SNES Crashing When Touched

[jjmiller1980]

I'm getting back into retro games right now, and just picked up a SNES and a Sega Genesis. No problems with the Genesis yet, however I've not been so lucky with the SNES. The first one I got started crashing on me. With a bit of testing, I found out that, when a game is running, if you even slightly tap the game cartridge and cause it to move, it crashes the system. It could be something as simple as accidentally tugging on the controller cable, which causes the system to shift slightly and therefore the game cart, and it crashes. I took the system back, got a refund, and ordered a new one online. I get this system, and it has the exact same problem.

Is this a common problem that I just need to learn to deal with, or is there a solution that someone knows about? I've tested multiple games and they all have the same problem., so I have to assume it's the system. I've looked online and can't find anything about this.

[E Nice]

Have you checked the power cord? My Genesis had a power cord that got worn out from to much bending and stuff, so if the cable moved at all it would reset the system.

[ApolloBoy]

Have you tried cleaning your games?

[jjmiller1980]

Yeah I went through and cleaned all my games when it started happening, and it didn't make a difference. It's also happening on multiple games (though not all, which is strange). I might take the game up to my local game store and try it there just to make sure though. The power cord is a good thought, but it's happened on two separate systems, each with a different power cable. Also, it's not the movement of the system that's doing it, it's when the game cart moves. Moving the system just causes the game cart to move.

[Gameguy]

Buy a cleaning kit and clean the connectors in the consoles. It's not just the games that need to be cleaned, though they probably need to be cleaned more too.

[Tanooki]

SNES could be well used, pins in the slot could have spread slightly with age so it is a loose connection which even a slight wiggle could cause a crash.