Question about blinking light win

[James app-2008]

Hello

 

i just got done watching a video on the blinking light win

 

ok so i have a modded nes console for rgb. I didnt realize the system had the blinking light win installed. I wondered why it was so hard to put the carts in and out. 
 

my question is this. I had been pushing the carts down after putting them in? After watching the video i see you dont do this? That you just push the game in and leave it. 
 

but my question is did i do damage? 
 

i hope you understand my question. I was putting the cart in an nes with the blinking light win and then pushing the cart down like a normal nes? And im wondering if that could damage either the cart or the modded nes? 
 

obviously i wont do this anymore. 
 

any help info would be appreciated

[James app-2008]

Hello to anyone who can help

 

i looked at my nes. I looked inside the cart slot. Some of the pins on the 72 pin connector are bent down. 
 

can i just take a skrew driver or safety pin and gently bend the pins back up? 
 

i could use some help

 

dont know if i have to take the nes apart? I think i could use a small skrew driver and bend the pins

 

i could use some help or info

[AtariBrian]

You posted about this earlier today on another thread. Are you sure you have a blinking light win in your nes. If you are able to push the carts down then I am not sure how you have a blinking light win installed. I would assume you just have a new pin connector installed?

[James app-2008]

thanks for the reply
 

 

The carts go in and out like a blinking light win

 

also theres a sticker ive seen on a video which mine didnt have

 

keep calm dont push down

[Gamemoose]

If a BLW were installed properly, you COULDN'T push down as there's a solid plate put in to replace the original caddy (or whatever you call it-tray?).

 

Anyway, the only way to know is to pop the NES open and look at the connector.

If the connectors are attached to a green circuit board, it's probably BLW. If it's all black molded plastic, it's not. Heck you might be able to shine a light inside to see if there's a green board the cart connector is attached to.

[James app-2008]

I just looked at my nes. 
 

i can definatly push the cart tray down and hear an audible click. I tried it with no cart in. 
 

so maybe i dont have a blinking light win. 
 

it definatly is physically hard to get the carts in and out. Which from the videos ive seen of the blinking light win it felt like it. 
 

anyway my pins are bent.

 

maybe i when i test again could put the cart in and not push down and see if the game will load

 

what about the pins? Can i just bend the bent ones back in-line with the other pins on the 72 pin connector? 
 

also would pins not making contact cause video problems? 
 

like when i played the legend of zelda some sprites characters either werent showing up properly or at all? 
 

also the zelda game was monochrome green. 
 

and on a couple of games the screen shakes back and forth like it isnt stable? 
 

could these problems be caused by the pins?

 

thanks for the help

[4300]

Sounds like you have a cheap,  aftermarket 72 on connector

[bluejay]

On 1/3/2021 at 2:25 PM, 4300 said:

Sounds like you have a cheap,  aftermarket 72 on connector

This.

If you can push the cartridge down you don't have a BLW.

And yes, contact problems can cause video issues. Push the cart down and jiggle it around, then turn it on. Rinse and repeat until you have good contacts.

[sn8k]

Blinking light win sucks from I heard. Has a death grip on games. I dont know if that has changed.

 

Buy a new ZIF 72 pin Gold plated connector.

 

Take off old connector, it slides off, stick new one on. It goes in like a game.

 

Once the new connector is in. You can still push down, but you dont need to. You can just slide the game in and it works.

 

Pushing down and keeping the tray locked is a dumb ass design flaw. On fresh pins you dont need to press the tray down. And once the tray is pressed down and held down for hours or even potentially days, this is what ruins the connector and causes the pins to bend.

 

Brand new nes lasted me 7 or 8 months of pressing  down and then it started acting up like everyone elses forcing me to spend sometimes minutes of blowing into games, shifting cart side to side while it was pressed down and hitting reset 10 times simultaneously.

 

It worked. But didnt need to be done, and it was destroying games slowly and in many cases still is.

 

After I found out how easy it was to change the connector, I changed it in 10 minutes, never once pushed the tray down and Ive had a working NES that doesnt require me to blow into games or do any other stupid tricks to get it working through 10 + years of heavy use.

 

It not even so much as glitches in game or freezes ever. The key to the perfect working NES is to NEVER push that f@#$%ing tray down.

 

Everyone is amazed when they see me put game after game in without having to do all that dumb shit to get games working.

 

This is the absolute longest I have ever seen an NES work with ZERO problems. I cant even remember the last time Ive had to blow into a game. Its a distant memory.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

The blinking light win does not suck. I've had mine for a few years now and while it is true that the games are hard to remove, this has more to do with two designs on the BLW that they could likely fix but from some reason, haven't. The first issue is that the new tray slot that the carts go into might be a bit too tight on the sides so the carts don't have any lateral movement at all when inserted. But it can also mean that some carts are more difficult to insert or remove as a result since they can get caught up along the sides of the tray. The second issue and the one that would fix most peoples issues regarding the BLW, is the height and how far back the carts seat into the new connector. Currently, the carts go in pretty much flush to the inside as the originals did. Although this isn't needed because as we know, the toaster NES has a good inch+ of space between that inner portion and the front lid. So if the cart didn't insert quite so far, it would give you more space to grip the card more easily. The second issue, is the height. If they would just lower it a bit, you would again have more room to grip the cart a bit easier to get it out. Overtime and use, the BLW will work more loose making it easier so it is really only an issue in the beginning.

 

But yeah, just some slight design changes to the actual replacement tray assembly would help with this.

 

[4300]

I agree, it doesn't suck.  It works quite well, actually.  Their customer service however,  is garbage. 

[AtariLeaf]

Love my BLW. Been working great for several years now with no issues. I have what I believe is a second revision which has slightly less of a death grip than the original but am very happy. I keep meaning to buy a back up BLW if they are still making them. Just haven't gotten around to it

[scotty]

Love my BLW.   Installed it, never had a problem since.   Well worth the money.

 

[T.Bone]

is this product still avail?

[+-^CrossBow^-]

On 2/7/2024 at 7:36 PM, T.Bone said:

is this product still avail?

Not currently but I was recently made aware of a new product that is similar to the BLW and still being tested. It is called the Nintendo Drawer I believe? I've only seen it posted and mention on X (Twitter).

 

[WavyGravy]

Yeah, the drawer seems to be the same thing, just easier to get the games out of. Not that I've had a problem with my BLW that way, though. I wouldn't upgrade to it, but if I didn't have an NES with the BLW, I'd definitely grab it.


...or just buy an AV Famicom and a flash cart if individual cartridges don't matter too much for you.