Red screen NES?

[sandmountainslim]

I have heard of the blinking blue screen of death effect of the NES but has anyone saw one that blinks red? That is what mine does nine time out of ten when I hit the power just a red blinking screen, any ideas what causes this or how it could be fixed? Oh yeah it does eventually work after a good beating/cursing.

SMS

[Cobra Commander]

Hit it with a hammer, or put fire crackers in it. I hate those freakin' things. Just got a "YOBO" famiclone 2 weeks ago and love it.

[rockman_x_2002]

I got a couple of newer-model NESes that blink with gray screens. Actually I've had NESes that blink with several colors.

 

One with blue, one with more of a cyan or lighter blue color, and two gray.

 

Perhaps Nintendo made some changes to the internal hardware along the way to cause different colored "screens of death" to appear?

[sandmountainslim]

I am almost ready to slam the fargin icehole against the wall, Atari VCS works everytime, PStwo works everytime SNES works everytime even the friggin Sega works everytime, I love the NES games but the machines must have been designed by a moron.

[Susuwatari]

I've seen green (on very early model), blue, grey, and pink/purple. Never seen red though. I don't know but it may be delibrately coded that way as a quick way for Nintendo technicians to check the console's rev number as there are a total of 11 revs in toaster decks. (Rev. 11 has red foil sticker on bottom and under cart slot flap and won't work with many unlicensed games due to change in lockout system)

[rockman_x_2002]

I am almost ready to slam the fargin icehole against the wall, Atari VCS works everytime, PStwo works everytime SNES works everytime even the friggin Sega works everytime, I love the NES games but the machines must have been designed by a moron.

 

It was actually designed by Gumpei Yokoi, right? Anyways... that's beside the point...

 

Try this method for getting it to work. This usually makes my games work the first time and you need blow into the cart only once. First, cover the cart slot with your finger except a small opening on the end. Blow gently into the cart (think summer breeze, not hurricane).

 

That done, open the NES cart cover and place the cartridge just inside. Do not push it fully in. Instead, push it gently until the edge connector on the cart meets the connector inside your NES (you'll feel the cart a little harder to push in at this time).

 

Now, push down gently on the cartridge while it is in the NES. Continue to push the cartridge into the cartridge slot until the cartridge case clears the outside of the NES deck. The cartridge should be inserted into the deck just enough to be pressed fully down, but not inserted fully into the deck (little or no gap between the casing of the cart and the NES).

 

Turn the power on, and if the game blinks, hit reset a time or two, and you're good to go.

 

For whatever reason, this method works for me. Sounds complicated but it's not too bad. Little tricky to get it to work the first few times, but it will work. I suppose it makes the edge connector on the cart push a little more against the pins in the deck and causes the connection to be a little more secure.

[Draikar]

I have heard of the blinking blue screen of death effect of the NES but has anyone saw one that blinks red? That is what mine does nine time out of ten when I hit the power just a red blinking screen, any ideas what causes this or how it could be fixed? Oh yeah it does eventually work after a good beating/cursing.

SMS

 

Hi,

 

Dose the NES system have after the words "ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM" the letters "tm" (trade mark) ?

 

Also on the bottom it should have a toll free "customer service & warranty repair please call number BUT dose it also have an extra phone number below for just "INSIDE" Washington state owners ?

[keilbaca]

Rubbing alcohol and a q-tip works every time to fix my blinking screens. You should also invest in a replacement connector.

[Flack]

I have one that blinks yellow. I would be glad to dig out the serial number later if that would help track anything.

[candiru]

I've got one that blinks red from time to time if the cartridge isn't clean enough. I think mine is a fairly late model release.

[sandmountainslim]

Thanks for the tips, I tried em and the POS still doesnt work for more than five minutes at a time, it is going in the dumpster come the morrow, I shall never pay for a front loading NES again, I will pay up to ten dollars for a top loader if in perfect shape or will accept working front loaders if they are free LONG LIVE THE VCS!!!!

[Cobra Commander]

Thanks for the tips, I tried em and the POS still doesnt work for more than five minutes at a time, it is going in the dumpster come the morrow, I shall never pay for a front loading NES again, I will pay up to ten dollars for a top loader if in perfect shape or will accept working front loaders if they are free    LONG LIVE THE VCS!!!!

 

Thats the spirit, I dont care who made the piece of crap, or if you gotta blow, fart, rub your belly, and pray to make the games work. I've tried new connectors (Just a bandaid for festering craphole wound). Fact is they suck. I dont have any other systems that I dont have to do anything more thant clean/swab the media, and simply dust out the inside of occasionaly if it has a fan.

[Draikar]

I shall never pay for a front loading NES again, I will pay up to ten dollars for a top loader if in perfect shape or will accept working front loaders if they are free

 

A TOP loading NES are expensive because they work better, it will cost you way more then 10 dollars, the "dog bone" controller for TOP loading NES alone cost way more then $10.00....

 

There are still front loaders that work i hope since they go for about 28.00 - 30.00..... The one I got is from the first year made and still works great, they key to keeping it working is dont play it !!!! Thats why I and many buy TOP loading NES systems.

 

Could front loader systems that blink red be from Canada ?

[Famicoman]

They can flash every color. Mine goes through the whole rainbow sometimes.

[TailChao]

The color displayed onscreen depends on whatever is present in the VRAM and PPU registers at startup (mostly garbage, if the cart can't load properly) The screen color you get is preety random, although some will appear more than others.

[sandmountainslim]

Well I have made myself into a bald faced liar! I said I would never pay for another NES yet yesterday I bought one at a thrift for three bucks I couldnt resist it at that price especially with mine on the blink, hope you folks dont make me wear an "L" on my chest or change my name to "bigliar".

SMS

[Draikar]

I bought one at a thrift for three bucks

 

Dose is work ? If so you made a great deal

[Draikar]

They can flash every color. Mine goes through the whole rainbow sometimes.

 

The ones that flash every color have god like powers or so some say...

[sandmountainslim]

Yeah, works like a charm, it didnt come with controllers or a power supply but I saved those when I chunked my NES yesterday morning so I am set up and OK as far as the NES goes.... but still a liar though, I should have asked the lady to give it to me for free

[hex65000]

When I sold NES decks, it was important to me that I do a couple of things first:

 

-- Clean the deck inside and out (dust, crud, marker, whatever isn't part of the original hardware)

-- Remove the old 72 pin connector

-- Clean the contacts on the mainboard

-- Replace the connector

-- Burn in test: Run the system for at least an hour and ideally with a few different games. If everything works okay, youre done.

 

I've done about 15-20 sytems this way, and out of those only one was truly dead and another had a replacement connector crap out on me.

 

Hex.

[ Tries to do it right, because anyone can screw it up. ]

[ApolloBoy]

Try disabling the lockout chip if all else fails. There are several guides online that show you how to do it...

[n8littlefield]

Also, you will really need to clean your games. I replaced my pin connector in the NES only to find there were still some games that needed to be scrubbed themselves, that the issue wasn't necessarily the NES.

[Dones]

Yeah, works like a charm, it didnt come with controllers or a power supply but I saved those when I chunked my NES yesterday morning so I am set up and OK as far as the NES goes.... but still a liar though, I should have asked the lady to give it to me for free  

LOL Look, the best advice I can give you is: clean your console, clean your carts and buy a 72-pin connector (ebay has them plenty) which goes for about $5. If you are too cheap for that, then you really deserve the multicolored screen treatment.

[Video]

I always wondered why you had to push the cart down? I got my first VCR NES back in 89 new, and I played it for years and never had problems with it, untill about 95, when one of my friends asked why I didn't push the carts down.

 

Well, heck, I knew the thing fit in there kind of funny, but being me, I never read the instructions to anything, and like a dum bass I started pushing it down like it was supposed to, supposedly. It wasn't long befor I started getting the screen problems, and when I tried going back to my old way, it didn't work anymore.

 

I'm thinking that when they were shipped, the connectors were tight enough to work without pushing it down. But when you start pushing it down, it bends them out of shape...or into their supposed to be this way shape which prevents them from working while up as easily, or at all, and due to bending stuff when you push it down, it's not long befor it breaks.

 

I don't know if how I played mine kept it working for 6 years flawlessly, or if it finely broke for a legit reason. Because it broke, not because I changed what I did to it. But I know when it comes to the VCR style NES's, I have a tendancy to not push the game down first time I try them, if it works that way, it'll work probably forever.

[JB]

I always wondered why you had to push the cart down?  I got my first VCR NES back in 89 new, and I played it for years and never had problems with it, untill about 95, when one of my friends asked why I didn't push the carts down.

 

Well, heck, I knew the thing fit in there kind of funny, but being me, I never read the instructions to anything, and like a dum bass I started pushing it down like it was supposed to, supposedly.  It wasn't long befor I started getting the screen problems, and when I tried going back to my old way, it didn't work anymore.  

Strange. Most came with a proper ZIF as far as I know.

 

I'm thinking that when they were shipped, the connectors were tight enough to work without pushing it down.  But when you start pushing it down, it bends them out of shape...or into their supposed to be this way shape which prevents them from working while up as easily, or at all, and due to bending stuff when you push it down, it's not long befor it breaks.

Nah. Most shipped with a zero-insertion force socket. The connector, from the factory, didn't grip unless you pushed it down. It's DESIGNED to be pushed down. It's also designed to not grip very tightly, so it's more sensitive to interference.