Why are aftermarket 72 pin connectors for the NES rubbish?

[Gameguy]

I really wish I had known that the originals could be refurbed before I sank 60-ish dollars into a beat-up NES with a new 72-pin. This was back in 2002, so maybe they were a little better then? It's works fine, but grabs the carts. And, as a result, its cheap-ass plastic housing cracks where it is screwed into the motherboard.

I just use a Gemini cleaning kit to clean the connectors on every system I get, so far I haven't disassembled any consoles just to clean or refurbish the connectors. With the connectors cleaned and the games cleaned, most games I have start up on the first time(not all of them but some games are worn). This goes for multiple NES consoles, they usually work fine. I'm a bit surprised so few people seem to use cleaning kits, people clean the games but don't bother cleaning the console. Besides jumping to boiling connectors or bending pins. I also clean SNES, Genesis, SMS, and Gameboy systems whenever I get them.

[sfchakan]

I've seen a remarkable number of really dirty N64s come my way. They literally can't read anything until I thoroughly clean the cartridge slot. It's insane.

Damn kids.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

I've seen a remarkable number of really dirty N64s come my way. They literally can't read anything until I thoroughly clean the cartridge slot. It's insane.

Damn kids.

That I have not seen. Altho my brother's N64 broke somehow back in the 90s, and he had to get a new one. But all of mine that I've had over the years have worked well. I think if u just take care of it and not let it get too dusty, and dont drop it off a 5 story buildng, theyre pretty reliable systems.

[Eternal Champion]

I just use a Gemini cleaning kit to clean the connectors on every system I get, so far I haven't disassembled any consoles just to clean or refurbish the connectors. With the connectors cleaned and the games cleaned, most games I have start up on the first time(not all of them but some games are worn). This goes for multiple NES consoles, they usually work fine. I'm a bit surprised so few people seem to use cleaning kits, people clean the games but don't bother cleaning the console. Besides jumping to boiling connectors or bending pins. I also clean SNES, Genesis, SMS, and Gameboy systems whenever I get them.

Yeah, I wish more people were into doing this back in those days - I remember a lot of talk of getting a new 72-pin, that I got sucked into. I have since bought a 3rd party multi-system cleaning kit that has been good. The kind with the paddles with a soft plastic cover on the end that you stick into the cart slot.

Bought two connectors from this guy and they work great. No death grip either.

Who?

[Flam]

I just use a Gemini cleaning kit to clean the connectors on every system I get.

Can you post a link to one. When I did a google search all that popped up was Gemini deck cleaning solution. Has anyone here tried a Naki Eliminator?

[Tanooki]

Flam -- Getting the toaster to look good depends on the TV unfortunately, it's not universal. I've had 3 flat screens since I started getting them I've put one on. My original Panasonic Viera LCD had insanely low input lag, but also allowed disabling of all processing and because of that the image was full screen and crisp like a computer emulator. My LED I got last March I did research on using the displaylag website then checking other info, it can be handled just like the Viera and most games/systems don't even need game mode, but that one will help with overly sensitive stuff (Punchout, music games) and it too is super crisp. Yet when I put it on the large screen Samsung, it's RF cord super soft almost blurry, and the response on it is bad enough you can suicide just trying to jump on a goomba or over a 2" pit in SMB3 so it's useless.

Gameguy -- Makes sense, most people do not want them so the recycling makes sense as all those thrifts can get cash for recycling the materials instead of having a wall of useless TVs almost no one wants they'd end up sitting on for months, likely years.

Arkanoid -- I think it would probably be profitable, but it takes a lot of dough to setup a line and do all that out to retail, and they'd also like the R5 have to re-tool the sucker for HDMI. The worst of it would be remanufacturing those cartridges with three decade old tech in them as they wouldn't just make the system and not want to make the money on the games too and it's far easier for them to just do the VC.

Jorpho -- You'd be surprised, they're made in mass. But that's the deal, it's not such a tiny amount of people who want them. There's thousands who want them or more, but the thing is they build them out of really brittle shitty metals and break down, bend, snap off, or rot so easily they created a resale market where you just end up buying more every year or two because they know people who game (stores and private people) will go through them like light bulbs which is awful. They could very easily make a solid connector like Nintendo did, but they'd put themselves under as you'd just need to buy it only once.

GenesisGuy -- The older pre-Retron5's do have the wrong palette, ever so barely, the retrobit stuff, and the yobos(the worst) do, and the audio will be off key, sometimes not play notes at all, and sometimes it's fine. The R5 being an emulator though does perform correctly as you can get out of a set top emulator using a real controller. And as far as craigslist goes you're right, you can, but it also depends on your area if you can find them regularly or not. I had looked before here and there have been times with a few for free or cheap, sometimes none, so it probably depends on your area for CRTs.

[Gentlegamer]

I have replacement connector, and it works great, except for putting a death grip on the games.

I still have the original connector, I've been thinking of trying the boiling trick. I think I need distilled water.

[Tanooki]

Distilled is preferred since you don't get and hard water issues on the metal. Those overly hard zero force pins are trouble, I wouldn't bother, unlike the stories of the R5 pins being damaging for being tight, I know of cases where those really have scraped the gold outer layer up.

[Gameguy]

Can you post a link to one. When I did a google search all that popped up was Gemini deck cleaning solution. Has anyone here tried a Naki Eliminator?

Here's the same one I have.
http://www.amazon.com/Video-Cleaning...dp/B00B3CW57U/

There's two versions, one with just the NES kit and the one above which also includes cards to clean the SNES and Gameboy. I use the SNES card to also clean Genesis and SMS consoles and the Gameboy one to clean all types of Gameboy systems.

Here's a picture of the basic kit.
http://www.geocities.ws/djslacker1/i...eaning_kit.jpg

I'm a bit surprised with how rare this cleaning kit appears to be now, just searching on ebay there's no kits listed for sale and none are completed. I found a bunch at a flea market around a decade ago(or longer), all new-old-stock. I bought the ones that were complete with accessories in good shape as several were just the deck cleaner in the box. So far I've only used one and the rest are still new. I'm glad I have them.

[wizardofwor1975]

Also have 3 CRT TV's. Never plan on playing on a flat screen.

From my own personal experience light guns and flat screen/LCD are a no go. I also plan on keeping my 3 old CRTs just for my old school light gun games. I need my fix of Duck Hunt, Lethal Enforcers, and Time Crisis from time to time.

[Jorpho]

But that's the deal, it's not such a tiny amount of people who want them. There's thousands who want them or more, but the thing is they build them out of really brittle shitty metals and break down, bend, snap off, or rot so easily they created a resale market where you just end up buying more every year or two because they know people who game (stores and private people) will go through them like light bulbs which is awful. They could very easily make a solid connector like Nintendo did, but they'd put themselves under as you'd just need to buy it only once.

Have you really read that many stories of someone replacing the connector in their NES multiple times?

[Tanooki]

Ive seen plenty of replacement stories between here, NA, racketboy, gamefaqs, and going back various messageboards I admined or moderated going into the later 90s on top of local complaints at retai retro places both in this state and Cali too. Its why Ive been of the opinion that theyre made of brittle cheap metals that just fail which is why I have never bought a replacement connector and have always repaired the real deal as it just turns out better.

[Jorpho]

I don't question that there are lots of people who have tried to replace their connectors; it just seems odd to me that the market would be supported by people who find the experience worth repeating when the replacement connector starts failing.

[Gameguy]

I don't question that there are lots of people who have tried to replace their connectors; it just seems odd to me that the market would be supported by people who find the experience worth repeating when the replacement connector starts failing.

If you've already replaced your connector and threw out the original one, what are you going to do when the new connector breaks? You have to buy a new one to replace it, and you just keep doing it to keep your console running. Then you get bored and fed up and trade it into a store a few months later, and whoever buys it has to buy a new connector to try and fix it, then repeat.

[mailman187666]

I tried the boiling trick as well as disabling the lock-out chip this weekend. I tried boiling 3 different connectors (nintendo brand) and got pretty much the same result on all of them. Although I'm not getting the blinking light, I still have to wiggle the cartridge around a bit inside the machine, while hitting the reset button to get it to start. Its definitely a lot easier to get a game started, but it doesn't start up first try for every game. I'd say it has made my toaster a bit more reliable than before.

[Tanooki]

Jorpho I didn't think you were snarking in that post, you're fine. Gameguy there spelled it out. My experience has been exactly that around a lot of old game players between a couple of states and then throw years of complaining online about it the stories all line up. They're utterly cheap crap that rots and brittles out pretty easy. They usually all are way too stiff and to the point you rough a game into the slot and it works standing up not locked in as intended and then the scrape the pins far worse than people complaining worried about the retron5 doing it, and they eventually on the replacement pins bend, snap off, or get dirty super fast that cleaning regularly is a chore. People get fed up and ditch the system or try and find an original pin or new(used) or new NEW unit at the added cost to avoid the bs. Earlier this year I sold an OEM pin I came across in a busted NES and the zero force unit too, that PIN sold super fast and the dude was in love with the fact it wasn't cheap shit parts. They're clearly made to last months, not years, because they can reel in a sucker fish and keep dropping the hook every few months so they can keep constant cash coming in peddling garbage that gets by until it fails.

[Gameguy]

I remember seeing one person bringing in their NES console to a game store for repair because a game was stuck in the console and couldn't be removed, they had a new pin connector and it had a death grip on the game. This was several years ago, that game store is now out of business.

[Jorpho]

If you've already replaced your connector and threw out the original one, what are you going to do when the new connector breaks?

I'd probably give up and/or trade it in for a new NES right away rather than waste time by trying again. Blinking consoles were a fact of life back in the day, after all. But maybe that's just me.

[Gatucaman]

I remember seeing one person bringing in their NES console to a game store for repair because a game was stuck in the console and couldn't be removed, they had a new pin connector and it had a death grip on the game. This was several years ago, that game store is now out of business.

Question : What is the death grip?

Issue: What about Jayrod2 which for years had been making refurbished paint-jobs on consoles and often he says that he repairs 72-pin connectors, does that mean that he just made pretty painted bricks?

[bb_hood]

Question : What is the death grip?

Issue: What about Jayrod2 which for years had been making refurbished paint-jobs on consoles and often he says that he repairs 72-pin connectors, does that mean that he just made pretty painted bricks?

The death grip refers to how tight the pins are around the game chip. They can be so tight that removing games can pull the pins on the connector out of alignment. Ive had this happen twice. Also you gotta figure about the wear its causing the games, which may not be apparent right away but could ruin games over time.

Regarding the pretty painted bricks, if you can change the pin connector once you can do it multiple times. If opening the NES to change pins ruins the paint job, well not much you can do about that.