So I ordered a few overseas/PAL games I didn't have from a guy and finally got around to testing them last night. Two of them didn't work....so I tried to clean the contacts - nothing - cleanest things I'd ever seen. The guy I got them from was in Sweden, and they were only about $6 each, so i figured there's no way I'm sending these things back to Sweden and I might as well pop them open.
Well, I pop them open and plugging the chips in, both games work. I fiddle around with the cart for another 20 minutes, and finally, the only way I can get them to work is to take the spring loaded end protector mechanism (if someone has a better name for that let me know!) out and as 'open ender' carts, they both work fine.
I've been doing this for over 20 years, and this is the first time I've ever had to do anything like that to get a cart going. I was testing them on a 4 switch Atari....do some of the US Ataris somehow sit a little higher or something??
Anyway, I was also wondering if anyone else has had to do something unique to get a cart to work....