Help me fix my NES
Help me fix my NES
I followed this guide on Classic Gaming. However my NES still isn't working. I am still getting the blinking power light and a white or black screen. It definatly takes more force to insert and pull out the cartridge so I think I did it right. I also can't get the black-plastic cartridge loading system to sit propery which prevents me from getting the cover back on. Could this be the problem? Please help! I hope I didn't total my NES!!
My Systems: Sega Master System Model 1,Sega Genesis Model 1, Sega Genesis Model 2, Sega CD Model 2, Sega Saturn Model 2, Sega Dreamcast, Sega Pico, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance SP (x2), DS Lite, DSi, 2DS, 3DS (x2), Wii (White), PS2 Slim, PS3 Phat, PS3 Slim, Xbox 360 Phat, Xbox One, NES, SNES
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mjmjr25
Re: Help me fix my NES
A new pin connector will help short-term, but as you surely know by now, it is simply a design flaw and it's just going to stretch out again.
Its nice to fix things and fun when it turns out. Its a pretty straightforward procedure, if its still acting up, prob time for a new toaster. Or do away with problems forever and splurge on a top loader. You will not regret it - and you will not have anymore blinking lights.
Its nice to fix things and fun when it turns out. Its a pretty straightforward procedure, if its still acting up, prob time for a new toaster. Or do away with problems forever and splurge on a top loader. You will not regret it - and you will not have anymore blinking lights.
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Hobie-wan
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Re: Help me fix my NES
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My trade, sale and services - Rough want list - Shipping weight reference chart - AC Power Adapter reference list
Re: Help me fix my NES
That helped me put the black-plastic cartridge suspension system back on correctly. So thank you for that. However my NES still isn't working. It was as of two days ago but now I can't get any game to work, no matter how long I sit there and wiggle the cartridge. Is there anything else I can do?
My Systems: Sega Master System Model 1,Sega Genesis Model 1, Sega Genesis Model 2, Sega CD Model 2, Sega Saturn Model 2, Sega Dreamcast, Sega Pico, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance SP (x2), DS Lite, DSi, 2DS, 3DS (x2), Wii (White), PS2 Slim, PS3 Phat, PS3 Slim, Xbox 360 Phat, Xbox One, NES, SNES
Re: Help me fix my NES
Clean!sega dude wrote:Is there anything else I can do?
I just Ctrl+F'ed "clean" on that link, I didn't see any where that they say to clean it. Just that "used a cleaning kit, didn't work". Did you try cleaning the pins? And I mean, AFTER you bent them back into shape. That's great that you've got the pins all bent back to grip the cart better, but you're gonna have to clean those pins too if you wanna them to make good contact. Also, you're probably gonna have to clean the cart pins too.sega dude wrote:I followed this guide on Classic Gaming. However my NES still isn't working.
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elmagicochrisg
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Re: Help me fix my NES
This might sound a little unorthodox, but 2 weeks ago I cleaned a pin connector with soap for the dishes and a nail brush. Afterwards I dried it with a hair dryer. Works like a charm now... ^^
Also, clean your cartridges. It's no use cleaning the pin connector if you don't clean your games also. Me I clean them with pure alcohol, rub the connections with a pencil eraser afterwards, brush off the pencil eraser flakes with the small brush to clean my shaver, and finish off with one last rub of alcohol...
Also, clean your cartridges. It's no use cleaning the pin connector if you don't clean your games also. Me I clean them with pure alcohol, rub the connections with a pencil eraser afterwards, brush off the pencil eraser flakes with the small brush to clean my shaver, and finish off with one last rub of alcohol...
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Re: Help me fix my NES
We are one step closer! I cleaned the contacts on the connector with an old toothbrush and 70% isopropyl alcohol like I've done in the past. Then I cleaned each of my games with the same alcohol and q tips. Now when I boot up the NES I see the title screen flashing on and off. What should I do now?Ziggy587 wrote:Clean!sega dude wrote:Is there anything else I can do?
I just Ctrl+F'ed "clean" on that link, I didn't see any where that they say to clean it. Just that "used a cleaning kit, didn't work". Did you try cleaning the pins? And I mean, AFTER you bent them back into shape. That's great that you've got the pins all bent back to grip the cart better, but you're gonna have to clean those pins too if you wanna them to make good contact. Also, you're probably gonna have to clean the cart pins too.sega dude wrote:I followed this guide on Classic Gaming. However my NES still isn't working.
EDIT: It seems Ice Climber refuses to work for some reason. I tired other games and they work find and start up the first try no problem. Thank you so much everyone!!!
My Systems: Sega Master System Model 1,Sega Genesis Model 1, Sega Genesis Model 2, Sega CD Model 2, Sega Saturn Model 2, Sega Dreamcast, Sega Pico, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance SP (x2), DS Lite, DSi, 2DS, 3DS (x2), Wii (White), PS2 Slim, PS3 Phat, PS3 Slim, Xbox 360 Phat, Xbox One, NES, SNES
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Satoshi_Matrix
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Re: Help me fix my NES
Since I've helped others in the past, I see no reason not to offer sagely advice to you to get your NES up and running.
The first thing to note that the primary cause of most NES problems is, contrary to popular beleif, NOT the 72 pin connector.
Saying you should replace the 72 pin connector to get an NES to work is like saying you should replace your tires because you have an oil leak in the engine.
Yes, the 72 pin connector may need to be replaced on some systems, but its usually not what's to blame. Believe me when I say most of the problems people have with their NES are NOT caused by the 72-pin connector itself.
The NES-001, the iconic "toaster" features a lockout chip called the NES-10. The NES-10's job was to prevent unlicensed games from operating on the hardware, thus ensuring the videogame crash of 1984 wouldn't happen again. Of course the chip was eventually circumvented anyway by Tengen, Comerica, Color Dreams and others, so it ultimately serves no useful purpose at all. In fact, THE NES-10 CHIP IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS ONE MIGHT ENCOUNTER GETTING GAMES TO WORK ON THE NES.
See, the NES-10 was designed to send a signal to the cartridge which in turn would have another small chip on every game which would send an unlock command which would tell the NES-10 to just let the game run. Without this signal, the NES-10 would not unlock, and to prevent the game from running, would reset the system once every second.
The unlock NES-10 signal is carried in the additional pins the NES had over the Famicom. If these pins become dirty due to oxidization of the copper contacts or through dust, dirt, or anything else, you'll get the blinking power light and a solid color screen.
The first thing you can do about this is simply to open up the NES, unscrew the RF shielding and detach the motherboard from the casing, and simply use a pair of wire cutters to cut pin VCC pin 4 of the NES-10 chip, which would disable it permanently. The NES-10 chip doesn't serve any other purpose than to stop unlicensed games from running, so you'd never know a system has a disabled NES-10 unless you looked at the motherboard. Properly disabling a NES-10 has NO ill effects on a NES-001.
There are plenty of tutorials on how to to this online and on youtube. I recommend following this one: http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/ninte ... ockout.htm
Remember, simply cut pin 4. Don't cut the whole chip out or damage any of the other legs. You want to disable the lockout chip, not destroy it.
Doing this will cure most of the problems one will encounter with the NES, but since you're dealing with 20+ year old games, the cartridge contacts on them probably all need to be cleaned of oxidization copper, dust, dirt or whatever else forces you to have to blow into the cartridge every time you want to use it.
Cleaning NES games is rather easy. All you need is a security screwbit to open up the shells. You can find these for pennies on the dollar on ebay. There are plenty of ways you could go about cleaning the contacts, but the best results I've found is to simply use a large, pink eraser.
I wrote a tutorial on how to clean cartridges. Check it out.
http://satoshimatrix.wordpress.com/2010 ... -contacts/
If ALL of this fails and your NES still won't play, (very unlikely) THEN you should buy a replacement 72 pin connector.
Also you mentioned in your initial post that the black tray doesn't spring properly. If that's still the case, then what you did was overtightened the screws. Loosen them until you can click the spring mechanism into its distinctive two states.
The first thing to note that the primary cause of most NES problems is, contrary to popular beleif, NOT the 72 pin connector.
Saying you should replace the 72 pin connector to get an NES to work is like saying you should replace your tires because you have an oil leak in the engine.
Yes, the 72 pin connector may need to be replaced on some systems, but its usually not what's to blame. Believe me when I say most of the problems people have with their NES are NOT caused by the 72-pin connector itself.
The NES-001, the iconic "toaster" features a lockout chip called the NES-10. The NES-10's job was to prevent unlicensed games from operating on the hardware, thus ensuring the videogame crash of 1984 wouldn't happen again. Of course the chip was eventually circumvented anyway by Tengen, Comerica, Color Dreams and others, so it ultimately serves no useful purpose at all. In fact, THE NES-10 CHIP IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS ONE MIGHT ENCOUNTER GETTING GAMES TO WORK ON THE NES.
See, the NES-10 was designed to send a signal to the cartridge which in turn would have another small chip on every game which would send an unlock command which would tell the NES-10 to just let the game run. Without this signal, the NES-10 would not unlock, and to prevent the game from running, would reset the system once every second.
The unlock NES-10 signal is carried in the additional pins the NES had over the Famicom. If these pins become dirty due to oxidization of the copper contacts or through dust, dirt, or anything else, you'll get the blinking power light and a solid color screen.
The first thing you can do about this is simply to open up the NES, unscrew the RF shielding and detach the motherboard from the casing, and simply use a pair of wire cutters to cut pin VCC pin 4 of the NES-10 chip, which would disable it permanently. The NES-10 chip doesn't serve any other purpose than to stop unlicensed games from running, so you'd never know a system has a disabled NES-10 unless you looked at the motherboard. Properly disabling a NES-10 has NO ill effects on a NES-001.
There are plenty of tutorials on how to to this online and on youtube. I recommend following this one: http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/ninte ... ockout.htm
Remember, simply cut pin 4. Don't cut the whole chip out or damage any of the other legs. You want to disable the lockout chip, not destroy it.
Doing this will cure most of the problems one will encounter with the NES, but since you're dealing with 20+ year old games, the cartridge contacts on them probably all need to be cleaned of oxidization copper, dust, dirt or whatever else forces you to have to blow into the cartridge every time you want to use it.
Cleaning NES games is rather easy. All you need is a security screwbit to open up the shells. You can find these for pennies on the dollar on ebay. There are plenty of ways you could go about cleaning the contacts, but the best results I've found is to simply use a large, pink eraser.
I wrote a tutorial on how to clean cartridges. Check it out.
http://satoshimatrix.wordpress.com/2010 ... -contacts/
If ALL of this fails and your NES still won't play, (very unlikely) THEN you should buy a replacement 72 pin connector.
Also you mentioned in your initial post that the black tray doesn't spring properly. If that's still the case, then what you did was overtightened the screws. Loosen them until you can click the spring mechanism into its distinctive two states.