Walkthrough: Refurbishing an NES 72-Pin Connector
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- Heads up! Yes, I know I did a lot of rambling on this video and made it unnecessarily long. I'm my last vlog I talked about this and that I'm going to be making an effort to keep these videos shorter. This video, among others, are slated to be redone. Sorter, to the point, and more specific. If you want to skip my preamble, just skip ahead to about the 8 minute mark.
This video was intended to show you how to refurbish an NES from start to finish, but I ran into issues. However, another TH-camr needed a video on how to refurbish the 72-Pin connector and I promised him I would have it up for this week's hardware video. I will do a full video on how to fully refurbish an NES in the near future, but for now here's how to take care of that connector.
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The instruction part of the video starts at around 8:00 so start there for the actually refurbishing. Great video thanks!
Thanks. Glad you found it useful despite my rambling.
Thanks. More doing less talking makes for better tutorials.
A trick: watch series at flixzone. Me and my gf have been using them for watching lots of of movies recently.
@Conor Weston Yea, have been using Flixzone} for years myself :D
don't forget to clean ALL your games before using them on the new or refurbished connector... you can quickly dirty it up by putting dirty games in, almost immediately.
Yep, so many people complain that the connector still doesn't work, but they don't clean their games. That should always be step number one.
I was bopping away to the Double Dragon music 🎶 🕺
Thank you so much for this! I've wanted to fix my NES for a few years now, but have been wary of the third market replacement 72 pin connectors and their death grip. My four year old brought up fixing it again today so I googled some videos to show him the inside of a NES to explain to him why mine didn't work and came across your video. I figured it couldn't hurt to try bending up the pins seeing as how it wouldn't cost me anything but my time. And it worked! Time will tell how well and for how long, but for the first time in about two years, I actually got a game to load and play. Now my son and I can finally play Nintendo games together. Thank you so much!
Same here, I cleaned the contacts with a toothbrush and alcohol and it worked!!!
Solid advice. No need to boil. Bent the pins and worked perfectly. Thanks a ton!
Nice to see this old video still helping people out!
The Official NES Cleaning Kit from Nintendo also catches when you bend the pins up, which tells me that the pins were never like that in the first place despite all the people who claim that we are bending them "back" after they fatigued. I've even seen people reimagine history by claiming that you didn't have to push the cartridge down on a brand new system back in the day. I was there and that is ridiculous. I'm sure Nintendo tweaked things over the years but the cartridge always slid in and out with near zero force on a brand new NES-001 console and would not boot without pushing down since one entire side was not under tension.
@BlastMode7 -Thanks for this great video. I enjoyed the talking, very thorough and educational.
Thank you.
I found an NES at a thrift store and got it working again thanks to this guide!
Glad I could help!
Wow this is really cool. I have 2 NES systems at home and both need new 72 pins connectors, but I'll definitely give this a try when I get back home on Sunday. Thanks man!!! :)
Is that Journey to Silius at the background in 8 minutes mark?? Nice choice!
Sure is. Love the music in that game.
would be better if you held the connector closer to the camera. really can't see how you bend those pins back into place.
Also the background music is a bit loud.
For sure. I'll be working on redoing these videos starting in a couple of weeks. I promise they'll be a hell of a lot better.
only complaint is that the background music is a bit loud.
For sure. Something that will be addressed in future videos.
I think fixing by boiling can be be explained by Shape Memory Alloys. When a spring is bent when cold it can come back to it's original shape in heat. Hence why boiling could fix the problem en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape-memory_alloy
I have found that the gray screen with a perfect cartridge connection that persists even after reset is often power-related. A bad PSU can cause this in some rooms/houses and not others. I've had the same problem with PCs that I verified working only to have the user put them back in the computer room to experience a power related problem. After dealing with hundreds of NES consoles I have only run into this and confirmed a problem with the power adapter that only works in some places a few times, but it was conclusive. That said, it is probably not the power adapter alone as I am sure the capacitors inside the console played a role (marginal performance).
Be careful and not raise the pins to much! On some of the units Ive tried this on games now work but you have to leave the cartridge up after inserting. If its pushed down the game doesnt work. Ive heard this is due to overdoing it on the pins!
Not sure if mine is fixed (haven't tried it yet, I'll let you know when I do) but thank you anyways for this tutorial! I don't mind the rambling, I enjoy hearing stuff like this! For those of you who just want to see the tutorial, it starts around 8:00. But thank you anyways, hopefully it works!
I'm hoping once the channel is established, I can do an updated series of videos on this, as well as more console related videos. I really appreciate it.
@@TheGameBench well, sadly it didn't work, but it wasn't your fault (: at closer inspection, some of the pins were rusty, so sadly I had to order a replacement one which isn't from Nintendo 😤hopefully it works well enough to play games, but we'll see
@@superguy5738 If you have problems, there's someone on eBay that sell the OEM connectors. Might need to be refurbished. That... or go with the Blinking Light Win. Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it will work sell for you.
@@TheGameBench the replacement one seems to be working, it's been a month and it still works great! I loosened up the pins so it doesn't have a death grip on the cartridges, and my friend said it works fine. Thank you for the tutorial, I couldn't have done it without it :)
@@superguy5738 Awesome! Glad I could help.
Thanks your video has helped me I boiled my OEM NES 72 pin connector and it was dirty now my Nintendo entertainment system works excellent
Sadly, I refurbished my 72-pin connector and my NES still didn’t work. I’ve taken the console apart, cleaned it and the game cartridges with 99% isopropyl alcohol, boiled the connector and scrubbed it and again cleaned it with the same alcohol. I even bent the pins up as you suggest in this video. The only thing that changed after all that work was instead of the red LED blinking it remained solid. I still get the purple screen despite whatever cartridge I put in the console (though now it’s a solid purple screen instead of a blinking purple screen).
I’m hesitant to try sanding the connectors or cutting/disabling the lockout pin as some gamers have suggested elsewhere on the Internet. Other than what I’ve mentioned here, I’m not sure what else to do. I don’t want to buy a new 72-pin connector or turf the console. I also have a very disappointed 9-year old who’s eager to play all my old games. Help!
Like you I had the same issue with a unit still not working after all the cleaning methods. Cut the lockout pin and now it works great!!! I was very careful in cutting the pin and didnt remove any of it, just bent it up a bit. If necessary I can bend it back down and use a bit of solder to tack it back in place. Yeah, I was a bit lazy.
My thought is boiling will relax the metal back to its initial factory state restoring it's elastic properties but idk.
For anyone wondering: After 5 years this still works perfectly! Do not be afraid when you put your game in and hear a noise that resembles scraping. This noise freaked me out as I thought I messed up but it’s perfectly normal. Also, if you have trouble putting the 72 pin connector back in place don’t give up. It is very hard to put in and it will not break the motherboard no matter how hard you push. It will also make a scrapping sound when putting it on so don’t be worried. Lastly save yourself the time and make sure your game works. To do this shake the cartridge while it’s in the thing and constantly reset it every time you move it. It should work even if t
This person has commented on another video the exact same stuff , not sure if this changes here credibility
@@burnythejoe3266 i commented this on 2 videos to help any people who had the same issue as me
How do you remove the 72 pin connector
If you ever take a hot piece of metal and then dunk it into cold water, it strengthens the metal. I think boiling it might have a similar effect. Just make sure to Bend the pins first.
Yes, you're referring to tempering. But in that process you have to bring the metal to a critical level, and then cool it rapidly, sometimes using water, but these days types of oil or often used. To temper any type of metal, the time spent in the cooling phase is critical when you're deciding what your end goal is. Examples being tensile strength vs. elasticity. So, boiling the pins is in no way tempering.
I'm still curious was to what goes on, or how well it even works. The bend method has just worked so well for me, no boiling needed. Sometime I'll have to give it a go if someone brings one in that needs work.
The boiling pin method reminds me of boiling my mouthguard to fit my mouth better. With that mentality, I can understand the mechanical theory behind boiling them now. Thanks.
Why not just make a mends with Jesse and cook Mr. White. JK, thanks for taking the time, your post was the 4th I watched and the pin push worked out. If you ever decide to redo your post I'd go right to that from the start. The nes music was a nice touch, don't listen to those haters.
Thanks. The funny thing is that I'm well aware of my tendency to ramble. I'm going to do my best to curb that in future videos. And yeah, I will be doing these over and giving each fix their own video and keep them around five minutes.
Aww I have to do this again. Bumper..
I agree I ordered 10 replacement connectors years ago and don't care for them at all. The original one is far better. Just simply use metal glo to polish game contacts and even use it on the cleaning kits to clean the pins in the system if it's still causing issues. I don't like the idea of destroying my old cartridges with the death grip.
Mines brand new yet it won't work correctly. But its also really tight on my cartridges, which is annoying.
Yeah, the pins are made of steel and are a lot harder than the metal on the pins. Makes them pretty grabby. I've not seen a 3rd party replacement thus far that wasn't garbage save for the Blinking Light Win.
At 11:20.... whats the nes game song?.... Almost sounds like a megadeth song in 8-bit.
It's Flash Man's stage music from Mega Man 2.
What ever happened to the cleaning carts and the cart cleaner that you add rubbing alcohol to? I fixed many glitchy systems with them, without pulling things apart.
Well, for cleaning carts, at one point IPA only can do so much. Shortly before I made my first video about cleaning cart contacts I came across some games that refused to work until I took them apart and polished the pins. For systems, at one point the pins eventually start to bend, far more likely with the NES because of the way the 72-pin connector works. Those cart slot and cart cleaners were great in the early days and they'd still be good to maintain in between major maintenance, but after enough time, you're going to have to take them apart for one reason or another.
that fucking music
It rules!!! These are actual songs on the NES. I heard Megaman 2, Castlevania, Super Mario Bros 2, and tons more. It gave it a very nostalgic feel!
Classic nes tunes brah
Yeah, it needs to be lowered in volume to be considered background music. It's hard to hear his voice over it at times.
Yes, the volume is too high. This was one of my earlier videos. It's no longer an issue. The four videos on this are going to be redone, condensed with higher production quality.
Mega Man music, I hear it.
I get the lines with the R/F adapter I don't think I have an A/V output. Where could I buy an adapter or capacitors
Hey, just a thought. How about folding some 6000grit sand paper over the card instead of the cloth?
Though it may be slight, you would still be removing material. Not to mention that the NES's connector pins aren't solid. They have a stamped piece of metal in the middle that the sandpaper could catch on. Not incredibly likely with 6000 got, but still a possibility. Honestly, I've messed around with this a lot since doing this video and I don't do it this way anymore since the cloth can grab those pins and bend them if you're not careful. I've found that some think cardboard, like from a cereal box, works really well for this.
It helped me a whole lot I cleaned fixed refurbished repaired and restored 6 Nintendo entertainment systems
Ive done both methods. Everytime i refurbish a 72 pin connector. Within a month or so it craps out again. Then u have to bend um again and its just a process. Ur better off replacing ur 72 pin. Sure it will be a tight fit but after a week or two it will work its way loose a tighter connection is really what ur wanting. That solid connection will stop ur game from crapping out n blinking when ur on that final boss
There's only one aftermarket 72-pin I can recommend and that's the Blinking Light Win. I've tried so many of the death grip connectors from China and they all crap out after a few months to a year. The pins wearing down and having to be bent back is an eventuality regardless due to the design of the connector. Metal fatigues with compression and decompression cycles. That being said, I bent the pins on my original NES prior to this video and I have yet to have to bend that back yet and it still works the first time. However, the other half is having games with properly cleaned contacts.
@@TheGameBench yeah maybe im not bending my pins far enough but in all fairness i only tried it a few times over the past 6 or 7 years. Then bought a replacement and that did good until today when i popped in a nintendo brand 1990s cleaner cart and it literally ripped my pins out lol so i decided to try my original pin set so i boiled a original 72 pin connector today after watching ur vid And the funny thing about it is before i boiled it ..the games felt really loose in it before. And i could only get it to work by wigglinf the csrt and hitting reset until.it touched just right... I tried bending the pins and it would work. But only for a little while. but after boiling this one it is super tight. Im almost thinking maybe the pins are so thin metal maybe when u boil it the pins are heating up and conducting heat and like a bent piece of metal it is resuming its memory shape.but thats just a theory im no scientist .. I dont know what else to think about it because these pins was not dirty at all just loose and now they are tight. Ne how man i appreciate ya putting the video.out. that was the first time i ever heard of boiling 72 pin connector
@@EliteNirvana Yeah, it's a terribly flawed design. If you keep having problems, I would highly suggest the Blinking Light Win. Removes the up/down action that is wearing the pins out to a static connector much like pretty much every other cart based console. I've use several of them over the years for people and they've been great.
You may have rambled, but it worked
Hk12FamasKing I may have rambled? 😆
Oh and thx!! My 5 year old fire house rescue NES works perfectly again!
Awesome! Glad this old video is still helping people.
I picked up an nes at a thrift store and someone already replaced the 72 pin with one of the crappy after market ones that are way too tight. Is there anything way to fix these or should I just try and find an original ZIF one on eBay? I thought about maybe filing down some of the plastic to see if it makes it easier?
Really, the only way is the same way that the original connector eventually loosens up... use over time. You can find the original connectors on eBay for a reasonable price, and that's the way I'd go. When people bring me systems with the replacements, this is the listing I get the OEM connectors from.
Sometimes people opt for the only non original connector I use, the Blinking Light Win. It eliminates the design flaw that caused the pins to loosen up all together.
www.ebay.com/itm/161318155840?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20201210111314%26meid%3D5c5195ebbb52460ab3d469b94936cfe3%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D164021067446%26itm%3D161318155840%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv9PairwiseUnbiasedWeb%26brand%3DNintendo&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851
Has anyone tried the Nintendo NES 72 pin connector boil method to restore any other console cartridge reader?
I've never boiled another connector. Never ran into another system that had contact issues that could be solved with a cleaning. Many are soldered directly to the board.
@@TheGameBench i am wondering about boiling the game gear connector. Seem to get loose too. It is soldered to the board but it would be no big trouble to desolder it. Just never seen anyone mentioning it if they have ever tried to boil it.
Do you know where I could get 6 Philips screws for the console and the right screws for the black game cartridge tray ?
Here's the only set I could find for sale that includes the two silver screws that go in the cart tray near the rear. 95% of the screws in the NES are all the same, but those two silver screws go in a certain location on the cart tray. The tray has two of the bronze colored screws at the front and two rear of the tray. The silver screws go just in front of the rear screws.
www.ebay.com/itm/126171675017
@@TheGameBench could I get those at a hardware store or where they sell screws ?
@@kylewilliams3306Sure, as far as I know, the bronze screws are 1/2 inch and the silver screws are 5/8 inch. I don't know the thread pitch of the screws and I wasn't able to find out, but I've seen people saying they're sheet metal screws, but generally those are self tappers, and you definitely DON'T want to use those.
@@TheGameBench do not use which screws ?
@@kylewilliams3306A self tapping screw, which is what a lot of sheet metal screws are. They look like this:
encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGHW6-rkHs7EKofrx8RSY3UD3bma3yrACXiYCu0mK_rmt2eDW1Kc8f72IHqCNr05StTIs8BLUncwMzB2g2AgYGzcVL8-5CgCODYS4rs9RbHrxS2KYChSIx7Kw
does anybody know of a good video that shows how to bend the pins? tried using 1/16 flathead and tried using dental picks. i just feel i dont have room to get into it to bend them
Wow! A dental pick is about as good as it gets to get in there. I've been wanting to redo this series and break it down into more specific videos and get some better close ups of what I'm doing. But I've not seen any that have goo d closeups of the 72 pin while they're bending the pins.
it must of been the pick i was using just a wierd angle i guess, got it done with a sewing needle =]
Glad to hear you ended up getting it fixed.
Yep!!
Boiling the connector works!!!!
How do I know if I need to bend back the 72 pin connector or just forget about pulling connector up and thrrew it in hot water
It all depends on how deformed the pins are. Boiling might be all you need to do, and it's easy enough to try boiling it and if it still has issues, pull it and bend the pins back up.
@@TheGameBench what is 1 magnetic secrewdriver I should get off amazon to open my old Nintendo to get the 72 pin connector out ?
@@kylewilliams3306 Any #2 Phillips head should work. And if it doesn't have a magnetic tip, you can always just use a magnet to magnetize it or get a tip magnetizer/de-magnetizer.
@@TheGameBench how long does the #2 Philips screw driver have to be to get the 6 out the console ?
@@TheGameBench can you send me a good #2 Philips screw driver that got good reviews on amazo that work to open my old Nintendo
Was that music from the game Bucky O'Hare!!!!? That was one of my favorite shows and favorite NES Games!
Yep, it sure was. I never did see the show, but I will complete that game one of these days.
any examples of an anti-static cloth? or where i could find them?
I'm so sorry, the link to the cloths was supposed to be in the description. I'm also sorry about the late reply, TH-cam is terrible about letting me know about new comments. However, I have a better method these days which is one of many reasons I need to to an update to this video. Rather than the cloth, I suggest using cardboard from a cereal box. I know it sounds odd, but it has a good surface that is good to scrub oxidation off the pins. Just use it in place of the cloth. So fold it over a credit card, or something of similar thickness, and dampen both sides in rubbing alcohol and insert and remove until clean.
This is especially nice for the NES since the pins aren't solid. They have a section punched out in the middle and the cloths have a tendency to get caught on that and bend it out. This method does not. With the connector removed from the system, you don't need to worry about static either.
I did all as described. picture comes on in full but still flickers. should I go ahead and boil the pin?
I would suggest cleaning your games first. I still had issues with mine until I took apart all my games a gave them a proper cleaning. Most of the time isopropyl alcohol isn't enough for anything more than very mild oxidation.
BlastMode7 I made sure they are clean. still not working
what's the name of those cleaning cloths again? can you get em at home depot or something?
+Kopite 44 Sorry for the late response. They're just called anti-static cloths. You can order them at the link below. However, I've found a new media for cleaning the 72-pin connector. I use thin cardboard folded in half, like the kind used for cereal boxes.
I really need to do an updated video. Anyhow, here's the link for the cloths.
www.retro-video-game-repair.com/products/92-nintendo-cartridge-cleaning-cloths-10-pads-non-static/
Please remove that music. There is no way you can't hear what information you want to tell us.
I will also use so high grit sandpaper drenched in alcohol and then blow it out. If that helps anyone.. I am talking like 1800 grit or higher.
Thanks for sharing! Boiling technique is just for cleaning. Pins still have to be straightened like you shared.
meh hard to find a video of someone fixing bend pins. game genie tore my pins up back in the day. it actually yanked some out
iv'e done everything! I Boiled 72 pin connector ,cleaned it with electrical spray, bent the pins up, (cartridge fits much tighter now),Cleaned contact on mother board, cleaned all games. The machine and games spotless now. I can't get any more dirt to even show on a Q-tip and I am still getting a flashing screen.Very frustrating I don't want to give up, this is my original console from christmas 1987 I would love to see it running again. I have a 7year old son and I would love to see him playing on the console I used 30 yrs ago.
If anyone has any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.
Do you see the title screen for a split second before it starts flashing?
BlastMode7 no
Well, there are a number of things it could be. The connector might just need to be replaced. I suggest either finding an original OEM connector on eBay. There are people selling them. Or upgrading to a Blinking Light Win which resolved the design flaw of the original connector. Another common issue are the capacitors might need to be replaced and you can even find a kits with all the capacitors you need on sites like Console5. It could be other issues but without being able to take a multi-meter to it to test things at the component level, I couldn't say beyond that. Sorry for the slow response.
Will this fix the red blinking light?
maybe.
Bro dont rant about refurbishing show me how
Yeah, tell me about it. I have a tendency to ramble. I'm working on it. I intend to redo these videos and make them a hell of a lot shorter.
Clint Gardner Ya u should redo them. Srry about being a little rude. My nes wasnt working and I wanted to fix it. It works now tho! Your vid helped just cut out alot of the unnecessary info
Hehe, no problem man. I'm going to start doing hardware videos in January again and I'm going to be cutting out the rambling and pointless crap for sure. I'm glad this one helped despite dragging on.
My NES has white wavy lines that scroll down the screen will this fix it
+Michael Malloy Nope, that has nothing to do with the connector. It could be a number of things. Do get the lines on the both the R/F and A/V output? You might try another power adapter. It could just need the capacitors replaced. Those are the most common cause for the wavy lines. There are some more in depth, less like causes though.
+BlastMode7 I get the lines with with the R/F adapter I don't think I have A/V output. Where could I buy a power adapter or capacitors
I would just get another OEM NES power adapter if you're going to try that. But I would try to see if you can find someone else to borrow one from or maybe a retro game store that could test it out for you. For the A/V output, try using the red and yellow port on the side and see what happens. All you need are some run of the mill RCA cables. If you want to try to replace the capacitors you will need some soldering experience. But you can find a kit at Console 5:
console5.com/store/kits/console-cap-kits/nintendo/nintendo-nes-frontloader-cap-kit-nes-001.html
+BlastMode7 that's the thing I want to try I want to to use the inputs on the sides
+Michael Malloy I would try that first as it's the easiest to do.
background music is so loud
Yeah, I know... I was still new at this back in 2013. I'll be re-doing this video at some point. There's a lot wrong with it.
Fuck i bent 1 up to.far and it got stuck so i tried to put it back and it pushed it down now its bend om the bottom :(
From the sounds of if you should be able to fix it with a pair of fine needle nose pliers. Worst case, people are selling working 72 pin OEM connectors on eBay for $10 or less.
What's the song from starting at 7:58
It's Stage 1 from Journey to Silius.
th-cam.com/video/2BDAJS_8RSA/w-d-xo.html
jesus Christ you talked forever.... and the damn science behind the heat is metal returns to its original shape after being heated.... omg dude new video please!!!!! and you even told people not to buy new shit!!!
1. Yeah, I know. 2. The water is not getting hot enough to make the metal malleable. If it were it would melt the plastic. 3. I'm planning on it. 4. Yeah, don't unless it's the Blinking Light Win. The 3rd party connectors are complete trash.
I cleaned the hell out of my old pin. put it all back together (disabled the lockout as well) and now my screen is a dark green. does it with old AND a new pin connector??
The new connector, where did you get it?
thank you
+evan gilks You're welcome!
C'mon Rambin Ron!! 😂🤐🤫
😩 its too much ....just get to the point mate, i almost lost interest 😴
I'll get myself a Blinking Light Win lol
Hehe, I've got two of them. They're honestly the only replacement I found that's worth a damn. Maybe I should do a video on it.
Wrap it up!
Yeah, yeah. I know.
You tell him Zjaycee10
Noided
Please, in future videos get on with it faster. I had to stop video and move on before you even got to fixing it.
Yep, I'm well aware I have a tenancy to ramble. Something I'm working on with newer videos. This is on the slate to redo as a shorter series of videos.
BlastMode7 I apologize for the bluntness. I do still appreciate the effort you put into your videos.
Nah man, no need to apologize. Thanks! : )
any one wanna buy a nes for$55 it has the original 72 pin connector but it is kinda worn out because it wont read my games anymore and i rather just sell it because i have another anyway and it comes with 2 controllers but no zapper and i also disabled the lock out chip so i guess thats a plus plz reply if interested.
Wazzupjosh too expensive for a non working unit
Wazzupjosh Yeah, $55 is what I would have sold this unit for when I was done. That's a fair price for a fully working unit in good shape. But not a broken one.
***** I've gotten non-working NES systems for $10-$15
Spicy Kielbasa I see how my wording was a little confusing. I was agreeing with you. What I was saying was that would charge that for the NES I fixed in the video. I agree that a broken front loader isn't worth more than about $10 to $15.
***** I was agreeing with you against the OP. You're good, bro. You know what's up.