N64 video problem

[Curlypaul]

I'm pretty peeved right now, I bought Diddy Kong Racing a few days ago now that I sit down to play it I find that my N64 is playing silly buggers. At first there was no video signal at all and after much messing I can get a very dark image now. It occasionally flickers into a proper brightness level but not for long.

I've cleaned the cart, the slot, the expansion pak, the jumper pack. I've tested the lead on a GC and I've taken the 3rd party memory card out of the controller. I've also plugged a MegaDrive into the same RCA ports so its not the telly.

Anybody got any ideas? I havnt got the tool to open the console, but I will get one if somebody can tell me that this is a common problem. I did find a few other people on google with a similar problem but nobody had any firm answers.

[Curlypaul]

bump?

[YoshiEgg25]

Try cleaning the video jack and making sure it's plugged in properly.

Otherwise, it might be the cord.

[CRTGAMER]

Do other game carts work?

[Ziggy]

Yeah, get a can of that air duster and blow out the A/V input on the console.

[Czernobog]

Sounds like it could very well be the jack where the cable enters the N64, but that's not the only possibility. The one on my Saturn sort of decayed over the years and does the same kind of brightness nonsense.

[Ziggy]

While the console was on and the game was running, did you try to jiggle the A/V connector around to see if it effects the picture?

[Curlypaul]

Its def not the cord, I have two and both the work the same on the N64 and fine on the GC.

I tried wiggling the cord around while it was switched on and it didnt seem to make any difference.

Also, it is just the same with every game

[CRTGAMER]

Its def not the cord, I have two and both the work the same on the N64 and fine on the GC.

I tried wiggling the cord around while it was switched on and it didnt seem to make any difference.

Also, it is just the same with every game

Very likely the contacts in the console on either the video or cart connector. UNPLUG POWER. A piece of cardboard with the Electrical Contact Cleaner works well, insert and remove a few times in the cart port. QTip soaked with cleaner for the video connector. Try cleaning both the cart port and the video port. Be sure to completely dry with a can of air. Also you could get a magnifying glass, see if any of the contacts are bent.

[Curlypaul]

Okey dokey I'll get hold of some contact cleaner and try that. If it still doesnt work I guess its time to buy a gamebit.

Incidentally while playing around with this I noticed that the cart slot does seem loose, it doesnt grip the cart very well at all although wiggling the cart while its on doesnt seem to make the system crash or any difference to the video problem. Are all N64's like this?