After a failed NES Classic search, my brother in law and I dug out his family's NES they've had for 30 years. It hadn't been plugged in for years, and back in the day this machine was heavily used.
But now, it barely worked. The power light flashed, the screen flickered and games were sometimes playable but like 10 percent of the time. I researched common problems and a deep clean and massaging of the main cartridge connector seemed like a good start. I wanted to get this up and running while keeping it original - no cheap aftermarket replacement parts.
So the plan was:
-Raise the pins on the 72-pin connector to better contact the game cartridges (apparently they flatten and lose grasp on the game)
-Clean the connector's pins
-Clean each games' circuit pins
-Clean the motherboard terminals where the 72-pin connector attaches
The inside of the NES was covered in dust but the shell was flawless and it looked pretty tidy inside. The pins on the 72-pin connector were definitely flattened. I took a small screwdriver and pulled them back up.
And after removing, the motherboard circuit had a ton of what looked like oxidation - probably years of people blowing spit into the system.
I cleaned the motherboard terminals and 72-pin connector with rubbing alcohol and brass polish. It cleaned them up nicely, but I had to go back and get more aggressive because the first time I put it back together it still didn't work.
At the same time, I polished the game circuits on every game because I didn't want to use an old nasty game with the cleaned up connectors. All of the games were thrashed. A quick polish cleaned them up. I did have to buy a unique bit to open the games.
And there you have it. The system works flawlessly now. Each game fires up first time, every time. I don't think it looks that bad on a newer TV.
But now, it barely worked. The power light flashed, the screen flickered and games were sometimes playable but like 10 percent of the time. I researched common problems and a deep clean and massaging of the main cartridge connector seemed like a good start. I wanted to get this up and running while keeping it original - no cheap aftermarket replacement parts.
So the plan was:
-Raise the pins on the 72-pin connector to better contact the game cartridges (apparently they flatten and lose grasp on the game)
-Clean the connector's pins
-Clean each games' circuit pins
-Clean the motherboard terminals where the 72-pin connector attaches
The inside of the NES was covered in dust but the shell was flawless and it looked pretty tidy inside. The pins on the 72-pin connector were definitely flattened. I took a small screwdriver and pulled them back up.
And after removing, the motherboard circuit had a ton of what looked like oxidation - probably years of people blowing spit into the system.
I cleaned the motherboard terminals and 72-pin connector with rubbing alcohol and brass polish. It cleaned them up nicely, but I had to go back and get more aggressive because the first time I put it back together it still didn't work.
At the same time, I polished the game circuits on every game because I didn't want to use an old nasty game with the cleaned up connectors. All of the games were thrashed. A quick polish cleaned them up. I did have to buy a unique bit to open the games.
And there you have it. The system works flawlessly now. Each game fires up first time, every time. I don't think it looks that bad on a newer TV.
