How to you use to make your NES work?

[fainflinn]

Was thinking about my first game system today and I remember all the different ways ppl use to make the nintendo work

Mine personally you had to take the game out run your finger down the chip to sort of clean it off then blow into the cartridge insert the game back in press it down 4 times then smack the sides of the nintendo 3 times to make the game work. And this was the exact procedure u could not slap the sides 2 times or 4 times no it had to be exactly 3 times or you had to repeat the whole process.

I remember other ppl with these systems had similar tricks to making thiers work ....what was yours?

[Organoth]

Well running your finger down the "chip" as you called it is a very bad idea as you will get oil from your finger on it and it can interfere with it's connection. Trying to blow the dust out was probably the most common thing people did but it doesn't do anything unless the game was actually sitting around long enough to collect dust.

[shamental]

On my nes I used to blow the cartridges so much because they bugged all the time, on my snes I used a paper between the cartridge and the console to tight it up so it wont move and reset the game.

[mklovin]

Wouldn't push it all the way in, and put something in the door to keep the cartridge pressed down further than what it wanted to be after clicked into position

[Holy]

When I was young I almost never got Toasters to work. If I had known that a little bit of alcohol usually fixes it right up when run across the cartridge and pin reader I would have probably played more NES. Nowadays I use a top loader, and I never have any problems with it.

[Olala]

Use an eraser from a number 2 pencil. It's rubber, and rubber is great for cleaning that dust off and does not have oil on it.
Works every time

[Shifthappens]

Sandpaper ftw

[ramennoodleking]

Game wouldn't load? Stick it in the freezer for an hour, it would work instantly everytime. And in the meantime we would go outside and (gasp) play, which helped us not be obese.

[Rhodair]

Rubbing alcohol is the best way to clean the cartridge. Make sure it's fully dry before using.

If you decide to use the freezer trick, place it in a plastic bag first.

[Mechazod]

I purchased a replacement 72 Pin connector, every NES game I got I would give a quick cleaning with a q-tip with some cleaning solution on the connector and then would put them in the sleeves to prevent them from getting dirty again, pop them in the system and have no problems at all with them, maybe once in a blue moon do I have to hit reset from a glitch or re-clean the game. Also I doubt if it actually does anything but something I have always done ever since hearing a rumor about it years ago was to slightly push the cartridge over to the right.


Now a cousin of mine would do insane things like sticking in the game, then sticking another NES game in on top of that and then putting in like 15 cents worth of change in the little gap between the 2nd cartridge and the top of the NES. Apparently this somehow made the games work better for him.


As far as I recall the way the connectors were designed the more use it would have such as pushing in a cartridge would bend parts of it and not bend back after the game was taken out after years of use. You can fix them if you open up the system and bend them back but I always just payed for a fresh new connector for my NES systems, barely cost anything. From what I remember the top loaders didn't have this problem since they used a normal adapter like in a SNES or N64.

Game wouldn't load? Stick it in the freezer for an hour, it would work instantly everytime. And in the meantime we would go outside and (gasp) play, which helped us not be obese.

If anyone still does something like this I highly suggest reading the back label on a NES game.

[Kankuri]

There are are a few things that have already been mentioned that you can do:

1. Purchase and install a new 72 pin connector to the NES motherboard.
I've done this many times for other NESs that experience performance issues. It may seem a little scary to crack open something that is so seeming fragile, but there are fantastic tutorials everywhere for this.

2. Get an alcohol-based cleaning solution and Q-tips to clean the games.
The bottom connectors of NES games are of a copper-based metal. While this allows for more conductivity, the copper is prone oxidizing very easily if left in poor conditions. There are three solutions that can work for cleaning the connectors; classic Windex, hydrogen peroxide, or a generic solution of 50% isopropyl alcohol/50% water. All you have to do is dip the q-tips in the solution, then brush the connectors vigorously (and cautiously). You'll soon see how dirty it is. I recommend that you repeat cleaning each individual connector until you can't get any more filth from them.

3. Treat the NES nicely.
I can't tell you how many friends of mine have problems out of their NES, but I soon figure out that they do things like others have already mentioned. The chances of sticking an old cartridge into a freezer and it actually helping are non-existent. Period. Some of the other people have stated that shoving things into the NES to tighten the space has also worked. While this may actually work, it is only temporary. Every time you add pressure the 72 pin connector, you are causing it to become that much more unreliable, thus requiring more and more pressure to achieve the same performance. Eventually, it won't work at all.

Fixing a NES isn't hard, but it is something that is a dedicated effort.

[Zyzzyx]

Blowing inside the cartridge or console worked every.single.time.