NES game...doesnt work

[treetsux]

I replaced the 72pin connector in my NES today...did wonders, my games work again. WOOHOO.

 

EXCEPT marble madness, one of my favorites. does anyone know why all but one game would work(obviously its the game, but is there anything i can do to get it to work again. all i get is a grey flashing screen.

[Max-T]

Have you tried cleaning the contacts on the cart? If your NES hasn't been working in a while before you replaced its connector, grime could have potentially built up on the cart's leads.

 

You'll probably get better solutions from others here who still own NES consoles, but for Atari carts, I've heard people recommend using a bit of pencil eraser material or a Q-Tip wet with rubbing alcohol to clean cart contacts.

 

However, I would recommend that you wait for someone who knows what they're talking about to send you a reply, as I don't want to be responsible for killing your NES cart.

[Avid Fan]

I recommend getting a cleaning kit from 4Jays. I bought a copy of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for SNES last week and it didn't work. I cleaned the contacts really good and nothing else would come off. the game still didn't work. I went to return it, and they used one of their cleaning kits on it, and the bad boy started up of the first try. I'm gonna pick one up myself for my NES. I already did the "bend the pins" solution, but those pins are dirty. I never wanna replace my NES, I've had it since I was 6/

 

Trust me, the 4Jays cleaning kit rules

[MegaManFan]

You can assemble your own cleaning kit for a few bucks by going to Walgreens:

 

* Buy 70/30 alcohol

* Buy a box of q-tips

 

Voila. Cleaning kit.

[Raijin Z]

Cotton swabs aren't terribly self-cohesive. They like to leave threads when they get snagged. I use a fork (because of its width) wrapped in heavy paper towels, soaked in alcohol.

[MegaManFan]

If you buy the "authentic" cotton q-tips and not the generic knockoffs, you can occasionally get threads. With the generic brand I never have trouble. One soak of the head and it stays firm and cohesive as I scrub out years of dusty pawn shop bin and garage sale box grime.

[Raijin Z]

They're the same. What, do you think a popular brand name adds structural integrity to a products?

[Dones]

If you buy a 3.5mm security bit screwdriver then you can open the carts and use an eraser. A stand alone, high quality eraser are the best ones in my experience. I have cleaned about 200 NES carts with this procedure with excellent results.

 

Even with the most stringent cleaning, I have found some carts that still take a couple of tries (powering the console off and re-inserting the cart again) to play. These ones have their connectors too oxidated to make contact (more than what you normally see in your average cart). Still cleaning them improves your chances of getting them to work. Pay close attention to the connectors closer to the sides, these are usually the ones who causes the most trouble.

[MegaManFan]

They're the same. What, do you think a popular brand name adds structural integrity to a products?

 

They're definitely not the same. The generic isn't even all cotton. It's got a plastic band in the middle, so it doesn't bend in your hand while cart scrubbing like authentic ones do. Cheap = better.