Suicidal NES - Someone Please Help

[TankedThomas]

Okay, so I bought an NES that came with Super Mario Bros. 3. It worked fine. Then I put in my other game that I had (Excitebike) and it stopped working. So I bought a new 72-pin connector and got it working again, I cleaned all the cartridges this time and put the new connector in. Mario worked but looked glitchy. Then I tried Excitebike. It stopped the NES from working again.

I should add that the lockout chip was cut (I did it), but that was after the first time I tried it.

Someone please help me.

 

[dragon574444]

Did you clean the cartridge pins with alcohol and Q-tips yet? If not, do so. It helps tremendously.

 

[Foxi4]

I don't think that the fact the NES died a violent death each time you tried Excitebike is without relevance, in fact I find it a bit suspicious. It's entirely possible that the cartridge is busted and shorts the console. The glitchy look of the Mario game after changing the connector appears to be pointing at bad solderwork or simply the cartridge did not slide in "right" - NES games like to go all funny when the pins are not alligned correctly.

As far as the lockout chip is concerned, I know for certain that the Excitebike cartridge does have the "key" to the lockout as it was designed for the model 1 NES which did indeed have it on-board, but if the console dies a violent death regardless of whether or not the chip is there then surely there's another issue there, somewhere.

First and foremost though, it'd be great if you checked the capacitors on the motherboard for any leaks - those usually "pop" first when a retro console shorts.

 

[Cyan]

Your NES is not working?
Blow in the cartridge!
Everyone know that


for real: I think Foxi is right.
Maybe your cartridge has a physical/electrical component problem.

 

[raulpica]

If it was an electrical problem, switching the 72 pin connector wouldn't have fixed it.

It's not like a pin can blow up or get broken in anyway because of a short.

Looks like the cartridge has something on its pin that gets physically transported into the new connector when you try the cartridge in it, like dirt, acid or stuff.

tl;dr: Clean again the connector. With a q-tip and rubbing alchohol.

 

[Deleted-236924]

If this fails, take pictures of the cartridge's connectors so we can take a look at it.

 

[raulpica]

Here we go, I just had to trash half of the posts, since a single harmless joke had to derail an ENTIRE thread with discussions on facepalms, sarcasm and stuff.

 

[Schlupi]

Sorry for these insolent people, Raulpica. ;O;

I'd say stop trying to play Excitebike, 1. Raul is probably right. There is most likely crap in the carts slot dirtying up your system, messing with the 72 pin. I had a copy of Silver Surfer that did the same thing.

A useful tip-- NEVER leave a cart in the system. It wears on the thing more than you could imagine. Always take your games out, and clean them regularly. Its easier to clean your carts than to clean and replace your 72 pin, which collects the crap from mistreated carts.

 

[Coto]

A useful tip-- NEVER leave a cart in the system. It wears on the thing more than you could imagine. Always take your games out, and clean them regularly. Its easier to clean your carts than to clean and replace your 72 pin, which collects the crap from mistreated carts.

This way I still have LOZ:Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time, Starfox64, Pokemon Stadium2, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark (and others) in mint condition, and, I also use a toothbrush + alcohol to clean pin contacts.

Also, I'd absolutely love to learn how to repair cartridge copper pins with some conductive ink of some sort (so I can have my N64 carts forever, or just find a way to replace CIC chips + ROM onto a new cart)

 

[Foxi4]

What's worrying is that the console no longer turns on - it may be a bit more complex then just "dust".

 

[indask8]

The very first thing I would check is the power supply.

Otherwise you said you replaced the cartridge connector, maybe you should check the connexion between your new part and the Nes motherboard (like any cartridge, try to clean the motherboard contacts, q-tip + alcohol if the q-tip comes out grey/black/brown bingo there was some corrosion).

Then I don't know if the Nes has some sort of internal fuse (like the snes) or not...

 

[raulpica]

He said that is "not working anymore", that might just mean it's not loading anything. It'd be seriously funny if it didn't power up anymore.

If that was the case, there are only two pins that can cause a short, and you'd have to be REALLY unlucky for that to happen.

 

[thiefb0ss]

Your NES is not working?
Blow in the cartridge!
Everyone know that


for real: I think Foxi is right.
Maybe your cartridge has a physical/electrical component problem.

That's a myth. It's a temporary fix, but it can cause permanent damage.

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