Is it my SNES, or my games?

[Bigfoot]

I just bought an SNES controller and AC adapter for $10 at my local flea market because it's been far too long since I've played Earthbound. I NEED MY EARTHBOUND FIX.

Anyway...

I've tried every game I own. I just get a solid color of a picture, or jumbled up mess. The games still play though. I was walking around the final area in Earthbound, but was just a blue jumbled mess of a screen.

Any way to clean/fix this?

[The Coop]

From a Community thread...

Got a credit card or state ID handy? If you do, find a small piece of thin cloth (an old Summer t-shirt would work). Take the card, put it in the cloth, and fold the cloth over one of the shorter sides of the card so it's wrapped in the cloth. Hold that cloth tightly in place so it doesn't move around, and slowly slide the cloth-side of the card into the cartridge slot. Pull it straight back out (no wiggling or swiping), and you'll probably see a bunch of dark, greasy gunk on the cloth. You don't wanna put that back in there, so wrap an unused section of the cloth on that end of the card again, and just keep doing this until you go from one end of the cartridge slot to the other.

Be sure you don't use tissue or paper towel, as they'll rip and leave debris behind.

It's a poor man's version of the cleaning carts that used to be sold in places like Funcoland, but as long as the cloth and card aren't thicker than an actual cartridge's circuit board, and you hold that cloth tight, the pins won't get stretched or bent.

... Credit cards themselves are thinner than the circuit board of an SNES cart. So if you use a thinner materialed t-shirt (or perhaps an under shirt), a good handkerchief, or something like that, then the card and cloth won't add up to being any thicker than a normal cartridge circuit board. It does work, as I've done it plenty of times back before I had any kind of cleaning carts. The key is just making sure you use a shirt/cloth that's not really thick. Don't use anything that already has chemicals on it, and don't put any chemicals on the cloth/shirt you're using. Just a plain, dry cloth will do fine.

Gunk builds up in that cartridge slot over the years, as the protective flap systems like the Genesis and SNES have simply don't keep all the dust and moisture out. A dry cloth takes care of both in one slide in/out (or two if it's really bad).

If it's not dirt and gunk making your system show glitchy graphics, then it's more than likely either the metal connector pins inside the cartridge slot showing their age, or the metal tabs on the cartridge wearing out. About the only other thing I can suggest, is putting the cartridge all the way in, and then pulling it ever so slightly up. It sounds odd, but it's worked for me with games that just refused to run (makes the SNES' connector pins touch an area of the cartridge tabs that's not usually used).

Not sure about this, but you could try looking up info on whether or not the connector pins in the SNES' cartridge slot are replaceable. I know the NES' ones can be replaced pretty easily, but I've not heard anything about the SNES.

[Bigfoot]

Good suggestions, thanks Coop.

Alas, it's still doing it. It's weird, because for example the first 2 screens on Super Off-Road are perfect, then the game is all jumbled after that.

[The Coop]

Good suggestions, thanks Coop.

Alas, it's still doing it. It's weird, because for example the first 2 screens on Super Off-Road are perfect, then the game is all jumbled after that.

Have you tried giving the metal tabs on the cartridges a good cleaning (front and back)? If you don't have any safe liquids that can be used, an old, dry t-shirt will do for wiping them down.

Also, try checking the power plug to make sure it's in securely. If it's not quite all the way in, it could cause graphical issues from the power fluctuation if it wiggles.

[Bigfoot]

Have you tried giving the metal tabs on the cartridges a good cleaning (front and back)? If you don't have any safe liquids that can be used, an old, dry t-shirt will do for wiping them down.

Also, try checking the power plug to make sure it's in securely. If it's not quite all the way in, it could cause graphical issues from the power fluctuation if it wiggles.

Yeah, I used windex and a q-tips to clean the cartridge on one of the games. I'm leaning towards it's my SNES. I'm gonna test my games on my friend's SNES tonight.

[Katsurugi]

Yeah, I used windex and a q-tips to clean the cartridge on one of the games. I'm leaning towards it's my SNES. I'm gonna test my games on my friend's SNES tonight.

Windex?! Windex bad. It has cleaning chemicals in it, however, you should just be using rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. If you're already used Windex, use rubbing alcohol to rinse off any residue the Windex might have left.

[Bigfoot]

Brought a game to my friend's house tonight to try it in his SNES. It worked like a charm, so it's definitely my SNES.

[SenPi]

I know the problem. Its your DNA!.... BAM yea...