Just to clarify on those Greenband games. Thin Greenband games are more common and can be a extra fickle if they are not clean, but its the very rare THICK greenband games that are outright incompatible. The version of DuckTales shown is compatible with the Ninten-Drawer, but the Thick banded Hydlide is not Thick Greenband games wont even work in the NES002 Toploader.
@@technocolossusI just got the Japanese version of the nes top loader. Since it comes with the multi out port like that on the snes. It is called the AV famicom. Just needed a famicom to nes adapter. It also has the expansion port that is on the original famicom.
@@BlueShell3D For those of us who already have a Blinking Light Win in our possession, is there any chance at making a replacement PCB available using your updated connector?
Thanks so much for taking the time to review our product! We spent a good year developing and testing the Ninten-Drawer. We're really proud of what we created, and just ecstatic that you viewed it so positively.
Thank you so much to Tito for sharing our project with everyone! Blueshell3D and I are excited and hope this breathes a lot of new life into the front loader
This is a big part of the reason why I get multi-carts or flash carts. Piracy isn't just about getting games for free, it also helps keep the hardware alive
That doesn't mean you need to pirate ROMS. You can load backups of your own collection. I have pirated ROMsets myself, but my point is just that flashcart does not equal piracy.
@@anonamatron You definitely shouldn't call it piracy if you're dumping your own ROMs or just using a flashcart to play homebrew as far as I'm concerned, but that's such a small minority of people that actually do that compared to how many people are totally just downloading whatever games they want lol.
@@im1fadedRob I think downloading a copy of something you physically own is fair game. Not that practical to dump your own game when it will be identical to what's online. Now that I say that though I remember that there's is/was no complete copy of Beyond the Beyond for Playstation 1 online. The copies online are all missing the videos.
There's nothing wrong with downloading something you own or something you can't buy. Nintendo isn't selling NES cartridges for the NES anymore. It's fair game to download the roms at that point.
@@im1fadedRob It depends. Piracy just means you got it for free, either from someone who bought it and gave it to you for free without paying the person who sold it to you, or who made money by making a duplicate copy of the original product, or you downloaded it online, to be inserted into the cartridge without supporting or paying the original companies/devs. But piracy isn't really included when you dump your own purchased copies of the original game, even if it hasn't been sold in 10/20+ years since its release, OR, games you have purchased and owned physically, but choose to get a copy of it online of a game you already own in your collection.
Yeah, I haven't been able to use my NES on more than a couple games for quite awhile now. Tried all the fix its and cleanings and polishing of pins and etc but the damn thing just doesn't want to work most of the time. This sounded like a great solution to breathe some new life into the thing but I guess not any time soon. At least the SNES still works :D
@@jvogler_art4708 Although I do agree that the SNES has a great library of games. The NES also has a bunch of games that are vast and would be a great game for someone who plays SNES games.
As someone who grew up with the NES in the late 80s, I dig this solution! It's also great to know that someone picking up the slack with a new solution since Blinking Light Wins haven't been made in a long time
I just modified my OG nintendo with a cartridge connector that worked in the up position, avoiding the bending that occurred when you pushed down. It also didn't have deathgrip
I'll accept this comparison. I have no RUclips chops. I just stay in my cave and drag my knuckles on the floor while I try to build stuff. Frankly the light scares me
This is awesome! Ive wanted a top loader for awhile because no matter what i do to my childhood NES its always unreliable. New connector is scary tight. Cleaning and bending the original has had inconsistent results. Im very excited about this.
if you hadn't bent them already, I found that placing them in an overfilled steamer pot (fully submerged, lifted off the bottom by a strainer) and simmering it for 30 minutes fixed it pretty consistently for about 6-8 months.
there is a reason a rf shielding exists, it's to help with ground and protect from rf signals even though its not necassary it does serve a good purpose
The only "con" i can think of is that I will miss out on the original push down mechanism, which was kind of satisfying. But the reliability outclasses the "con"
This looks so dang good! I'm really glad that flash carts work, I was thinking of taking my brother in laws broken SNES and getting it working for him and giving him a flash cart so its good to know this mod will work.
Congrats on the shout-out over on Austin Evans' channel. Was watching his Mystery Tech video yesterday when I was surprised he gave you a shout-out on his GameBoy he built in the video.
I'm not even very much of a purist, but I love the satisfying push down action of the original. I would take this solution over that for it's reliability, but imagine a hybrid of the two.
Sadly, its the ZIF connector that makes the original so unreliable. If we did add a push down, we would still keep the non-ZIF slot and the push would just be for fun. It would also make the Ninten-Drawer more expensive.
@@BlueShell3D For those who reflexively push down the cartridge, does the Ninten-drawer prevent such motion being made or if you, like myself, push down because of muscle memory and screw the whole drawer and have too buy a new one?
Back in 2006, a good friend of mine and I decided to hardwire a Game Genie inside of the NES and make it look stock. A lot of work later and it worked perfectly. I would love a better easier way to do another one.
In defense of the Blinking Light Win: NES cartridges don't need to be pulled by that recessed area you were using pliers on. NES carts also have ridges on the right and left sides for grip. So you can easily your two index fingers on both sides of the cart to pull them out of the BLW. It requires more force than the standard connector, sure, but it's still plenty easy
I got a BLW years ago, snagged one since they're always sold out, and it's been collecting dust because I immediately noticed the death grip before installing it and was like "nuh uh" Glad to FINALLY see an alternative! Edit: Just pre-ordered it. Hell yeah, been waiting years for this
The screws you mentioned @ 7:39 are called self tapping screws. There is no threading for those type of screws because they are held in by biting into the material they are screwed into. It's good to mention that a higher amount of friction is to be expected though ofc, it can definitely feel wrong or at least be surprising with fresh posts.
The RF shielding used to be absolutely mandatory, my friend's Tandy computer was capable of sending a signal from clear across the house that would cause Mario to unalive himself in the nearest hole. There's also the potential to interfere with other electronics, although that's probably less of a risk these days.
Indeed. I think it's foolish that all these modders dismiss the shielding as completely useless. These old electronics can interfere with their own trace lines being too close, any outside interference will effect them. It's always best to have shielding when possible.
@@scikoolaid It's because they aren't electrical engineers and don't really understand what's going on. To be fair, I don't have an EE background either. But I do know enough that I am well aware that my understanding is incomplete.
@@scikoolaid New electronics are still subject to interference, but not necessarily the types that are most common. The older stuff generated electrical noise and RF that could easily cause problems with radio and television.
Even in a clear case and not putting the RF shielding back on I'd have screwed those extra screws into the empty holes. Just so that way I'd never lose them. lol
Tbh the original feel of pushing down the cartridge is too ingrained in my memory as an essential part of the original NES experience. There’s no way I would be willing to lose that. And I’ve never had trouble with my cart connector anyway so I can’t say I’m in the market for something like this.
Kudos to the team for the battery of tests they put the connector through (12:18). I really feel like other companies in the market neglect this and that is why, in large part, the "Death Grip" is so rampant. However, I'd suggest they simulate many thousands of hours more to really break down that death grip and get closer to that true Zero Insertion Force. Or you can do this yourself and manually bend the pins with a sewing needle or component tweezers. This is what I did to a secondary NES of mine with the affirmentioned Blinking Light Win. After I bent the pins to a more "broken in state", it truly became a ZERO Insertion force connector. That was nearly 10years ago and games still slide in and out like butter using just my thumb and forefinger. That's how a true ZIF connector is intended to operate! I'd do the same for this if I had my hands on it!
The reason it's needed is to bridge the connection to the pins, which this replaces. So hypothetically, sure. Will it stop them from doing it anyway? Probably not.
I was SO excited when I saw "Most Over Engineered" because I thought there was finally a perfect fix with no death grip, while still being able to be pushed/clicked down into the lower position. Nope. **cries in nerd** I realize I'm probably in the vast minority, but I spent my entire childhood pushing the cartridge down, and that is an essential part of the NES experience to me. As well as it not being insanely difficult to remove. I guess if even Nintendo couldn't do it right (pushing down, no death grip, and being RELIABLE), no one else can, either. Why they had to do that pushing-down thing and forever ruin it for me, I don't know.
It makes me so happy that people keep repairing and improving on these consoles and portables from our past. I thank all you guys from the bottom of my heart god bless you all.
Really awesome design! This is definitely something I will consider for my future NES ultimate build.. Thanks for the great video and detailed breakdown of the drawer!
@@WhatsOnMyShelf The video games market in Japan and Europe were not impacted by the crash, but I would agree that without the revitalisation in North America, it would not be what it is today.
@@PoutingTrevor I could probably come up with a thesis that since the American market was revived, the Japan / European markets survived. What big corporations would invest the time / money to develop tech that only a small portion of the world would use? As inflation happens, so too does the value of money fall. The profits and low man-power investment and possible divestment would eventually collapse the market altogether. You could apply this to fads like Cabbage Patch kids and their knockoffs. Without a continued and growing interest, it becomes less likely that companies would divert their efforts to such products.
i fixed my drawer as a kid by taking the NES apart and removing the screws that hold the drawer.. this allowed the drawer to be "loose" and it actually stopped the issue where the NES couldnt read the catridges.. if it looped or blue screen looped all you had to do was move the catridges which moved the drawer a little bit.. i did this when i was 5 in 1989, and to this day my nes still works. If i can do this when i was 5 years old.. then i dont see why no one else has thought of it. Guess im just a genius.... try it, i bet you it will work for you, no reason to spend $50 on this thing
Great video. I love the Blinking light Win so seeing something similar that fixes the short comings a bit is great to see. That shell though the manufacturer should include metal clips with it. Seriously the shell you used Costs $110 it should come with those stupid little spring clips as well as some new screws at that price.
When I was a kid playing the NES I had a perfect system for always getting the game to play every time. It might make some people cringe but I would “blow” the connector in the cartridge, then “lick” the pins across on the bottom side of connector, then “push” the cartridge in the slot just enough so I could push the cartridge down then push the “power” button. Work every time!
This is a cool product, and I'm glad they made it. I'm one of those folks that is interested in simplicity and reliability. I have a blinking light win and my take is that this thing's only practical benefit over the BLW is more surface area to grip the cartridge. The looks, custom plates, magnets, etc. are all cool, but superfluous in terms of functionality. The movement and flex cable are a design negative for me juat because movement and more complexity invariably brings a higher chance of failure, but it'd likely not be an issue in our lifetime. More options are good. Well done, guys.
Thanks, i just ordered both the shell and the drawer for my nes as well. Ive also got the NESessity 1.3 board so I will be combining all 3 mods into one awesome system.
Maybe there is some variation with the molding and I got lucky with my Blinking Light Win, but I never had a problem with a "death grip", especially now that it has been broken in. The Ninten-Drawer is pretty cool though. I like the concept and it will certainly make it easier to remove the carts. If I didn't already have a BLW, I would definitely get one.
Looks like a great mod. I just received an NES-Slotmaster that I plan on installing this weekend. Much simpler design but hopefully it works just as well.
Hell ya itchy! I feel the same way. I know that it will wear the pins out and the cartridge connector will need to have the points bent back into place at some point, but I like the motion of the ol push down design as well. 🤘
It's indeed a very well thought out and tested replacement for the original cart connector. I still don't like the ribbon cable though, as someone who does board level repair. The sharp flexing of the FFC and the sudden magnet snapping are likely over time to cause solder failure and breaks in the cable. Though, there's unfortunately no real better way to do it without just having a fixed cart connector and the cartridge sticking out the front of the console, which doesn't look very nice.
fist flaw i saw was a ribbon cable... sure they do the job but my experience is moving ribbon cables usually in the long run just results in a broken ribbon cable when moved enough times..
Don't meant to HATE! But the Nintendo Brand Pin Connector, is BY FAR, the Best! Most People, dont know, but the Reason, you put the game in, and push down, inside the 72 pin, are a row of top connectors! ( you cant really see them, but they are there! ( I have learned a secret way to clean the pin connector, that makes them play like brand new ( Not Alcohol, not boiling, another way!)
Finally! My only complaint about this is the price point. It's great for what it offers, not arguing that at all. But I'd love to see a version that is basically just the end connector, without the fancy magnetic sliding parts and customizable tray. At $30, the BLW was almost in the right price range for almost anyone to buy it and replace the original connector. At $50, which is right around the going rate for a used NES, this is going to be a harder sell to the non enthusiast/speedrunning crowd. Don't get me wrong, I'm buying at least two of them for myself, and will likely be installing many more for friends. Awesome job, and I can't wait to get my hands on them.
All you need to do is proper ultrasonic clean the OEM connector and they work perfect. No resetting the pins or anything. I wish more people knew this.
Americans love to talk about the video games crash as if it were absolute - it wasn't! It happened in just one country. The rest of us didn't notice it. Atari's real problem is that they didnt sell well outside the US.
This is an American RUclips channel discussing an American version of this console. What else could you possibly expect? Atari wasn't the only American company that suffered. So did Mattel, Coleco and several game publishers.
I'm fairly new to the Nintendo Console world in general, I had a DS Lite and DSi growing up, oh and a Wii of course, but I love how everything in the NES, except some items on the motherboard, looks repairable compared to today I love how nothing is welded, glued, or otherwise bolted into the shell!
Very cool stuff! I've never touched the pins on my Famicom AV top loader and it's been fantastic.. but I definitely have on the ol grey NES.. but it has a blinking light win in it already, so i doubt i'll swap. But If I ever get another one that needs pin work.. this looks like a fantastic way to go!
The grip of death on 3rd party solutions is caused by the cartridge connectors being new. You can easily fix it by pushing the pins back so they loosen a bit. $47 for the Ninten-Drawer is not that bad, but there are other solutions which are much cheaper like the NES Slotmaster.
I don't remember exactly what I did but 17 years ago when I replaced my 72 pin connector it's worked fine and doesn't need to be pushed down (and can't be).
One accessory that you didn't cover that actually is incompatible is Galoob's Game Genie. And to BlueShell and Rocker's credit: they made an official statement about this incompatibility along side the whole greenband thing (which I didn't even know about until watching this video, really fascinated as to why that is) Anyways; here's the tweet BlueShell made regarding the Game Genie and Ninten-Drawer: "To quickly answer a Ninten-Drawer compatibility question: Because the NES002 “Toploader” is mechanically different than the NES001 “Frontloader”, there are some things that will not work because they simply do not “fit” into the Toploader style cart slot, and because the Ninten-Drawer uses a Toploader style slot, it shares those same limitations. After testing hundreds of games and accessories we can say with very high confidence that if it works on the Toploader, it will also work in the Ninten-Drawer. One notable issue we encountered is that Game Genie has a thicker than normal PCB. While this is fine for use in the original NES001 ZIF slot, using it in a Toploader may damage the slot pins by applying so much force the pins become permanently bent and no longer make reliable contact with cartridges. Galoob sold an adaptor for the Toploader to address this problem, but it has become prohibitively expensive and therefore not a solution we can recommend. As it stands now, we cannot recommending use of a Game Genie in Toploader style NES slots, at least not yet 😉" [attached to the tweet is a picture of a Ninten-Drawer modded NES with what appears to be a sleeved cartridge titled 'GAME DJIN NES']
Yes. A year ago when I saw his post on twitter, I asked about the game genie. He originally didn’t even think about it. Went and tested it and gave the above answer.
As a radio operator, I really hate that people take the RF shield out of consoles. Please don't do that. RF shields are an FCC requirement so that all of our electronics play well together and interfere as little as possible.
I was also going to say that green band games are considerably more common than people think. At work 1/3rd of all NES game buy ins we get are green band. It's just a simple matter of the ZIF connector on the NES clamping down further onto the card edge than your traditional card edge connector that you can buy today.
Quite innovative and a needed product. My personal opinion is unless you are playing on a CRT or trying an upgraded AV cable for modern TV it is a reduced market for this device. I personally play on my Retro AVS and would recommend an Analogue Noir Nt. It's one of those things that it's a preference for how you want to play.
Hey, Tito! Another excellent episode on a fascinating new option for the retrogaming community, I really dig your content's exposure of applied design and science to improving the user experience after official options are no longer possible. One of the things you do with production values is consistent and classy music selection, but I'd like to request if it's possible to cite the track used in the outro of your Retro Renew episodes in your description template since it's a really catchy track and I often find myself having to reverse-research the name of the track every once in a while to find it again. Since Matthew McCheskey's contribution to the intro theme's cited, would it be possible to put the citation below that? Outro Music - Dusty Decks - Stone Cookies via Epidemic Chill Beats Thanks for your attention, and keep up the awesome content!
The only con that I could think about that this mod would not work with, is the Game Genie. It's design was to push the drawer down to make the console think the game is pushed down as it activated a switch. That is the only flaw with this mod that I could think of unless it has been tested. HOWEVER you can remove the plastic extension that the Game Genie had to make it work with this mod. I am aware they did make a second revision to work with the top loader version. But overall awesome mod guys and showing how to install it! These simple and solderless mods are excellent for game preservationists that want to play the classics without frustration. Is it bad that I am a millennial and remember playing this console since it came out? I have played just about every main stream USA console since then.
Just got to say I absolutely love the clear Nintendo it looks cool as hell I've always liked to clear products so you can see the insides I always thought they looked badass. I was always kind of jealous of those fools in jail with all their clear products I always tried to buy them whenever I had the chance to but the funny thing is here in the regular world they're actually kind of rare
This is cool, but they came out with a solution years ago and it has worked for me ever since. It was a module that you installed in your NES. It works 95% of the time. After a few tries my other games worked as well. This is really cool though.
It wasn't over engineered enough. Since it uses a ribbon cable and flat cart connector, they could easily mimic the push-down spring action of the original slot, even if it was just to get the satisfaction of pushing the cartridge down for no real functional reason or, to make it necessary, they could use a push swith below the slot to determine that the cartridge is in the low position for the connection to work. (maybe V2?)
As a kid in the 80's and 90's, I always hear people younger than me talk about the video game crash of the 80s, but none of us even knew it was going on. We all had video games and never once thought they were going anywhere.
I love my Blinking Light Win, but yes that death grip is an issue. I've used it long enough I noticed a few things. NES games are tough but manageable, but those unlicensed games often have smaller grips or grips only acccessible on one side, and those were for a long time practically impossible to manage. I realized that the BLW didn't have the same "angle of attack" so to speak for inserting cartridges. It's totally horizontal, instead of the downward slope of the original slot. THAT was what kept me from getting a good finger grip on the edge to pull the cartridge back out! For a long time, I'd hoped that someone would make something like this but with the "sloped" insert path of the original. This one doesn't do that, but just allowing the cart to slide out a bit manages the same solution. It even more closely resembles a VCR this way too. Neat! I should add one thing. I'm pretty sure my BLW also has a CIC chip in there too which works the same way. By the way, this is the first I've heard of "green band" NES games and searching for it on Google gave me no sensible results. AI spat something out at me but it was utterly unintelligible nonsense about how to mod a cart with Pokemon Green or something. Thank you Google.
Looks like it's sold out for now, definitely going to pick one of these up when they're available again. Looks like a perfect replacement for my blinking light win.
Cartridge connectors always did have a strong grip on games. If it doesn't, it's probably worn out. That's why they are always top loaders except for the original NES system.
can confirm brainslugs. the original NES connector did not have a death grip because the design is a little bit different. the knock offs all grip much tighter, and can cause problems.
New subscriber here ! I was always curious about things like this and was happy to come across your channel. It's too bad the pre-orders are sold out, but I hope there's some way we will get notified when they are available again.
@@WhatsOnMyShelf yeah just like samsung and their flex phones..... dude, theres no a single device that uses flex cables this way that hasnt had issues with the cable fatiguing. If multi million dollar companies couldnt figure a way to avoid it failing i doubt some regular dudes testing it with a 3D printer would be good enough, much less when the flex is bending in such a sharp radius. And they had space to place it in a diferent direction so that it worked like a drag chain which are used because they distribute the stress along the whole length of the cable and not all in the same spot like this one, this is just bad engineering.
@@laharl2k I have PS2 and PS1 disc drives with flex cables that are older than that Samsung folding phone and still work. The segment of the video (did you watch?) showed the apparatus being tested with over 10,000 insertions / ejects.
@@WhatsOnMyShelf both the ps1 and ps2 have the flex cable arranged like a drag chain, exactly what im saying that they should do. and yeah they showed an modified 3d printer testing the cable but they didnt show it doing it 10k times, im super sure it would not survive 10k times by far. Excuse me for not trusting them after seeing such bad engineering but like i said cabled break when flexed repeatedly, copper work hardens and breaks, and the sharper the angle the faster.
I don't have an NES anymore but I love the new cartridge bay for it. As a kid, I had the Nintendo Entertainment System and I remember the blinking lights.
Has no one made a mod like this that preserves the "push down" mechanism? That's honestly been my biggest complaint about the blinking light win, since I like mods to keep the apparent functionality and behavior of vintage electronics as close to stock (or at least era-appropriate) as possible.
Agreed. The trend of changing the look and function of old consoles I find bewildering. Some of these consoles - including the Famicom - are 40 years old now. I'm all for correcting the flaws, but I'd like to keep the historical feel and look of them wherever possible, otherwise I'd just switch to FPGA.
Nah, I mean, that's the main reason these connectors are so famous for failing, and why people started blowing into cartridges... Like having a cart connector where the contacts literally deform is just asking for trouble. Even Nintendo stopped doing it when they released the North American top-loader. It's just a bad design.
@@BrainSlugs83 I'm not talking about using the same flawed connector, I'm talking about, for instance, having an edge connector attached to a push-down mechanism (I can't remember if the official part has the tray separate from the connector) that for authenticity you can push down.
@@monkeywithocd For why though? -- More moving parts = more modes of failure. -- The reason the original pushed down is that it actually served a purpose, it put the loose connector into tension, basically forming a temporary death grip on the cartridge until you let it up and removed the tension. You want it to push down... but just for the sake of pushing down? -- Like for nostalgia maybe? -- I could see that... but as far as I know, no one has done it... If you're going to push down, you might as well use the original connector.
Huh. I was kind of expecting that slide backward / forward to close around and release the cartridge pins, kind of like taking a bite. Pragmatically though I can see how it would be be really fidgety to build it that way, not to mention requiring building an all new version of the pin connector probably in molded plastic. Being able to slide it out far enough to get a grip and really pull it out still seems like a large step forward. Also, that yellow version looks really great.
This sounds amazing but I wish they came in more colors. I’m usually someone who just prefers black or grey but I’d love a vibrant color or a white option
Cool mod, I wish the clear shell had "Nintendo Entertainment System" on it for that original feel. Also if they put some kind eject feature but addressed the 72 pin connector issue nicely.
I've seen something similar before. Can't remember what it was called but it was sold out. This one's sold out already too. Man, it'd be great if we could get something like this mass-produced for once... My NES has needed something like this for a long time now. Now if only we could get a 60Hz/NTSC mod for PAL NES consoles, but since you basically need the hardware of another NES and most people don't care about the PAL NES, I doubt this will ever happen.
So if I'm seeing this correctly and hearing this correctly it basically turns the Nintendo entertainment system into a Nintendo DS with the click and click out cartridge slot.
The Game Genie has a thicker than normal PCB and Galoob released a passthru adapter so it could safely be used on the NES Toploader without potentially damaging the slot pins. With that said, the Game Genie works electrically, but you're definitely risking extra wear and tear on the cartridge slot if you dont use a passthru adaptor. Also the Everdrive has built in Game Genie support so its a great alternative.
@@BlueShell3D Do you make a passthru adapter for with with the Game Genie and this cartridge pin replacement? Also, when are pre-orders expected to ship?
@@WhatsOnMyShelf We do have passthru device under development. We're about 90% sold on this first wave, so orders placed now will likely ship out within 8-10 weeks.
@@BlueShell3D Thanks. If you ship via USPS, then it should be held by the post office, if I place my mail on hold when I'm away. It's great to see that a passthrough is in the works as well. I thought of frankensteining a piece to accomplish the job but by the look of this, you guys could make something cleaner.
I purchased my NES in 2014, for $100 boxed with everything and very lightly used. It literally works perfectly as long as the carts are cleaned. Im lucky lol
Just to clarify on those Greenband games. Thin Greenband games are more common and can be a extra fickle if they are not clean, but its the very rare THICK greenband games that are outright incompatible. The version of DuckTales shown is compatible with the Ninten-Drawer, but the Thick banded Hydlide is not
Thick Greenband games wont even work in the NES002 Toploader.
Y'all got any info on the cartridge connector you used for this? I've been looking for a replacement cart connector for my top loader for YEARS.
@@technocolossusReach out to Greg from Laser Bear, he'll actually answer your questions. 👍
@@technocolossus We use a custom solution for the NES slot. Cant say more beyond that
@@technocolossusI just got the Japanese version of the nes top loader. Since it comes with the multi out port like that on the snes. It is called the AV famicom. Just needed a famicom to nes adapter. It also has the expansion port that is on the original famicom.
@@BlueShell3D For those of us who already have a Blinking Light Win in our possession, is there any chance at making a replacement PCB available using your updated connector?
Thanks so much for taking the time to review our product! We spent a good year developing and testing the Ninten-Drawer. We're really proud of what we created, and just ecstatic that you viewed it so positively.
You can definitely see all the design effort that went into it, great work! Came out amazing 👍
Great work! Now your next project should be fighting stick drift for the Switch lol
thank you for this. blinking light win has been a pain for years, already ordered ninten-drawer
I'm making this but open source.
@@khiclark31Already been solved by gullikit
Thank you so much to Tito for sharing our project with everyone! Blueshell3D and I are excited and hope this breathes a lot of new life into the front loader
Such a great mod guys awesome work!
@@jayzah 🙏🙏🙏
It’s a really awesome mod! Great work you two!
It takes less than an hour to service the original connector. I’ll stick with it over this ugly orange thing.
@@markwayne86 I'd go with an RGB-modded top loader.
This is a big part of the reason why I get multi-carts or flash carts. Piracy isn't just about getting games for free, it also helps keep the hardware alive
That doesn't mean you need to pirate ROMS. You can load backups of your own collection.
I have pirated ROMsets myself, but my point is just that flashcart does not equal piracy.
@@anonamatron You definitely shouldn't call it piracy if you're dumping your own ROMs or just using a flashcart to play homebrew as far as I'm concerned, but that's such a small minority of people that actually do that compared to how many people are totally just downloading whatever games they want lol.
@@im1fadedRob I think downloading a copy of something you physically own is fair game.
Not that practical to dump your own game when it will be identical to what's online.
Now that I say that though I remember that there's is/was no complete copy of Beyond the Beyond for Playstation 1 online. The copies online are all missing the videos.
There's nothing wrong with downloading something you own or something you can't buy.
Nintendo isn't selling NES cartridges for the NES anymore. It's fair game to download the roms at that point.
@@im1fadedRob It depends. Piracy just means you got it for free, either from someone who bought it and gave it to you for free without paying the person who sold it to you, or who made money by making a duplicate copy of the original product, or you downloaded it online, to be inserted into the cartridge without supporting or paying the original companies/devs. But piracy isn't really included when you dump your own purchased copies of the original game, even if it hasn't been sold in 10/20+ years since its release, OR, games you have purchased and owned physically, but choose to get a copy of it online of a game you already own in your collection.
but I like to push the cartridges down
SOLD OUT, BUMMER! These modders/sponsors need to up their stock if they know this guy is reviewing it.
Yeah, I haven't been able to use my NES on more than a couple games for quite awhile now. Tried all the fix its and cleanings and polishing of pins and etc but the damn thing just doesn't want to work most of the time. This sounded like a great solution to breathe some new life into the thing but I guess not any time soon. At least the SNES still works :D
@@Brew78 I found the boiling method fixes most that have metal fatigue, but I hope BlueShell3D have more stock soon.
They're back in stock
@@charlesmckee4719 Thanks for the heads up!
Woah...now, not only do I want a Clear Shell NES, but I want a Ninten-Dawer printed in that exact same "Macho Nacho" Yellow! THAT looks awesome!
It pops so hard... I need to upgrade my unit too 😂
Clear plastic like that will yellow crazy fast, also it looks a little wobbly to me... I would keep my original shell!
Honestly I won't be surprised if someone's made a fully automated cartridge feed mechanism, not unlike an actual VCR or laserdisc machine.
i was thinking about that too but i think you would need to remake the whole nes around it but it would a great custom project.
There is an old episode of the "Ben Heck Show" where he does that more or less successfully ...
Multi slot devices existed, exist.
Amazing. I’m more of a snes and up Nintendo fan but if I was super into nes I would for sure buy this.
@@jvogler_art4708
Although I do agree that the SNES has a great library of games. The NES also has a bunch of games that are vast and would be a great game for someone who plays SNES games.
The engineer's mantra: "If it's worth doing, it's worth OVERdoing." Good job, guys!
As someone who grew up with the NES in the late 80s, I dig this solution! It's also great to know that someone picking up the slack with a new solution since Blinking Light Wins haven't been made in a long time
We only needed to wait 30 years... And for someone who isn't Nintendo to come up with the solution..
I just modified my OG nintendo with a cartridge connector that worked in the up position, avoiding the bending that occurred when you pushed down. It also didn't have deathgrip
The difference in energy between those two guys made me think immediately of Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, ahah
Bro I'm dead... 😂
I'll accept this comparison. I have no RUclips chops. I just stay in my cave and drag my knuckles on the floor while I try to build stuff. Frankly the light scares me
@@BlueShell3D oh I certainly didn't mean it as negative in any way!!
tbh building stuff while dragging your knuckles on the floor is pretty impressive
But I always loved the satisfying feeling of pushing the cart down and the springyness. Bring that back and I'm sold
This is awesome! Ive wanted a top loader for awhile because no matter what i do to my childhood NES its always unreliable. New connector is scary tight. Cleaning and bending the original has had inconsistent results. Im very excited about this.
if you hadn't bent them already, I found that placing them in an overfilled steamer pot (fully submerged, lifted off the bottom by a strainer) and simmering it for 30 minutes fixed it pretty consistently for about 6-8 months.
I do have another NES I haven't messed with yet. Might give that a shot. Thanks 😁
@@kingpolt98 It sounds crazy, but literally boiling the connector in water works and fixes it.
there is a reason a rf shielding exists, it's to help with ground and protect from rf signals even though its not necassary it does serve a good purpose
The only "con" i can think of is that I will miss out on the original push down mechanism, which was kind of satisfying.
But the reliability outclasses the "con"
This looks so dang good! I'm really glad that flash carts work, I was thinking of taking my brother in laws broken SNES and getting it working for him and giving him a flash cart so its good to know this mod will work.
Congrats on the shout-out over on Austin Evans' channel. Was watching his Mystery Tech video yesterday when I was surprised he gave you a shout-out on his GameBoy he built in the video.
Thanks! I just saw it the other day. Absolutely surreal 🤯
"I can fix him!" And so he did.
I'm not even very much of a purist, but I love the satisfying push down action of the original. I would take this solution over that for it's reliability, but imagine a hybrid of the two.
Sadly, its the ZIF connector that makes the original so unreliable. If we did add a push down, we would still keep the non-ZIF slot and the push would just be for fun. It would also make the Ninten-Drawer more expensive.
@@BlueShell3D For those who reflexively push down the cartridge, does the Ninten-drawer prevent such motion being made or if you, like myself, push down because of muscle memory and screw the whole drawer and have too buy a new one?
@@BlueShell3D Would buy
Back in 2006, a good friend of mine and I decided to hardwire a Game Genie inside of the NES and make it look stock. A lot of work later and it worked perfectly.
I would love a better easier way to do another one.
In defense of the Blinking Light Win:
NES cartridges don't need to be pulled by that recessed area you were using pliers on. NES carts also have ridges on the right and left sides for grip. So you can easily your two index fingers on both sides of the cart to pull them out of the BLW.
It requires more force than the standard connector, sure, but it's still plenty easy
Regardless, Arcade Works stopped producing BLW. This is a newly available solution. I've seen the BLW sell on ebay for $100+
I got a BLW years ago, snagged one since they're always sold out, and it's been collecting dust because I immediately noticed the death grip before installing it and was like "nuh uh"
Glad to FINALLY see an alternative!
Edit: Just pre-ordered it. Hell yeah, been waiting years for this
That clear shell gives it that prison electronics look.
The screws you mentioned @ 7:39 are called self tapping screws. There is no threading for those type of screws because they are held in by biting into the material they are screwed into. It's good to mention that a higher amount of friction is to be expected though ofc, it can definitely feel wrong or at least be surprising with fresh posts.
The RF shielding used to be absolutely mandatory, my friend's Tandy computer was capable of sending a signal from clear across the house that would cause Mario to unalive himself in the nearest hole. There's also the potential to interfere with other electronics, although that's probably less of a risk these days.
Indeed. I think it's foolish that all these modders dismiss the shielding as completely useless. These old electronics can interfere with their own trace lines being too close, any outside interference will effect them. It's always best to have shielding when possible.
@@scikoolaid It's because they aren't electrical engineers and don't really understand what's going on.
To be fair, I don't have an EE background either. But I do know enough that I am well aware that my understanding is incomplete.
@@scikoolaid New electronics are still subject to interference, but not necessarily the types that are most common.
The older stuff generated electrical noise and RF that could easily cause problems with radio and television.
Even in a clear case and not putting the RF shielding back on I'd have screwed those extra screws into the empty holes. Just so that way I'd never lose them. lol
Tbh the original feel of pushing down the cartridge is too ingrained in my memory as an essential part of the original NES experience. There’s no way I would be willing to lose that. And I’ve never had trouble with my cart connector anyway so I can’t say I’m in the market for something like this.
Kudos to the team for the battery of tests they put the connector through (12:18). I really feel like other companies in the market neglect this and that is why, in large part, the "Death Grip" is so rampant.
However, I'd suggest they simulate many thousands of hours more to really break down that death grip and get closer to that true Zero Insertion Force.
Or you can do this yourself and manually bend the pins with a sewing needle or component tweezers. This is what I did to a secondary NES of mine with the affirmentioned Blinking Light Win.
After I bent the pins to a more "broken in state", it truly became a ZERO Insertion force connector. That was nearly 10years ago and games still slide in and out like butter using just my thumb and forefinger. That's how a true ZIF connector is intended to operate!
I'd do the same for this if I had my hands on it!
Could this finally stop the "blowing in the cartage" thing people do?
Probably not. People will always blow and try to push down
The reason it's needed is to bridge the connection to the pins, which this replaces. So hypothetically, sure. Will it stop them from doing it anyway? Probably not.
PLEASE DON’T BLOW INTO YOUR CART.
Blowing into carts removes dust 🤭
@@therealavolpe 🤦♀🤦♀🤦♀
I was SO excited when I saw "Most Over Engineered" because I thought there was finally a perfect fix with no death grip, while still being able to be pushed/clicked down into the lower position. Nope. **cries in nerd** I realize I'm probably in the vast minority, but I spent my entire childhood pushing the cartridge down, and that is an essential part of the NES experience to me. As well as it not being insanely difficult to remove. I guess if even Nintendo couldn't do it right (pushing down, no death grip, and being RELIABLE), no one else can, either. Why they had to do that pushing-down thing and forever ruin it for me, I don't know.
It makes me so happy that people keep repairing and improving on these consoles and portables from our past. I thank all you guys from the bottom of my heart god bless you all.
Had been following BlueShell for a while, all of his stuff looks nuts.
Excellent video. Thanks for making it.
What video game crash? Says anyone outside of the USA 😂
Nice Feature on Dizzy! That's the major game of my childhood that I still haven't beaten to this day!
Really awesome design! This is definitely something I will consider for my future NES ultimate build.. Thanks for the great video and detailed breakdown of the drawer!
It single handedly revived the video game industry IN NORTH AMERICA. It didn't need saving in Japan or Europe.
I question this logic since without the large North American market, could the games industry grown as big and as fast as it did from then till now?
Without the American market gaming technology would not have grown to what it is today.
@@WhatsOnMyShelf The video games market in Japan and Europe were not impacted by the crash, but I would agree that without the revitalisation in North America, it would not be what it is today.
@@kuunami See above.
@@PoutingTrevor I could probably come up with a thesis that since the American market was revived, the Japan / European markets survived. What big corporations would invest the time / money to develop tech that only a small portion of the world would use? As inflation happens, so too does the value of money fall. The profits and low man-power investment and possible divestment would eventually collapse the market altogether. You could apply this to fads like Cabbage Patch kids and their knockoffs. Without a continued and growing interest, it becomes less likely that companies would divert their efforts to such products.
i fixed my drawer as a kid by taking the NES apart and removing the screws that hold the drawer.. this allowed the drawer to be "loose" and it actually stopped the issue where the NES couldnt read the catridges.. if it looped or blue screen looped all you had to do was move the catridges which moved the drawer a little bit.. i did this when i was 5 in 1989, and to this day my nes still works. If i can do this when i was 5 years old.. then i dont see why no one else has thought of it. Guess im just a genius.... try it, i bet you it will work for you, no reason to spend $50 on this thing
Your NES looks amazing but I won't get past running it 16:9. ;) ha ha ha
Haha, sorry about the 😅
@@MachoNachoProductions Just having a little fun! You can't really do it wrong.
I really like the addition of creator interviews!
Great video. I love the Blinking light Win so seeing something similar that fixes the short comings a bit is great to see. That shell though the manufacturer should include metal clips with it. Seriously the shell you used Costs $110 it should come with those stupid little spring clips as well as some new screws at that price.
When I was a kid playing the NES I had a perfect system for always getting the game to play every time. It might make some people cringe but I would “blow” the connector in the cartridge, then “lick” the pins across on the bottom side of connector, then “push” the cartridge in the slot just enough so I could push the cartridge down then push the “power” button. Work every time!
Blowing carts is a tried and true method, but licking the pins is just weird
This is a cool product, and I'm glad they made it. I'm one of those folks that is interested in simplicity and reliability. I have a blinking light win and my take is that this thing's only practical benefit over the BLW is more surface area to grip the cartridge. The looks, custom plates, magnets, etc. are all cool, but superfluous in terms of functionality. The movement and flex cable are a design negative for me juat because movement and more complexity invariably brings a higher chance of failure, but it'd likely not be an issue in our lifetime. More options are good. Well done, guys.
I've never had an issue getting a cartridge out with blinking light win, but this does look even better.
Thanks, i just ordered both the shell and the drawer for my nes as well. Ive also got the NESessity 1.3 board so I will be combining all 3 mods into one awesome system.
Maybe there is some variation with the molding and I got lucky with my Blinking Light Win, but I never had a problem with a "death grip", especially now that it has been broken in. The Ninten-Drawer is pretty cool though. I like the concept and it will certainly make it easier to remove the carts. If I didn't already have a BLW, I would definitely get one.
I think the death grip on the BLW was just the first production run, then it got fixed. Mine certainly doesn't have any problems with a death grip.
the shell and mod look beautiful together, makes a great show piece.
Looks like a good fix. I just preordered it! Thx for your review, install and thoughts
Looks like a great mod. I just received an NES-Slotmaster that I plan on installing this weekend. Much simpler design but hopefully it works just as well.
I had a Blinking Light Win in my HDMI modded NES. But ended up selling it cause i missed the nostalgia of pushing the game down before playing it.
Hell ya itchy! I feel the same way. I know that it will wear the pins out and the cartridge connector will need to have the points bent back into place at some point, but I like the motion of the ol push down design as well. 🤘
It's indeed a very well thought out and tested replacement for the original cart connector. I still don't like the ribbon cable though, as someone who does board level repair. The sharp flexing of the FFC and the sudden magnet snapping are likely over time to cause solder failure and breaks in the cable.
Though, there's unfortunately no real better way to do it without just having a fixed cart connector and the cartridge sticking out the front of the console, which doesn't look very nice.
Wow! A mod that the average user can actually do for a change without having to learn how to micro-solder. Color me impressed!
fist flaw i saw was a ribbon cable...
sure they do the job but my experience is moving ribbon cables usually in the long run just results in a broken ribbon cable when moved enough times..
Don't meant to HATE! But the Nintendo Brand Pin Connector, is BY FAR, the Best! Most People, dont know, but the Reason, you put the game in, and push down, inside the 72 pin, are a row of top connectors! ( you cant really see them, but they are there! ( I have learned a secret way to clean the pin connector, that makes them play like brand new ( Not Alcohol, not boiling, another way!)
That would look slick printed in clear resin with that case. Interesting product idea, cool to see people still have love for these consoles.
Finally! My only complaint about this is the price point. It's great for what it offers, not arguing that at all. But I'd love to see a version that is basically just the end connector, without the fancy magnetic sliding parts and customizable tray. At $30, the BLW was almost in the right price range for almost anyone to buy it and replace the original connector. At $50, which is right around the going rate for a used NES, this is going to be a harder sell to the non enthusiast/speedrunning crowd.
Don't get me wrong, I'm buying at least two of them for myself, and will likely be installing many more for friends. Awesome job, and I can't wait to get my hands on them.
Right, I don't see why the magnetic latch was necessary. There's beauty in simplicity.
All you need to do is proper ultrasonic clean the OEM connector and they work perfect. No resetting the pins or anything. I wish more people knew this.
Americans love to talk about the video games crash as if it were absolute - it wasn't!
It happened in just one country. The rest of us didn't notice it.
Atari's real problem is that they didnt sell well outside the US.
This is an American RUclips channel discussing an American version of this console. What else could you possibly expect? Atari wasn't the only American company that suffered. So did Mattel, Coleco and several game publishers.
I'm fairly new to the Nintendo Console world in general, I had a DS Lite and DSi growing up, oh and a Wii of course, but I love how everything in the NES, except some items on the motherboard, looks repairable compared to today I love how nothing is welded, glued, or otherwise bolted into the shell!
Very cool stuff! I've never touched the pins on my Famicom AV top loader and it's been fantastic.. but I definitely have on the ol grey NES.. but it has a blinking light win in it already, so i doubt i'll swap. But If I ever get another one that needs pin work.. this looks like a fantastic way to go!
The grip of death on 3rd party solutions is caused by the cartridge connectors being new. You can easily fix it by pushing the pins back so they loosen a bit.
$47 for the Ninten-Drawer is not that bad, but there are other solutions which are much cheaper like the NES Slotmaster.
I don't remember exactly what I did but 17 years ago when I replaced my 72 pin connector it's worked fine and doesn't need to be pushed down (and can't be).
Pretty sure I just changed tension somewhere, making sure the mainboard seemed to not be taking too much.
One accessory that you didn't cover that actually is incompatible is Galoob's Game Genie. And to BlueShell and Rocker's credit: they made an official statement about this incompatibility along side the whole greenband thing (which I didn't even know about until watching this video, really fascinated as to why that is)
Anyways; here's the tweet BlueShell made regarding the Game Genie and Ninten-Drawer:
"To quickly answer a Ninten-Drawer compatibility question:
Because the NES002 “Toploader” is mechanically different than the NES001 “Frontloader”, there are some things that will not work because they simply do not “fit” into the Toploader style cart slot, and because the Ninten-Drawer uses a Toploader style slot, it shares those same limitations. After testing hundreds of games and accessories we can say with very high confidence that if it works on the Toploader, it will also work in the Ninten-Drawer.
One notable issue we encountered is that Game Genie has a thicker than normal PCB. While this is fine for use in the original NES001 ZIF slot, using it in a Toploader may damage the slot pins by applying so much force the pins become permanently bent and no longer make reliable contact with cartridges. Galoob sold an adaptor for the Toploader to address this problem, but it has become prohibitively expensive and therefore not a solution we can recommend.
As it stands now, we cannot recommending use of a Game Genie in Toploader style NES slots, at least not yet 😉"
[attached to the tweet is a picture of a Ninten-Drawer modded NES with what appears to be a sleeved cartridge titled 'GAME DJIN NES']
Yes. A year ago when I saw his post on twitter, I asked about the game genie. He originally didn’t even think about it. Went and tested it and gave the above answer.
As a radio operator, I really hate that people take the RF shield out of consoles. Please don't do that. RF shields are an FCC requirement so that all of our electronics play well together and interfere as little as possible.
I was also going to say that green band games are considerably more common than people think. At work 1/3rd of all NES game buy ins we get are green band. It's just a simple matter of the ZIF connector on the NES clamping down further onto the card edge than your traditional card edge connector that you can buy today.
A clear Ninten-Drawer would look really nice in that clear case 👍
One think I would like to see with this kind of a set up, would be an eject button. It's not needed but it would help with the VCR feel of the NES.
Quite innovative and a needed product. My personal opinion is unless you are playing on a CRT or trying an upgraded AV cable for modern TV it is a reduced market for this device. I personally play on my Retro AVS and would recommend an Analogue Noir Nt. It's one of those things that it's a preference for how you want to play.
Hey, Tito! Another excellent episode on a fascinating new option for the retrogaming community, I really dig your content's exposure of applied design and science to improving the user experience after official options are no longer possible.
One of the things you do with production values is consistent and classy music selection, but I'd like to request if it's possible to cite the track used in the outro of your Retro Renew episodes in your description template since it's a really catchy track and I often find myself having to reverse-research the name of the track every once in a while to find it again. Since Matthew McCheskey's contribution to the intro theme's cited, would it be possible to put the citation below that?
Outro Music - Dusty Decks - Stone Cookies via Epidemic Chill Beats
Thanks for your attention, and keep up the awesome content!
All my music except for the intro comes from the website epidemic sound.
The only con that I could think about that this mod would not work with, is the Game Genie. It's design was to push the drawer down to make the console think the game is pushed down as it activated a switch. That is the only flaw with this mod that I could think of unless it has been tested. HOWEVER you can remove the plastic extension that the Game Genie had to make it work with this mod. I am aware they did make a second revision to work with the top loader version.
But overall awesome mod guys and showing how to install it! These simple and solderless mods are excellent for game preservationists that want to play the classics without frustration.
Is it bad that I am a millennial and remember playing this console since it came out? I have played just about every main stream USA console since then.
Just got to say I absolutely love the clear Nintendo it looks cool as hell I've always liked to clear products so you can see the insides I always thought they looked badass. I was always kind of jealous of those fools in jail with all their clear products I always tried to buy them whenever I had the chance to but the funny thing is here in the regular world they're actually kind of rare
This is cool, but they came out with a solution years ago and it has worked for me ever since. It was a module that you installed in your NES. It works 95% of the time. After a few tries my other games worked as well. This is really cool though.
Well the NES never needed you to press down the cartridge, it was just for aesthetics, you could leave it up with the door open
It wasn't over engineered enough. Since it uses a ribbon cable and flat cart connector, they could easily mimic the push-down spring action of the original slot, even if it was just to get the satisfaction of pushing the cartridge down for no real functional reason or, to make it necessary, they could use a push swith below the slot to determine that the cartridge is in the low position for the connection to work. (maybe V2?)
As a kid in the 80's and 90's, I always hear people younger than me talk about the video game crash of the 80s, but none of us even knew it was going on. We all had video games and never once thought they were going anywhere.
This...this is actually really good. For $50 I'm heavily tempted to pull my NES out of storage.
I love my Blinking Light Win, but yes that death grip is an issue. I've used it long enough I noticed a few things. NES games are tough but manageable, but those unlicensed games often have smaller grips or grips only acccessible on one side, and those were for a long time practically impossible to manage. I realized that the BLW didn't have the same "angle of attack" so to speak for inserting cartridges. It's totally horizontal, instead of the downward slope of the original slot. THAT was what kept me from getting a good finger grip on the edge to pull the cartridge back out! For a long time, I'd hoped that someone would make something like this but with the "sloped" insert path of the original.
This one doesn't do that, but just allowing the cart to slide out a bit manages the same solution. It even more closely resembles a VCR this way too. Neat! I should add one thing. I'm pretty sure my BLW also has a CIC chip in there too which works the same way. By the way, this is the first I've heard of "green band" NES games and searching for it on Google gave me no sensible results. AI spat something out at me but it was utterly unintelligible nonsense about how to mod a cart with Pokemon Green or something. Thank you Google.
Looks like it's sold out for now, definitely going to pick one of these up when they're available again. Looks like a perfect replacement for my blinking light win.
Good idea to use a clear shell to show us the mod in situ, more reviews should do it.
Cartridge connectors always did have a strong grip on games. If it doesn't, it's probably worn out. That's why they are always top loaders except for the original NES system.
Nah, the Chinese ones from ebay / Ali express are so tight they basically don't work, and they damage your games.
can confirm brainslugs. the original NES connector did not have a death grip because the design is a little bit different.
the knock offs all grip much tighter, and can cause problems.
New subscriber here ! I was always curious about things like this and was happy to come across your channel. It's too bad the pre-orders are sold out, but I hope there's some way we will get notified when they are available again.
Still using my OG 72pin, zero problems to date. Console is older than me.
@RockerGaming @BlueShell3D
Any differences between the Ninten-drawer and Slotmaster that might not be immediately apparent just from photos/videos?
CON: $50 vs. a dental pick and some deoxit to fix the original connector.
Not to mention that flex cable is gonna break in less than 1000 uses. Awful design.
@@laharl2k The video showed where the designers stress-tested @12:15
@@WhatsOnMyShelf yeah just like samsung and their flex phones..... dude, theres no a single device that uses flex cables this way that hasnt had issues with the cable fatiguing. If multi million dollar companies couldnt figure a way to avoid it failing i doubt some regular dudes testing it with a 3D printer would be good enough, much less when the flex is bending in such a sharp radius.
And they had space to place it in a diferent direction so that it worked like a drag chain which are used because they distribute the stress along the whole length of the cable and not all in the same spot like this one, this is just bad engineering.
@@laharl2k I have PS2 and PS1 disc drives with flex cables that are older than that Samsung folding phone and still work. The segment of the video (did you watch?) showed the apparatus being tested with over 10,000 insertions / ejects.
@@WhatsOnMyShelf both the ps1 and ps2 have the flex cable arranged like a drag chain, exactly what im saying that they should do.
and yeah they showed an modified 3d printer testing the cable but they didnt show it doing it 10k times, im super sure it would not survive 10k times by far. Excuse me for not trusting them after seeing such bad engineering but like i said cabled break when flexed repeatedly, copper work hardens and breaks, and the sharper the angle the faster.
Neat, I have a re-furbished 72 pin connector in mine, once it dies/gives me problems, I will look into this.
That's cool. It's about time somebody finally made a high quality edge connector for the US console
So I had the blinking light with the flashing blue screen but all it was a bad anti piracy chip and soon as you cut a few pins the system works great!
I don't have an NES anymore but I love the new cartridge bay for it. As a kid, I had the Nintendo Entertainment System and I remember the blinking lights.
I've been following this for awhile. Glad it's something you can actually buy now.
Has no one made a mod like this that preserves the "push down" mechanism? That's honestly been my biggest complaint about the blinking light win, since I like mods to keep the apparent functionality and behavior of vintage electronics as close to stock (or at least era-appropriate) as possible.
ward
Agreed. The trend of changing the look and function of old consoles I find bewildering. Some of these consoles - including the Famicom - are 40 years old now. I'm all for correcting the flaws, but I'd like to keep the historical feel and look of them wherever possible, otherwise I'd just switch to FPGA.
Nah, I mean, that's the main reason these connectors are so famous for failing, and why people started blowing into cartridges... Like having a cart connector where the contacts literally deform is just asking for trouble. Even Nintendo stopped doing it when they released the North American top-loader. It's just a bad design.
@@BrainSlugs83 I'm not talking about using the same flawed connector, I'm talking about, for instance, having an edge connector attached to a push-down mechanism (I can't remember if the official part has the tray separate from the connector) that for authenticity you can push down.
@@monkeywithocd For why though? -- More moving parts = more modes of failure. -- The reason the original pushed down is that it actually served a purpose, it put the loose connector into tension, basically forming a temporary death grip on the cartridge until you let it up and removed the tension. You want it to push down... but just for the sake of pushing down? -- Like for nostalgia maybe? -- I could see that... but as far as I know, no one has done it... If you're going to push down, you might as well use the original connector.
Huh. I was kind of expecting that slide backward / forward to close around and release the cartridge pins, kind of like taking a bite. Pragmatically though I can see how it would be be really fidgety to build it that way, not to mention requiring building an all new version of the pin connector probably in molded plastic. Being able to slide it out far enough to get a grip and really pull it out still seems like a large step forward.
Also, that yellow version looks really great.
This sounds amazing but I wish they came in more colors. I’m usually someone who just prefers black or grey but I’d love a vibrant color or a white option
We are planning for more colors in the future
@@BlueShell3D sweet! Looking forward to purchasing one. This will revive my childhood NES
@@BlueShell3D awesome. I will be a future purchaser then :D
I love that it is plug and play with no soldering involved!
Cool mod, I wish the clear shell had "Nintendo Entertainment System" on it for that original feel. Also if they put some kind eject feature but addressed the 72 pin connector issue nicely.
I've seen something similar before. Can't remember what it was called but it was sold out. This one's sold out already too. Man, it'd be great if we could get something like this mass-produced for once... My NES has needed something like this for a long time now.
Now if only we could get a 60Hz/NTSC mod for PAL NES consoles, but since you basically need the hardware of another NES and most people don't care about the PAL NES, I doubt this will ever happen.
i was going to ask about the flex cable durability until 12:25 xd , love a bit of engineering testing
So if I'm seeing this correctly and hearing this correctly it basically turns the Nintendo entertainment system into a Nintendo DS with the click and click out cartridge slot.
Tito, you didn't test the Game Genie and the Aladdin Deck Enhancer. What's up with that? Those are too funny!!! 🙃
The Game Genie has a thicker than normal PCB and Galoob released a passthru adapter so it could safely be used on the NES Toploader without potentially damaging the slot pins.
With that said, the Game Genie works electrically, but you're definitely risking extra wear and tear on the cartridge slot if you dont use a passthru adaptor. Also the Everdrive has built in Game Genie support so its a great alternative.
@@BlueShell3D Do you make a passthru adapter for with with the Game Genie and this cartridge pin replacement? Also, when are pre-orders expected to ship?
@@WhatsOnMyShelf We do have passthru device under development.
We're about 90% sold on this first wave, so orders placed now will likely ship out within 8-10 weeks.
@@BlueShell3D Thanks. If you ship via USPS, then it should be held by the post office, if I place my mail on hold when I'm away. It's great to see that a passthrough is in the works as well. I thought of frankensteining a piece to accomplish the job but by the look of this, you guys could make something cleaner.
would love to have a restock on these. I missed the original run
I purchased my NES in 2014, for $100 boxed with everything and very lightly used. It literally works perfectly as long as the carts are cleaned. Im lucky lol