NES Squiggly Lines

[Eltigro]

Recently got a NES-001 again, but it has squiggly lines on the screen. Googled it, but there doesn't really seem to be a definitive answer. Some people say it's interference, some suggest a cap replacement, some say it's a power supply issue, but no one seems to know for sure. There have been a couple of posts about it here on AA, but again, no real solution. The lines appear through both rf and AV connections. They are worse on AV. That may be because the contrast seems higher on AV, so they may be more visible because of that. If it helps any with diagnosis, the sound is quieter on AV than on rf also. I have included a picture of the lines and a picture of the same area on the same game from my top loader for means of comparison (same tv, same power supply, same rf cable, same cartridge... only difference is the console itself).

 

Lines on front loader...

 

 

Comparison with top loader... (normal jailbar lines from top loader present of course)

 

[icemanxp300]

Looks like a power supply issue to me. Are you using an aftermarket supply?

[Eltigro]

Nope. Same Nintendo brand NES-002 model power supply used on both consoles.

 

Edit: And speaking of power supplies, I saw someone on another site have a similar issue and said that they "fixed" it by changing to DC power supply instead of the AC one that the NES usually has. I know the Master System's power supply outputs DC, so after some googling to see if someone else had tried it, I tried it, but the lines were still present.

Edited February 18, 2018 by Eltigro

[icemanxp300]

Well from my experience those lines are always power related. So maybe there is a cap inside that may be going bad. I generally only run into these problems using after market supplies.

[Jeremy Popp]

Recently got a NES-001 again, but it has squiggly lines on the screen. Googled it, but there doesn't really seem to be a definitive answer. Some people say it's interference, some suggest a cap replacement, some say it's a power supply issue, but no one seems to know for sure. There have been a couple of posts about it here on AA, but again, no real solution. The lines appear through both rf and AV connections. They are worse on AV. That may be because the contrast seems higher on AV, so they may be more visible because of that. If it helps any with diagnosis, the sound is quieter on AV than on rf also. I have included a picture of the lines and a picture of the same area on the same game from my top loader for means of comparison (same tv, same power supply, same rf cable, same cartridge... only difference is the console itself).

 

 

I actually just repaired a console that has this exact issue, and it turns out it was 2 capacitors on the Power & Modulator PCB (the little metal box). It required de-soldering the box, and replacing those 2 caps. I probably should have replaced all the caps, but the 2 100uf ones were bulging and had residue under them.

[Eltigro]

Heh... I've been wanting to learn how to solder... how difficult of a job is this? Could a beginner handle it or should it be left to someone a little more deft with the soldering iron?

[Osgeld]

caps are usually easy, the metal RF can can be a bit of a challenge since its a big metal box

[SignGuy81]

Heh... I've been wanting to learn how to solder... how difficult of a job is this? Could a beginner handle it or should it be left to someone a little more deft with the soldering iron?

 

If you want I can send you a scrap NES board to play around with. It is missing the PPU and CPU. Best to learn on something you don't have to worry about messing up.

 

EDIT:

It has the POWER/RF board still attached so you could actually practice that on it first.

Edited February 21, 2018 by SignGuy81

[icemanxp300]

Removing that Metal box is royal PITA! I think you can remove those caps w/out removing the entire box. You can pull the cover off and should be able to remove the caps w/out desoldering the box from the PCB. I just removed 2 of them like 3 months ago to swap a bad one w/one from a parts system. The solder joints are very big and if you only have WIC you will likely need a lot. I desoldered most w/my gun but I still had to use reflow a bit and use wic to get the deep around solder. The gun can't suck it all out in one shot so you basically have to clean up w/wic, at least I did anyhow.

[SignGuy81]

The last one I did, the NES I have for sale now here http://atariage.com/forums/topic/274555-nes-for-sale-waccessories-games-70-plus-shipping/(shameless plug) I had to remove and replace shorted diodes. It does take a little heat and probably isn't best for a beginner to attempt. I just seen yesterday I was looking at the cap kits for the boards on console5 and they recommend desoldering on the RF board side, not the NES motherboard and it does make more sense and next one I do that will be the way I do it as well.

Edited February 21, 2018 by SignGuy81