Help me out with my 72 pin refurbishment! (pics!)

[echo_machine]

Okay -- I finally decided to take apart the ol' toaster and give it a shot. I was expecting like... a layer of gunk, and rusty, oxidized hell to come crumbling off as I detached it from the motherboard. Yet, it was pretty clean looking. Is it supposed to be all new and shiny? I cleaned it regardless, scrubbing all the contacts throughly with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a alchohol/water solution.

Now here's the problem. I've read like 4 threads detailing how to "bend" the pins back into place from years of depressing, etc, but they look... pretty straight. At least, I can't tell what the heck a serviceable pin is supposed to look like. Here's what I mean:

http://img272.imageshack.us/img272/3219/pin1fj.jpg

I mean... what the heck is wrong with it? My NES is showing all the symptoms of a corroded/bent what-have-you 72 pin, and at this point, I'm afraid I'm going to put it all together only to be disappointed again.

Opinions/suggestions/commentary welcome.

[GrandAmChandler]

Moved to the tech forum..

(slide, slide, slippity slide.....)

[The Manimal]

the connection that matters is the top one. use a flashlight and look inside the top part and see if they are goldish colored/corroded.

[Psyleid]

I just recently bent my pins back into place (works amazing)... All I did was bend the pins with a needle by putting the needle underneath the pin and pushing down on the end of the pin thus raising the pin upwards.

It's not hard to get a feel for how the pin *should* look after you do a few.

I put alot of pressure on mine to see how easy they were to break (I have a few spare NESs) and suprisingly none broke.

[Psyleid]

Most of the problem isn't dust or corrosion (every NES I've taken apart looks practically brand new), that's just a misconception. It's lack of pressure from the pins being so depressed.

[rbudrick]

Yep, the top row is what matters most. In fact, carts might be too tight if you do both rows. Anyway, I tool a precision (jeweler's type) flathead screwdriver..you know, the really small kind...I'd say the tip was less than 1/8" wide. I just put it above each pin and twisted it slightly. Sometimes only one side of the pin will come down a but, I'sd just put the screwdriver in the opther side of the pin an did that side. Do this for all 36 top pins. Just bend the curved part of each pin so it sticks down a little more, You'll get a good feel for it quickly, and you'll be able to make them all pretty much even n how far you bend them.

-Rob

[FABombjoy]

Most of the problem isn't dust or corrosion (every NES I've taken apart looks practically brand new), that's just a misconception. It's lack of pressure from the pins being so depressed.

Have you measured the deflection difference between unused OEM pins and old, used, non-functioning pins?