Tips on Preserving Your 72-pin Connector

[Tr3vor]

so, ever since i got my new 72-pin from ebay, i wanted to keep my NES in its best condition. so if anybody has connector preservation tips i would like to hear them, and i think others would like to too.

 

i think i have one, when not playing a game, then leave the cart in the upper position of the mechanism. this wont bend the pins when not in use.

 

Tr3vor

[phaxda]

I never leave a cart in the system. I clean carts before they go in (q-tip/alcohol), no exceptions. I use the Official Nintendo Cleaning System at least every month or so. I have a top-loader, but the toaster has a special place in my heart and I like having it hooked up with composite cables. It's hooked up to my main living room TV right now.

[+save2600]

Never, EVER blow into an NES cart (or any cart for that matter) or the 72-pin connector. You're just encouraging the things to oxidize when you do.

[Devbinks]

Yeah, I think they pretty much covered it

 

I still have the original connector in mine. When I first got it from Play N Trade, I opened the NES up and reset the connector pins so that they now hold the games as well as a brand new connector. Now I just clean each game before using it and I make sure not to leave any cartridges in the system when not in use.

[STICH666]

Instead of bending the pins next time, run it through the dishwasher with jet-dry. It usually takes off all the oxidation.

[Tr3vor]

but with no cart in it, wouldnt the dust have a better chance of getting on the pins? then you will have no option but to blow in the console, or take it apart, but im not up for taking it apart every time i want to play it.

[fiddlepaddle]

Five NES Preservation Don'ts:

 

- Don't leave your NES on the back porch after you get your N64 and forget about it until you eventually donate it to Salvation Army.

- If it's raining, don't leave your NES out on top of the dining room table during your garage sale.

- Don't force a bagel into your NES; the slot isn't big enough. Besides, it's not an actual "toaster" anyway.

- Don't dip a cartridge in peanut butter before inserting it into the machine. If you do dip your cartridge in peanut butter, lick it off and clean it thoroughly, EVEN IF THE PEANUT BUTTER GOT HARD!

- Don't take your NES into the shower or bathtub with you without unplugging it first.

 

For total preservation, have your NES frozen in carbonite.

[Chris Leach]

Conspiracy theory,

"My observations": Nintendo 8-bit systems were never meant to last.

Everyone who bought a system replaced the system within the first year if they played them.

Nintendo knew the pin connectors would need to be changed, that is why they posted a "Authorized Nintendo Repair" logo. What was the logo? Mario carrying a screw driver and a tool box. Every major street corner had an "Authorized Nintendo Repair" mom and pop shop, cause they knew they could make money on repairing the damn things....

 

The only way to guarantee your nes forever is to either A...put it in a ziplock bag and suck the moisture out and never play it forever or B....stock up on new 72 pin connectors and keep them in an air tight chamber....

 

Damn, I miss those mario repair guys...ANYONE HERE EVER HAVE TO REPLACE AN ATARI PIN CONNECTOR? OF COURSE NOT!!!!

[CGQuarterly]

I agree with the tips given so far. Properly taken care of, an original 72-pin connector should continue to work just fine.

 

I hate to post this because my site is not yet ready for public view, but I wrote a little article about how to refurbish a 72-pin connector if you start getting a case of the blinkies.

 

http://www.cgquarterly.com/articles/blinknes.htm

 

Chris

[Tr3vor]

someone thats good with this stuff should go to china, and design a 72-pin that doesnt need to press down, so the pins dont have to bend, just stick it in there like a regular cart slot then there ya go! that would be a good thing. then if you want to, just press the thing up and down with out a cart in for shits and giggles.

[CGQuarterly]

Well, you could always just buy a top-loader...

 

I agree that the ZIF socket was a foolish idea, but I think that Nintendo designed it that way so that a cart would not be visible when the door was closed, since they were trying to make the US NES not look like a video game system.

 

Chris

[Lendorien]

The 72 pin connector I replaced my old one with was so rigid that all I have to do is insert the game. No pressing down to lock the tray. I suppose eventually they might get worn out, but I'm not going to speed up the process my pressing down the tray.

[tz101]

Store your system away from extreme cold or hot temperatures along with high humidity (worst enemy of game contacts). Do not leave game cartridges inserted when not playing them. Clean your game cartridge contacts with 91% isopropyl alcohol at least once a month. Following these simple rules will make your 72-pin connector last for decades.

[shadow460]

Buy a 7800 and play that instead. OK, that is a joke, but keep thinkin' about that ProSystem for a minute. I'm gonna use it as an example.

 

My honest advice is not to worry about the 72 pin connector, and when it goes bad simply replace it. It takes about an hour if you're not mechanically inclined and you need a #2 Phillips screwdriver. While you're in there, either trhow a switch in series with the lockout chip (the hard way), or disable the lockout chip (the easy way). Problems solved, no more blinkies or pink screens to worry about. Seriously, after I did this, my toaster is about as picky as my ProSystem. The NES has a door over the slot, whereas the 7800 does not. I leave an empty cart shell in the 7800; on the NES I just close the door when I am done. I don't clean my NES games on a regular basis, either--there's no need to.

 

Blowing into the carts does one thing for me. Actually I blow into 2600 carts far more often than NES ones. If the cart doesn't boot at first, I blow into it to add moisture to the contacts and increase conductivity. If it works after that, it's dirty, if not, the cart needs repair. That's why blowing works, due to moisture--there's just not enough dust removed to matter. Don't believe me? Look at any air cooled PC that hasn't been cleaned since 1956. Despite the deep shag carpet, you never have to blow into a RAM or PCI slot before installing something. Just knock the shag off the top and plug in. Same computer never gets errors due to dust buildup in used or unused slots. This is in a machine that has dusty air being forcefully blown into it, not just having dust settle onto it. That said, it's good to clean a computer out every once in a while, or, better yet, to filter the incoming air.

 

Back to the 7800. One never has to blow into the slot to get it working. One rarely has to blow into the games to get them to work, either. That goes for many cart based systems, not just the 7800. When was the last time you blew into your N64 or DS? How about the last time you blew on one of their games?

 

IMO, someone made a better connector than Nintendo did. Install one. Buy yourself a good quality 72 pin connector (read: one that's NOT from ebay) put the thing in, and game on!

 

I guess if you want tips on trouble free operation that don't involve opening the console the only thing I can say is to keep the door closed and store games in their sleeves. Better yet, store the games in their retail boxes. We've also seen the plastic clamshell boxes that'll hold NES games. Those would work, too. I will say, though, this will do more for keeping your games looking nice than it will to keep your NES running smooth.

Edited January 31, 2010 by shadow460

[Tr3vor]

speaking of sleeves, i need to get some, i only have 2

[Tr3vor]

i has a question! if a game has a case of blinkies when i put it in the first time, is it good for it to take it out and put it back in? it usually fixes my problem. does it cause the dust or whatever to harm the connectors?

Edited February 1, 2010 by Tr3vor

[shadow460]

Not at all. Pull it out, re insert it, and play. As long as you can live with how reliable your system is, the all is well.

 

In other words, if it ain't broke, then don't fix it.

[Seob]

Don't believe me? Look at any air cooled PC that hasn't been cleaned since 1956. Despite the deep shag carpet, you never have to blow into a RAM or PCI slot before installing something.

Didn't know they had pci slots in 1956. They must have misled us for years, since they had isa slots first. Those d*** computer company's.

[Eltigro]

Absolute best way to keep your 72 pin connector in tip top pristine shape is, once you install it...

 

 

never play your NES again. lol, jk

 

I had one go bad on me and put the NES on the floor. Ordered a connector on EBay and waited for my package to come in the mail. It got there about a week later and I went to the NES to pick it up and install the new connector and, guess what, the cat had peed on the NES. So I spent about four hours cleaning cat piss out of my toaster with alcohol and a whole box of cotton swabs, installed my new connector, reassembled, hooked everything up, put in a game, turned it on... ... nothing...

 

f-ing cats...

 

This was about two or three years ago and the NES is still sitting on a shelf (I can see it from here) with a brand new connector in it.

 

In pristine condition... or is that, piss-tine condition...

[Tr3vor]

i have one more question, is it bad for the pins to use a game genie?

[CGQuarterly]

Some people believe that it bends the pins, but I have some doubts. If that were the case, then it would be bad for your NES for you to insert cartridges into it in the first place.

 

Chris

[tz101]

i have one more question, is it bad for the pins to use a game genie?

 

Nothing that a jeweler's screwdriver and some gently prying on the pins cannot correct. Even that will not be needed until after years of using the GG.