Tight cartridge openings in 6-switch models

[MaximRecoil]

The usual cause of some cartridges not fitting (or having a tight fit) in 6-switch models is that something is out of spec with the shield/lid/motherboard assembly, or it was improperly assembled. In such cases, it is an easy fix however.

 

The first thing to do is make sure the motherboard is seated flush in the shield. To do this, remove all of the screws from the shield lid and check to see if the lid fits flush, like so:

 

 

If, when removing the two screws from the screw holes indicated by the arrows, the lid raises up some (say, 1/16" to 1/8") to the point that it is no longer flush with the bottom edge of the shield, then you have found the problem. Here is what causes it:

 

 

The bottom lip on the black plastic card-edge connector shroud (indicated with a black arrow) gets caught on the bottom edge of the shield's cartridge opening (indicated with a white arrow), preventing the motherboard from sitting flush in the shield. Then, when the shield lid is screwed down, those two screws at the front will force the lid down flush as you tighten them, by flexing the motherboard, which causes the card-edge connector's plastic shroud to be misaligned in the shield's cartridge opening.

 

The first thing to try if you can't get the motherboard to sit flush in the shield, is to loosen the two screws indicated by arrows in the following picture:

 

 

Once the screws are loose (but not removed), push the black plastic shroud / card-edge connector assembly rearward (toward the joystick ports) as much as you can, and then tighten the screws back down to secure it in the more rearward position. You'll only be able to move it rearward a hair, but it may be enough to prevent its bottom lip from catching on the bottom edge of the shield's cartridge opening.

 

If that doesn't provide enough clearance for the bottom edge of the shield's cartridge opening to clear the bottom lip of the shield's cartridge opening, then the next thing to try is to file down the bottom inner walls of the shield's cartridge opening (use a "bastard file" [yes, that's what they are really called], and file a little at a time, test, repeat), and that will definitely fix it unless things are outrageously out of spec.

Edited September 25, 2015 by MaximRecoil