HELP WITH MY SNES!

[Rokogu]

So, I hope im posting in the right section, but i'm having a weird problem with my snes, the buttons are my controller are all messed up : A button moves me forward, pressing right on the D-pad moves me left, pressing up on the D-pad pauses the game! and so on! I have tried another controller and the same thing happens, and i've tried with different games too! So, my conclusion is that my SNES has a problem, can anyone help me with this?

All help is very much appreciated!

So I did already write this in the General Gaming section, I just dont know how to actually move it to this section, so i just wrote it again

[Cronozilla]

Are they official stock controllers?

[Rokogu]

yup, The controllers that come with the console

[sonic2041]

Did the controllers get wet? if you feel comfortable I would take them apart and clean the contacts, but this might not be your issue because the mixed up buttons are not next to one another. I cant remember if there is an IC in the snes controllers or not, if there is it may be damaged.

[Hobie-wan]

Hmm, the controller sockets are connected to the main board inside the system with a ribbon cable. Now is isn't a 1 to 1 thing where wire 1 is up on controller 1 and wire 2 is left and such, but if you have access to the larger gamebit (or buy one from the Racketboy store) you might open up the system and clean/reseat that ribbon cable or see if anything looks damaged on the controller socket board. Was liquid spilled on the system at any time?

[Rokogu]

Wow all of that sounds way beyond my capabilities, I really don trust myself taking apart my snes and cleaning it. And no, it never got wet... Would i be better off buying another SNES? Or if anyone had like a step by step guide on how to clean it out, I could try it

[pvt_awol]

if you tried with multiple controllers, and all of them have the same wrong button mapping, your issue is definitely with the console itself.

[Ziggy]

if you tried with multiple controllers, and all of them have the same wrong button mapping, your issue is definitely with the console itself.

That's my thoughts, too.

Wow all of that sounds way beyond my capabilities, I really don trust myself taking apart my snes and cleaning it. And no, it never got wet... Would i be better off buying another SNES? Or if anyone had like a step by step guide on how to clean it out, I could try it

edit: Sorry for the wall of text, but just give it a read. I swear, it's not complicated at all.

If your only other option is to buy a new SNES, then what do you have to lose by taking it apart?

Trust me, it's not way beyond your capabilities. It'll be very easy to do, and the risk of damaging something in this case is very low. Next to nothing, in fact. Just don't do it in a carpeted room. Assuming you don't have a workbench, the kitchen table is usually a good choice. You just need the security bit and some common household items.

Here's the link to the 4.5mm security bit from the Racketboy store. This is the size you need to open the SNES console. It's good for many other things as well. Almost every Nintendo console, some Nintendo power bricks, Genesis carts, etc. Note that Racketboy also carries the 3.8mm size, which is used to open most Nintendo carts as well as some other video game stuff. You should own both, being a retro gamer. Cleaning carts is much easier to do when they're opened.

You'll need a screwdriver handle for the bits, if you don't already own one. They can be used without one, but it's not easy. You'll really want the handle. Most hardware stores and whatnot carry a small set of bits bundled with the handle for only a few bucks.

Assuming you have a model 1 SNES... First, disconnect the power cord and turn the power on. This will drain any residual power inside the console. Flip it over and look at the bottom. There's 6 screws on the bottom. You need the security bit to take them out. Remove these screws, now make sure to hold the top and bottom of the console and flip it back over so the top is facing up. The top half of the console will pop right off. If this is an older SNES, don't be surprised to find a lot of dust clumps inside. This is a perfect opportunity to clean them out. But anyway, now that you have the top half off, take a look at the controller sockets. The sockets are own their own PCB, which connect to the mainboard via a ribbon cable (as Hobie said). There's no screws holding the controller socket board, you can just pop it right out. Remove the ribbon cable from the mainboard. It's right in front. Just grip it with your thumb and index finger and pull up, it should come right out with little force. You may have to wiggle it back a forth a little, but it should slide right out. Once it's out, examine the pins. They should be gold, I believe. So if they're corroded, it'll be very easy to tell.

At this point you could try simply resetting the cable. But since you have it out, you might as well just clean it. Just get an old (but clean) cotton t-shirt and some rubbing alcohol.

A small note about rubbing alcohol:

Take a look at the label. 70-something percent is pretty common. I've seen a lot of 50% though. What this percentage means is the amount of alcohol that's actually in it. It's diluted with distilled water. So if it's 50%, it's 50% water. The higher the alcohol content, the better it'll be for cleaning electronics (or cleaning anything for that matter). You'll be fine with the 70-something percent, if you already have it. Otherwise, buy 90-something percent. It can be found in any drug store, supermarket, department store, ect. Another option is electrical contact cleaner, which is basically alcohol. You can get contact cleaner in any hardware or automotive store. If you don't already have either, you should get some. It's what you should be using to clean your game carts. And if you buy the two security bits, it'll be easy as pie.

So take a cotton t-shirt or something similar and dampen the size of a silver dollar on it with the alcohol or contact cleaner. Rub the contacts on the ribbon cable with the dampened alcohol. You can give them a decent amount of pressure to scrub them. Then quickly rub the pins again with a dry spot on the t-shirt. Now, rub some more alcohol on the pins and get them nice and wet with the alcohol. While they're still wet, insert them back into the connector on the mainboard. Push it in all the way. Pull it out about 80% and push it back in. Go up and down with it a few times. What you're doing is scrubbing the socket to clean it. Pull the ribbon cable back out, all the way, and clean it again. Now wait a minute for everything to dry, and reassemble the console. Now see if the controllers work.

This is also how you would clean your carts. If you have the security bits, you just open the carts up and scrub the pins with alcohol on a t-shirt. It's the easiest way to clean carts correctly in my opinion.

[Rokogu]

WOW! thanks! that actually doesnt sound too difficult at all! and i do have the bits so i can open up my snes no problem. I actually did go out and buy a new snes lol, but i will definetly still try cleaning up the old one! thank you so much for the knowledge

[bacteria]

Sounds more like an issue with an IC chip being messed up.