Game Cart Contact Cleaning Guide - Atari Sega Famicom NES

[Jmustang1968]

I have heard the mini NT is very sensitive with the pins reading. And have heard others with similar issues. Something they fixed on the Super NT.

[racketboy]

I have heard the mini NT is very sensitive with the pins reading. And have heard others with similar issues. Something they fixed on the Super NT.

Yeah, I don't know if I'll keep it long-term. Kinda a hassle. Of course, I'll get some use out of the jailbreak ROM playing, but kinda sucks when you can't play many of your actual carts. I've been using my SuperNT for a while and, I agree it isn't as frustrating. I still needed to clean my carts, but wasn't nearly as severe.

Edit: oh hey I just looked on eBay for resale values, and not many have been listed, but sell for $1000+ Surprise to me. Turns out, Analogue sold out. Seems they aren't restocking. Maybe I should sell before too long before they come out with a revised one...

[Ziggy587]

One thing I've learned is just because it LOOKS clean doesn't mean it actually IS clean. But if you cleaned the pins on the cart a zillion times now and it's still not working perfectly, try cleaning the consoles cart slot pins now. After that, if the cart and slot pins are 100% clean (and the cart slot isn't damaged) and it still isn't working, then you're looking at another problem than dirty pins.

I haven't done the slot cleaning yet (although can a brand new system get contaminated that easily/quickly?)

But how do I know when I've done all the cleaning I can do or if I'm just beating a dead horse? I keep scrubbing but the same issues persist. Are there any visual imperfections I should look for? (especially to know which parts I should focus on cleaning more)

The pins in the pics that you posted look like they're in great condition. Me personally, I would give them 2-3 more passes (alcohol and elbow grease) before I decided the problem is elsewhere.

In this case, it seems like the problem is your cart slot, and not the game pak. Apparently there's a known annoyance with that cart slot, so I don't know if you need to clean it or if it's just wonky.