Cartridge Issue (Game Won't Play)

[IntellivisionDude]

So i bought a lot off Ebay. An Nes system with a bunch of games. One of the games in Gun Nac which is pretty rare. But i can't get it to work.

The contacts were pretty bad and cleaned them the best i could. But there is still a few black spots here and there. Not sure if it is a contact issue or not. The pictures below make the pins look better and worse. Flash just bounces off them. I also included a picture of the screen. Just wondering what might be wrong with it and if it can be fixed. I'll be contacting the seller soon but thought i'd post here first. Just weighing all my options since it such a pain to return.

I tested the game in both the Nes it came with and also mine that has the Blinking Light Win installed. And same pixelation on both.

Any help would be appreciated.

[icemanxp300]

That board looks beat. That mapper "mmc3 chip" looks like it is pretty beat on top as well. I would say it is not getting a good connection. I think the best thing to do is just swap those chips onto a nice clean board. Many games use that board.

 

That looks like a tlrom-03. It would be an identical board to what they used for gun-nac originally.

[IntellivisionDude]

That board looks beat. That mapper "mmc3 chip" looks like it is pretty beat on top as well. I would say it is not getting a good connection. I think the best thing to do is just swap those chips onto a nice clean board. Many games use that board.

 

That looks like a tlrom-03. It would be an identical board to what they used for gun-nac originally.

 

Do you think the game is fixable? If the seller ends up giving me a partial refund instead of returning it i'd probably check into having it fixed and paying someone. I just messaged the seller and waiting for a reply. Not sure how he will want to handle it.

[MaximRecoil]

Start by making sure the contacts are truly clean. Go to your local grocery store and buy a can of Bar Keepers Friend powder (about $2). Sprinkle a bit of it in the bottom of a bowl, add a little bit of water, mix it well to make a thin solution, dip a toothbrush in there, and scrub those contacts. It will only take maybe 30 seconds of scrubbing to get them 100% clean; BKF contains oxalic acid and it works fast.

 

Carefully rinse off the BKF residue with water, dry the contacts with a paper towel, and for good measure, go over them with a paper towel dipped in isopropyl alcohol to make sure all of the residue is removed.

 

I've used this method on every new cartridge I've bought for the last 10 years, even ones that don't look dirty. I like to make sure they are 100% clean before putting them into my consoles.

Edited September 13, 2015 by MaximRecoil

[IntellivisionDude]

Start by making sure the contacts are truly clean. Go to your local grocery store and buy a can of Bar Keepers Friend powder (about $2). Sprinkle a bit of it in the bottom of a bowl, add a little bit of water, mix it well to make a thin solution, dip a toothbrush in there, and scrub those contacts. It will only take maybe 30 seconds of scrubbing to get them 100% clean; BKF contains oxalic acid and it works fast.

 

Carefully rinse off the BKF residue with water, dry the contacts with a paper towel, and for good measure, go over them with a paper towel dipped in isopropyl alcohol to make sure all of the residue is removed.

 

I've used this method on every new cartridge I've bought for the last 10 years, even ones that don't look dirty. I like to make sure they are 100% clean before putting them into my consoles.

 

I will definitely be looking into that powder. Could come in handy. Thanks

[Oldschool80skid]

Start by making sure the contacts are truly clean. Go to your local grocery store and buy a can of Bar Keepers Friend powder (about $2). Sprinkle a bit of it in the bottom of a bowl, add a little bit of water, mix it well to make a thin solution, dip a toothbrush in there, and scrub those contacts. It will only take maybe 30 seconds of scrubbing to get them 100% clean; BKF contains oxalic acid and it works fast.

 

Carefully rinse off the BKF residue with water, dry the contacts with a paper towel, and for good measure, go over them with a paper towel dipped in isopropyl alcohol to make sure all of the residue is removed.

 

I've used this method on every new cartridge I've bought for the last 10 years, even ones that don't look dirty. I like to make sure they are 100% clean before putting them into my consoles.

Thanks for recommending BKF. I have been cleaning my carts with isopropyl alcohol and an eraser with very good results. However there were times when the contacts had corrosion. Most recently a cart for the nes. I just used BKF and the contacts now look damn near brand new. The cart fires up 1st time now.I will now be using this going forward.

[MaximRecoil]

Thanks for recommending BKF. I have been cleaning my carts with isopropyl alcohol and an eraser with very good results. However there were times when the contacts had corrosion. Most recently a cart for the nes. I just used BKF and the contacts now look damn near brand new. The cart fires up 1st time now.I will now be using this going forward.

 

Yeah, isopropyl alcohol is a solvent, so while it will clean dusty/dirty contacts, it has little to no effect on oxidation. For that, you need an acid or abrasive. Harsh abrasives are never a good idea; they are too destructive, and mild abrasives take a lot of elbow grease. Certain acids, especially the oxalic acid found in BKF, work very quickly with little effort, and are non-destructive.

 

BKF works brilliantly on the 72-pin connectors too. I don't believe there is ever a reason to replace an original 72-pin connector, unless it has been damaged by misguided attempts to "fix" it (such as bending the pins outward to make them grip the cartridge tightly, which they aren't designed to do, and/or using a harsh abrasive on them such as sandpaper).

 

My main NES was given to me years ago because it was a "blinking NES", and it was so bad that it would always blink, or load the game but with corrupted graphics. I couldn't get it to load a game properly even once. I put an aftermarket replacement 72-pin connector in it for a while, which I never really cared for. It had the typical aftermarket "death grip" on the cartridges, and it still didn't load the game properly every time, but rather, only most of the time. Fortunately, I had saved the original connector, and after discovering Bar Keepers Friend (which I originally bought to clean my stainless steel cookware, and it works great for that too), I decided to give it a try on the original 72-pin connector. Here's a demonstration video I made a couple of years ago showing that it works the first time, every time, and as can be seen from the ease with which I insert and remove the cartridges, it clearly has its original Nintendo-manufactured quasi-ZIF ("zero insertion force") 72-pin connector:

 

Edited September 19, 2015 by MaximRecoil

[Oldschool80skid]

 

Yeah, isopropyl alcohol is a solvent, so while it will clean dusty/dirty contacts, it has little to no effect on oxidation. For that, you need an acid or abrasive. Harsh abrasives are never a good idea; they are too destructive, and mild abrasives take a lot of elbow grease. Certain acids, especially the oxalic acid found in BKF, work very quickly with little effort, and are non-destructive.

 

BKF works brilliantly on the 72-pin connectors too. I don't believe there is ever a reason to replace an original 72-pin connector, unless it has been damaged by misguided attempts to "fix" it (such as bending the pins outward to make them grip the cartridge tightly, which they aren't designed to do, and/or using a harsh abrasive on them such as sandpaper).

 

My main NES was given to me years ago because it was a "blinking NES", and it was so bad that it would always blink, or load the game but with corrupted graphics. I couldn't get it to load a game properly even once. I put an aftermarket replacement 72-pin connector in it for a while, which I never really cared for. It had the typical aftermarket "death grip" on the cartridges, and it still didn't load the game properly every time, but rather, only most of the time. Fortunately, I had saved the original connector, and after discovering Bar Keepers Friend (which I originally bought to clean my stainless steel cookware, and it works great for that too), I decided to give it a try on the original 72-pin connector. Here's a demonstration video I made a couple of years ago showing that it works the first time, every time, and as can be seen from the ease with which I insert and remove the cartridges, it clearly has its original Nintendo-manufactured quasi-ZIF ("zero insertion force") 72-pin connector:

 

https://youtu.be/iZ6DFKHkY_A

Very effective. I unfortunately killed my oem pin connector while tring to bend the pins. I bent one pin too far and now it will not work, so I'm using an after market connector which is working well. However it does have a tighter grip, but I no longer have to push down the cart to load. I still have my original which I will go back eventually to see if I can get it working again. I just cleaned the bottom of all my glassware which had soap film on the bottom. This stuff is great for all kinds of household items.

[MaximRecoil]

Very effective. I unfortunately killed my oem pin connector while tring to bend the pins. I bent one pin too far and now it will not work, so I'm using an after market connector which is working well. However it does have a tighter grip, but I no longer have to push down the cart to load. I still have my original which I will go back eventually to see if I can get it working again. I just cleaned the bottom of all my glassware which had soap film on the bottom. This stuff is great for all kinds of household items.

 

Yes, in some cases those aftermarket connectors are so tight that they will only work when the cartridge tray is in the "up" position. I have one like that in a spare NES for which, unfortunately, I don't have an original connector to put back in. However, it still isn't 100%. It loads a game on the first try maybe 70% or 80% of the time.

 

BKF is indeed handy to have around, and it is dirt cheap (about $2 for the last 12 oz. can I bought) and readily available.

Edited September 19, 2015 by MaximRecoil

[pimpmaul69]

That board looks beat. That mapper "mmc3 chip" looks like it is pretty beat on top as well. I would say it is not getting a good connection. I think the best thing to do is just swap those chips onto a nice clean board. Many games use that board.

 

That looks like a tlrom-03. It would be an identical board to what they used for gun-nac originally.

do you know of a cheap game with this board. I reflowed all the solder connections and tried deoxit. The pins are far better than the picture looks. There just isnt any gold left on them.

[Oldschool80skid]

I just recently used BKF on 6 atari 2600 carts and 3 atari 5200 carts which previously would not boot at all after I had thoroughly cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol and many cotton swabs. I mean they were DEAD eventhough I cleaned them until there was not any black residue remaining. Well after using BKF and removing even more black residue, 7 of the 9 now work perfectly. BKF is fantastic!! The contacts shine like they are brand new.

Edited March 15, 2016 by Oldschool80skid

[Oldschool80skid]

Delete

Edited March 15, 2016 by Oldschool80skid