Current Events > Does your NES still work?

(+) Yeah! (+)

yeah the one from like 35 yrs ago. You did own one didn't you?

Maybe, let me know if you find it.

The main point of failure is the edge-connector, and those can be replaced for about $12.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/0/1/AAEhCpAACxfZ.jpg

Questionmarktarius posted...

The main point of failure is the edge-connector, and those can be replaced for about $12.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/0/1/AAEhCpAACxfZ.jpg

At this point its the boards on the games that have worn out

boards on the games?

oh so you think most of the boards on the games have worn out by this time?

Yeah, both our original model and the top-loader model still works. The connector for the OG probably needs to be replaced at this point though.

Our OG NES is tough as hell....it survived every single member of our family tripping on a controller cord and sending it tumbling down to the carpet multiple times throughout the years, and my brother and I just beating the shit out of it's side. (We was under the impression that you had to give it a good smack or two to play games that won't load up properly....oops).

JebronLames posted...

oh so you think most of the boards on the games have worn out by this time?

If they've been removed and inserted thousands of times, which is feasible over 35 years, you bet.

I have a Tetris cartridge that will barely boot (I have a new edge connector) and it when does it will crash if you so much as breathe at the console

I have a Ninja Gaiden cartridge that was CIB and visually looked like it had hardly been played that boots and runs like a champ

Shinnokxz posted...

At this point its the boards on the games that have worn out

That shouldn't be possible, unless the battery has leaked all over, or you've badly mishandled the games.
They were made long before RoHS, so that's actual lead in the solder. Tin whiskers won't happen.

Questionmarktarius posted...

That shouldn't be possible, unless the battery has leaked all over, or you've badly mishandled the games.
They were made long before RoHS, so that's actual lead in the solder. Tin whiskers won't happen.

I imagine the gold on the connectors has probably rubbed down to nothing?

JebronLames posted...

You did own one didn't you?

Never. N64 was my first home console, but I had GB, GBC, and GBA and bought the second model of US SNES.

i still have my original NES but it barely works for shit. constantly have to blow on the carts, clean the contents of the NES, etc. even then, sometimes the games will look glitched and sometimes the NES will make its own levels that are incompletable

Questionmarktarius posted...

That shouldn't be possible, unless the battery has leaked all over, or you've badly mishandled the games.
They were made long before RoHS, so that's actual lead in the solder. Tin whiskers won't happen.

I'd say what, 5% of games actually have a battery?

Depends on your definition of 'badly mishandled'. That can be something as simple as have the 72 pins exposed without the sleeve protector and/or the box to a myriad of environments that can erode the pins, on top of wear and tear on the pins. I wouldn't say 'badly mishandled' since I'd suspect most people that have their NES collection out and exposed don't have the sleeves or the boxes.

Nobody is scratching their ass on the pinouts of the cartridge

And not to mention you had every dingus blowing their saliva into the cart and into the console thinking that was helping things

BeyondWalls posted...

I imagine the gold on the connectors has probably rubbed down to nothing?

If you've somehow worn them down to the PCB, which is incredibly unlikely, a cottonswab of Brasso or silver cleaner will fix up several years of corrosion from blowing on the cart.

Questionmarktarius posted...

The main point of failure is the edge-connector, and those can be replaced for about $12.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/0/1/AAEhCpAACxfZ.jpg

I used to open the NES sometimes and use a needle to adjust/tighten the pins. It worked perfectly after that.

Mine runs but the screen flashes

Laserion posted...

I used to open the NES sometimes and use a needle to adjust/tighten the pins. It worked perfectly after that.

Yeah that was a common thing to do (with not just the NES, I did it with my Jaguar which stupidly has an exposed cartridge slot)

Nintendo actually would ship you a new edge connector for free when you asked until maybe 10 or 15 years ago? I thought that was pretty swell