Fixing the NES Blinking Light of Death
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 พ.ย. 2014
- I picked up a used NES about 10 years ago, but it's sat in my garage most of the time as it's always given me problems with the blinking red light of death. I finally decided to fix it once and for all by disabling the flaky lockout chip, and in this video you'll see how I did it.
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This Does Not Compute
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9 years later this guide is still really good. I even fixed my NES with help from this
80's equivalent of the Xbox 360's Red Ring Of Death.
Bryce K l know right
Only 1000 times easier to deal with that doesn't require sending the console to the manufacturer.
(1) Ring is either E68 or other codes (2) Rings means your Xbox 360 is overheating (3) Rings is General Hardware Failure (4) Rings means your A/V cable fell out
Except for it's a little bit easier to fix I mean a lot easier to fix like is easy as just cleaning it so not really
intheradae the greatest The Red Ring of Death generally refers to the 3 ring general hardware failure mode. No one really care about the other modes as none of them were permanent failures. I vaguely remember it was the GPU that failed from overheat and the later boards added heat pipes to the GPU heat sink.
Either way, it was a shitty design. Granted Sony's PS3 suffered similar yellow light of death, but nowhere near as wide spread as the red ring.
To be clear to all watchers, just because it blinks, doesn't mean you need to replace the 72 pin. There is not a single system that didn't blink. It will blink if the game cartridge needs cleaning or system needs cleaning, which can be done using an official Nintendo deck cleaner. Start with cleaning your games and system first, over and over. And yes, the 72 pin does go bad in some systems.
Didn't it blink aswell with problems with the scart aswell?
Still kinda helps though because now you can play all your flea market games.
Any chance you'll see this after 4 years? I tried to clean my 72-pin connector and I cleaned the contacts on my games, but I still sometimes get either the blinking screen or sometimes I get garbled text and images. Does this mean my 72-pin needs replaced? Or if I go back in and clean it better will it be ok?
Mick Mickymick clean the contacts for the 72 pin and on the board where it connects.
If the system used the Game Genie then chances are it cracked the 72pin edge card connector. I know mine did.
Thanks so much for this video. My wife just recently was able to go through all of her grandfather's old belongings and he had a Nintendo. I kept getting that red blinky light, and found this video. Your instructions were clear and concise. Thanks again, my dude.
If you want it to last even longer, apply some dielectric grease to the connection between the mother board and the 72pin. It will protect the motherboard against corrosion from moisture and oxygen getting in there and mean that it's just the 72 pin that may need to be replaced in the future, rather than having to repair the motherboard side connectors.
It worked! Thank you so much! I couldn't have done it without your excellent, clear, informative video! My eight year old son and I are both thrilled!
Great video. Clear concise and honest.
As stated by another comment, a desoldering pump is a necessary part of an electronics tool kit.
I always use a DS pump especially on through-holes that act as vias. Once the chip is removed, clean up both sides with solder wick and then clean the area with a q-tip and isopropyl alcohol.
that is all well and good,.. but those chips use UV PCB "glue" to adhere to the board. so you are not going to have a good time either way lol.
All I needed was the alcohol, but I managed to clean out the NES and it works! Thanks so much for this video, it was my road map to disassembly and reassembly. Playing Mike Tyson's Punchout in your honor!
Not sure if someone commented on this before, but the "tape cassete" -like click-down action of the loading slot is purely cosmetic and there to make the system feel more like a VCR so Nintendo could market the NES as a home entertainment system rather than a "video game" after the crash of 83.
The same reason it looks like an easy bake oven and came with a light gun and a robot.
The slot should function fine without clicking the games down, and all clicking them down does is strain the 72-pin connector. It's recommended to just insert and remove games without pressing them down.
Yeah, I noticed that after I replaced my pin connector. I always thought there was some switch, or something like that.
I've attempted just inserting it, but I get a blank screen, I suppose that is because the top pins are bent just like the bottoms ones used to be.
The only time you don't have to push the game down is when the 72 pin connector has a tight fit and all pins touch the nes chips.
You have saved me a trip to the retro game shop for a new nes. I desoldered the chip bent out the pin and put er right back in and bam. Working nes.
i just desoldered pin 4 and bent it up
Thank you very much. Although you made the unscrewing of the outside look a lot more easy than it was for me. Because the screws are small and hidden down under those holes, it's hard to know when the screw is loose, or even if the screws are turning at all.
i know this is old and you probably won't see this, but thanks. This video helped me from throwing away a perfectly good NES. Funny, I wanted to do things the cheap way, but i had to desolder pin 4 out since i didn't have any cutters small enough to cut it, but it worked. so thanks again.
Thank you for this video! It helped me out soo much and got my nintendo working again. It was getting the red blinking light of death and I took it apart (which is actually really simple) and cut the 4th pin on that lockout chip. When i put it back together it didnt get the red blinking light of death and hasnt gotten it since and has been playing games and working great! again thanks for the help well appreciated.
Dude thank you so much for uploading! Me and my son got it fixed in 45mins.... after turning it on for the first time in years!
Glad I came across this video. Just bought one second hand and would blink non stop. Plucked the pin and works like new!!! Thanks a ton!!!
"We have the Nintendo lockout chip"
*points to orange capacitor*
2019
Those ICs are held down with adhesive so they don't move when the board goes through the wave soldering phase of production. You'd need a hot air desoldering station to try to get that chip off.
Cutting the pin is the best solution. It's just a region lock chip, and those things are evil anyway.
moo. Yeah I would rather remove the chip from my nes console and be done with it
put a toggle switch on pin 4, mount it in the case, and enable it when you play illegally-produced games that try to disable it.
IT IS NOT IC. IT IS REGION FOR REGION PAL A OR B EUROPE OR NORTH AMERICA REGION
Actually the best thing to do is to cut the pin connection off the circuit board on the reverse side of the board...cut the number 4 pin away from the circuit board right up close to the pin connection.....there is only 1 other connection that shares pin 4 on that little connection which is electrolitic cap C9...and it would be so easy and neat to solder it back if you ever needed to....and it doesn't look ugly like the guy in the video is trying to do,plus it is safe for the little IC Chip theres no damage to it my way...just saying...ps make sure you have an ohm meter to check continuity after you cut the pin away from the board...you should not have continuity after the cut..
Seems to have fixed my free NES that only blinked. Cool! I just clipped the 4th pin on the NES10 chip
Thanks for the video, I just found this after replacing a 72pin connector and still had an issue with the lockout chip. This video helped me out! A little tip for desoldering IC's from 2 layer boards. You can use a vacuum desoldering tool on your Weller DS40 or Hakko FR-410 or similar. They will make quick work of desoldering with less heat and destructiveness to the board just add a little flux, and it is less of a risk to use than the braid, because you won't lift up a trace. Makes removal much easier. Similar to removing SMD's you can also heat up the IC pin by pin and gently lift it out off the board with some IC puller tool (really inexpensive) after desoldering it and it will pop right out. Just let the heat work it out, don't apply force to the IC when removing it our you might lift a trace. Give that method a try. They also make IC desoldering tips, that are chaped like a square, a U shape or a large line shape that also help apply heat evenly to the tips of the IC's and make removing them easier.
😊😊
BoxCat Games, everywhere.
Very professionel footage I have to say. Many TH-camrs do not decrease music vol. when talking for example.
Thanks for the video! I bought a new 72-pin connector & am looking into disabling that lockout chip at the same time.
wow! id never thought this would work, was just about to order a new 72pin connector, did not find a single bit of dirt on mine, thank god i watched this, 4 pin on eu console aswell! THANKS
By disabling that lock out chip I was able to get my NES working again. Thank you!
If I had watched this video when I was a kid (Late 90's), me childhood could have been totally different!!!
Just to note, the Remodeled NES, the NES 101, also known as the NES 2 or the NES top loader does not have the lock out chip.
The trade off is the US version of the remodel generally lacks A/V out in favor of RF only (those NES 101 that got sent back to Nintendo for repairs got modded with a Multiout connector similar to the SNES and N64). The Japanese version the Famicom A/V only has A/V out. Also if the NES 101 gets a AV mod its picture quality is better than the original front loader NES. Also the NES 101 and the Famicom A/V are the preferred consoles for RGB video mods.
I just cut the 4th pin and bought a new 72 pin connector and now it works great. Thanks a lot
Colin is very very smart. I could use his smartness.
Everyone could use his smartness
Great video! I'm gonna give this a try now on my extra NES.
Flux is a HUGE help desoldering chips on these boards, especially the PPU on the 4 pins that are connected to the lockout chip.
Good time to replace the capacitors too, it looks like the large one in your power supply is bulging?
gotta say, you making this job so much harder than it has to be is so entertaining
Very interesting video my console just started to blink and I can’t manage to play a game.
Hopefully your tips will work
Thank God for this video!! I cleaned the crap out of my new Nintendo, bought a new 72 pin, the whole 9 and it was STILL blinking! I was about to lose my mind. I'll try your way and see if it finally gets it to work.
Thank you!!
Maybe it’s the cartridge then
Going to give this a shot with some brasso on the connectors and a replacement 72 pin to see if that helps. Mine basically works half the time and even then I have to wiggle the cart to make it work.
This is really helpful. Not sure if I would get one but if I did & I got the blinking light, I would follow this! ^_^
Good video!
I used an old bank card with paper folded over it with some isopropyl to clean the 72 pin connector. Mines extremely loose so when the game is working it can go south with someone heavily walking in the room. There's a way to tighten them with a dental tool.
I've seen people use a safety pin that's been bent and cut to create a hook, but a dental tool is probably a better idea. I've seen them at the dollar store.
Nice Video pal...I really love this video :3
Dude seriously thank you! I had one just sitting because it kept blinking. Now onto my Atari 2800 :P
Hey, love your videos! What wattage is that soldering iron you have there? I'm in the market for one, but not sure what wattage I should be aiming for. I've read lower is better as it gives you more time to work on things without worrying about damaging the components. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks
I have a Weller WLC-100 iron, which is 40W. I wouldn't say that lower wattage is better, but instead if you're serious about soldering components (and not just joining wires together) then look for an iron with adjustable power. At some point I'll probably upgrade to a Hakko FX888D, which is an even better soldering station.
This Does Not Compute thanks for the reply, I did briefly look at the hakko fx888 and also at the fx901 which you also have. Unfortunately, I live in Canada and its hard to find anything Hakko at a decent price. The tips are pretty hard to get up here as well. Im not that serious about soldering, just want to do a couple of mods here and there
I use a 60 (i think) and it works good for almost everything
I have 2 systems they both do the same thing. I guess it's time to get busy. thanks for the vid bro.
Did it work for you ? ... Im planning to do this, please answer if worth it
If you take the time to pull the Lockout Chip just to pull out Pin 4 then take the extra step and put an IC socket so if for any reason you want to revert to going back to using the Lockout Chip then you can just pull the IC, rebend the IC and pop it back in.
I just got one and tried the same game dude weird. .i said to myself let me get on TH-cam and see have anyone sovle this problem. Thanks dude
I have a question, why would you need to enable that chip when form what I can see cutting the pin eventually makes the NES work better.
plus from watching your video it seems that the chip is bad anyway
Great tutorial, thanks for sharing it!
Mine also has the blinking light of death, yet it likes to work with Mario bros/duck hunt, but it blinks for every other game I own
the 72 pin connector was restored before I got my NES
it works great!
I did this and it seemed to work at first. I plugged it in half way through reasembaling it and I worked fine. I finished re assembling it and now the light doesnt even turn on (at all) as if it has no power. What did I do wrong between just before replacing the top dust shield and the end of reconstructing it. I'm not old enough to have played it as a kid but I want to try the really old retro games that came into my position with the game. Thanks
Dude thanks so much this worked like a charm
I been watching a few of these NES repair videos and im amazed how how many "youtubers" do their repairs on the floor...
Collin you should get the NES Blinking Light Win, it's a 72 pin connector that makes your NES games work perfectly.
Great video bro! Thanks!
I've noticed that after I replaced my pin connector if I push the cartridge down after sliding the game in , it doesn't read games. So I just slide the cartridge in and don't push the tray down. Works fine!! Must just be cause the new connection is so tight
I understand what you are saying about doing mods in a way so that they can be reversed later, but honestly, I can't think of any practical reason why someone would want to re-solder pin 4 and turn the lockout chip back on. You haven't lost any functionality from the system by cutting that pin, so there's nothing to gain by re-soldering it.
totally agree
put back to factory is easy. joint the cut pin 4 with solder.
The only game that requires it from what I heard is Nintendo World Championships (the legit carts not repos) and the chances of getting one of those is slim to none without having a huge ass wad of money.
One word: Purists.
Purists don’t like things changed from stock.
Say, if someone were to sell an nes after cutting off pin 4, would they have to mention that it was cut, or would it not even matter?
This is a good point Jordan, but it's more of an argument to advertise your items for sale honestly than an argument against cutting the pin. I would be willing to bet there are plenty of people who would gladly buy an original NES with the lockout chip permanently disabled. Some people may even be willing to pay more for it. It all depends on who you're selling to. Collectors, purists, and resell shops might not want it, but retro-gamers who just want to play games reliably on original hardware would.
You fixed my Wii U, now my NES
Thanks for the cheap way, sold it and they said it didn’t work,, works now
Thank you so much!!!!! Finally fix my NES!!!!
Thank you so much. I can finally play my NES
My connection between the 72pin and the mainboard was badly corroded and pitted. I've opted to just replace the pins and I'll have to sand down the corrosion on the mainboard side and apply some new metal. After I do that, I'll be applying some dielectric grease to prevent it from happening again. The pressure of the pins against the connector should keep the water and oxygen out so that there's no corrosion in the future. Unfortunately, you can't really do that with the cart side as you're removing and reinstalling cards constantly.
2:16 THAT was probably their security measure in terms of case disassembly :P
I have an NES too. Strangely, the blinking light issue only happens for some specific cartridges.
1st things first, every chip has a marking or dot close to "PIN 1", AND Pin one is always closest to the corner edge, "mind you specialised chips may not follow this convention"
NOW.. A big mistake most rookies and 75% of the Pro's do is when they de-solder they don't use flux, mark my words soldering and de-soldering always works 100% faster, easier and much, much, much better when flux is used, If flux isn't used then the massive and long periods of heat applied can actually destroy components. Dropped a like BTW..
I would replace that capacitor easily identifiable @2:27, For one.... Later in the video it looks as if it's already bulged and thus close to failing, And when it does, it may take sensitive and irreplaceable components with it, might make for another great video, oh and while you're at it, check all other electrolytic capacitors for leakage and bulging, in fact there may be a replacement kit available for the Nintendo that includes all critical components, don't forget to note orientation when replacing components, oh and flux, flux is a must when soldering and de soldering..
Remembering back like 25 Years, I can remember thinking that I was getting the blinking light because the spring was worn out on the cartridge holder and it wasn't holding the game down firmly enough, because if I just slightly held a finger on the cartridge it would work. Is that ever a reason for the error? Or is it almost always the pin connector and the chip?
It's the connector. 99% of the time it is the connector.
Thanks! You helped me fix my Nintendo.
The expansion thingy was for the Famicom Disk System in Japan.
Yep, but then the cost of ROMs dropped significantly and Nintendo decided to just use the larger ROMs rather than try to get people to pay for the expansion like Sega did with their slot in modules.
They sell mechanical desolder tools at your local electronics shops...I believe they work better than solder wick but utilizing the desolder tool and the wick would yield better results..
This video literally saved my nes
Many many years ago, I fixed the red light flash by opening the case and using a small flathead to help pry up the pins on the black connector. They tend to get flattened over time from pressing the cartridge down. Lifting them back up helps the connection and solved my issue.
I didn’t know the chip could fail but no need to neuter an NES If all it needs is a cleaning or some lifted pins.
Yeah trying to desolder the chip was a noob move. For those with one of those screwdrivers that accept different magnetic bits, you may want to find a really small flat-head driver and dig through that pin. It will cut lower than any sideways pliers and can actually reconnect just by bending it back to the board. It actually works without soldering too if you don't solder well or don't own an iron.
Just a heads up.
Dude!!!! It worked!!!!! I'm playing Super Mario Bros now!!!!
Why does bending that pin away allow the system to read a game? I was always under the impression that something mechanical broke because it would sometimes work and sometimes not; at least for me back in the day.
What kind of snipping tool did you use exactly ?
Actually, to my knownledge.
All PAL/NTSC NESs can play each others games without
any moddifications needed since the format was on the
consoles and not the cartridges.
what the NES10 chip did prevent was 3rd party converters and
carts from working correctly.
I bought a NTSC nes, but it was blinking like yours did, I tried
using both NTSC and PAL carts and both worked fine (except for the
blinking part).
WRONG! The 10 NES chip also controlled region lockout. You could "switch" the 10 NES chip region by a special reset pattern. But if you want to play PAL on NTSC and visa versa you will have to cut pin 4. Though your games will run at the wrong speed..if you mix regions.
It has been about 10 years since I needed to do this but my dragon warrior game was glitching and not making a solid connection and I think the lockout was preventing it from being accepted. Boil the pin connector and disable that pin and bam works like a champ no blinking and no glitching.
I replaced the chip with a new one and it still is very finicky and doesn't reliably run the games. I'm going to follow your instructions this weekend but hopefully it will fix the issue
i'm not sure if this wasn't explained clearly or if i just missed it, but was it not working bc the chip had failed or bc you had purchased an ebay console that ended up being from a foreign market?
did you solder again the chip again and lift the 4th leg???
If anyone is reading this, you can still cut the pin and place a switch in to power the lockout chip back on Incase you choose to one day use an Aladdin deck enhancer(which will fry the board if the chip doesn’t work) or not. Cut the pin as close to the board as you can and bend it out. Ethernet cable can be found ANYWHERE in second hand stores that sell electronics (Salvation Army, Savers, Goodwill) and contain the perfect solid copper wire to connect to the cut pin, and the board where it lands. You can install a miniature DPST switch to turn the lockout off and on. After you fix the connection issue you can play Any NTSC game you want, and then if you feel like picking up any PAL exclusive titles, you flick that switch and you are good to go. You can have the best of both worlds. Good luck.
Do you use a universal power supply for use on different consoles where different size ends and different amp-age are required? Asking under the assumption you repair consoles?
Great video!
still watching 2019 just done my one thanks for the vid
Hi, so I did this (disconnected the fourth leg) and it did stop the light from blinking, but my game still doesn't work. I bought the cart off amazon and it looks pretty clean no rattling around inside or anything like that. Do you think I should replace the 72 bit connector or try another game first?
Definitely try another game first, though it certainly is possible that your 72-pin connector is bad (another common problem). Good luck!
+This Does Not Compute ok thanks. I have only have one game at the moment, gonna order another off amazon. Gonna go ahead and order the new connector while I'm at just incase. Thanks for the video and advice 😊 have a good day.
Kayla Napier
Kayla Napier what was the problem?
Did you clean it with alcohol? I use 70 to 90 % and it works good for all my games (even my 3ds games)
+This Does Not Compute, one way to check if the 72-pin connector is causing the blinking red light, assuming the cartridge isn't, is that you can very slightly wiggle the game around and what will happen on the TV is that instead of a random flashing screen, you'll have the title screen of the game flashing. Once you get that, just hit the reset button on the NES and you're golden
+Adam Genez i have the flashing title screen and hitting reset does nothing
thanks,also this vid helped me figure out i can swap ports around so p1 now works but alas p2 does not,p1 was simply not working no matter what i tried.
disabled the chip also :D
I've got an NES and when I put in a game and boot it up, it gives the blinking light and the constantly refreshing screen on the TV. However, if I insert the cart just barely enough to be able to click it down (rather than push the cart all the way in), it runs the game no problem. Is the problem still the chip? Or is it just a coincidence that all the games I have only work when I insert them the same way?
+MotionTransformer That sounds like a problem with the cartridge connector, not the chip. Thankfully replacements are available pretty inexpensively.
I have fixed many nes consoles and sold them on. I just replace the 72 pin connector and it works fine. Option 2 is a no no for me. You have to be careful because some people just import cheap ones and are not as good quality. So it is worth paying for a good one so that it lasts.
I got my console to stop blinking for a bit (which I guess means I don't need to replace the 72 pin?) but then it went right back on blinking, any suggestions?
You need to invest in a solder sucker. That hurt me having to watch you deal with that. Thumbs up on the info though, great video!!!
what size Phillips screwdriver did you use?
Hey man I went through the steps and it fixed the red blinking light but now I just get a grey screen have cleaned all my cartridges and the connector but still no luck any advice on what to try next? Replace the connector? It doesn’t look bad to me but not sure what else it could be. Thanks
@this does not compute I've picked up 2 yesterday from my uncle and they both do this but I've onln got one 110new game cartridge that's like a purple label should I try with diff game before this?
Actually its better to cut pin 4 away from the circuit board,its so neat and easy to do...plus it makes things nicer if you ever wanted to restore that connection....make sure you have pin 4 located on the reverse side of the circuit board..a box cutter works nicely to cut the circuit board away right up close to that pin # 4 which is shared by Capacitor C9...and thats all folks...
I didn't catch what he said for cleaning the 72 pin connector what do you use?
hi, first cleaned the system and the game cartridge. Again the light flashes. then I did what you showed in the clip, breaking the fourth leg. Now the game starts (it can be played) but the monitor image constantly jumps. any ideas?
Thank you, you helped me so much
Hey I just bought an old NES and had the same problem! I cut the 4th pin and it got rid of the blinking light! Now my problem seems to be some games not working, some without audio, and others the controllers only work for "start" and "select." Would that be a 72 pin problem, or is that a deeper issue with the circuit board? Thanks for the help!
Bad traces.
Its not a red light of death Colin. Its a communications issue. The Xbox 360 was a red ring of death because the console was actually failing.
I tried cutting the number 4 prong on that chip and it did make the light stop flashing however when I put a game in and turned it on all I had was a black screen. Any suggestions as to what may be the problem?
I bought the blinking red light wins and mine works every time now. Plus I clean every game when I first buy it then it goes in a game dust cover
Nice vid, but theres a trick (to find out is it lockut chip or something else). If lockchip fails, it posts, then restarts. But for second it will show game title screen. I have pal system that had failed lockout chip. Before it playd only eu games, but when lockout fails it started post with us cartridges i have. Downside is, to test You need cartridge from diffrent region.
Need help with mine I followed everything you did, my nes turns on and boots the game but when I select it to start I get a black screen. Any suggestions would be awesome thank you
Is this guaranteed to fix the blinking red light? If so will it be a permanent fix or will it come back
Some retrobright would be nice. :D