Related topic: best way to clean the NES connector?

[Asaki]

Is there a chemist here who might know the answer to this great mystery?

 

http://blog.visiondecor.com/index.php/2008/11/18/the-explainer-why-does-hot-water-clean-better-than-cold-water/

 

I'm not a chemist though, I just searched for an answer and got one right away.

[BillyHW]

Is there a chemist here who might know the answer to this great mystery?

 

http://blog.visionde...han-cold-water/

 

I'm not a chemist though, I just searched for an answer and got one right away.

 

I suspect that's not the right answer.

[Austin]

I suspect that's not the right answer.

 

Why don't you look for the right one then? We're all waiting for your enlightening response.

[Asaki]

Idunno, sounds like a pretty legit answer to me...

[Oge]

It's surprising that the plastic is not damaged because a lot of plastic things get deformed when submerged into boiling water. I'd rather clean the contacts with toothbrush and alcohol before submerging the NES Connector into boiling water. The more the contacts are clean, the less you need to bend the contacts.

 

When I was a kid I've almost destroyed the 72 Pin Connector because I had blinking screen and I wanted to fix it, some weeks ago I resurrected my first NES and repaired it bending the pins which were almost destroyed during the previous attempt. The plastics of Nintendo products are rugged to an extent which is amazing

Edited June 4, 2012 by Oge

[atarilovesyou]

The plastic piece is very strong. Don't bother rebending this or that (unless you really have a WORN IN system)...try the boiling. Worked like a charm. Very easy, and no mess.

[Dave Farquhar]

The melting point of most plastics is well over 100C/212F, so boiling water won't harm the original connector. To oven-dry, just set your oven to 200 degrees and use that. I've treated other electronics (especially IBM Model M keyboards) by cleaning them with water and then baking them at 200 degrees F or 100 degrees C for a few minutes. But you can also just put them in a hot car for a while too, which doesn't cost anything.

 

I had always heard the original NES connector used an odd metal alloy that oxidized easily, but it could be that the problem is just dirt. Since so many people report the boiling trick works, that suggests to me the problem is dirt, not oxidation. But 10 minutes in boiling water isn't long enough to cause oxidation, or at least, any worse than it already is. Boiling in water is a common step when restoring old prewar Lionel trains, which are made largely of steel. The boiling process doesn't make them any rustier than they were when they started.

 

I haven't tried this yet, but I'm going to just as soon as I dig out my NES.

Edited June 11, 2012 by Dave Farquhar

[SRGilbert]

Probably the same reason people boil bass guitar strings.

Because they are cheap asses?

 

JK, I used to do that myself back when I was poor and gigging regularly. You get a little more life out of them at least.

[SRGilbert]

I personally swear by Deoxit products, and they aren't that expensive if you shop around. Try MCM Electronics, you can usually find coupons online.

 

I use this for general contact cleaning. I squirt some into a shot glass and the use a q-tip to scrub cart contacts.

 

 

 

 

 

Then, I use a lint free swab like this:

 

The head of these swabs is very flat, and works great for getting in between the contacts or apply to cart edge connectors.

 

To apply a couple of drops of this to the contact:

 

With the needle applicator, a little bottle of this will last years.

Edited June 12, 2012 by SRGilbert

[Austin]

Lint free swabs, great idea! I'll have to track some of those down.

[Asaki]

Because they are cheap asses?

 

That too.

 

I've never tried it. I was going to once, but then I decided to switch to flatwounds instead.

 

...which are even more expensive >_<

[SRGilbert]

Because they are cheap asses?

 

That too.

 

I've never tried it. I was going to once, but then I decided to switch to flatwounds instead.

 

...which are even more expensive >_<

 

Yeah, you are better off just wiping your strings down after a gig, but who thinks about that at 2:30 in the morning?

Edited June 13, 2012 by SRGilbert

[Asaki]

So I finally tried it, and I can't believe how well it worked. What I thought was a Coke-fried NES now works just fine.

 

I still had to wiggle a couple carts to get them to work, but that's still about 280% improvement.