Cleaning a Sega Genesis?

[eric nintendo]

Okay, after years of accumulating dust, it's finally gotten to me.

I want to clean my Genesis. In particular, my Model 2 that I primarily use for play (and my 32x).

I'm sure we are all aware of how notoriously dusty these things get. Basically, I want to clean this thing to the point where it is dust free and looks as brand new as possible.

I've searched on the web and through other forums, but haven't come up with any information on the subject.

Does anyone here have any tips? Some parts of this thing seem impossible to clean, even with a Q-Tip. So does everyone just allow their Gennys to languish in filth like I have for so long, or is there anyone with the knowledge that would like to offer up info on how to systematically clean it up?

[Zadoc]

My only tip is to get your Q-tip or cotton ball as soaking wet as possible. After enough time and passes, even thought narrow little cracks will come clean.

[Lemmi_Is_God]

can you take it apart?

i dont have my gen model 2 handy or my 32X to look but my Gen 1 model has regular philips screws, and ive taken that apart once to clean the top with warm water and a soft towel

i cleaned the top and it looks like new

i have the tool to take apart all kinds of systems but i havent cleaned my model 2 as of yet

[Zadoc]

Ya... one time when I sold a model 2 on eBay I just put the tot through the dishwasher. Looked like new!

[Lemmi_Is_God]

Ya... one time when I sold a model 2 on eBay I just put the tot through the dishwasher. Looked like new!

oh snap really?
did you use Armor All on it afterwards so it looked all shiny? :P

[Damaramu]

Back in the day when I worked at a mom 'n pop style gaming store (Gamefellas in Austin, Texas) we simply used tooth brushes and Windex. Worked great.

[Vectorman0]

Moved to the Tech and Restoration forum

[Cinder6]

I actually did this myself a couple months ago, though on a model one. Here's what I did, and it works great.

If you want to be thorough, take it apart. Scrub the connector with a toothbrush lightly coated in isopropyl alcohol (70% is fine). After that, take something very thin and wrap a thin cloth around it that is damp with alcohol (I used a credit card and kleenex). Insert that into the connector (where the game board goes) and rub it around till it comes out clean.

If your circuit boards are dusty, use canned air (or office spray, or whatever it's called). That will clean those up well.

For the outside chassis, use more canned air to get rid of the big stuff. Use water to wipe the dust off the easy parts (in my experience, alcohol leaves streaks). For the grooves, use either a Q-tip or, if that doesn't fit, a broad-tipped needle to break apart and loosen up the dust and dirt. Then you can blow it away. If not, rub a moist Q-tip over them, then a dry one, and repeat this until it comes out clean (this can take a while).

After that's all done, reassemble the system. Make sure that the connector is completely dry before playing it or turning it on.

Hopefully that helps some :)

[gdement]

My model-1 was unstable. The game would easily freeze if I merely touched anything on the board. Sound cut out easily in Genesis mode, while SMS had logical glitches. I assumed it had a problem somewhere in the Z80 area, but couldn't find any particular IC that was more sensitive than any other.

I ended up just washing the board with soap and water. I also scrubbed all the pins I could find with a toothbrush, and probably rinsed with alcohol if I remember correctly. It sat and dried for a few days, and ever since it works correctly.

Nothing bad will happen if you just submerge the thing. As long as it's dry when you plug it in, it'll be fine.