am. Let's see, the air in a standard house is 74 degrees . The air from your mouth is 98.6 degrees. Hmmmm

I've seen electronic parts ( resistors, transistors, capacitors ) work or not work with a variance of 2-3 degrees.

Like I said, Know something about what you're talking about before you call it stupid. :roll:

[omnedon]

Someone please move this to Technical Restoration so I can lock this stupid thread.

[jonjandran]

I didn't say water isn't a good conductor. I said it's ridiculous to claim that "incidental saliva" is the reason why blowing on a cart works (when, in fact, it often DOESN'T work). That twists good science (water as conductor) into non-science (anecdotal "evidence").

-- Z.

I've had and used Nes systems for the better part of 20 years. Been through hundreds of systems and games. I can take a cart that just causes blinking, try 10-20 times to get it to work . Blow on it really hard 1 time and it works. :hmm:

And thousands of people have had the same results.

I think you have to look into the chance that it might be more than anecdotal "evidence"

And I don't believe in the saliva theory, that's why I've looked into it farther and found out it "could" be the condensation caused from the warm air. (Like the condensation caused when you blow warm air on a window)

But it could just be "coincidence" . Hundreds of thousands of people could just be getting lucky when blowing on their carts and it would have worked properly if they had just tried "one more time" :roll:

[omnedon]

Replace your NES 72 pin connector with a rebuilt one, or a new one, and clean your carts. SIMPLE.

I work with electronics too, and it's always best to FIX the PROBLEM, as opposed to jigging it an re-jigging it with a half assed solution like blowing on your carts.

I wasn't going to post in this thread as it seemed 'beneath me'. A simple search of the Tech forum would tell him more than he needs to know.

If you insist on doing it half assed, don't ask me. Half assed is a waste of time.

I only use my whole ass. LOL

[Predatorxs]

C'mon people all you have too do is put your lips together and blow!..... LOL

..XS ( Peoples getting all heated over cart contacts i love it, so who's gunna start the thread about blowing on CDz to get them to play better and maybe even run faster :o )

[jonjandran]

Replace your NES 72 pin connector with a rebuilt one, or a new one, and clean your carts. SIMPLE.

I work with electronics too, and it's always best to FIX the PROBLEM, as opposed to jigging it an re-jigging it with a half assed solution like blowing on your carts.

I wasn't going to post in this thread as it seemed 'beneath me'. A simple search of the Tech forum would tell him more than he needs to know.

If you insist on doing it half assed, don't ask me. Half assed is a waste of time.

I only use my whole ass. LOL

This was never about the "proper way " to fix the system or carts.

The original poster just asked why does blowing into carts make them work sometimes.

Since this topic is "beneath you " , I guess you must not have taken the time to actually read it. LOL

[zmweasel]

And are you seriously comparing the heating effects of a puff of breath to a hair dryer?!

-- Z.

Why yes I am. Let's see, the air in a standard house is 74 degrees . The air from your mouth is 98.6 degrees. Hmmmm

You just compared the ambient temperature of a house with the temperature of a puff of breath, but what I mentioned in my earlier post is that you compared the heating effects of a puff of breath and a HAIR DRYER, for fuck's sake. That's like saying a flickering candle and a raging fireplace produce equal amounts of warmth.


Like I said, Know something about what you're talking about before you call it stupid. :roll:

All I'm asking for is some credible evidence instead of crackpot science, and all you're doing is defending your ego and calling me stupid and appealing to your own authority.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

I've had and used Nes systems for the better part of 20 years. Been through hundreds of systems and games. I can take a cart that just causes blinking, try 10-20 times to get it to work . Blow on it really hard 1 time and it works.

And thousands of people have had the same results.

I think you have to look into the chance that it might be more than anecdotal "evidence"

The collective personal experiences of "thousands of people" (where'd you get this number?) is still anecdotal evidence. Unless and until someone conducts something like a gin-u-wine scientific study, all these theories are anecdotal and unproven.

That being said, if you'd like to help me construct such a study for a future issue of Video Game Collector, I'd be very interested. You could make use of your experience, and I could exploit that experience for the cause of a cool article. Kind of a video game version of "Mythbusters."


And I don't believe in the saliva theory, that's why I've looked into it farther and found out it "could" be the condensation caused from the warm air. (Like the condensation caused when you blow warm air on a window)

Well, at least you're willing to admit that condensation COULD be a reason for the effects of cart-blowing, as opposed to your earlier implication that it was an indisputable fact.


But it could just be "coincidence" . Hundreds of thousands of people could just be getting lucky when blowing on their carts and it would have worked properly if they had just tried "one more time" :roll:

So now it's "hundreds of thousands of people." Again, where are you getting these numbers?

-- Z.

[jonjandran]

I have nothing further to say to you.

After looking at many other threads in which you argued forever about something you knew nothing about, I should have known better than to try to reason with you.

As you have offended others with your blatant stupidity , you have now offended me and I will NEVER respond to one of your posts again.

I shall now join the group of people who have put you on their " AVOID AT ALL COST " list.

That is all.........Ohh but feel free to post something childish and moronic . I'm sure you will. ;)

[zmweasel]

I have nothing further to say to you.

After looking at many other threads in which you argued forever about something you knew nothing about, I should have known better than to try to reason with you.

As you have offended others with your blatant stupidity , you have now offended me and I will NEVER respond to one of your posts again.

I shall now join the group of people who have put you on their " AVOID AT ALL COST " list.

That is all.........Ohh but feel free to post something childish and moronic . I'm sure you will. ;)

I'm very sorry that you're so upset, but I'm not sorry for having challenged your claims (along with several others in this thread) and pointed out that no real evidence exists to back them up.

Was that childish and moronic?

-- Z.

[RCM]

jonjandran wrote:

After looking at many other threads in which you argued forever about something you knew nothing about, I should have known better than to try to reason with you.

As you have offended others with your blatant stupidity , you have now offended me and I will NEVER respond to one of your posts again.

I presume you are speaking about ZMweasel. I do not always agree with him, and you're right, sometimes he fights losing battles. But by no means is he blantantly stupid. I do feel that he is one of the more knowledgable people on the boards that i have "dueled" with. He isn't the most knowledgable though, that distinctinon belongs to yours truly! Slight joke there, breathe in and laugh! It's ashame that you won't be speaking with him anymore though, it's always fun to point out when a know it all is wrong that a know it all doesn't know it all!

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[zmweasel]

jonjandran wrote:

After looking at many other threads in which you argued forever about something you knew nothing about, I should have known better than to try to reason with you.

As you have offended others with your blatant stupidity , you have now offended me and I will NEVER respond to one of your posts again.

I presume you are speaking about ZMweasel. I do not always agree with him, and you're right, sometimes he fights losing battles. But by no means is he blantantly stupid. I do feel that he is one of the more knowledgable people on the boards that i have "dueled" with. He isn't the most knowledgable though, that distinctinon belongs to yours truly! Slight joke there, breathe in and laugh! It's ashame that you won't be speaking with him anymore though, it's always fun to point out when a know it all is wrong that a know it all doesn't know it all!

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

I freely admit to occasionally playing devil's advocate, even if that means I'm "fighting a losing battle," because I'm trying to spark thoughtful exchanges of informed opinions in these forums, as opposed to the usual "How much is Game X worth?" and "What are your favorite games for System X?" and all the other generic topics that are repeated every week or two. I enjoy defending my opinions, and presenting facts which support them.

And, hey, maybe I'll have to change my worldview because someone presents me with powerful evidence. That already happened once in this forum, via the "PS2s break more than Xboxes and GameCubes" thread. I went in thinking it was a fallacy--with so many more PS2s in consumers' hands than Xboxes and Cubes, of course there'll be more broken PS2s!--and came out realizing it was a legitimate problem.

I'm skeptical by nature, so when I read all these anecdotal claims about why cart-blowing works, I felt compelled to say "Bullshit!" and ask for something more substantial than spittle-matrix and dragon's-breath theories. I certainly didn't expect JJD to get so angry about my challenging his claims.

-- Z.

[Predatorxs]

Cart Blowing does work.. :P

All joking aside, i'm sure everyone that has/does own a Geny, Snes, Nes or Sms, will agree, i don't exactly know why, but it does the trick 9 times out of ten ;)

Although it has to come down to a build up of dust/lint on the cart contacts blowing the contacts is the poor mans cleaning cart. :-P

An gawwd damnit! you crazy kids it works (Now go tell the rest of your folks) LOL

..XS

[RCM]

zmweasel wrote:

I freely admit to occasionally playing devil's advocate, even if that means I'm "fighting a losing battle," because I'm trying to spark thoughtful exchanges of informed opinions in these forums, as opposed to the usual "How much is Game X worth?" and "What are your favorite games for System X?" and all the other generic topics that are repeated every week or two. I enjoy defending my opinions, and presenting facts which support them.

That's nice that you're trying to spark thoughful exchanges. You could be "fighting a losing battle" though. Some people don't want that. The powerful evidence? The glut of posts about "how much a game is worth" and "what's your favorite game for system X." I wish everyone had thoughtful, informed opinions about videogames and some more diverse taste. That just doesn't seem to be the rule. It's ashame.


I'm skeptical by nature, so when I read all these anecdotal claims about why cart-blowing works, I felt compelled to say "Bullshit!" and ask for something more substantial than spittle-matrix and dragon's-breath theories. I certainly didn't expect JJD to get so angry about my challenging his claims.

I enjoy when people can back their claims with fact instead of conjecture. Sometimes that doesn't work (presentation of fact). Personally, I've chatted with certain people in certain threads and presented them with overwhelming evidence and they still were unwilling to budge for whatever reason.

Also, sometimes it's not what you're saying but the way you say it. I get the feeling that that was jjd's problem with you more then anything else. Face it, people don't like being told that they are wrong. A lot of people don't seem to like to be challenged. Just my observations

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[zmweasel]

Although it has to come down to a build up of dust/lint on the cart contacts blowing the contacts is the poor mans cleaning cart. :-P

You've invoked Occam's Razor, and I bless you for it. Dust and dirt flyin' off the contacts when you blow into a cart is a much simpler--and thus, more likely--explanation than spittle matrixes and cold contacts. But until someone attempts a half-assed experiment (any volunteers? I'd love to run the results in Video Game Collector), we won't know for sure.

-- Z.

[jonjandran]

Personally, I've chatted with certain people in certain threads and presented them with overwhelming evidence and they still were unwilling to budge for whatever reason.

Also, sometimes it's not what you're saying but the way you say it. I get the feeling that that was jjd's problem with you more then anything else. Face it, people don't like being told that they are wrong. A lot of people don't seem to like to be challenged. Just my observations

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

Well that is my point . Some people are just on this site to argue. They come across as trying to save people from some horrible wrong-doing. But it is a discussion about "cart blowing" x_x

Who cares why , where or how people thinks this works or not.
I was just expressing from a electronic background some reasons why it might work.

Then someone comes along cursing at me and others, and being condescending. Should I be sorry for getting offended ? Hey people may be smart but acting like that makes them seem quite childish.

Then they also come along "Demanding " I back it up with facts , figures, and surveys. LOL

Hey if this were about world peace, hunger or the pursuit of women, I might go through all of that effort.
As it is it's about " CART BLOWING " and I presented enough facts to back up why it might work.

1. Heat (even a degree or two ) can cause electronic parts to start working again.
2. Water (in the form of condensation ) can allow for better conduction resulting in a better contact.

So , I guess I just needed to get that off my chest. I'm sure the world will go on with or without anyone knowing why blowing in a cart will make it start working again. LOL

PS. I never once got Angry. There are a lot more important things in my life to get upset about than a stupid forum topic. :P

[zmweasel]

Well that is my point . Some people are just on this site to argue. They come across as trying to save people from some horrible wrong-doing. But it is a discussion about "cart blowing" x_x

I'm in these forums to learn and to debate, not to argue, though the latter is an occasional/inevitable result.


Who cares why , where or how people thinks this works or not.
I was just expressing from a electronic background some reasons why it might work.

I care. I'm intensely curious about how EVERYTHING works, whether it's why blowing on carts seems to make them work, or why the sky is blue. You obviously cared as well, or you wouldn't have bothered to post in this thread.


Then someone comes along cursing at me and others, and being condescending. Should I be sorry for getting offended ? Hey people may be smart but acting like that makes them seem quite childish.

If the use of "bullpuckey" in my initial post offended you, I am sorry. I consider it mild profanity at best.

And why are you saying it's "childish" to display intelligence and skepticism? Isn't it far more childish to say "You're stupid and mean and I'm not going to respond to your posts anymore"? Or to "ignore" me by referring to me as "someone" and "they," as if I'm not still participating in the thread, and as if I don't know who you're talking about?


Then they also come along "Demanding " I back it up with facts , figures, and surveys. LOL

Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof. Meanwhile, PredatorXS has hit on the simple explanation that's far more likely than the elaborate theories expressed earlier in the thread.


PS. I never once got Angry. There are a lot more important things in my life to get upset about than a stupid forum topic. :P

There was more than a little anger oozing from the post in which you cited my "blatant stupidity," whether you realize it or not. Unless you wrote all that with a smile on your face?

-- Z.

[ManciGames]

Replace your NES 72 pin connector with a rebuilt one, or a new one, and clean your carts. SIMPLE.


I've gotta concur with this. I replaced the pins in mine with a $5.00 part bought frome eBay. It works on the first try 95% of the time now.

Easy to do and very worthwhile.

[ManciGames]

You've invoked Occam's Razor, and I bless you for it. Dust and dirt flyin' off the contacts when you blow into a cart is a much simpler--and thus, more likely--explanation than spittle matrixes and cold contacts. But until someone attempts a half-assed experiment (any volunteers? I'd love to run the results in Video Game Collector), we won't know for sure.

-- Z.

I always thought it was a well known fact that the moisture in your breath is transferred to the pins via condensation, thus allowing the current to flow more easily through the connections. Frankly, this discussion is shocking in it's antiquity.

Here's the answer plain and simple: It has nothing to do with dust/debris. Just blow on a bad cart, let it sit 5 minutes and try to play it. It won't work. And it's not because dust/debris magically re-accumulated in that 5 minutes. It's because the water that was previously transferred to the pins has now evaporated.

It works because the water helps the pins conduct electric current better.

I'm also shocked that nobody has just went and asked Nintendo. Oh wait, someone did: http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message?board.id=NES&message.id=16505

If that doesn't answer the question, I'd be more than happy to assist on the VGC article.

[jonjandran]

Nah that's not proof. That's just "bullpuckey" and no-one knows what they're talking about.

Moisture from condensation couldn't possibly help. :roll:

*sarcasm off*

[SoulBlazer]

Interesting discussion.

I'm sure that everyone who had a NES back in the day -- as most of us here did -- can remember having to blow into carts to get them to work.

I've NEVER heard anything about heat or mositure making the connections between the game and the system any easier. Everything I've read on the topic said that it helps in the short term because of clearing away some dirt and dust, but damages the carts in the long term due to the oxidation effect.

And even if you clean your carts with a cleaning kit (like I had) you still got a lot of blinking because of the cheap pin connectors that the NES decks had in them wearing out after a few years.

If anyone can post SOLID articles about heat and/or moisture being the reasons blowing in a cart seems to help, I'd love to see them, as would everyone else.

But it's been well documented that needing to blow into carts to make them work was a VERY common thing at the time.

[omnedon]

If anyone can post SOLID articles about heat and/or moisture being the reasons blowing in a cart seems to help, I'd love to see them, as would everyone else.


SOLID research on why a half assed fix works sometimes?

Count Me Out.

[googlefest1]

Thanks to all that actualy replied to the question in the post

thanks mancigames, for the link you posted


but i still don't accept moisture being the reason why blowing makes the carts work. It can't be the reason since all the contacts are extreamly clean (in the systems and on the carts) - the connectors inside the sytems are new or in great condition -- its always the same carts

it could be wear on the edge connector traces where the moisture could be a factor- but i have carts that look like they have extreme wear that work every time

i gues ill just have to accept its unexplainable to me - beasue logic tells me that moisture shouldnt play a part in the conduction - since there is more than enough super clean metal contacting each other

thanks all again

[Flack]

This thread blows.

The next time someone gets a cart that blinks, take it out and instead of blowing on it with your breath, use a hair dryer. That would determine whether or not it is the heat and not the moisture. If that works, then use a can of air to simply blow it off. If those don't work then hey maybe it is your incidental slobber or whatever. Maybe you could put the cart in and then put the whole thing in your aquarium and fire it up.

I think my brain just exploded.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

OK...a little note from the management.

I think there's actually some useful info to be gleaned from this thread, but I had no idea it had gotten derailed the way it had.

I've excised the more incendiary parts of this topic - i.e. roughly half of it - and unlocked it again. If the parties involved try to rekindle it, they may very well wind up with my footprint on their asses and the door locked behind 'em before I have a chance to run the decision past anyone else.

Not that I'd expect such a decision - at the moment entirely hypothetical - to be undone, mind you.

Behave.

Thank you for your understanding. Now please feel free to carry on with the original discussion.