Can I Clean My NES' Connectors With 50% Isopropyl Alcohol?

Mr. Anderson

Mr. Anderson

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My NES is all fucked up. The picture is distorted when I start it up, and it sometimes resets automatically. How can I fix this?

EDIT/NEW TOPIC: Can I clean the inside of my NES with 50% Isopropyl Alcohol? Or do I need something more pure?
 
Buy a 72 pin connector off ebay for 5 bucks then install it...then it should play like new.

Mine was the same way, always giving me the blinking screen or a scrambled screen. I opened up the case, installed a new 72 pin connector, tightened up some screws for the controller ports, and now it works like new.
 
[quote name='blackjaw']Buy a 72 pin connector off ebay for 5 bucks then install it...then it should play like new.

Mine was the same way, always giving me the blinking screen or a scrambled screen. I opened up the case, installed a new 72 pin connector, tightened up some screws for the controller ports, and now it works like new.[/quote]
Really? You can buy them for $5.00 bucks on eBay? I was under the impression they sold for around $15.00 to $20.00.
 
[quote name='yukine']Really? You can buy them for $5.00 bucks on eBay? I was under the impression they sold for around $15.00 to $20.00.[/quote]

You can find them even cheaper but it is the shipping that usually brings it up. The shipping is usuay anywhere from to 8 dollars. So technically you are baying atleast 12 dollars.
 
[quote name='dtarasev']You can find them even cheaper but it is the shipping that usually brings it up. The shipping is usuay anywhere from to 8 dollars. So technically you are baying atleast 12 dollars.[/quote]
Good to know, but thankfully, I don't need one just yet. I bought my NES for like a dollar at a yard sale, and I think the person who owned it really never played it, the pin was perfect.
 
You used to be able to call NoA and they would send one out to you for free. I got one like this a year or two ago. Not sure if they still do it or not.
 
Open up your nes.

Take out the 72 pin connector.

Clean it with a metal cleaner such as Brasso, or something from 'Mothers' brand of car care products. Iso alcohol is NOT good enough. You need a metal polish or cleaner. When you clean the pins you will see black stuff come off onto the cloth you use. Thats the oxidation thats occured over the years.

If you games fit very loosly into the slot, you can take a small screwdriver, or steakknife or whatever, and carefully bend each pin out a little, so it will make for a tighter fit. You can test this before you put the connector back into the nes. Be careful not to make it too tight, the first time I did it, I needed pliers to pull the cart back out of the nes! lol

Put it all back together and it should work again, be sure to clean you games as well, also using the metal polish/cleaner.

You do not need a new 72 pin connector, no one does.

The #1 mistake I see people making is that they only use iso alcohol for cleaning games and systems. And it just doesnt work that well. For a 20 year old game, you need a metal cleaner/polish.

Try this... take iso alcohol and clean a nes cart. You should see some black stuff come off onto the cloth you use. Clean it until you no longer see the black stuff. Clean right? Not! Now take metal polish/cleaner and clean the contacts again and marvel at all the new dirt that you have found. ;)
 
MCM electronics is a good site to get 72 pin connectors from. More reliable and cheaper shipping than ebay. I'm to lazy to post the site so look it up on google.
 
[quote name='Mr. Anderson']Can I clean the inside of my NES with 50% Isopropyl Alcohol? Or do I need something more pure?[/quote]

Have you tried cleaning your games? Try using some Windex and Q-tips, just keep rubbing it on the connectors until the Q-tip comes out clean with no dirt on it. Then just use another one to dry it out. All my games work fine now after doing that (I have a top loader though..)
 
Go to target or some drug store and you can pick up some 90% Isopropyl Alcohol for a dollar. That would be better than 50%. I really haven't seen any of that metal polish, but I have seen some contact cleaner at the hardware store. I wonder if that is just as good?
 
Go to walmart and get some MAAS - its a metal polish cream that works wonders on cleaning contacts on old NES games and stuff - its on the same aisle that has air fresheners and drain cleaners. Its around $3.50, but it lasts a long time.
 
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