Bloody Red Screen of Death...

[Gregory DG]

Seems a bunch of my carts have been give me the red screen. At one point they worked much better through the JagCD instead of directly into the system, but now they're about equal.

 

Should I use alcohol and clean the contacts? On the carts or in the cartridge port(s)?

[jaguar_fan]

Seems a bunch of my carts have been give me the red screen. At one point they worked much better through the JagCD instead of directly into the system, but now they're about equal.

 

Should I use alcohol and clean the contacts? On the carts or in the cartridge port(s)?

 

 

A red screen usually tells you that the cartridge is not properly recognized. This can be due to dirty contacts on the cartridge or missing/bent contacts in your Jaguar/CD.

 

Visually check the contacts on your Jaguar/CD first. Use a flashlight and just have a look. If everything looks fine, check the cartridge´s contacts. In most cases it´s oxydation on the contacts which prevents proper contacting. You can use what I call "benzine" or "petroleum ether", which is perfect for cleaning. It does not harm the contacts and will evaporate quickly. Use cotton cloth (old T shirt, etc.).

 

If that does not help use a soft (!!) erasor. Make sure you clean the rubber away completely before inserting the cartridge into the Jaguar.

 

The above steps are the ones I am taking. So far I could "reactivate" any cartridge.

 

Avoid touching the cartridge´s contacts with your fingers, grease and dust will speed up oxydation. Keep the cartridges in a dry place. Store them away so they do not catch too much dust.

 

DON´T fiddle around with the contacts in your Jaguar/CD. If they look fine, leave them as they are. They are "self cleaning" (by inserting cartridges with clean contacts)!

Edited March 6, 2007 by jaguar_fan

[The Helper]

What always worked for me was just blowing real hard into the cart to knock out the dust and the same in the Jaguar Cart port. Never had to use alcohol or erasers but maybe you might if blowing does not work.

[+LS650]

I find that it's usually more the cart than the Jaguar that is the problem. I've bought a few NIB carts recently, and they've all worked great on the first try, whereas the older carts tend to give me a red screen if I haven't played them in a while.

 

I suspect that over time a slight layer of dust or even oxidation causes a poor contact. The old blow trick seems to work, though it may just be the act of plugging/unpluggin the cart scrapes away that bit of dust/oxidation.

[Gregory DG]

Thanks. I've saved many a 2600 cart by using the eraser trick. They just seemed to work better in the JagCD vs. without it, so I was wondering if it was some other contact issue.

[Video]

I get that a lot. My Jaguar went through a lot of abuse when my cousins lived here, and the contacts are bent a little. They would litterally slam the carts into the system (especially when the red screen poped up lol ) And I'm truely surprised it still works at all.

 

I can insert the carts and then pull them part way out and useually it'll make better contact and work reliably. I still got a second system in case this one finely dies on me.

[+LS650]

Ouch! You know I've heard different comments about the reliability of the CD add-on (some positive, some negative) but the base console and controllers are sturdy little things. They can take a lot of abuse - though I always baby my systems!

[Shawn]

What always worked for me was just blowing real hard into the cart to knock out the dust and the same in the Jaguar Cart port. Never had to use alcohol or erasers but maybe you might if blowing does not work.

 

 

That is not what your doing by "blowing" into the cart. Your actually creating an amount of conductivity from the mosture in your breath that helps for a short period of time to make the contact better between the cart and the connector. This will leave residue on both your system & your carts in the long run making the situation worse.

[+LS650]

So why does a can of compressed air have the same effect?

 

That theory sounds like an old wives' tale to me.

Edited March 7, 2007 by ls650

[+FujiSkunk]

So why does a can of compressed air have the same effect?

 

Compressed air packs a whole lot more wallop than your breath ever could.

 

At least after 8 AM...

Edited March 7, 2007 by skunkworx

[Shawn]

So why does a can of compressed air have the same effect?

 

That theory sounds like an old wives' tale to me.

 

Not a wives tale, a fact.

[Video]

Well, spit in your breath can cause a build up on the contacts, but not everybody sprays it when they say it Any form of compressed air will have the same effect (of making the cart work, not causeing corrosion) But if that is working, it's probably a light layer that's easily knocked off is already on the cart. Or maybe it's the fact that people quickly and carelessly slam the cart in befor the contacts can 'get dirty again' that causes it to work. :\ Eh, anyhow.

 

As for old wives tales, yeah, I'd agree with that. Most problems with systems are, or at least, are a reflection of people not takeing care of them.

 

I personally have never heard of a blowjob killing an NES for example, in fact they tend to last well beyond their expected life due to that.( in the case of Nintendo, faulty design, not the blowjob is to blame for the problems) Atari carts (especially 2600,) can go their entier life without being cleaned, and still work perfectly to this day. (people believe you should clean everything several times a year) Touching the controll port won't automatically fry the system, (some people sya it'll fry anything, which is technically possible, I suppose, but how often does it happen) Heck, as many times as I've accidentally left the systems on for weeks at a tiime, or yanked and inserted a cart with the power on, you'd expect if there was any truth to ruining the system or game that way, I would have by now. etc, etc, etc. Hell, maybe I'm just unuseually lucky?

 

All old wives tales and bunk. The reality is, if you take some care of the system, and don't make a habbit of throwing it across the room or whatever, it should pretty much last forever (now the CD drives on the other hand....)

Edited March 7, 2007 by Video

[Gregory DG]

^^ Well, you maybe never HEARD of it happening because I bet no one identifies blowing into the cart as the cause. Just like static electricity. It probably destroys more equipment than people know.

[+LS650]

Not a wives tale, a fact.

If it's a fact as you say, perhaps you can post some sort of evidence for your theory.

[Mcfurfan1]

ah yes the red screen of doom. Ive found that pressing down on a bad cartridge and holding down while you power the system on seems to work with my stubborn Tempest 2000 cartridge. I wuz so pissed when i got it that it didnt work it took me several min to get it to run. Speaking of holding games in while you power it on i used to stuff the guiness book of world records (1990 edition) into my nes back in the day to get that to work

[RARusk]

"I personally have never heard of a blowjob killing an NES for example, in fact they tend to last well beyond their expected life due to that.( in the case of Nintendo, faulty design, not the blowjob is to blame for the problems)"

 

Blowjobs and NES's. Oh, the mental pictures one can paint with that.....

[ovalbugmann]

^^ Well, you maybe never HEARD of it happening because I bet no one identifies blowing into the cart as the cause. Just like static electricity. It probably destroys more equipment than people know.

 

The Atari Times, nice website man. Also the 2-disc Atari CD set I bought from you is really cool! Thanks. Yes, static electricity damage would be hard to detect, things just won't work and you probably would never know something was shorted out by it. However, simply blowing the dust out of the edge connectors area of a Jaguar cartridge seems like it can do no harm, as long as you don't hock a lougie in there the humidity in your breath if it did stick to the contacts would very quickly be dried up, at least here in the Sonoran Desert of Phoenix, Arizona. Electronics last a long time here, like in Silicon Valley California, as long as you don't leave 'em out in the summer heat. Now, Edge connectors for the Jag are made of what looks to be a copper alloy, or gold alloy for BattleSphere. According to well known Atari Mega-dealer Best-Electronics' article they no longer use aluminum for any edge connectors and now use copper which does not rust. It may build up an green oxidation like the Statue of Liberty did.

 

Since Jaguar cartridge edge connectors are self cleaning with the inserting into the cartridge slot, I've found what LS650 said to be very accurate:

 

I suspect that over time a slight layer of dust or even oxidation causes a poor contact. The old blow trick seems to work, though it may just be the act of plugging/unpluggin the cart scrapes away that bit of dust/oxidation.

 

So how does blowing into a Jaguar cart cause damage? Please explain.

Edited March 9, 2007 by ovalbugmann

[G7000]

I must admit that the red screen of death happens a lot more than I'd expect it to. I thought it was just my Jag until I read that many others have the same issue.

 

Of course with the CD add-on there's no red screen, just the usual VLM bank but with a picture of the back of the Jag with an arrow pointing to the power input, but I know it's an equal error to the red screen.

 

When it occurs I just unplug the cartridge and try again, usually takes about three attempts then it's fine.

 

 

Edited March 18, 2007 by G7000

[Duke 4ever]

Usually when it just happens I blow on the cart until it works.

[cessnaace]

Mine has given me this problem and I suspected bent contacts in the cartridge port, as the cartridges will move back and forth just touching them. Just giving the cartridge a tap will usually clear the problem up. I mentioned this to the manager of a local retro gaming store that repairs and mods old systems. He replied that bent contacts in the cartridge port is almost certainly the cause.

[AtariORdead]

Are people still daft enough to actually blow onto the contacts of a cart. I thought everyone knew not to do that as you are blowing moisture directly onto the contacts.

 

And for those disputing it and saying its just like compressed air, think about this, when you blow on a glass, mirror, window etc then rub it clean. why does this work, because you are creating a film of moisture that you then use to wipe away any marks. Thats the same amount of moisture you are putting on the contacts. Plus no matter who you are, when you blow there is always small amounts of spittle as well.

Edited February 27, 2015 by AtariORdead

[sh3-rg]

Are people still daft enough to actually blow onto the contacts of a cart. I thought everyone knew not to do that as you are blowing moisture directly onto the contacts.

 

Well it was 8 years ago, maybe they wised up between then and the necrobump...

[AtariORdead]

 

Well it was 8 years ago, maybe they wised up between then and the necrobump...

I would hope so.

[NeoGeoNinja]

I would hope so.

 

Yes.

[Rick Dangerous]

I never get the red screen of death. I keep my Jaguar clean by licking it until all ports and sockets are free of dust and lint.