NES 10-1 (Toploader) broken reset

[ESauced]

I got an NES 101 model from a huge lot of NES stuff a few years ago and the reset button was broken. The system was absolutely filthy and I just recently pulled it out, opened it and gave it a good cleaning. The reset button still doesn’t work and there doesn’t seem to be anyway for me to clean it more thoroughly than just spraying compressed air in it. I actually got it to reset once or twice so I’m pretty positive it’s just the reset switch itself and nothing else.

I’m guessing it has to be replaced, but I have no soldering experience.

I believe this is the reset button I need:

https://store.retrofixes.com/products/r ... -toploader

How difficult would this be to solder? Could I learn to solder well enough with a couple hours of practice to do this? Any tips?

Or does anyone here want to do the repair or know someone who would? I have lots to trade I’d be willing to pay a fair price via PayPal.

[Ziggy]

The reset button still doesn’t work and there doesn’t seem to be anyway for me to clean it more thoroughly than just spraying compressed air in it. I actually got it to reset once or twice so I’m pretty positive it’s just the reset switch itself and nothing else.

Switches do (and will) go bad. But before you spend time and money, might as well exhaust all possibilities.

* USE CAUTION *

Unplug the power adapter from the console, then turn the console ON. Yes, you've read that right. Unplugged, and ON. This will help to drain any residual power stored inside the console. Leave the power switch in the ON position the entire time. Disassemble the console until you have only the main board.

Get a can of electrical contact cleaner (such as this one from Amazon, or go to your local auto parts or hardware store). The can should come with a straw so you can spray more precisely.

Now take a look at the reset switch. See how the white center parts moves inside of the black housing? You want to spray (just a little bit, use the straw!) the contact cleaner in between the white and black plastic parts so it gets inside of the switch. Spray just a little bit, then press the reset button down a few dozen times. Spray a little more, then press the reset down a few more dozen times. Maybe repeat a third time.

When I say "spray a little bit," what I mean is don't get the cleaner all over everything. You want to get the cleaner INSIDE of the reset switch, and you can get a healthy amount of it in there, but if you just Rambo it you'll end up wasting most of the cleaner outside of the switch. Also, this is why you want to make sure you have the console unplugged and discharged. You don't want to short anything while it's wet with the cleaner (it probably conducts). And on that note, MAKE SURE YOU LET EVERYTHING FULLY DRY before reassembling and power it back on. Electrical contact cleaner is mostly isopropyl alcohol, which evaporates quickly, but not quick enough if it's pooled inside the switch. After doing the above steps to attempt to clean the switch, let it sit for a few minutes, then press the reset switch a bunch more times in an attempt to move around any alcohol that's still inside so it can evaporate faster. To play it safe, wait another few minutes then press the switch a bunch more times again.

Anyways, what you're doing here is getting the cleaner inside of the switch. Then by pressing the switch, you're cleaning the contacts inside.

So after letting everything dry, reassemble the console. You can turn the power switch to the OFF position before plugging the power adapter back in. Now test it out and see if the reset button works. If it still doesn't work, or doesn't work 100% of the time, you can try the above method again. If it doesn't work after a second attempt to clean it, then replace it.

If you have a multimeter, you could use the continuity check to test if the switch is functioning properly.

How difficult would this be to solder? Could I learn to solder well enough with a couple hours of practice to do this? Any tips?

From zero, if you never held a soldering iron before, it probably wouldn't take long to get good enough at to replace this switch. However, I would suggest not rushing. It's really the desoldering part that will be hard, and that's the part that you could cause the most damage. If you're the type of person that's good with your hands, typically a DIY'er, then yeah, a couple of hours practice sounds reasonable.

Check out these how-to solder videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpkkfK937mU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxMV6wGS3NY

The second link will go over how to desolder something with copper braid. This is the method you will have to use to remove the old reset switch.

I suggest watching more videos (the more the better, IMO). I'm at work right now, so these are the only two good ones I know off the top of my head.

My suggestion would be to start on things of no consequence. Do you have any broken electronics around the house? Old DVD players, alarm clock radios, et cetera? If not, go to your local thrift store and pick up a few things (the cheapest items on the shelf that look like it would have a PCB inside). Just be mindful you're not attempting to work on anything that has high voltages inside. Anything with tubes, including CRT TVs, will have possibly lethal voltages inside. A DVD player or something like that, yeah, as long as it's unplugged you should OK.

Open up the cadaver piece of electronic and locate something to desolder. In fact, remove anything and everything. If you successfully remove something without damaging the item or the PCB, then you can practice soldering it back in place. I would do this again and again until you feel like you know what your doing.

If you do attempt to replace the reset on your NES yourself and you make a mistake: STOP! This isn't just my suggestion to a novice, it's my suggestion to anyone (including myself). As soon as a mistake is made, stop. Take a few minutes to think about it. Speaking for myself in the past, when a mistake is made I usually hastily try and fix it, which only ever makes things worse. Just take a breather and think about it before progressing. And if you don't know how to correct the problem, then STOP until you figure out what to do.

Anyways, if you do attempt this fix yourself and you DO mess something up, I can almost guarantee you that someone with enough experience can fix whatever damage you caused. At least, in one way or another. I only say this because people have stated in the past that they've done rash things. Like, bust a solder pad or lift a trace and then threw the hole thing in the garbage because they thought that was the end of it. I don't mean to be condescending. And also, I typed this up in a hurry at work with frequent interruptions, so I bet it's not worded the best.

[ESauced]

Man I typed up a long reply then lost it all. I don’t feel like typing it all again but long story short, thanks so much for the thorough answer. I’ll take a crack at it and let you know how it goes.

[ESauced]

A good cleaning did the trick. Thanks for your help!

[Ziggy]

A good cleaning did the trick. Thanks for your help!

My pleasure. Glad it worked!