hoserama99 Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 I came into possession of a very dirty Demon Attack cart for the A8 series recently. I've made some attempts to clean it but so far haven't revived it. My next step is to open the cart and clean it a bit more directly and check the pins. It's not immediately obvious to me how to open it, aside from a liberal application of force. If anyone has popped one of these open before, I'd be grateful for any tips. Given that the cart isn't working, I'm not averse to just forcing it open no matter the consequence, but I want to save that as a last resort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenjennings Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Mine seems to be superglued or outright melted closed. If I had extra copies of this cart and was curious I'd try carefully scoring the side seams with a boxcutter, hopefully without stabbing myself or removing useful fingers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 deoxit and a light buffing on the exposed card edge fingers is all that should need be done. The cart should not need to be opened... unless it's water damaged and rusty inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrbrevin Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 pencil eraser is a good, non-invasive way of cleaning contacts. altho access isnt great if the cart is assembled.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Kens approach with the box cutter / stanley knife is the best, start with a slow but sure straight cut and then increase the cut strength, it helps avoid an initial non straight slice. Obviously as said, clean the cart contacts as best as possible first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoserama99 Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 8 hours ago, _The Doctor__ said: deoxit and a light buffing on the exposed card edge fingers is all that should need be done. The cart should not need to be opened... unless it's water damaged and rusty inside. They look water damaged and have a quite a bit of dirt and mud on them. I've been able to resurrect 7 other carts in the same lot, so I'm hoping if I can get access to the PCB, this one will follow suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGB1718 Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Don't know what type of Cart you have, but if I remember I opened one by removing the label on the back and there was a screw under it. Mine also had the ROM's in sockets, so if yours is also like this, there may be corrosion on the IC pins/sockets 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoserama99 Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 1 hour ago, TGB1718 said: Don't know what type of Cart you have, but if I remember I opened one by removing the label on the back and there was a screw under it. I think you may be right. Some extensive googling shows that the cart may in fact have 2 screws under the label. My label is complete but very trashed, so I'm not too concerned about putting two screw-holes in it at this point. Edit: here's the scene of the crime before I went further. A thorough cleaning didn't resurrect it, but the slot contacts are still pretty crusty. I may need something more abrasive than alcohol and q-tips to make progress. Thanks all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 (edited) Soapy water made with Joy dishwashing detergent and an old toothbrush should clean all of those parts. After using alcohol on the gold fingers, try a pink eraser. Edited June 21, 2019 by Forrest 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Jebus, was that found on the Titanic?? Probably got a rotten track as well... I'd also reflow the solder on the chip, just in case.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGB1718 Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Wow, looks like it's been flushed down a toilet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preppie Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 That's a nasty looking cart. I haven't cleaned a cart this bad myself, but if alcohol isn't enough the 8-bit guy uses bicarb and a touch of water then scrubs with toothbrush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoserama99 Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 8 hours ago, Preppie said: I haven't cleaned a cart this bad myself, but if alcohol isn't enough the 8-bit guy uses bicarb and a touch of water then scrubs with toothbrush. I saw that video (big fan of 8-Bit Guy!) and will likely give it a try. We don't have any in the house at the moment, so it's on the shopping list for our next trip to the store. I did try deoxit, but it didn't make any visible headway on corrosion on the cart contacts. I've also read that some people use sandpaper with a grit of #2000, so I may try that too. I've heard to *not* use Brasso or similar, so I'm saving that for a last resort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) oh dear no! tarnish removers and brasso destroy card edge fingers! I've seen it take the metal away and what was left corroded super fast. Edited June 23, 2019 by _The Doctor__ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I would not use sandpaper or brasso. The gold plating is very thin and either of these will remove the gold, leaving the nickel to tarnish. Are the chips on the game cart in sockets or soldered to the board? If in sockets, I would remove the chips and clean the sockets AND dry with canned air. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoserama99 Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 14 minutes ago, Forrest said: Are the chips on the game cart in sockets or soldered to the board? If in sockets, I would remove the chips and clean the sockets AND dry with canned air. Soldered. They are now pretty clean. The corrosion is still quite present on the connector, so I'm only going to deal with the chip once the corrosion is gone, assuming it's still non-functional. The point about Brasso is well taken, which is why I mentioned it was my last resort. The cart is non-functional now. Assuming I can't get it functional after trying everything else, I'm not averse to causing more damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 You can always replate the fingers if need be, but once you remove something you can't put it back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoserama99 Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 6 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said: You can always replate the fingers if need be, but once you remove something you can't put it back I'm wide-open to suggestions to remove just the corrosion -- which is something I don't want to put back! I can post a picture of the cart in its current condition tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I think it's time to bury the cart! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoserama99 Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 38 minutes ago, Forrest said: I think it's time to bury the cart! I think it has already been buried, judging from the original condition. I suppose if it was Imagic's Dracula instead of Demon Attack, the odds of life after death would be greater! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) for avionics we've used http://www.corrosionx.com/corrosionx.html with great success, safe and does a reasonably nice job. flux and heat can dissipate corrosion, I've used fresh solder and flux to lift corrosion crusties clear of traces Pour a quarter-cup of baking soda into a small bowl and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water until the mixture forms a thick paste then... Use cotton swabs or Q-Tips and a toothbrush. use isopropyl alcohol, baking soda and water paste to clean corrosion. You can also use vinegar. Gently apply the mixed solution to the affected area and wipe back and forth until the corrosion is gone. You can even apply the solution on the corroded area and let it sit for a period of time before wiping it off. scrubbing bubbles is a cleaner brand for bathrooms that can help as well (believe it or not, it can work on some types of corrosion) You can wash pc board with 3 parts distilled water/1 part ammonia, scrub certain parts with light acetone if you know what your doing and then rinse with high % isopropyl alcohol. This cleans nicely, removing capacitor goo, all kinds of stuff. remember to thoroughly dry stuff with heat and air when done Sometimes I've flushed whole boards with freon just to be sure it is clean and dry cfc113 Some other cleaner used as a round up on a single site https://ecolink.com/fluosolv-product-line-overview/ You now have my arsenal in one form or another... oh almost forgot crc qd spray has helped in a pinch as well... Edited June 23, 2019 by _The Doctor__ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundGammon Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 The cart version only works the 400/800 models, not the XL/XEs. They re-issued it on disc later on and it worked on all the 8-bits! I have a "dual" os for my XE game system that has the original 400/800 os on it and it works! Wonder if someone could burn that version to a eprom! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 the OP didn't say what he was running the cart on that I recall it was assumed he knew what to run in on... there's that word though.. assume.. it makes an A** of U & ME... :) Burn what to an eprom? the cart? the dual XE game OS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrbrevin Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 anyone know if soaking in white vinegar would clean it? it is a good non-invasive cleaner for automotive restorations so it may be worth a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) depends on the vinegars' acid by percentage and how long you wish to use it. generally house cleaning vinegar is too strong... weak table vinegar should only be used in small time frames of less than 10 minutes and anything more than 15 can start to eat stuff.... The chrome plating in the Automotive word is quite thick where as electronics and the related platings are usually quite thin Edited June 23, 2019 by _The Doctor__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.