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How to clean your connectors


Gummy Bear

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Since I'm always rapping about people cleaning their cart connectors, I thought I'd make this guide on how to do it properly :)

It's amazing how many supposed issues can be fixed by clean connectors.

 

Things you will need:

 

A Jaguar and a cartridge (preferably dirty):

post-7648-0-03873700-1541963585_thumb.jpg

 

 

Some isopropyl alcohol swabs and 2 pieces of plastic card. One roughly the same width as the swabs (like the one pictured) and one small enough to fit in the little end of the connector (which I can't find...) :

post-7648-0-27059500-1541963750_thumb.jpg

 

 

If you want to go ghetto instead, you will need a clean t-shirt and some isopropyl or lighter fluid:

post-7648-0-99420100-1541963936_thumb.jpg

 

 

Wrap your swab over the edge of your plastic card and insert into one end of the cartridge slot, pull it straight up, move along a bit, then down and up again.

Repeat, repeat. Do NOT move the card sideways while it's inside the slot as you could bend the connectors.

You'll need your small card to get your swab into the small end of the connector.

Keep doing this until the swabs are coming out gleaming white:

post-7648-0-59584700-1541964129_thumb.jpg

 

 

Or do the same, ghetto style, with your (preferably white) t-shirt.

Keep the shirt tight over the card so no baggy parts will snag the connector pins, keep wetting it with isopropyl or lighter fluid, move onto a clean patch of shirt, up and down and up and down:

post-7648-0-12713100-1541964220_thumb.jpg

 

 

That's your console done!

Now onto the cart!

 

Things you will need:

 

Isopropyl or lighter fluid and cotton buds (q-tips) :

post-7648-0-92600300-1541964439_thumb.jpg

 

 

Grasp your cartridge by the bottom as shown.

I try to keep my fingers off the label so I don't leave any impressions (though the cart shown is a ratty second hand one) :

post-7648-0-33891300-1541964658_thumb.jpg

 

 

Dip your cotton bud in your IPA or lighter fluid and scrub those connectors real good!

Keep doing both sides of the connector with fresh buds and fresh liquid until they are coming away gleaming white:

post-7648-0-10410500-1541964783_thumb.jpg

 

 

You will likely find that some cotton threads get stuck in there. Just get some tweezers and pull them out.

You're pretty much done at this point, but I like to give my carts the GOLD treatment!

 

If you want to do the GOLD treatment, you will need another cotton bud and some DeOxit contact enhancer.

The correct use of DeOxit not only protects the contacts and enhances the electrical connection, but it also lubricates the connector so that insertion and removal of the carts is smoother.

This can only be good for the cartridge slot.

post-7648-0-31866600-1541965227_thumb.jpg

 

 

Similar procedure to before, but use the DeOxit sparingly! Just one drop on one side of the cotton bud will do for both sides of the connector. Make sure you also wet the beveled edge of the connector:

post-7648-0-39979500-1541965352_thumb.jpg

 

 

Now use the clean end of the cotton bud to clean any DeOxit from the plastic parts, then wipe any excess from the connectors, while leaving a nice, light sheen on the pins and the beveled edge:

post-7648-0-80310100-1541965550_thumb.jpg

post-7648-0-82667100-1541965569_thumb.jpg

 

 

And that's it!

Every cart I get for every system goes through this, even if it's brand new (my OCD demands it...)

 

As long as you clean your carts and make sure they stay clean, you should only have to do your console once.

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Nice guide, although when I first saw the picture with the red arrows, I thought you wanted us to slide sideways until I read "Do NOT move the card sideways ".

 

Amazingly, I used your exact cleaning method on my teeth.

Oh wow... My arrows have failed me!

I thought they would make it extra clear: down up across down up.

 

Ah well :)

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I guess they have it on their website sold in US dollars, and I just did a Google search on it. Sorry. Novice question. I was just curious. Thanks anyway for the great guide. I will try it. :D

Yes! Your Jag deserves the gold treatment. :)

DeOxit should be easy to find in the US as I think it is a US product.

I got mine from ebay.

It'll last you for years as well.

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I have a question. The DeOxit. Can a person get something like that in the United States? I would like to find something similar to that here in my country. I am sure you can, but I never heard of it before, hence the question. Or, is it sold as something similar in the US? Thanks. :)

 

I just order it from ebay and it wasn't too expensive:

https://tinyurl.com/y9wmt9xm

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Yeah, I could order it from eBay as well. I like cleaning my Jaguar products to make them work better. Oxidation happens eventually. So, I do it as a fail-safe measure for that. I live in a basement apartment, so that makes it even more likely. Thanks for the info. It is appreciated. :)

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Yes! Your Jag deserves the gold treatment. :)

DeOxit should be easy to find in the US as I think it is a US product.

I got mine from ebay.

It'll last you for years as well.

Agreed. The company that sell the DeOxit, whose website I found, are located in the US state of California. Music to my ears. I might buy a kit. I want my Jag to purr longer and better. So, it isn't expensive. I want to try it. :)

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Nice tutorial pretty much covers everything. I'm a cleaner too, I've gotten many games (and a few systems) over the years because they were "dead" and many have been brought back by simple cleaning.

 

a place to get card stock, I'd add. Use an old credit card, or key card, these make great poser carts for cleaning your console, and are easy to cut to the required shape of size you need.

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