Hey man, I followed these directions and my nintendo works like a fricken charm now. Thanks so much for posting this. I never knew how easy it is to do, or I would have done it years ago. Many thanks.
FUNCOLAND!! I used to go there all the time as a kid! Loved that place. When I lived in Dallas, they had a HUGE Funcoland right next to my house. Went there all the time with the money I made from taking out people's garbage at the college apartment complexes where we lived (when my dad went to college in texas). I was like 10. I would take out people's garbage for 25-50 cents and do it for several hours. Hitting probably 100 doors. Then I would go to Funcoland with my earnings.
For some people its more about having the actual machines than condensing how many systems you have. I am one of those people, but if you're not thats fine too. To each their own.
Thanks to your videos i've been able to clean all of my carts in a safer way than blowing on them haha clean all my controllers and i'm starting on the consoles as soon as the nintendo screw drivers come in. Thank you so much! Everything is working much better now! I'm also looking for older systems to work on cleaning and restoring, i've found a new passion thanks to your informative and simple videos!
Although I soaked the connector in wd40, I followed your instructions to the letter! and now it runs like new! thank you so much, can't recommend this guide to others enough!
Great video, thanks for this! Although I've read Windex may not always be the best choice since it can contain perfume, dye, and water. Electronic Contact Cleaner or Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol are strongly recommended.
Thank you for posting your helpful advice! I just got 2 (!) NES systems for free from someone because they no longer needed them. 2 systems...4 controllers...lots of things to clean. You bet I will be running this in the background as I unscrew plastic and whip out my Q-tips!
AdamKoralik Man! No luck. Did everything you said. Took out the chip. I even bought a new AV cable for them. Both of them are not working. I turn it on, and all I hear is a loud HUMMM of "I am on, I am just choosing not to work right now :) " Edit: Woo! Moved the pins on the connector to a better position...we have picture! And audio! Yay! Only thing is there is a persistent, consistent buzzing going on along with the audio. I wonder if it is either my TV reacting weird to old technology (Its an old model flatscreen) or its something going on with the Nintendo. But I got one to work! And I know why it wasn't working! Best feelings :D
I also highly recommend very slightly bending the top contacts on the 72 pin connector up a tiny bit. A thin fine tool will work. Some people use a pin but I find a Xacto knife tip can do the job to get the tool in there properly. Obviously cleaning the 72 before hand. I have restored many NES to brand new and have last for years. The new 72 pins you can get seem to have a over tight grip on your carts that can lead to pre-mature wear on your contacts. -Nick
Hm, yeah, it might be sealed up too tightly. But it means the games are getting a solid connection, which is good. I suggest loosening it a little. Find the happy medium.
Thanks! I had the pink screen on my old NES. Took it apart with your help. And found the 72 pin had one rusty corroded pin. Clean it and the board connectors. Now I can play my old Tetris in prep of the TWC next month (Tetris World Championship in Portland.
Yeah there are two models of Gamecubes. In addition to the removal of the video port, one of the unused expansion ports was removed and the lid was changed. In the early model's the jewel in the top is actually removable.
So is magic eraser. But that stuff is so powerful its dangerous (not like lethal or anything, you just risk erasing things you want to keep, like logos). Have you ever used it?
Couple of things. One, keep it clean. Two, don't leave games in it unless they're being played. Leaving them in there is what causes the pins to bend. and thus it stops working. Three, it's a tedious but easy fix if cleaning it doesn't work. If you use a paper clip to bend them back up, it'll work just fine. But it's a pain in the ass.
That's up to you. But make sure the NES is in good shape if you decide to do that. I'd say he should throw in more games because that's not a very good deal for you.
Windex is a type of glass cleaner made mostly out of ammonia. I know you guys have it up in Canada. Off brands would probably work too, I was just using and reporting this since it's what I have.
@AdamKoralik Hey Adam... don't know if you are listening or if you care, but there were 2 different controller boards Nintendo used for their nes controllers. The first had no printing on the back of the board, an unnamed chip, and the 5 wires were fairly close on the board. The Second had a schematic printed on the board, a Toshiba chip, and the 5 wires were spaced out and labeled on the back. On the first type, the board is lightly pressed on to the pins, the second just sits on the pins.
I don’t have An NES system Anymore But I had an NES System During my Childhood back in the 90’s I used to play the NES at Timber Creek High School In Mrs Monica’s class
Very informative video Adam. I'll have to do this with my NES as it's having problems reading the cartridges. One thing I would recommend though is to use ammonia or rubbing alcohol instead of Windex to clean the contacts. I find it does a much better job.
Use the composite port. If for whatever reason you can't, I might suggest q-tips and Windex. But you can't remove the RF port without some serious skills.
Yeah, I could probably do that. But Dreamcasts don't require much maintenance. If you open it up with a phillips screw driver and just blow around some compressed air you should be fine. Make sure to blow some through the fan too. Are you playing burned games? Because thats your problem right there. They cause the laser to burn out.
I suggest cleaning the discs, possibly getting them resurfaced. Open the system, trying cleaning it out with compressed air. IF NEED BE, and only if need be, turn up the voltage on your Dreamcast laser. I highly recommend you don't do this, but that would solve the problem, temporarily. I find that Dreamcasts need to rest, as odd as that sounds. If you leave them alone for a while, they tend to work a lot better.
I have a few of the common sizes but they don't seem to be able to loosen the screws on the outside of the console so I'll look for some others. Thanks
Oh also, when I clean my consoles I take all of the plastic parts and wash+scrub them with dawn soap. Instead of using windex try using rubbing alcohol instead. Alcohol doesn't have dyes and other things that might get left behind on the contacts.
Not to my knowledge. I've never attempted to restore logos, I wouldn't really know how to go about it. But for the yellowing, look in the Retr0bright method.
I use contact cleaner for contacts. It's 8 bucks at Walmart or an auto store also called electronics cleaner. Good stuff I highly recommend it. Cool video. Subbed
I find finishing off with a light 91% alacohol solution following up with a dry buff. Makeup remover cotton discs work very well. Dry Compress air after use.
When you cleaned that NES cart i was like oh my. There was just chunks of crap in there. It's always great to clean the contacts (And i don't mean blow into them). But i would suggest using 91% Isopropyl Alcohol because it dries better and has less water,more alcohol and will clean your pins much better. Overall great video on how to make old systems last longer (Just like in all of the other cleaning vids).
my NES when i got it was incredibly temperamental. after taking it apart and cleaning i found that the pins were bent, btu that it had a crack in it, and was looking very tired. i crought a new 72 pin. and now its in, its the most reliable cartridge console i have. the least reliable is the megadrive 1. although il bet it just needs a damn good clean. will be looking for a video from you about that. thanks for the helpful videos.
Nice video, especially with the cartridge cleaner from funcoland!!! shopped there before it went gamestop, really wish gamestop still carried old console games, but sadly they stopped ;(.
I bought an original NES at a flea market, brought it home, cleaned it like in the video and it works great. My problem is it is really hard to remove my games from my console. I sometimes have to use a pair of pliers to get my game out, but that can damage my cart. Did I do something wrong when I reassembled my NES? Did I tighten the screws too tight?
I'd take a peek in there. Every time I've seen that cage not lock down it's because there's a tab on the bottom of the cage that's supposed to go under the main board. Caused by someone taking it apart and not getting the cage back in right.
I just looked it up and it looks like your right. Ammonia is one of the ingredients in Windex. So I guess it would work just as well as pure ammonia. I didn't know about the alcohol leaving a film. It's probably best to stick with the ammonia or Windex then. Alcohol still works great for removing marker or pen marks though.
You're welcome, thanks for watching.
Sure thing, thanks for watching.
Congratulations, thanks for watching.
Yeah, probably. Most of them are. Thanks for watching.
My pleasure, thanks for watching.
My pleasure man, thanks for watching.
Thanks, I hope they can help if you need them.
Model 1. Supports everything and has stereo sound (provided you use the front jack).
Thanks, and welcome aboard.
Sure thing, hope it helps.
Happy to.
Hey man,
I followed these directions and my nintendo works like a fricken charm now. Thanks so much for posting this. I never knew how easy it is to do, or I would have done it years ago.
Many thanks.
Happy to help!
Yes, so you need to check and make sure you don't leave any behind.
Happy to help.
FUNCOLAND!! I used to go there all the time as a kid! Loved that place. When I lived in Dallas, they had a HUGE Funcoland right next to my house. Went there all the time with the money I made from taking out people's garbage at the college apartment complexes where we lived (when my dad went to college in texas). I was like 10. I would take out people's garbage for 25-50 cents and do it for several hours. Hitting probably 100 doors. Then I would go to Funcoland with my earnings.
Thank you for watching.
For some people its more about having the actual machines than condensing how many systems you have. I am one of those people, but if you're not thats fine too. To each their own.
Part 2 of this video will make my opinions a tad more clear. :D
Thanks to your videos i've been able to clean all of my carts in a safer way than blowing on them haha clean all my controllers and i'm starting on the consoles as soon as the nintendo screw drivers come in. Thank you so much! Everything is working much better now! I'm also looking for older systems to work on cleaning and restoring, i've found a new passion thanks to your informative and simple videos!
Although I soaked the connector in wd40, I followed your instructions to the letter! and now it runs like new! thank you so much, can't recommend this guide to others enough!
Awesome! Enjoy.
You should make a remaster version of this video. It's a great video. Just an idea and that's all it is. Love your videos man.
Thank you dud my husband just bought one it wasn't working but thanks to you how to clean it video it worked !
Angelica Gonzalez Glad I could help!
Thanks bud, I didn't know that. I appreciate you watching my stuff.
DUDE Funcoland was EPIC. I remember getting my SNES and my N64 from there. That was back when they did not RIP YOU OFF all the time.
Of course. I have a model one and a model two.
Thanks, I appreciate that.
Great video, thanks for this! Although I've read Windex may not always be the best choice since it can contain perfume, dye, and water. Electronic Contact Cleaner or Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol are strongly recommended.
Happy to help bud.
Thank you for posting your helpful advice! I just got 2 (!) NES systems for free from someone because they no longer needed them. 2 systems...4 controllers...lots of things to clean. You bet I will be running this in the background as I unscrew plastic and whip out my Q-tips!
Awesome! Let me know if you got them running.
AdamKoralik
Man! No luck. Did everything you said. Took out the chip. I even bought a new AV cable for them. Both of them are not working. I turn it on, and all I hear is a loud HUMMM of "I am on, I am just choosing not to work right now :) "
Edit: Woo! Moved the pins on the connector to a better position...we have picture! And audio! Yay!
Only thing is there is a persistent, consistent buzzing going on along with the audio. I wonder if it is either my TV reacting weird to old technology (Its an old model flatscreen) or its something going on with the Nintendo.
But I got one to work! And I know why it wasn't working! Best feelings :D
I also highly recommend very slightly bending the top contacts on the 72 pin connector up a tiny bit. A thin fine tool will work. Some people use a pin but I find a Xacto knife tip can do the job to get the tool in there properly. Obviously cleaning the 72 before hand. I have restored many NES to brand new and have last for years. The new 72 pins you can get seem to have a over tight grip on your carts that can lead to pre-mature wear on your contacts.
-Nick
Hm, yeah, it might be sealed up too tightly.
But it means the games are getting a solid connection, which is good.
I suggest loosening it a little. Find the happy medium.
Thanks! I had the pink screen on my old NES. Took it apart with your help. And found the 72 pin had one rusty corroded pin. Clean it and the board connectors. Now I can play my old Tetris in prep of the TWC next month (Tetris World Championship in Portland.
Yeah there are two models of Gamecubes. In addition to the removal of the video port, one of the unused expansion ports was removed and the lid was changed. In the early model's the jewel in the top is actually removable.
Morgan lives in Louisiana, I said that at the beginning.
I'm not entirely sure. Windex chips away at it, but by no means will get rid of it.
It probably does, but I don't know for sure.
Of course.
I've always used and recommended rubbing alcohol for cleaning, because of the quick evaporation and lower conductivity. Great video none the less.
Yeah, I found that out when I found out about the loss of the component port. But I can deal with those, the loss of the component port is a crime.
You could try cleaning it, but there's no guarantee that will do anything. Are you sure it's not the controller?
I recommend doing both. It's highly unlikely to ever find an NES that doesn't need it done.
Not sure off hand, but it's a pretty common size.
So is magic eraser. But that stuff is so powerful its dangerous (not like lethal or anything, you just risk erasing things you want to keep, like logos). Have you ever used it?
I love these new videos man. Great work.
Couple of things.
One, keep it clean.
Two, don't leave games in it unless they're being played. Leaving them in there is what causes the pins to bend. and thus it stops working.
Three, it's a tedious but easy fix if cleaning it doesn't work. If you use a paper clip to bend them back up, it'll work just fine. But it's a pain in the ass.
Probably a reflection from the compressed air can.
I learn a lot from these videos. Thanks.
Thanks.
That's up to you. But make sure the NES is in good shape if you decide to do that.
I'd say he should throw in more games because that's not a very good deal for you.
Windex is a type of glass cleaner made mostly out of ammonia.
I know you guys have it up in Canada.
Off brands would probably work too, I was just using and reporting this since it's what I have.
Similar, yes.
@AdamKoralik Hey Adam... don't know if you are listening or if you care, but there were 2 different controller boards Nintendo used for their nes controllers. The first had no printing on the back of the board, an unnamed chip, and the 5 wires were fairly close on the board. The Second had a schematic printed on the board, a Toshiba chip, and the 5 wires were spaced out and labeled on the back. On the first type, the board is lightly pressed on to the pins, the second just sits on the pins.
Adam Koralik a GOD of RetroNess thanks good job!...
Thanks for watching.
Thats awesome dude.
I don’t have An NES system Anymore But I had an NES System During my Childhood back in the 90’s I used to play the NES at Timber Creek High School In Mrs Monica’s class
Great Vid thanks for taking the time to make it!!!
Very informative video Adam. I'll have to do this with my NES as it's having problems reading the cartridges. One thing I would recommend though is to use ammonia or rubbing alcohol instead of Windex to clean the contacts. I find it does a much better job.
Very detailed on your cleaning and repairing awesome dude.
Isn't Windex primarily just ammonia? Also, I'm told rubbing alcohol leaves a film on there.
I'm talking about magic eraser. Its a foam like substance. You use it like you would a sponge.
You could probably get one shipped in from the States for not too much.
Use the composite port.
If for whatever reason you can't, I might suggest q-tips and Windex. But you can't remove the RF port without some serious skills.
Yeah, I could probably do that. But Dreamcasts don't require much maintenance. If you open it up with a phillips screw driver and just blow around some compressed air you should be fine. Make sure to blow some through the fan too.
Are you playing burned games? Because thats your problem right there. They cause the laser to burn out.
I suggest cleaning the discs, possibly getting them resurfaced.
Open the system, trying cleaning it out with compressed air.
IF NEED BE, and only if need be, turn up the voltage on your Dreamcast laser. I highly recommend you don't do this, but that would solve the problem, temporarily.
I find that Dreamcasts need to rest, as odd as that sounds. If you leave them alone for a while, they tend to work a lot better.
Where can you get it?
Since when did they remove GameCube backwards compatibility from the Wii?
thank you Adam, I have a nes & needed this
@AdamKoralik contd. it wasn't stuck with crud it was just the first type of controller. Long time watcher keep up the great vids!
Good luck dude.
I have a few of the common sizes but they don't seem to be able to loosen the screws on the outside of the console so I'll look for some others. Thanks
Sure thing.
Oh also, when I clean my consoles I take all of the plastic parts and wash+scrub them with dawn soap. Instead of using windex try using rubbing alcohol instead. Alcohol doesn't have dyes and other things that might get left behind on the contacts.
Not to my knowledge. I've never attempted to restore logos, I wouldn't really know how to go about it.
But for the yellowing, look in the Retr0bright method.
Thanks, though ironically that's just a backup copy now.
Thats true.
I use contact cleaner for contacts. It's 8 bucks at Walmart or an auto store also called electronics cleaner. Good stuff I highly recommend it. Cool video. Subbed
Happens to the best of us.
A store that no longer exists called Funcoland, it merged with a few other game stores and became what we now call GameStop.
Look up a video called Welcome to Gameshop (Animation) and you'll see why.
I find finishing off with a light 91% alacohol solution following up with a dry buff. Makeup remover cotton discs work very well. Dry Compress air after use.
When you cleaned that NES cart i was like oh my. There was just chunks of crap in there. It's always great to clean the contacts (And i don't mean blow into them). But i would suggest using 91% Isopropyl Alcohol because it dries better and has less water,more alcohol and will clean your pins much better. Overall great video on how to make old systems last longer (Just like in all of the other cleaning vids).
my NES when i got it was incredibly temperamental. after taking it apart and cleaning i found that the pins were bent, btu that it had a crack in it, and was looking very tired. i crought a new 72 pin. and now its in, its the most reliable cartridge console i have. the least reliable is the megadrive 1. although il bet it just needs a damn good clean. will be looking for a video from you about that. thanks for the helpful videos.
Much appreciated sir.
Radio Frequency.
Yes.
Thanks.
Nice video, especially with the cartridge cleaner from funcoland!!! shopped there before it went gamestop, really wish gamestop still carried old console games, but sadly they stopped ;(.
It's a common explanation, that's probably why you recognize it.
I bought an original NES at a flea market, brought it home, cleaned it like in the video and it works great. My problem is it is really hard to remove my games from my console. I sometimes have to use a pair of pliers to get my game out, but that can damage my cart. Did I do something wrong when I reassembled my NES? Did I tighten the screws too tight?
Loosen the top middle screw to fix the loader so it stays down when a cardtridge is inserted for the game cube save it if it has a good disc drive
I love these types of videos! thanks for uploading :)
subbed! these repair videos are freaking rad!!!! good job very helpful!
I'd be in favor of that, maybe then I could do a video about cleaning one. But, that's a hundred percent up to you bud.
Where do you live? I was literally in the greater Toronto area two days ago and saw them for way less than that.
It's a super easy mod. But watch a video first. The one by MN12Bird is great.
I'd take a peek in there. Every time I've seen that cage not lock down it's because there's a tab on the bottom of the cage that's supposed to go under the main board. Caused by someone taking it apart and not getting the cage back in right.
Damn right.
Have anything you want to trade for it?
Hey Adam, any chance you could do a video on fixing and restoring Dreamcasts?
No, but I've seen others do it.
I just looked it up and it looks like your right. Ammonia is one of the ingredients in Windex. So I guess it would work just as well as pure ammonia. I didn't know about the alcohol leaving a film. It's probably best to stick with the ammonia or Windex then. Alcohol still works great for removing marker or pen marks though.
I figured out the name of my production company. Which I decided to call FigureItOut Productions.