So how unreliable are NES 72-pin connectors, really?

[AppleQueso]

Are they just more prone to getting dirty?

I recently swapped my NES's replacement 72-pin (one of the newer ones with the crazy death grip that work better in the 'up' position) with an original one I pulled from another NES.

The older connector was cleaned while it was out of the system, and when i put it in the new console, lo and behold, it works great assuming the games you're using are clean as well. My main NES now works fantastic, and carts slide easily in and out of the system like they're supposed to.

I've heard all kinds of stuff about how apparently the pins on the connectors of these things just all get horribly bent over time due to the loading mechanism, but this has me wondering if people are trying to solve their blinking problems by swapping out/tossing out perfectly good connectors that simply need a nice cleaning.

[Zing]

I agree that almost every connector can be saved by a little cleaning, or boiling. I think most people replacing these connectors are resellers who would rather spend the 50 cents to just swap in a new connector than try to fix the old one.

I, too, love how easily the games slide in with my original connector. I don't understand why the modern connectors have such a death grip. I could probably push my games into place with a puff of air. It is truly "zero insertion force". I had to boil my connectors to get them this way, but they have been reliable.

[KDub]

I also feel that the pin connectors are not nearly as awful as people make them out to be; I've had the same one in my system since it was new and it works like a charm.

It is just a matter of how the system was treated and how clean games were kept. It isn't a chore to clean the connector if need be either and get it working fine.

[Hobie-wan]

Yes, cleaning and bending the pins will save a lot of them. As for the life of the originals, it depends if they used a Game Genie, if they stored their games in the cat litter box, and how much they were blowing spit in them.

[Duke.Togo]

I've only had one pin connector that I have had to actually replace due to corrosion. Boiling them and scrubbing with a tooth brush takes care of the cleaning issues, and if they have had Game Genie abuse usually a little pin bending takes care of it.

I've refurbished a lot of units, and it just gets a bad rap from folks that don't know how to take care of them.

[Breetai]

So how unreliable are NES 72-pin connectors, really?

They are more reliable than the replacement ones.

Take the original out and boil it. Then put it in an oven at low heat until dry. Take it out and let it cool off. Put it back in your NES. Make sure to clean every game before putting playing it. Good as new!

You could also use a safety pin with the sharp end bent into a hook and pull inwards on each of the pins. This will make a very tight fit, but the games will work well as long as they are clean.

Both of these solutions work just fine even if a Game Genie was used a lot. Personally, I use the Genie a ton without worry.

[Cronozilla]

The replacement pin connectors wouldn't be so bad if they weren't made with stronger metal than what's on the game pins.

I've actually been told by game shop employees that, "even though it scratches the pin connectors ... even when they're not gold looking anymore, they still work". I looked at the guy and said, ok, and left. Removing material from pins is, obviously, a bad thing.

But bending them back into place is generally not that difficult. I have reserves about boiling them ... purely because any water contact on non-coated metal will make it more susceptible to corrosion. Re-baking them could fix that though, if it restrengthens the metal.

Anyway, yeah they're not actually that unreliable, they just get bent from use and dirty.

[DinnerX]

I haven't experienced any problems with my NES. Sometimes it takes a bit to figure out how a cart likes to be placed in the system, but that isn't much of a hassle. Maybe I'm just lucky. Keep them carts all clean with windex too, yessir. Good old windex. Yup, I just loooove windex. Adds flavor to chili and I'm pretty sure you can bathe in it. I think you can even pour it on your motherboard to get free RAM. Windex, windex, windex!

[G-Darius]

I have had a few problems but it is usually the usual carbon deposits on connections so using a Qtip i simply apply contact switch cleaner to both sides of the edge connecter inside a game then insert and remove it from the console around 10 times,i find this cleans both cart and Nes Connector.If you ask me the whole Nes loading system is unique but a little too mechanical for its own good.

[Zing]

I have had a few problems but it is usually the usual carbon deposits on connections so using a Qtip i simply apply contact switch cleaner to both sides of the edge connecter inside a game then insert and remove it from the console around 10 times,i find this cleans both cart and Nes Connector.If you ask me the whole Nes loading system is unique but a little too mechanical for its own good.

I have contact cleaner and so far have only sprayed it directly on the connector (while removed from the system, of course). I never thought to spray it, then repeatedly insert a game. I'll try that next time I open a NES.