View Poll Results: Do you clean your contacts with water?

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  • No.

    6 15.79%
  • HELL No.

    32 84.21%
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Thread: NoMoreBlinking.com -- New NES Site with Info & Guides

  1. #1
    Banana (Level 7) § Gideon §'s Avatar
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    Default NoMoreBlinking.com -- New NES Site with Info & Guides

    ... and it might be no good. If you look under "Tips and Tricks," the author says to clean contacts with water... I... I... I just don't know what to say.

    'Haven't gone over the whole site yet, so there may be some redeeming information. Anyway, it attacks a widespread problem, so the site just might run rampant someday through the blogsphere. You heard it here first.

  2. #2
    Pac-Man (Level 10) FABombjoy's Avatar
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    There is such an overwhelming quantity of disinformation regarding NES cleaning and repair - NoMoreBlinking.com is simply par for the course.

    All this site seems to do is provide iffy information and sell you an overpriced, underperforming pin connector.

  3. #3
    Pretzel (Level 4) johno590's Avatar
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    zebrassss

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    I dunno about that site... 20 bucks for a new connector?

    Q:With this new connector, I've noticed a lot of resistance when inserting games. Is this normal?

    A:Yes it is. If you take a look at the connector, you can see the black plastic housing around the actual contact point. This is what is causing the significant resistance, not the actual contact point. The connector should break in over time, but will always be more stiff than the original. This is normal and will not harm your games.
    That is on their FAQ... maybe I'm reading this wrong, but isn't the black plastic always around the pins? Or is this a different 72-pin?

  4. #4
    Pac-Man (Level 10) omnedon's Avatar
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    Wow! Excellent marketing of a crappy product.
    ... for your gaming and iPod service needs http://www.oldschoolgamer.com/ For all your Video Game console and iPod upgrade/repair needs!

  5. #5
    Kirby (Level 13) Push Upstairs's Avatar
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    Personally, when my NES starts blinking or giving me trouble instead of cleaning my connector with water i just put the whole thing in the dishwasher.

    Possibility is infinity! You must be satisfied!

    You just can't handle my jawusumness responces. -The Sizz



  6. #6
    Banana (Level 7) § Gideon §'s Avatar
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    Haha. Well, you trash talkers might hush up if you knew that I got the link from TRM's Warp Zone. I was browsing the front page the other day and spotted it. Hopefully, TRM doesn't wash his games with water...

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    Kirby (Level 13) Push Upstairs's Avatar
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    Seems that place hasn't been updated in awhile.

    Perhaps a kindly reminder that electronics and water aren't the best of friends is in order?

    Possibility is infinity! You must be satisfied!

    You just can't handle my jawusumness responces. -The Sizz



  8. #8
    Apple (Level 5) Matt-El's Avatar
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    Gatchaman17

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    I looked on the Site and it said that to "Make My Nintendo Happy" that I shoud NOT keep games in the cartridge slot.
    Where as, in fact, Its probably the BEST thing to do for most systems. Yeah, its kind of a kooky site.

  9. #9
    Kirby (Level 13) Push Upstairs's Avatar
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    I keep all my systems covered when not in use and even though my NES is covered (with an offical NES cover) i still keep a game inside it.

    Possibility is infinity! You must be satisfied!

    You just can't handle my jawusumness responces. -The Sizz



  10. #10
    ServBot (Level 11) Slate's Avatar
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    Heh, Connectors at $20, Well that's a ripoff, and they aren't worth $5 either.

    The sandpaper fix works better, is faster, and is cheaper, too. Plus, you don't need to use a soldering iron with it!

  11. #11
    Pac-Man (Level 10) The Manimal's Avatar
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    I paid > $10 each for a batch of connectors from jdchess on these forums but these were official Nintendo connectors - ones that will actually work. I do understand not wanting to pay more than a few dollars for something like what is from MCM or what this guy is selling, given they give the grip of death to carts and don't consistently work from the start.

  12. #12
    Insert Coin (Level 0) Tron2005's Avatar
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    Everyone might be suprised but Circuit boards are washed in Water and a cleaning solvent during the Manufacturing process.

    as for keeping the cartridge in the console i never do this because as a cartridge sits inside a console the connector pins are compressed and after time will fatigue and become flat

    Sandpaper to me is the last resort due to the fact when you use sandpaper you are stripping the finish off of the connector pins and this will roughen up the pins which will wear the the cartridges faster and it will let it get dirtier to a point where it doesnt have good contact alot faster.

  13. #13
    Pac-Man (Level 10) FABombjoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tron2005
    Everyone might be suprised but Circuit boards are washed in Water and a cleaning solvent during the Manufacturing process.
    Deionized water though, not tap water.

    Quote Originally Posted by Tron2005
    Sandpaper to me is the last resort due to the fact when you use sandpaper you are stripping the finish off of the connector pins and this will roughen up the pins which will wear the the cartridges faster and it will let it get dirtier to a point where it doesnt have good contact alot faster.
    Since an OEM NES pin connector is ZIF, there really isn't any abrasion to speak of, except for the minor contact made when seating/unseating the cartridge from it's carrier. What the OEM design needed was abrasion - friction - which is what adds the self-cleaning aspect to most pin connectors.

    Unfortunately, the aftermarket pin connectors have pretty much proven that you can't add more friction to the original NES design.

  14. #14
    Banana (Level 7) § Gideon §'s Avatar
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    Default

    Still, he's right about sandpaper. Though, I'm more interested in what everyone's saying about leaving carts in the system... I don't see how it could be that harmful or helpful either way...

    Here's my line of thinking: There's no such thing as ZIF. Electrical connection => Contact => Friction. You can't work around that. Hence, keeping a cart in the deck at all times does more harm than good--for the same reason Tron said: It accustoms the pins (if anything).

  15. #15
    Pac-Man (Level 10) FABombjoy's Avatar
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    I think the entire "NES Pin connector repair" scene is filled with speculation and conjecture and very little to no scientific approach.

    If you're concerned about the tiny amount of friction caused when seating/unseating a NES cartridge, you my want to give up using any cartridge-based game system. In the big picture it's really pretty minuscule.

    A second approach to mitigating friction would be to coat every single cartridge edge in a thin layer of dielectric grease. I'll pass.

    I've had NES carts that were so gunked up, I had to use sandpaper to clean their contacts. I have to say that it takes a long time, even with sandpaper, to do any real damage to a cartridge.

    And there is such thing as Zero Insertion Force. A ZIF CPU socket is conceptually similar to the NES pin connector: First, seat the device with little to no effort; Second, use a locking mechanism to initiate connection between the device and the mainboard.

    If you want to find out if there is any merit to pin fatigue, there is plenty of metallurgical science out there to help. All that I have to go on is my observations of the 40-something NES units I've worked on over the years, of which every single one worked properly on its OEM connector once I was finished with it, no pin bending required.

  16. #16
    Banana (Level 7) § Gideon §'s Avatar
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    Default

    Points taken. I didn't realize who I was talking to.

  17. #17
    Great Puma (Level 12) Bratwurst's Avatar
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    Default

    While I must agree the OEM connector for the NES involves abrasion it is more of a rubbing, even surface along the traces of the card edge. With sandpaper you're (more often than not) working against the grain and potentially cutting into the metal with the individual grit. This exposes layers that were plated in gold for a reason, though I concede that the primary function was for conductivity.

    I've seen lots of Atari 2600 cartridges recently where the tracework had corroded into powder that wiped away completely with a q-tip. Give certain NES carts time and we'll see. There's all kinds of factors like storage conditions, quality of the cart's materials and so on, but I will reject a game if I see a hint of sanding, and have done so before. I'm just not going to take that chance.

    I've also never encountered an NES cart where I had to get more drastic than employing a toothbrush with nylon bristles.

  18. #18
    Banana (Level 7) SkiDragon's Avatar
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    I'm confused. Are we talking about sanding carts or the connector. Sanding carts sounds like a bad idea. Sanding the connector doesn't.
    Rarest games in collection: (R8) Chavez II for SNES / (R7) Star Gunner (Telesys) for Atari 2600
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  19. #19
    Pac-Man (Level 10) FABombjoy's Avatar
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    A little of both, I think. Mostly the pin connector. And yes, sanding carts is bad.

    I've only had to sand maybe 2 NES carts ever, and never any other system. I tried everything else leading up to sandpaper, including scotch brite green. It was a truly last-ditch effort. I used something in the neighborhood of 1000 grit, which I suppose is really more like "polishing paper" than sandpaper. The next step was the trash, so I figured it was worth a shot.

    Has anyone tried slotting the mounting holes on the pin connector so it could be pushed forward or back, shifting the connections to a lesser-used section of the cartridge edge?

  20. #20
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
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    BUMP!

    I recently came across this forum thread questioning the info on NoMoreBlinking.com. I would like to address a few points...

    The price. MCM Electronics sells the connectors for about $10, plus shipping.
    So lets see, $10 for the connector, $5 for the INCLUDED FedEx Ground shipping, and $5 for full color printed instructions and the ability to e-mail NoMoreBlinking.com if you needed help. So yes, when we were selling them, it was $20 for a new connector. Sure it wasn't the cheapest option, but I don't think anybody was being ripped off. Somebody here mentioned the “excellent marketing”. Exactly! I wasn't selling to the tech savvy retro gamer who just wanted their new connector wrapped in plastic in a box. The target market for the site was people who wanted to fix their NES but weren't the hardcore gamers that you all are. In a few cases, after assistance via e-mail failed, I ACTUALLY SPENT TIME ON ON THE PHONE WITH SOME OF MY CUSTOMERS TO HELP THEM GET THEIR NES WORKING. Somebody paid $20 and got to spend a half hour on the phone with me to get their NES working, along with the connector, shipping, and full color install guide. Just a reminder, connectors are no longer being sold on this site.

    No, you SHOULD NOT keep your carts in the system. It causes additional wear on the connector by keeping the contacts constantly depressed. It's just a really bad design, and the reason the top loading NES is so desirable.

    I don't like the idea of telling anybody to use sandpaper on their cartridges. While I can see how something like a 2000 grit might be effective, I can just picture too many people grabbing a random piece from their garage and sanding off the contacts. Again, my target market wasn't the hardcore gamers.

    I clean my collection with a small amount of water and make sure everything is dry when I'm done. All of the game cartridges in my collection (NES, Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, etc.) work fine. How am I getting bashed for using a small amount of water by anybody who is SANDING the contacts on their cartridges? If you feel more comfortable using alcohol instead of water, please do so. Also, if anybody can point me to a good reference that shows that water is worse than alcohol for cleaning contacts, I'll be happy to change the FAQ and give credit for the correction.

    Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and I just wanted to get mine out there ;-)


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