help with NES

[El CiF]

hello all!
i just got a new NES off eBay. the person i got it from said that he tested it and the game and they worked fine. now, when i hooked it up to my tv, the NES's power button would flash on and off without stopping, and nothing would start up. an av cable was included and i tried using that, but that didnt work either. does anyone have any suggestions on what i should do? i contacted the seller.
help?

[charitycasegreg]

hello all!
i just got a new NES off eBay. the person i got it from said that he tested it and the game and they worked fine. now, when i hooked it up to my tv, the NES's power button would flash on and off without stopping, and nothing would start up. an av cable was included and i tried using that, but that didnt work either. does anyone have any suggestions on what i should do? i contacted the seller.
help?

:eek 2: ... LOL ... You've never played an nes before? Many ways to fix it but simplest is to go on ebay and search for referbished 72 pin connector. DO not blow in to the games, its bad for them. Also rubbing alcohol is the best way, just make sure you hold the cart contacts towards the ground so the alcohol doesnt leak inside. And then just follow the other peoples directions... :D

PS: more then 95% of nintendos do this, probably like 99%, the original pins were made out of crappy material. I have 13 nintendos and 10 do this, the other 3: 2 have new pin connector, one is brand new.

PS: Maybe the 72 pin connecters I bought off ebay were just referbished.

[imanerd0011]

Like CCG said , you really need to buy a 72 pin. I installed one before and it is quite easy , just go to this site for detailed instructions with pics :

http://www.videogex.com/repair.htm

You should also clean all your games contacts with isypropal (sp) alcohol. Just dip a Q-tip into the alcohol and rub it onto the games contacts. Then dip the other end of the q-tip into the alcohol and rub the contacts. Do this until the q-tip is still white after you clean the contacts, and not dirty. Then rub the contacts with a dry q-tip to make sure your game is dry.

[Algol]

Usually you have to clean the contacts on the game, blow in it, or put something between the game and the top of system (like another game)

FYI, you really shouldn't blow into the carts too often, since doing so too much will eventually corrode the metal pins. I've heard you can clean them with alcohol, but I'm afraid to do this, since it specifically says not to on the back.

[PhoeniX]

The new 72pin adapter is the easiest fix. But if you can find one, might I recomend a refurbished one, the replicas are very tight (makes me worry). I also heard rumors that you could call nintendo and convince them to send you one, maybe someone else knows more... If you have a Game Genie, try that, the way it fits in usually will work even in a corroded adapter. Alcohol is fine, don't do overboard, and if you're really worried delute with water. Make sure when you clean that use the alcohol/water sparingly--swab with a cue-tip and make sure you dry it (use other side of cue-tip). Cleaning your games might make a big difference. Beyond that jiggle it, try the game in multiple positions within the system. I find that they work better when they aren't all the way in. :)

Good luck!

[Neonsolid]

Gone.

[squirrelnut]

The only reason it says not to use alcohol is cause nintendo wanted you to buy there fancy cleaning kit that had a bottle of alcohol in it.

dang you beat me to it. but yeah its true that 20 dollar kit was a fancy q-tip and rubbing alcohal in it. and by saying blowing on it would corrode the contacts quick... think about all the moisture thats normally in air. shouldnt that be just as corrosive? and everyone says they will eventually corrode the pins. how long does that acutally take?

[Jibbajaba]

You should NOT buy a new 72 pin connector. The new ones suck. I used to have a new one and it was terrible. I ended up buying a crappy looking NES at a thrift store and takin out the 72 pin connector and refurbishing it. If you do it correctly, the NES will operate as though brand new. Look it up in the repair forum. Buying a new connector is the easy way out but wont work as well. you just need to fix the one you have. If you want, I can do it for you but you would have to pay shipping both ways along with some sort of payment and I doubt you want to do that.

The first thing you should try is this: Go buysome rubbing alcohol. Get the highest alcohol content you can. I know that they sell 90% at drig stores, so try to get that. Then get some Q-tips. You probably already have them in the house. You eed to clean all of your NES carts, and this is the best way unless you have the tool required to take the carts apart, which you dont have. Dip one end of the q-tip into the alcohol, wqueeze out the extra alcohol so it is damp but not soaked, and then scrub the contacts and the plastic on the inside of that end of the cart. If the q-tip gets really dirty then turn it around and use the other end (dip it in the alcohol first). Keep doing this until the q-tip stays clean. Then use a dry q-tip to wipe out any excess alcohol on the contacts and plastic. If you have a can of compressed air to dry the cart. If you dont have any then let it sit for a few minutes. Alcohol evaporates really quickly. You should alwys make sure that your carts are as clean as possible to keep from gunking up your system.

If you have any questions about this, PM me, but TRUST ME. I turned a really crapped out NES into one that works like new. Buying a new 72 pin connector is a LAST RESORT.

Chris

EDIT: go to this thread:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20849

Read the posts on the first page by FABombjoy. He tells you exactly how to refurbish your 72-pin connector. I used his method and it works GREAT!

[Jibbajaba]

The only reason it says not to use alcohol is cause nintendo wanted you to buy there fancy cleaning kit that had a bottle of alcohol in it.

dang you beat me to it. but yeah its true that 20 dollar kit was a fancy q-tip and rubbing alcohal in it. and by saying blowing on it would corrode the contacts quick... think about all the moisture thats normally in air. shouldnt that be just as corrosive? and everyone says they will eventually corrode the pins. how long does that acutally take?

Yeah, he's right. Don't blow into your carts. It cruds them up in the long term. Using alcohol with a low water content is OK as long as you make sure that it is completely dry right then and there without putting it back into a dust sleeve. It wont be corrosive unless it can sit on the contacts for an extended period of time. Thats why I use canned "air". It evaporates the alcohol and water very quickly because the "air" is actually a low-molecular weight organic compound.

Chris

[SuperShark]

The best thing I know to do would, like some have already said, go to ebay and get a new pin conector. As for me, I do have an old nintendo with old, dirty, and awful pins, which dose make it much, Much, MUCH more dificult to play games. However, just keep trying the game cartridge in the system slot in slightly diffrent places until you find the SWEET SPOT for the system and the cartridge. That is what I do. It gets old and very anoying sometimes but it will work. Just takes a lot of skill, luck, and some time.

[Push Upstairs]

i just got a new NES off eBay. the person i got it from said that he tested it and the game and they worked fine. now, when i hooked it up to my tv, the NES's power button would flash on and off without stopping, and nothing would start up.


Welcome to the NES owners club.


Become familar with these terms:

"blinking"
"flashing"
"cleaning"
"72-pin connector"
"NES blowjob"
&
"ARRRRRRGGGHHHHHH"

[Joelius]

you forgot the ever so popular "corroding"

or it's past tense, "corroded."

Plus I personally scream "RATFART" whenever i get pissed at my nintendo. Dont ask. i guess i'm jus weird.

[MegaDrive20XX]

i just got a new NES off eBay. the person i got it from said that he tested it and the game and they worked fine. now, when i hooked it up to my tv, the NES's power button would flash on and off without stopping, and nothing would start up.


Welcome to the NES owners club.


Become familar with these terms:

"blinking"
"flashing"
"cleaning"
"72-pin connector"
"NES blowjob"
&
"ARRRRRRGGGHHHHHH"

The NES Blowjob lmfao I gotta remember that one lol "So you like NES? Well he's back in town and he wants your new number..."

[Nesmaster]

PS: more then 95% of nintendos do this, probably like 99%, the original pins were made out of crappy material. I have 13 nintendos and 10 do this.

hmmm, i have 25 and none blink. maybe im lucky :D ?

[Push Upstairs]

The NES Blowjob lmfao I gotta remember that one

That wonderful term orginated from the mailbag of Classicgaming.com some 4-5 years ago.

I always thought it was a very fitting term.


I will also pass along the advice i gave to one new NES owner when i worked at a game store.

"Clean it once, then twice, then four more times. And when you think there couldnt possibly be a single molecule of dirt within 10 feet of that NES.........clean it again."

[NESaholic]

PS: more then 95% of nintendos do this, probably like 99%, the original pins were made out of crappy material. I have 13 nintendos and 10 do this.

hmmm, i have 25 and none blink. maybe im lucky :D ?

Your an addictive cleaner Nesmaster, that's why,i have a couple of consoles too and all work, only one is screwed up but i knew that when i got it (for free).
Cleaning helps alot,open your nes and try to get it cleaned up!

[ventrra]

The only reason it says not to use alcohol is cause nintendo wanted you to buy there fancy cleaning kit that had a bottle of alcohol in it.

dang you beat me to it. but yeah its true that 20 dollar kit was a fancy q-tip and rubbing alcohal in it. and by saying blowing on it would corrode the contacts quick... think about all the moisture thats normally in air. shouldnt that be just as corrosive? and everyone says they will eventually corrode the pins. how long does that acutally take?
It isn't just the moisture that is the problem. When you blow into a catridge, you aren't just blowing in air and water, you are blowing in saliva which is a mild acid. The acid in your salive accelerates the corrosion seen on the contacts.

[The Manimal]

I just have to chip in and say the NES Cleaning Kit kicks ass. Works much better than than a credit card with cloth or one of those Nuby pink universal cleaners. I have the kit and even in the instructions it says to use alcohol. That thing kicks ass/works well and I just wish I had replacement parts for the damn thing. When it gets dirtied up, I clean it off with a diluted dish detergent (like it recommends in the instructions).

I tried the q-tip thing on the carts and it takes forever...

[jonjandran]

It isn't just the moisture that is the problem. When you blow into a catridge, you aren't just blowing in air and water, you are blowing in saliva which is a mild acid. The acid in your salive accelerates the corrosion seen on the contacts.

Oh good lord don't get this started again.

The last time there was a thread about corrosion and why it happened , we almost started World War 3 in here. LOL

[Shawn Carr2o]

I bought a new pin connector from ebay last
year and my mom's Boyfriend took the old one
out and put in the New pin connector and my
Nes works just fine. He had to make the hole's
on both side's on the new pin connector so it
would properly. I got it for about $20.00. 8-)

[EricRyan34]

Wow this topic is def. going to help me get my NES working like new again, thanks everyone!

[Duncan]

Nice thing is that, if nothing else, the NES and its various quirks have produced quite a fine knowledge base for repair purposes.

Which reminds me, I've got to try refurbishing my 72-pin connector this weekend. Guess I'll set aside two or three hours... :D

[Jibbajaba]

Nice thing is that, if nothing else, the NES and its various quirks have produced quite a fine knowledge base for repair purposes.

Which reminds me, I've got to try refurbishing my 72-pin connector this weekend. Guess I'll set aside two or three hours... :D

It really doesnt take that long. Just get the 180 and 320 grit sandpaper, some cardboard from the back of a legal pad or something, a can of air, and a phillips head screwdriver, and you can do the whole thing in like 30 to 45 minutes.

Chris

[The Manimal]

I opened up both of my toaster NES's (one of which is filthy and I need to go and buy some canned air LOL )...


First, do you have to pull really hard to get the connector off the board? I tried tugging a little but felt I'd rip somethintg off the board if I pulled any harder, so I left them on. Also, the connector is silver on the outside. Is it supposed to be a gold color on the inside of the pins where they contact the cartridge? Doesn't look like rust, but gold.. Anyways, I cleaned thoroughly and tested with 10 carts...all worked first time, except for one which didn't have the best condition contacts. I put it back together, and I'd say about 50% of my carts start up first time fine. The others require re-inserting and other crap, but they will work..eventually. Is 'sanding' the pins down the thing to do if NOTHING works? I am not sure if I should just bend the pins and that's it. Also, I understand from tutorials that that I should put a flat head screwdriver inside the bottom pins and push the pins outward, making the U (bottom row pin(s)) wider. Is this correct...and how will I get the screwdriver inside the inner pins without bending everything out of place? First though, I need to figure out how to get the connector off the board LOL

[omnedon]

http://www.cgcc.ca/articles/view.php?article=NES%20Pin%20Replacement

Best how to on the net. LOL Just ignore the 'new pins are best' crap. Refurb the pin instead.

I gotta update that article. The assembly instructions are spot on though.

[Jibbajaba]

First, do you have to pull really hard to get the connector off the board?

Yes.


Also, the connector is silver on the outside. Is it supposed to be a gold color on the inside of the pins where they contact the cartridge?

No.


Doesn't look like rust, but gold.. Anyways, I cleaned thoroughly and tested with 10 carts...all worked first time, except for one which didn't have the best condition contacts. I put it back together, and I'd say about 50% of my carts start up first time fine. The others require re-inserting and other crap, but they will work..eventually. Is 'sanding' the pins down the thing to do if NOTHING works?

I used the sandpaper technique when my NES was blinking with a lot of games unless I had it in the machine JUST RIGHT. It was defintely pickier with some carts that it was with others. When I finished the sanding job, it played all games the first time I inserted them. If you do the job right, it should be as though you have a brand new NES. Are you sure that the carts you are trying to play are COMPLETELY clean? Either that or you didn't sand enough.


I am not sure if I should just bend the pins and that's it. Also, I understand from tutorials that that I should put a flat head screwdriver inside the bottom pins and push the pins outward, making the U (bottom row pin(s)) wider. Is this correct...and how will I get the screwdriver inside the inner pins without bending everything out of place? First though, I need to figure out how to get the connector off the board LOL

I've never bent the pins on a NES connector. If you have a decent connector that is just really dirty and needs to be sanded and cleaned, my feeling is that you don't need to bend the pins. If you are going to bend the pins and force the connector to work better by having it exert more force on the game's connectors, then you might as well buy a new connector from MCM, because thats how they work. They squeeze the heck out of the game.

Just try sanding it some more. You should be spending more time sanding with the smoother paper than with the rougher paper. Just run the rough stuff through the connector a few times to get things started in there, and then use the smoother stuff for several minutes. Make sure you blow out the connector with some compressed air. At the end, I wrap some white paper around the piece of cardboard and pass it in and out of the connector a few times and see if the paper gets dirty. If it does, then you know that the connector isn't clean. Also, if you have a NES cleaning kit, use that at the end.

Chris

[The Manimal]

So that goldish color is oxidation probably? I'll try the sandpaper route (I know there is another thread which mentions grit number (might be this one, don't remember), so I'll check into that. I'll skip the pin bending...

BTW, I didn't do any sanding. I just did a rigorous cleaning with isopropyl alcohol...


Also with the loading mechanism....it works 100% fine but I was surprised at how cheaply builit it is and how it operates (a thin metal wire, that clips on/off a piece of plastic. Wooo). Anyways, I hate how the thing squeaks. Is putting oil on the springs an okay idea or will it just attract dust and everything else?

[Jibbajaba]

So that goldish color is oxidation probably? I'll try the sandpaper route (I know there is another thread which mentions grit number (might be this one, don't remember), so I'll check into that. I'll skip the pin bending...

BTW, I didn't do any sanding. I just did a rigorous cleaning with isopropyl alcohol...


Also with the loading mechanism....it works 100% fine but I was surprised at how cheaply builit it is and how it operates (a thin metal wire, that clips on/off a piece of plastic. Wooo). Anyways, I hate how the thing squeaks. Is putting oil on the springs an okay idea or will it just attract dust and everything else?

The two sandpaper grits I used were 160 and 320. Be careful with the 160 and be gentle, then use the 320 quite a bit. I would say that any gold coloring you see is just oxidation. After all the sanding and whatnot, I would advise against using the alcohol, as you may oxidize the freshly exposed metal.

The squeaking annoys me as well, but thinking the same way you are, I didn't want to gunk up my system with oil for fear of what it would attract.

Chris.

[The Manimal]

Bad news. I tried 80 grit (judging from the 80-160 comment from before) sandpaper and let's just say I snapped a pin the very first time I tried it. :/ I guess this NES won't be working at all for now LOL It wasn't even that bad... Afterward, I just fucked around with 180 grit (which I bought instead of 160) and that worked a lot better, though the gold discoloration wasn't going away. I did notice that the top pins were rusted (they are hard to see, but I was using a flashlight).


I don't understand how one would go about bending these without snapping one, either.... :hmm: there's just about no room to work with...I guess if you push the lower pins upward there is a little space, or push them down, but ehhhh, don't know what to say.

Whenever omnedon gets results on those gold connectors and also whatever else, I'll go from there. Honestly, I've seen pics of those 'new' connectors where people say "Oh look, I don't even have to push the loading mechanism down", and I honestly don't think it was meant to be like that. If it was supposed to be like that, there wouldn't have been a loading mechanism in the thing in the first place.

[omnedon]

I've had good luck refurbing pins for the last year.

I got the first test run of manufacturing for Simple Jet's try at 72 pin connectors. I'll post the results in the "ALARMING" thread.

It's more than a year old now....

[Jibbajaba]

Bad news. I tried 80 grit (judging from the 80-160 comment from before) sandpaper and let's just say I snapped a pin the very first time I tried it. :/ I guess this NES won't be working at all for now LOL It wasn't even that bad... Afterward, I just fucked around with 180 grit (which I bought instead of 160) and that worked a lot better, though the gold discoloration wasn't going away. I did notice that the top pins were rusted (they are hard to see, but I was using a flashlight).


I don't understand how one would go about bending these without snapping one, either.... :hmm: there's just about no room to work with...I guess if you push the lower pins upward there is a little space, or push them down, but ehhhh, don't know what to say.

Whenever omnedon gets results on those gold connectors and also whatever else, I'll go from there. Honestly, I've seen pics of those 'new' connectors where people say "Oh look, I don't even have to push the loading mechanism down", and I honestly don't think it was meant to be like that. If it was supposed to be like that, there wouldn't have been a loading mechanism in the thing in the first place.

You should just call Nintendo and have them send you a new connector. They don't charge for them.

Chris

[The Manimal]

Bad news. I tried 80 grit (judging from the 80-160 comment from before) sandpaper and let's just say I snapped a pin the very first time I tried it. :/ I guess this NES won't be working at all for now LOL It wasn't even that bad... Afterward, I just fucked around with 180 grit (which I bought instead of 160) and that worked a lot better, though the gold discoloration wasn't going away. I did notice that the top pins were rusted (they are hard to see, but I was using a flashlight).


I don't understand how one would go about bending these without snapping one, either.... :hmm: there's just about no room to work with...I guess if you push the lower pins upward there is a little space, or push them down, but ehhhh, don't know what to say.

Whenever omnedon gets results on those gold connectors and also whatever else, I'll go from there. Honestly, I've seen pics of those 'new' connectors where people say "Oh look, I don't even have to push the loading mechanism down", and I honestly don't think it was meant to be like that. If it was supposed to be like that, there wouldn't have been a loading mechanism in the thing in the first place.

You should just call Nintendo and have them send you a new connector. They don't charge for them.

Chris

Would it be asking to much to say that I have TWO NES's that don't work? (Since I have the one I broke and my original unit which is just starting to get fishy after 15 years...)

I'll have to call them and try.

[Nesmaster]

you could just phone from someone else's house and have it shipped there. friend or relative or something :)

[Jibbajaba]

you could just phone from someone else's house and have it shipped there. friend or relative or something :)

Exactly what I was goin to say. I am planning on doing the same thing.

Chris