New 72 pin or Bend the 72 Pins

[SpaceBooger]

I recently got two NES for $18, but they both need new 72 pin connectors. For now I opened one up and used a small flat head screwdriver to bend all of the pins back up to where they belong.
I am wondering if this is an adequate fix, or should I go ahead and get a new 72 pin connector?

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

I say keep the original 72 pin.

[Ziggy]

You should clean the pins too. On my friends NES, I cleaned the pins and bent them back up. Can't really notice a difference between his and mine with a new 72 pin connector.

[puke_face]

I didn't even think about trying this. I may do the same, lol. I've got one that flashes the pink screen. Haven't even taken off the cover yet....

[Ziggy]

If you don't have the right tools to clean the pins, it might be easier to just get a new pin connector for the $5-10 it costs. You have to take apart the system and remove the connector either way, so that part makes no difference.

[Dylan]

I'd say if it plays to your satisfaction, then just stick with the fix. You can always replace the part later.

[Mozgus]

Well if it works, then keep using it. Bending them back is a very delicate procedure. They have to really be bent evenly. I think if you bend one too far, it causes the neighbor pins to struggle to make contact. I had little success bending them so I bought a new one.

[Mr. GameFix]

I wouldn't recommend bending them either. The best way to fix the NES is to either
1) Replace the pin connector with a brand new pin connector, or
2) Clean the original pin connector with a quality metal cleaner

But if you are going to clean the pin connector, you don't want to use something like normal rubbing alcohol, as it really can't get the pin connector very clean. It's just not made to remove surface contamination from metal like that. I have only found one product that can really do an adequate job of removing the oxidation from metal pin connectors like this. That product is DeoxIT. It's the cleaner I use in my services, and I wouldn't recommend anything else.

But whether you decide to replace the pin connector or clean the original, you should always get all your games cleaned before putting them in the NES again. Otherwise, the games will start to contaminate the pin connector again and vice versa.

[MrPopo]

I have only found one product that can really do an adequate job of removing the oxidation from metal pin connectors like this. That product is DeoxIT. It's the cleaner I use in my services, and I wouldn't recommend anything else.

I'll have to remember that. I recently got a ROB from a coworker for free, but when I got it home I saw that there was some corrosion due to the batteries that had been in there for 8 years. I tried a bit of rubbing alcohol which removed the gross signs, but I still couldn't get it to respond with fresh batteries. I'll give that DeoxIT stuff a try.