is there a "best" way to clean carts?

[The Hat]

I have heard many different tips on cleaning carts. The classic q-tip and alcohol (which some say ruins the carts), using pencil erasers, q-tip and 409, q-tip and water, and etc. So what IS the best way? Does anybody really know if the q-tip and alcohol really ruins the carts? I always did that as a kid and never remember any problems. Once the contacts have been cleaned and the cart still doesn't work is there anything else to try? Would opening the cart and cleaning inside help? I really don't want to rip up the labels if I don't have to. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[DanBoris]

There is nothing wrong with cleaning carts with alcohol and q-tips. I have worked in the electronic manufacturing and repair industries and we often clean electronics in this way.

 

The approach I always recommend to cleaning cart is start easy and use progressivly more aggressive techniques until the cart start working. This is generally what I do, testing after each step.

 

1. Alchohol and q-tip

2. Repeat alchohol and q-tip

3. Folded paper towel soaked with alchohol.

 

If these three steps don't work, then you may want to open the cart and try:

 

4. Folded paper towel socked with alchohol. This is more effective with the cart taken apart since you can apply more force.

5. Pencil eraser, then clean again with paper towel and alchohol.

 

If none of these steps work then odds are that the contacts are not the problem and it's something else. Sometime you will find cracked traces between the contacts and the ROM chip. I also saw an Activision cartridge once that had a disc capacitor on the board that had broken loose, repairing that got it to work. Finally you could have a bad ROM chip which there is not much you can do about.

 

Dan