help! sos!

[CARTRIDGE STEALER]

I was a victim of the recent hurrican this last year. my house was flooded as well as my garage which stored my toy and video game collection. ive been spending the past couple of months cleaning up. I havent tried my mame cab, punchout arcade games to see if they worked. my vintage video game collection was severely damaged. i submerged my games andf systems in cold water and put them containers of rice to soak up the moisture. like i said, i havent tested the games yet but some of them i noticed rust dripping down the cartridge (after the flood). i can guess that those games are goners? any help on this is greatly appreciated. im, still a mess!

[sqoon]

Does water automatically ruin games, or what if you take cartridge casings apart and use a blow dryer? All may not be as bad as you think.

 

Same way with consoles and cabs. I would get inside those ASAP and see what a hair dryer can do.

[kelrodjr]

Get your hands on some anhydrous (>99%) isopropyl alcohol and spray down your electronics/cartridge boards to remove any minerals or sediments, then dry thoroughly. The alcohol will displace any remaining moisture as well. Your games may still work.

[karokoenig]

Atari 2600, NES and other similar carts may work just fine after much longer exposure to moisture and/or dirt. You wouldn't believe the condition of some carts I purchased off eBay. What you often do have to do is open the carts and dry/clean them thoroughly inside. Loads of tutorials on YT about how to open Atari and other carts without breaking them.

[CARTRIDGE STEALER]

Atari 2600, NES and other similar carts may work just fine after much longer exposure to moisture and/or dirt. You wouldn't believe the condition of some carts I purchased off eBay. What you often do have to do is open the carts and dry/clean them thoroughly inside. Loads of tutorials on YT about how to open Atari and other carts without breaking them.

 

thank you so much!!! i bought some alchohol and tooth brushes and intended on doing a thorough cleaning this weekend. do i have to take the cartridges apart? what does it look like inside a nes or coleco cartridge?

[opeygon]

It's just a circuit board with a chip inside both I believe. You may have to ruin some labels in order to open them, sadly.

[Rex Dart]

It's just a circuit board with a chip inside both I believe. You may have to ruin some labels in order to open them, sadly.

 

I doubt they're still in... mint condition. He might possibly need a special bit to open those NES cart casings, I can't remember exactly what type of screw they used.

[jhd]

What about NES games with a battery back-up? I assume that the battery would have shorted out when it was submerged in (dirty) water, but would it take the rest of the circuit with it?

[karokoenig]

do i have to take the cartridges apart? what does it look like inside a nes or coleco cartridge?

 

Tiny circuit boards inside. You'll be surprised how much "game" fits on such a small thing, hehe... Opening original Atari carts takes a bit of practice, so you don't break any of the tabs that hold them together. Also remember or mark how the board was lodged into the cart, because often it fits both ways. Activision carts and carts of most other companies are much easier to open. You'll see what I mean when you do it. You can soap-wash all the plastic stuff. For the board, use the alcohol with Kleenex or Q-Tips. Here's a tutorial on how to open the carts:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFRERD1hafA

[+thegoldenband]

I doubt they're still in... mint condition. He might possibly need a special bit to open those NES cart casings, I can't remember exactly what type of screw they used.

 

That's the so-called "Gamebit", though IIRC their proper name is different (Line Head Screw). I bought both sizes from Racketboy, and they work very well indeed and make cleaning NES games infinitely easier. For a situation like the OP's, they're crucial.