Question about the Commodore 64 game carts?

[Video]

How do you take the C64 carts appart? I have a few that need to be cleaned, but it's a lot easier to clean these things by taking them appart. And this particular one I'm working on is badly corroded and couldn't be cleaned by normal means (the contacts are actually rusty)

 

I took the screw appart, and apparently, it doesn't hold anything. The cart halves are still firmly attached. I examined the thing more closely, and noticed four slots close to the sides on the back. Perhaps something is supposed to be inserted and used to pry the thing appart? I tried a screwdriver, but was worried about physically dammaging the carts, and gave up on it.

 

So, what exactly am I supposed to do?

[ApolloBoy]

Use brute force to pull it apart...

[christianscott27]

i found a semi-sucessful way around this when i was opening up all those froggers. i call them pinch clamps, maybe theres a proper name for them, at any rate they hold the cart together by snapping together. you can carefully slide an x-acto knife in there and push the peg toward the inside of the cart, repeat 3 times and then very carefully work the 4th with as little pressure as possible. attempt with caution and a steady hand.

[Video]

Woah, that was fast.

 

Uhm...Ok, are you serious? Is that really all you have to do? It seemed put together really tight to me. Maybe I'll try taking some of the others appart and see if I can see inside how it's put together.

 

BTW, I may have posted this in the Hardware section, but it said for Atari. :

[Mayhem]

Yes, a lot of C64 carts use pinch clamps to hold the two sides together. The screw is usually employed to keep the circuit board attached to the casing.

 

I normally use a Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts...

[Video]

Oh, Ok, thanks a lot, I'll try that when I get home later.

 

i found a semi-sucessful way around this when i was opening up all those froggers. i call them pinch clamps, maybe theres a proper name for them, at any rate they hold the cart together by snapping together. you can carefully slide an x-acto knife in there and push the peg toward the inside of the cart, repeat 3 times and then very carefully work the 4th with as little pressure as possible. attempt with caution and a steady hand.

 

Woah, I must have just missed your post. Probably posted it after I went in this message to read the other one. Thanks for the help.

[Raijin Z]

...or buy a bottle of CLR or some other mega-powerful cleanser. CLR costs like $8 a bottle, but it eats rust like nobody's business.

[Video]

That sounds like a good Idea, that wouldn't eat the circuts or the board though, would it?

[ApolloBoy]

That sounds like a good Idea, that wouldn't eat the circuts or the board though, would it?

 

I don't think so.

 

C=Calcium

L=Lime

R=Rust