Cleaning cartridge games

Follow this at your own risk. I was easily able to open mine using a small flathead. Just make sure to only use the socket to help you unscrew the cartridge and do not use it to tighten them back up when you are done.

The oils from your fingers can leave a residue that will dirty the games again. Do this for as long as necessary until the contacts are clean. Cleaning Cartridge Input Slots:.

For most systems, this just requires a few screws and not much effort at all. If you see anything, just use a needle or dental pick to carefully scrape it out. You don't want to drench the cartridge. Helpful 10 Not Helpful 2. You Might Also Like How to. How to. Co-authors: Updated: August 8, Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 68, times.

Used it and it was dry, clean and ready to play inside of 5 minutes. Don't know what I'd do without my Turok 2: Seeds of Evil. Thank God for this post or I don't think I'd have been able to satiate my dino-killing desires! Great and easy-to-follow directions. More reader stories Hide reader stories.

Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. About This Article. Jay Blendowski Mar 2, Zac Alvarez Jun 16, Now I'm happy that I can play my old Nintendo 64 games. Atticus Finch Jun 17, Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories.

Featured Articles How to. Another method is a alcohol dampened cardboard cut to the width of the connector. Again follow thru with the dry end of the cardboard. Before powering back on, ensure the contacts are completely dry. To clean the cart slot, disconnect the system and get a piece of clean cardboard from a food box.

Cut it to fit the width of the slot and fold it brown side out so you have double or triple thickness that is about the same as the board sticking out of the cart. Dampen it with the alcohol and then insert and remove it like a cart several times. If it comes out visibly dirty, cut another piece and do it again.

Prop the flap open and let the system dry for at least 30 minutes to an hour before you hook it up and give it another shot. Some attempts have ended up bending one of the top pins inside.

This RetroActive videos could be a big help. In this video KDub show the steps on taking apart the NES and refurbishing the current pin connector. Never use the Game Genie unless you want to permanently damage your console or portable NES connector. If a cart connector pins are badly corroded or damaged, it can be repaired by adding a thin coating of solder.

Keep in mind solder is softer then the connector metal. A small chance of the solder scraping off over time and possibly damaging the console. This should only be done on a rare game cart that is hard to replace and making the decision if worth the risk. A solder coating which is softer metal will not be as durable as the connector pins. In honesty, the game cart in the pictures below just needed a good cleaning. Shown to give an idea how to go the solder repair route.

Additional flux is not needed when using rosin core solder. Now the other side! Now there is a mountain of solder on the pins. All that burnt flux has made it dirty. Oh well, lets clean it up. A good source of alcohol or Electrical Contact Cleaner will to the job. I would recommend trying to remove any gold finish that is left. In short, it makes the solder brittle.

Also, I know of an easier way to tin the pins. Just apply some flux to the pin, tin the tip of the iron with very little solder then drag the iron tip all over the pin to spread the solder out. After that, you can use a desoldering braid to remove any excess solder.

Another thing, you should thoroughly clean the pin s before tinning them. I can see in the pics posted that the pins are visibly dirty before tinning. They should be cleaned as best as they can. And of course, it should be cleaned thoroughly after tinning as well. We hope that you found this guide useful and extensive, but if you have either clarifying questions or suggestions for improving or refining the guide, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Erasers: You show a pink eraser aka rubber eraser in your tools image, but this is definitely not what you should use. The one you linked is described as a vinyl eraser. The heavy-duty pads are meant for cleaning steel and are coarsely woven.

The medium aka general or all-purpose, green or blue or light white pads are meant for soft metals and such. Sanding: You recommend against sandpaper, and I agree. However, there are sanding pads equivalent to fine steel wool 0 — , and are safer and easier to use. It may be worth a mention. Awesome — thanks for the feedback and suggestions! Thanks for publishing the Guide and appreciate including related links.

Suggest the original Forum Thread Link be included for expanded discussion that allow additional ideals with pictures. Credit for this Guide also goes to Hobie-wan, Ziggy and member who posted newer replies back in the Forum.

Love the visuals in the articles here and how perfectly they mesh with the site layout. Detailed, helpful, pleasing to the eye. For the EA Mega Drive size carts, you need the 3. Also, the yellow tab will need to be popped. I find taking the screws out and PCB if possible allows me to slightly open the side without the yellow tab, then used a thumb tip on the corner above said tab and use a little pressure to dislodge that half of the Shell.

Clean and reassemble. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Guides Journal Together Retro Forum. Ink and Pencil Erasers have different hardness. Pencil erasers are easier on the contacts. Ink erasers are more like sandpaper and should be avoided. White retractable erasers can work too. See example on Amazon. There are some nice ones that have LEDs built in to make thing easier.

Tools Handling Heavy Corrosion If the contacts are badly corroded, we have some extra tools to consider your kit Electrical Contact Cleaner — Any hardware or electrical supply store. Either Medium or Light Duty is preferred. The Erasers or Scotch pads should provide the desired effect without the risk or wearing down the contacts too much. Some have had success with or higher grit paper, but other have mentioned they have had some wear through them and will never use that approach again. There are sanding pads equivalent to fine steel wool 0 — , and are safer and easier to use.

These could be worth considering. Best advise is to only consider as a last resort for high corrosion, but still use extreme caution.

See this thread for further discussion Our goal with this guide is to provide you will the most reliable process with the least room for error or risk. Quick Cleaning of Game Cartridge Contacts You can clean without disassembling, if the cart contacts are in good condition with just little dirt or film buildup. Disassembling Game Cartridges For deep cleaning while also avoiding damage, it is best to take apart your game cartridge.

Be careful of any electronic components, notably any resistor sticking out. Re-Assemble Have care when reassembling the game cart. Specific Cartridge Disassembly Instructions and Tips As mentioned above, what follows are different mini-guides on how to disassemble different types of retro game cartridges.

NES Game Cartridges 3. Atari Cart Game Cart Phillips Screwdriver Some carts have exposed contacts, others have covers that can easily slide in. Here are some thoughts that are passed along from Atari Guide : First, try turning off the system, wiggling the cartridge, and turning the system back on.

You might find that the game has to be sitting at a slight angle to work right. This is because the contacts are not aligned perfectly, or are dirty or corroded.

The contacts are the metal strips on the little circuit board of the game where it fits into the system. Before giving up completely, try it on a different Atari console.

Once the Atari cart is apart, observe the direction the PCB is facing and remove. Preferred Cart Cleaning Method for Atari Carts Any pencil eraser for me works fine with the cart open up, easier then using messy chemicals.