NES repair woes

[atarilovesyou]

So, once upon a time, many years ago, I decided to clean out my NES, much like I did with my other classic systems. What I remember from those many years ago was that if you weren't careful reassembling the NES, the 'toaster' push-down function would not work properly. Back then, I figured out it had to do with the tension of the screws on the unit...which struck me as odd. I would have to loosen off the screw on the bottom of the system that was essentially below the cart input, because if I tightened it all the way down, the lever mechanism wouldn't work, it would just stay up. That lead me to figure out how the flimsy little latch mechanism worked, which I thought might need some lube. That didn't matter, the only thing thing that seemed to matter was the screw tension.

 

So this time, many years later, I made sure to take note of how tight the screws were during disassembly...thinking that I wouldn't mess things up this time (not that's it's much of an issue, just back of the screws). It seemed that all the screws were tight, with the last set of screws which hold down the 'platter' portion having a slight amount of give to them.

 

I replaced the 72 pin connector with one of the Taiwan made replacements you find on ebay. I've read lately that these connectors aren't as good as the originals, but I was surprised to find they looked almost identical to the one already on it. I made sure to clean the board itself, as some corrosion was on it. The pins on the original one really had no noticeable corrosion at all, but you know how that goes...probably can't see it, but it's there after 20 odd years of use.

 

So I put the thing back together, and immediately notice that the new connector is a lot stiffer on the games...I hope this goes away over time but it's annoying. Also, the same thing happened: the latch wouldn't work properly. This time however, I could tell the plastic was 'bending' on the platter, which leads me to believe that the replacement connector doesn't have the exact measurements of the old one, thereby elevating the whole plastic assembly above the circuit board, and making the fit just off enough to cause the problem. I REALLY had to back off the screws to get it to work.

 

I tried a bunch of games, and for the most part, they all fired up on the first go. It's true that some games don't even require you to push down on the game, they work in the upper position just fine. I guess the metal on these new connectors is a lot stiffer than the original. But my 'problem child' games still had some issues. And yes, I cleaned them all recently so it's not the games...or maybe it is, they could be just shot. With a lot of tinkering I got it working.

 

Has anybody noticed this problem when reassembing their NES? It's annoying to think that you can't simply tighten the screws or else the platter won't work right. What I'm going to do tomorrow is try to clean and replace the OLD pin connector: who knows? Maybe it was the corrosion on the motherboard that was the culprit, and I don't even need a replacement pin. We'll see.

 

Thoughts?

[atarilovesyou]

Sorry for the double post, but the frustration is staggering! I've got TWO NES toasters in front of me, and I can see one with the plastic platter attached to the motherboard, and there it is: all the plastic is aligned and well. The screws are TIGHT and it's as it should. Yet the one I replaced the pin connector on, and have since put back the ORIGINAL pin, can NOT have the platter screwed on tightly, or else the plastic warps and the clip mechanism won't work! It won't even RAISE!

 

Do you guys think it might be that over the years, the plastic, after removing the screws, somehow won't go back to it's orginal shape? I mean, it makes NO sense any other way...the parts simply won't screw back together tightly and allow for the platter to do it's job. I've tighten a few screws here, there, trying to see if it's a combination, or an order to doing it...FRUSTRATING! Surely someone knows what I'm talking about, as this is the second time it's happened. There's nothing in the way of the parts, and I dare not remove the platter from my other 'control' NES because I fear the same thing will happen and I'll then have TWO frustrating situations...please help!...thanks!

[atarilovesyou]

 

Well...after much frustration it turns out there's a 'clip' trick to get the platter to sit properly...as demonstrated in the above video. Frustration is over! Perhaps it'll help someone else out there , and they won't waste the hours that I did, lol.

[82atari5200]

 

Well...after much frustration it turns out there's a 'clip' trick to get the platter to sit properly...as demonstrated in the above video. Frustration is over! Perhaps it'll help someone else out there , and they won't waste the hours that I did, lol.

The only thing I've ever exprienced is the new cart connector being too tight. Never had any other problems putting it back together.