Weird glitching issue.

[199211]

I need some advice on an issue I’m having with one of my carts. I’m playing my NES games on my front-loader, and I periodically clean the contacts both inside the console and on the cartridges with 91% alcohol and compressed air from a can. Most of my games start up without too much hassle, but one in particular, Super Mario Bros. 2, has developed a peculiar problem. Upon startup, the music will play, but I keep getting a screen of black blocks atop a maroon background (I made a replica picture in Microsoft Word to show what it looks like below). Despite numerous cleanings and reinsertions, the problem persists until I lightly hit the side of the console. During gameplay the graphics will still wonk out a bit. What could be the issue here? Is it the cartridge or something internal with the console? 

[Tanooki]

Well there is nothing unique about SMB2.  If you're paranoid and have it, either bootgod check the chip/board type and see if you have other carts that match and see if they foul up, or if you have a flash kit, run the ROM.  If it blows up on those you have a console issue, but really to me, it seems like a game problem.  Early sign of a dying chip to maybe some solder joint that's going cold or something similar (trace?) between point A and B that's losing connection just enough a nice whack cleans it up.

[199211]

16 hours ago, Tanooki said:

Well there is nothing unique about SMB2.  If you're paranoid and have it, either bootgod check the chip/board type and see if you have other carts that match and see if they foul up, or if you have a flash kit, run the ROM.  If it blows up on those you have a console issue, but really to me, it seems like a game problem.  Early sign of a dying chip to maybe some solder joint that's going cold or something similar (trace?) between point A and B that's losing connection just enough a nice whack cleans it up.

This of course would be a fault in the cartridge, not the console, correct? 

[Tanooki]

8 hours ago, 199211 said:

This of course would be a fault in the cartridge, not the console, correct? 

Yes, something a soldering iron and the most basic of skills could correct if it went that way just reheating the various contacts.  If that failed, then a bit more skill as you may have a busted or loose trace, something to scrape back, expsose, then secure.  or if the chip is shot or one of the chips, it would require popping that off and putting a new one there, though if it's one of the primary chips of the game itself it's easier just replaced entirely and the board kept as a donor.