NES 72 Pin Connector - Boil vs. Clean vs. Bending Pins

[cowgod]

I got an NES a long time ago and it has the blinking red light. Here's all the info I have gathered from these forums and elsewhere:

• Cleaning/maintaining your stock 72 pin connector is generally a better idea than buying a new one
• You can boil and then bake the 72 pin connector to restore it like new
• You can clean the pins with Q-tips and contact solution (don't even know what that is or where to get it)
• You can clean the pins with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol
• You can bend the pins back to strengthen the contact between the connector and the game
• Never blow into the NES or on the games

Is there an order I should do these steps in, some I should leave out, others I missed? Boiling and baking the thing sounds really scary to me, no matter how careful I would try to be. Please help...

[SpoonyBard]

I've never tried the boiling method myself (the baking is unnecessary, you just have to make sure its totally dry before using it. Baking just speeds that up) but I remember the thread it came up in and the people that tried it seemed pretty impressed.

I've always cleaned the pins with contact cleaner (deoxit is a pretty popular one) and bent them back into place. On my personal system, I also disabled the lockout chip. I haven't had a problem booting a game in years.

[Teh Lurv]

Contact cleaner = DeOxit. You should be able to find it at any Radio Shack or similar store.

[Jagosaurus]

I got an entirely new pin set on eBay for $8 about a year ago. Easy to change out.

[ApolloBoy]

I've found that boiling is the best way to go, I've had great luck with it and it also means that the "ZIF" feeling is kept intact so the connector doesn't have a death grip on your carts.

[cowgod]

I've found that boiling is the best way to go, I've had great luck with it and it also means that the "ZIF" feeling is kept intact so the connector doesn't have a death grip on your carts.

Can you provide specific instructions on how to do it, or do some exist somewhere already that you can point me to? Does it have to be distilled water? Bottled water? Tap water okay? Does it matter if it's a glass pan vs. a metal one? How long do you boil it? How long should you let it dry? Do you have to add anything to the water? Do you just drop the connector in when the water is already boiling? If the connector falls to the bottom of the pan, won't it be too close to the burner and melt?

The whole thing freaks me out...

[SpoonyBard]

The original post

There is no physical bending required. Assuming the principal works the same as with plastic (of which boiling is a common practice), the heat relaxes the metal and allows it to more closely assume its original shape. I'd also assume it removes any oil or other residue and debris.

I suggest using either filtered or distiller water, otherwise you can get residue from the water when it dries.

Boil water. Place connector in water for 5 minutes. I suggest placing it plastic side down, as I have found the metal to discolour if it touches the pot, although it doesn't seem to harm anything. Don't worry, the plastic will not melt. Take out of pot, and shake the water out. I do this by wrapping it in a towel and spinning the towel around. Then I use a hair dryer to dry it completely. If you are boiling a lot of connectors, you can literally bake them dry in the oven (275 degrees).

Allow the connector to cool then enjoy the games.

[Teh Lurv]

Can you provide specific instructions on how to do it, or do some exist somewhere already that you can point me to? Does it have to be distilled water? Bottled water? Tap water okay? Does it matter if it's a glass pan vs. a metal one?

A crystal bowl filled with the tears of SEGA fanboys.

[jinxmitchell]

I've found that boiling is the best way to go, I've had great luck with it and it also means that the "ZIF" feeling is kept intact so the connector doesn't have a death grip on your carts.

Can you provide specific instructions on how to do it, or do some exist somewhere already that you can point me to? Does it have to be distilled water? Bottled water? Tap water okay? Does it matter if it's a glass pan vs. a metal one? How long do you boil it? How long should you let it dry? Do you have to add anything to the water? Do you just drop the connector in when the water is already boiling? If the connector falls to the bottom of the pan, won't it be too close to the burner and melt?

The whole thing freaks me out...

Here's a video:

[cowgod]

Okay guys, I took the NES apart and boiled the 72 pin connector as instructed in the linked video. When I put it back together, I got a game to boot successfully. However, when I removed it and tried another game, it didn't work anymore. And then the original game that did work, stopped working again. What else should I try? Bending the pins? I can't find this DeOxit stuff anywhere, and Ace Hardware and Home Depot don't know what I am talking about. I suppose I could try Radio Shack, but I don't really like shopping there.