Problem with Popeye cartridge.

[EightiesMan]

Ten years ago, my Atari 5200 and its cartridges were exposed to mold from open windows in my unfinished basement. I cleaned them as best I could and all games appear to work fine to this day, except Popeye, my favorite game. It stopped working two years ago.

 

Ten or so seconds into the start of the game, graphic anomalies appear in parts of the screen; detached fragments start moving about with the characters. On one instance, Popeye appears to walk on thin air as the uppermost levels at the sides seem to extend themselves past the staircases to the center of the screen. Ten more seconds later, the entire game freezes, the colors change, and the music freezes in a long buzz. I've tried cleaning it multiple times with alcohol on a Q-tip, to no avail.

 

In 2016, I bought a used cartridge for $7.00 which also had the same problem; luckily they refunded me. Later, I bought another used one for about $20.00, which was a bit bumpy at first, but did stabilize itself with some cleaning. The store inspected my console and said there was nothing wrong with any of its components.

 

Last year, I tested out my original cartridge and it continued to freeze. However, when I put the new one in, it froze as well and has not recovered even after cleaning.

 

Has anyone had similar problems with Popeye? What could be the problem? Does my original cartridge have something on it that transferred to the new one? or did the new one simply deteriorate after a year?

 

I am afraid to waste money on yet another cartridge. If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it.

Edited January 21, 2018 by EightiesMan

[bohoki]

clean contacts doesnt mean conductive contacts maybe try a bit of steel wool to remove oxidation

[EightiesMan]

clean contacts doesnt mean conductive contacts maybe try a bit of steel wool to remove oxidation

You mean like a Brillo pad? Apply it sparingly?

[atari181]

You mean like a Brillo pad? Apply it sparingly?

You can use a very fine grit sandpaper if you don't have steel wool. Just be careful and gently clean the contacts.

[BigO]

With some very stubborn 2600 cartridges, I've had success with a piece of Scotch-Brite pad held in a hemostat and Deoxit Gold.

Scotch-Brite is abrasive and I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a daily practice, but when it's down to trying abrasives or throwing away the cartridge, I try the abrasive.