Need Help with a NES Repair

[erehwon]

I'm trying to fix a NES I found at a garage sale. One thing I should mention is that it was covered in drywall dust when I got it. That cleaned off pretty well. I'm just not sure what it did to the insides.

I've already taken it apart completely. I've used the sandpaper on the contacts and a few of the other things mentioned in the knowledge base. I made sure to blow out (with some canned air) the connector and used some cardboard and paper to get the rest out. My dad gave me the sand paper which is like 320 grit. I wonder if I'm getting enough stuff off of the contacts.

Is there anything else that can go wrong with the system that could be causing the blinking red light?

[SkiDragon]

Im only aware of that happening with bad contacts. Perhaps the connector is making a bad contact with the PCB, or something else.

[InsaneDavid]

I came across a bad NES AC adaptor that would cause the power light to blink, and gave me a black screen. You could hear the system trying to "turn over" but it just wasn't getting the proper power. Once I tried an alternate AC adaptor the system worked fine. Although it's probably a 10,000 to 1 shot, try an alternate AC adaptor - someone nearby MUST have an NES. LOL

[erehwon]

I might try that. I'm just wondering if the NES and the SNES have the same ac adaptor? If so, I'll try that.

I guess I should clean the part of the contact that touches the pcb. I haven't tried that yet.

[Avatard]

No, they do not use the same adaptor. And if you touched the contact with sandpaper then it was enough reguardless.

[erehwon]

Well I cleaned both parts of the connector and put some cleaner stuff on the pcb's contact. I think that helped a little bit. I got a game to load up and play once. It's still a little finicky. I think it has something to do with the toaster loading mechanism. I put the screws back into that to do some more testing, and it doesn't work now.

I have a question. Can you use the NES without the toaster mechanism in place? Is there some purpose to the act of pushing it down?

[InsaneDavid]

Well I cleaned both parts of the connector and put some cleaner stuff on the pcb's contact. I think that helped a little bit. I got a game to load up and play once. It's still a little finicky. I think it has something to do with the toaster loading mechanism. I put the screws back into that to do some more testing, and it doesn't work now.

I have a question. Can you use the NES without the toaster mechanism in place? Is there some purpose to the act of pushing it down?

The "toaster" mech, the whole Zero Insertion Force setup, when pressed down it allows the connectors in the cartridge to make contact with the ZIF connector. This was a design element to make it so carts could effortlessly be inserted and removed without having to muscle them in/out of a cartridge slot.

You may want to try looking for a "sweet spot" with your games. For insance on many NES decks I've found that I get the best results by inserting a game, then pulling it back so it JUST clears being pushed down.

[Avatard]

I've tried clipping springs and doing other things to try to find a happy sweet spot, but I never could get it just right. Make sure you clean all 4 contact sections. On the PCB, both sides of the pin connector, and the contacts in the carts. Make sure you have the connector on the right way, and not upside down.

What I did with one NES to find the sweet spot was to remove the cover and the metal protector, then I'd let the cart just sorta hand there, then I'd find a weight to put on the cart and figure out the right spot to place it to get the perfect position. Kinda crazy, but when you've gotta have your fix.....