My NES is sick

[nikon_62]

I put a new pin connector in my NES about a year ago and it's worked perfect since then. Yesterday I was cleaning and testing some games I had given to me and the NES stopped working. It does the blinking right light like the cartridge isn't connecting.

I tried several games the I know work perfect every time and It takes 10+ tries before a game will start. Most games won't start at all I just get the red blinking light and a grey flashing screen. I'm guessing that something is gunked up the connector so I have two questions.

1. What's the easiest way to clean the connector so carts will read again?
2. Is there any way to help avoid this happening again?

[MrPopo]

Hmmm... what kind of fit do you get when you insert the games? If you just replaced the connector it should still be very snug. If the games go in loosely then it might be that you've bent the pins.

[Niode]

Sounds like the pins have been bent back. Get a screwdriver and bend all the pins back so that you have a tight fit again.

[nikon_62]

Hmmm... what kind of fit do you get when you insert the games? If you just replaced the connector it should still be very snug. If the games go in loosely then it might be that you've bent the pins.

I still get a nice tight fit, it doesn't seem like anything has changed physically.

[Niode]

Bad solder job?

[MrPopo]

You shouldn't be soldering anything when you replace that connector.

I'd say open up the NES and do a quick visual inspection of the connector. If you see something that strikes you as wrong then you can try and fix it or get a new one. If not, it might still be worth the $10-15 to get a new connector anyway.

[Niode]

I've never replaced the connector. All I did was bend my original pins to get it to work. I've never had it fail since.

[nikon_62]

Well I took it apart and cleaned the connector with a Q tip and alcohol. Then I removed the connector and cleaned the board where it slides on. The board was filthy but the connector still looks like new and I couldn't even see dust in it with a flash light. I still cleaned it regardless.

It didn't make any difference though. I can get the main screen on games to load after messing around for 10+ tries but they just glitch when I try to start playing. I think this NES is dead and gone. If anyone has any bright ideas please let me know. It's sitting by the trash until Tuesday when I throw it out.

The good news is that I have wanted a retro duo for a while and this is a great excuse.

[superlarz]

It sounds like a pin connector problem. If the games werent working at all than I would think the system was dead. The fact that they work sometimes probably means someone is loose somewhere and not connecting probably. But if you want to get yourself a duo go for it!