Cartridge port issue stopped working again after cleaning

[matttintoshplus]

Hey everyone, I recently nabbed an NES of the side of the street and surprise surprise, the cartridge part isn't cooperating. I gave it a very good cleaning using rubbing alcohol and contact cleaner (maybe I should have used Deoxit instead?) and it worked momentarily. However, after I swapped out the cart, it stopped working again (power LED blinks, screen turns on/off or is just white). It still works, but only on very rare occasions. I also tested both carts on a Retron and they worked great.

 

When I cleaned the pins, I made sure to push them all back into place. I am thinking it is possible that they may have gotten pushed out of place again by swapping cartridges, but I am not sure. I'm just wondering if anyone else faced a similar issue and there's some sort of fix or if the cartridge port just has to go.

 

I've heard mixed reviews about replacement cartridge ports, so I'm hesitant unless someone has a solid recommendation. Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[Tanooki]

If it's a legit pin connector and not the modern modern chinese garbage an option I fall back to when one is touchy is boiling it in water.  Pop the pin out, put a paper towel in the bottom of a small pot and let it come to a boil.  Using tongs (or whatever) put the 72pin in and set a 5min(minimum) clock to it.  When removed shake it out a lot to get much water off it, then use a NES cleaning kit or make one (credit card, thin silky glasses wipe) and give it the old in-out like 10x and see if any funk comes with it, if it does repeat, if not, dry some more and get it back in the system.

 

I'd suggest using a safety pin on the lower part of the connector that touches the carts themselves and pulling each of them upward until they momentarily touch the upper row and release.  That'll put it more where it should be, then the super heating will add to it along with a deep cleaning.

 

I've had utterly so called dead systems run utterly reliable doing this repeatedly

 

 

DO NOT buy a replacement 72pin that Nintendo didn't make, they're universally basically sub par.  Just get one, do what I said to tension then clean it, and go for it.

 

 

[matttintoshplus]

On 12/24/2023 at 10:25 PM, Tanooki said:

If it's a legit pin connector and not the modern modern chinese garbage an option I fall back to when one is touchy is boiling it in water.  Pop the pin out, put a paper towel in the bottom of a small pot and let it come to a boil.  Using tongs (or whatever) put the 72pin in and set a 5min(minimum) clock to it.  When removed shake it out a lot to get much water off it, then use a NES cleaning kit or make one (credit card, thin silky glasses wipe) and give it the old in-out like 10x and see if any funk comes with it, if it does repeat, if not, dry some more and get it back in the system.

 

I'd suggest using a safety pin on the lower part of the connector that touches the carts themselves and pulling each of them upward until they momentarily touch the upper row and release.  That'll put it more where it should be, then the super heating will add to it along with a deep cleaning.

 

I've had utterly so called dead systems run utterly reliable doing this repeatedly

 

 

DO NOT buy a replacement 72pin that Nintendo didn't make, they're universally basically sub par.  Just get one, do what I said to tension then clean it, and go for it.

 

 

Okay here's my first update:

• I boiled the cartridge port for 20-30 min with a break in the middle to dry off
• I cleaned the pins (credit card + cloth) using contact cleaner
• I bent every pin on the cart port

Popped in a cartridge, didn't work the first time, worked the second, and the stopped from there. The port now has a very tight grip on the cartridges, it's actually a little difficult to get them in and out. I'm thinking my options from here are

1. Check the board for bad connections
2. Replace the cartridge port

The part that confuses me the most is that every time I reinstall the port, it works exactly once. I'm gonna examine the board for bad traces as best as I can for now.

If you have any other ideas or want to see pictures of anything that might help let me know. I'd love to get this bad boy working. Thanks for the help so far!

 

[Austin]

Always be sure the carts themselves are good. Cleaning the 72-pin connector is great and all, but it won't actually do a lot if the cartridge pins are also dirty or corroded as well. Got to make sure both parts of the equation are good. 

 

Doesn't hurt to try a new connector. They can be fine. They aren't expensive.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Austin

[Tanooki]

I really doubt it's the connector, it's just metal and if you cleaned it that well I'm suspicious of the games as Austin pointed out, or your idea of something else along the way in the system itself.

If you do get another connector, see if you can find a new old stock or well kept original.  The chinese garbage ones pumped out over the last 10 years aren't great.  Bear grip, weaken after a few years of regular use, and can get fussy as well as they're just cheap junk.  If I ever had a really messed up system I'd get an old one and refurb the connector or find a NOS one if possible and that did the trick.

[matttintoshplus]

Update #2

I replaced the cartridge slot with one of these (https://www.amazon.com/Sunjoyco-Replacement-Connector-Cartridge-Screwdriver/dp/B07HP2FFDN?th=1 ) against @Tanooki's advice. Probably should have listened to the guy. It had 1500 positive reviews, so it seemed like it should be okay. Popped it in, didn't work, here's my notes post-installation:

1. I used 3-4 different carts to test it, all of which worked on my Retron. None worked, at all. At least the original cartridge connector worked sometimes, if rarely.
2. Anytime I'd put a cart in, some of the pins would get a little pushed out the back about a mm or two. I would push them back in, but eventually one of them wouldn't go back.
3. Seemed like the carts couldn't ever sit just right.
4. Bear grip! Hard to get carts in and out. Who would have thought?

Current plan:

1. Reinstall it one more time, might be out of seat (doubt it, I was pretty careful, but its possible).
2. Look over the board. Are there any common issues I should look out for? I'll mainly be looking for damaged traces and bulging caps.
3. Send the connector back for replacement. I could have just gotten unlucky. With that many positive reviews, they have to work sometimes.

 

Sometimes the NES repeatedly turns off, sometimes the screen is just white/gray.

 

The new connector definitely was trash, so all it really did was add new possible issues to this whole project.

Again, let me know if you guys want any pics or anything.

 

EDIT

I looked at the new connector and it looks like some of the pins inside got pushed inside. Not sure if it was my doing or if it was just cheap. Either way, it's going back. Still gonna look over the board, depending how that goes, I may try these guys one more time. Seems like it has the best reviews out of all of them, so I'm hoping I just got unlucky.

Edited January 4 by matttintoshplus

[Tanooki]

Ooof forgot about this.

I'd go back to the stick with OEM parts (connector) either the existing or find another and give it the deep soaking cleaning treatment first and a pull, unless you find some New Old Stock.

They're not known to fail, sorry, but there are cases where the 10NES has aged enough it turned foul and caused blinkiness almost always, and slicing/pulling pin4 of the chip solves that bs then and there.

 

There are recap kits up on console5 you could look into, they're cheap.

 

What got me now, it repeatedly turns off?  Like off off, or just solid screen like lights on, nobodies home?  If it is really going off or perhaps the other, you have a voltage issue potentially with the caps on it, the caps inside the OEM power supply or flaky chinese one if you went that route as that's a known thing.  If you're comfy recapping an original, do it, or get a TRIAD replacement adapter as it's rock solid, I use one on my AV Famicom.

[matttintoshplus]

Okay okay big news.

I reinstalled the original connector that I had bent the pins on. Pop in a cart, it works once, AGAIN. Just for good measure I cleaned all the carts again. Now suddenly more of them work consistently. And when they don't work when the tray is down, I leave it up and they do.

 

I'm not sure if that means I bent the pins a little bit wrong, but hey it works.

 

I get the feeling this won't be the last time I'll have to do some sort of basic cleaning/maintenance on this thing. If I have issues later, I'll look into that that pin 4 lockout chip issue.

 

Also, in regards to the screen powering off, I meant that it blinked on and off. My mistake.

 

Thanks for the help, couldn't have done it without you guys! Seriously, I probably would have gotten too frustrated hahaha

[Tanooki]

It means you likely pulled them up enough it just makes contact without needing tension, not factory, but not a bad thing either.

 

If most your issue is being blinky, it is that chip, just cut/pull that annoying leg and be done with it, it also will open up the use of MOST european PAL games like the fun english port of Parodius.

 

Again if your 'power off' is the blinking screen of assumed death, your security chip is rotting a slow death and will just make things worse for you yet.  I'm thinking a good cleaning of the games themselves, pop it open, 91% alcohol+paper towel strip and use of thumb will go a long way.  Worse to worst case, that liquid on a magic eraser to the finest of grit sandpaper sponge as a last resort if your traces aren't shot (then back over again with the paper towel to get off any fine dusts/crap so it doesn't get in the system.  Have ot remember they're decades old, no matter how much cleaning assumes get it done, sometimes those measures sadly are needed now on primarily second hand games because you know nothing how they were stored.