Avatar of Justice Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 My NES is fairly flaky these days. I have heard that repair kits such as this can fix it right up. http://www.nintendorepairshop.com/nes_repairguide.htm Anyone have experience with these repair kits? Do they actually work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeCrusher Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 I have done the pin connector replacement on mine. And yes, it does work. I got tired of randomly putting in games, blowing on them, putting them in, blowing on them, cleaning them, etc. I think the connector I bought was 13 bucks on ebay too like, a couple years back. Easy to install and use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benprunty Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 I don't know if you really need a whole kit to do it, but replacing the pin connector does work wonders. If you've ever replaced anything in your computer you can easily swap out a pin connector on your own without directions. It's also good, though not as essential, to get some electrical-connector cleaning solution and apply it to the pins of your cartridges with a q-tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmr Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 I don't know anything about the repair kits, but I have repaired a NES in the past without replacing the 72-pin connector. It's a bit tedious (you have to manually bend half the connector pins back into shape), but the results were successful: my brother's NES now works with every game; no flashing blue screens, no cartridge blowing. It makes the games harder to put in (I've heard a new connector does this as well), but it's well worth it. EDIT: Using a bit of generic electronics contact cleaner goes a long way as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREAK55 Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Kits are not required to replace the 72 pin connector. I was able to replace it without any kind of instructions. After the replacement, I haven't had a single problem with my system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP9000 Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 It is very simple to resurrect your NES by just bending your pins back in place. It's not that hard, just a small pain. It's much more worth it to do it this way, otherwise you're going through someone else to buy product (which means money) and waiting for it to arrive. All of this isn't necessary. So, just crack it open and bend the pins. After you do this, your NES should work even if you don't push the game down. This benefits you in the way that it lasts much longer than it originally did. When you bend the game down, it bends those pins. Game Genies were also designed in such a manner that because you can't press the game down, it had to put more pressure on the pins to make the connection. So, that's why using them would give you a higher rate of success, but would also wear your NES down much faster. Not to worry though, because this fix will do you for many years to come, even if you have to perform this fix many times. When it actually becomes so weak that it makes no sense to keep doing it (a month between) then *that's* when you need to go buy a 72-pin connector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar of Justice Posted October 12, 2008 Author Share Posted October 12, 2008 Well I went ahead and bought a 72-pin connector replacement instead of the kit. It was only $10 and totally worth it for a new one. I've had to use my game genie a lot to keep the NES working and its just been a total PITA. Yay can't wait for it to work well again! Also got Mega Man 2, 3, and 4 on the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synchronicity Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 bought a 72-pin connector off of Ebay also for almost nothing. Nes works a treat just like in the good ol' days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entropicdecay Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 I don't know anything about the repair kits, but I have repaired a NES in the past without replacing the 72-pin connector. It's a bit tedious (you have to manually bend half the connector pins back into shape), but the results were successful: my brother's NES now works with every game; no flashing blue screens, no cartridge blowing. It makes the games harder to put in (I've heard a new connector does this as well), but it's well worth it.EDIT: Using a bit of generic electronics contact cleaner goes a long way as well. Oh man, this is how I fixed my friend's NES. First, there was a spider and its little nest of eggs smooshed inside the machine itself. Even after I cleaned it out it still didn't work. Bending all those pins back was frustrating but it really does work. A little nerve-wracking, though. My NES is 23 years old and still going strong. For a period of years, Super Mario Bros 3 would freeze at the ending for me but after I gave my NES a good cleaning with compressed air and rubbing alcohol, it worked like a dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmr Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 Super Mario Bros 3 would freeze at the endingThat's actually part of what drove me to attempt fixing my brother's NES. The last time I attempted to play it, it locked up as I tried to enter the last door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar of Justice Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 I got my new 72-pin connector and replaced it. Everything works great (well the NES games that I owned as a kid work, some of the ones that have been given to me later on, not so much) with one little quirk. The games typically don't work if I push the spring loader down into the locked position. Instead, I just push the cartridge in and leave the loader up. I assume this isn't really a problem, it just makes me wonder if I put the NES back together slightly wrong or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmr Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Instead, I just push the cartridge in and leave the loader up. I assume this isn't really a problem, it just makes me wonder if I put the NES back together slightly wrong or something.I noticed the same thing with my brother's NES after I fixed the connector, so most likely you put everything together correctly.On my brother's NES, you can load the cartridges normally, but sometimes you have to jiggle it around a little before it works properly. Usually pressing the cartridge down and moving it as far forward as possible does the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhsu Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I'm thinking the "locking" thing was more of a gimmick anyway, to make it seem more like a VCR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar of Justice Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 I'm thinking the "locking" thing was more of a gimmick anyway, to make it seem more like a VCR. Yeah, after my situation occurred I had to wonder why they made people push the cartridges down anyhow. Do the top loader NES's have a better life expectancy? A friend of mine was thinking about buying one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmr Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Do the top loader NES's have a better life expectancy? A friend of mine was thinking about buying one.From what I've read, they generally work better and last longer, but they lack the RCA A/V output jacks found on the original NES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar of Justice Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 From what I've read, they generally work better and last longer, but they lack the RCA A/V output jacks found on the original NES. I personally don't even use those as sound only comes out of one speaker as opposed to using coax. I need to get some kind of split cable or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmr Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I personally don't even use those as sound only comes out of one speaker as opposed to using coax. I need to get some kind of split cable or something.Believe me, the improved picture quality is worth the cost of a Y RCA cable for the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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