Building a custom NES power adapter - NES Restoration [Part 1]

Not many consoles are as classic as the NES (not even the NES Classic). Take a dive with me into an NES whose working condition is completely unknown! Was it a waste of money or a surprisingly good deal? Let's find out!
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▶MUSIC USED
CORE - mr spock's cryo-bed
xylo and cerror - sea side blues (xyce.bandcamp....)
DualTrax - orion crackmusic
Graff - rain eater
BRD Keygen #4

[@RickTheGeek]

That Mario cartridge is quite rare! They didn’t make many and it’s a 5 screw version which means it is a very very early cartridge - Nintendo quickly switched to the special tamper-resistant three-screw version. Also, in the USA Nintendo quickly made a combination Super Mario / Duck Hunt combo cartridge and thusly discontinued the single Super Mario game. 😀

[@nathansdump5583]

😮 how interesting

[@johnsimpsen5]

Dang, I have the Mario only nes game, is that rare?

[@maxrichards5925]

@@johnsimpsen5 I would say not really. I would think that many people had that release, but it may go for slightly more than a Mario / Duck hunt cart since that sounds like it was a bit more common. I’ve usually seen the Duck hunt cart more often than a standalone Mario cart.

[@OfficialOwnerOfBirdClip_Studio]

I found it while scanning through the basement and almost smashed my foot but I’m fine ;)

[@OfficialOwnerOfBirdClip_Studio]

Nvm they have a lot on eBay but 80 bucks are higher :/

[@PokeMaster22222]

4:37 Ah, yes, the Australian power outlets. I love how they look; they always remind me of _The Scream_ by Edvard Munch.

[@alastorlapid2365]

This image is never leaving my head.

[@HmmYT]

Being an Australian, I can most certainly say that, yes it does look like that.

[@writtenskate522plays]

Isn’t that China’s plug?

[@PokeMaster22222]

@@writtenskate522plays From looking it up, China does use an almost-identical socket shape - except theirs is upside-down, from what I can tell. Australia and New Zealand have the vertical plug below the angled ones.

[@TheRandomGuyTheFarNoGameCat]

That "NTSC Great Britain" joke killed me like Windows 10 kills my system resources.

[@superJK92]

Ikr

[@Infevlol]

whoever sees this and the "flixzone" replies then flixzone is fake, its made just to steal your data

[@NepgearGM6.1]

I share the same opinion on Windows 10

[@barneycalhoun6007]

xd

[@isaacandersen1]

You should try downgrading to windows ME or Vista, much more stable and consumes far fewer resources.

[@TeamTeddy666]

Highly underrated channel. I'm very happy I found it. Please make more technology videos! :)

[@v0lts]

was just about to comment this. Very very underrated.

[@Sarah-hs8ir]

Agreed

[@goldenfreddy4122]

That's American Version of Nintendo Entertainment system in United Kingdom United States America fly to United Kingdom ✈

[@lelouchlemprouge6380]

I subscribed after i saw QR code video I mean it's a channel full of nostalgia

[@tubbybrewstersmurks]

Mmhm!

[@CocoTheMii]

"I sure hope this is what I hope it is!" -MattKC, 1985

[@thehexedhydra]

That joke had me ROLLING

[@thetechsavvy01]

Was he really alive in 1985? He seems too baby-faced to be that old

[@PunakiviAddikti]

The reason why most DC electronics don't use rectifiers is because rectifiers contain diodes, which represent a power loss. They waste power in the form of heat, and they can waste a lot of heat. You can boil water using a diode passing too much current.

[@eebydeebyz]

Ah yes, love that

[@robonator2945]

I mean, you can boil water using a copper wire and passing too much current

[@21stCenturyGuy]

How that NES didn't explode upon plugging it in, I have no idea. Definitely will be waiting for that part 2.

[@deltacx1059]

Also a wire brush can solve the corroded pins issue.

[@dani.munoz.a23]

There’s a second video, the problem is already solved. It’s too late.

[@glitchenz]

Just bend the pins put a game in it and wiggle it and it works (for me) first try

[@xp8969]

Just smack it against your open palm or throw it against a wall if that doesn't work, those were always my 2nd and 3rd steps to troubleshoot a non-working game if blowing in it didn't work first

[@harrisonsmith6669]

Wouldnt that possibly damage them further

[@deltacx1059]

@@harrisonsmith6669 if you use a steel brush, it's best to use the softer metal brushes and be gentle.

[@SkylerLinux]

Regarding the 72-Pin connector, I fixed mine by bending the pins to make better contact. Worked a treat.

[@hyperfizzXP]

6:45 As a brit, i can tell you that is a British moth

[@boodro2122]

Wrong. It's a cockroach. No doubt, a relative of the queen.

[@Kyoki_Electric]

It looks like a grasshopper but I am Aussie not Brit so idk

[@Iristallite]

The cartridge literally says "some games" lmao

[@Ratcash371]

8-bit guy quality content, im glad i found ur chanel !

[@jscorpio1987]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@blueraspberryjuice516]

Dude you guys are NOOBS HA I KNEW IT!

[@jscorpio1987]

Blue raspberry Juice wtf are you talking about?

[@awilliams1701]

with an 8 bit guy clip in it no less.

[@PureWar58073]

Ya

[@TyrKohout]

This channel is going to get big. Keep making quality content like this and you won't have any issues getting seen. Just a matter of time!

[@ChloekabanOfficial]

He's definitely getting popular - 313,000+ subscribers at the time of writing this comment.

[@FarmYardGaming]

361K now, but he deserves a million at the very least

[@basedSkeleton]

How does he not have 1m subs?

[@DigitalHandle]

416k as of writing, he's close to 500k!

[@Apple2gs]

In my experience, you can salvage the existing 72-pin connector by gently bending the pins. Once done properly, the cartridge should feel firm and snug when pushed in, not loose. It can take a bit of patience, and some trial and error, but it works.

[@grantm902]

I know this is an ancient video, but for posterity: AC is usually measured in RMS, so multiply by 1.414 for peak when rectifying, then subtract two diode drops from the rectifier (typically 0.6V * 2). 9VAC becomes more like 11.5VDC. If you input DC, then you can skip the first part and just subtract the diode drops. Fortunately, in my limited understanding of the NES, much of it runs off a 5V regulator, which requires around 7V input as minimum.

[@RocketPropelledGamer]

6:10 yes it was kept in an extremely humid environment called great britain, which is where the rain goes when irish people wish for it to go away (ireland is where the rain goes when anyone else wishes for rain to go away.)

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

2:09 -- LMFAO I see what you did there

[@SpringPath76521]

I realized this when I read you're comment.

[@abbyelectric]

Genius

[@joshmartimez2235]

This was the first model of NES i played back in the day. Got my first NES in 2010 and it was the front loader and i started to have issues getting tames to work due to the 72 pin connector wear and tear. Last year i bought an AV stereo modded top loader and its a great improvement. Great video guy.

[@JaoVerOver]

MattKC I'm the kid who makes that video of alcohol 5 years ago! 😁 I was too young and didn't know that there is a warning about using them hahahaha. Sorry for my ignorance at that time.

[@chamber_hiro256]

Holy I thought you were an impersonator for a second.

[@Tall_Order]

My Florida NES is is just fine. You could say its BOG standard.

[@MaximNightFury]

Note, any NES not labeled "Florida" will have rust issues when inserted into a BOG

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

That bug looks identical to an English house moth, we get tons of them here.

[@mauritsdekoning]

Hi man, just wanted to say that I'm impressed by your video production quality. It has a right mix of jokes, B-roll and voiceovers which makes it very enjoyable to watch. Kind of like LGR (a KZbinr) style, which is very nice. Keep up the good work!

[@yardbirds89]

Sometimes in the zif ( that's the cartridge slot ) the pins are bent down (the springy side ) you can bend them back with exacto knife and clean the pins with 800 grit sandpaper on something thin (like a guitar pick or thin piece of plastic) ..... is the tv flashing a color or is it not flashing at all ? oh love the video ..

[@Porygonal64]

it's technically not a zif since you push the cartridge into place :v

[@yardbirds89]

@@Porygonal64 . it's just what Nintendo calls it..its like a hybrid zif

[@PuffyRainbowCloud]

It's better to boil the connector.

[@keeby4]

I restored an NES with my dad a few months ago, and we went through nearly the same as you. We just bought a new slot and cleaned everything else a little.

[@locobrown]

The blinking light issue on the NES, if the game loads pressing the RESET button allows it to remain on solid. I rarely needed to clean my carts and those that did require cleaning were those that were blown into. The corrosion found on the pins connectors on most NES consoles can be attributed to that malpractice. How they were stored, that's a different story. The game would work but early on I am sure many of us must have stopped doing that especially if you got scolded by vendors at your local flea market. I annoyed the heck out of them when commenting about that. Even back then during the early 90's, we were told to keep the pins on the carts clean and not to blow into them. We never listened. I just wanted to play the game, but eventually all learn the hard way thinking out brains are all big and all during that age. Yeah right.

[@Dream0Asylum]

There are a lot of US Military personnel in the UK and it's not really that rare to encounter electronics from "the wrong region", usually with the required transformer as part of the package.

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

6:25 -- wow. Talk about a COMPUTER BUG... yukyukyuk Also, there's yer problem, lady! -- Eric O.

[@Persvicx]

0:04 love the way he said "oh boy!" here lmao

[@mostlyghostey]

The “Happy Birthday” paper makes the beginning skit.

[@dommitchell4319]

That bug in the cartridge slot reminds me of the PS2 I bought off ebay as "for parts/not working", intending to use it as a donor for parts for my childhood PS2. Once I received it, I swiftly went to opening it up to grab parts only to be met by an absolute infestation of dead bugs. All the bug guts were rusting the metal shielding. Turns out the parts weren't compatible with my specific model revision, so I just chucked the shielding into a tub of vinegar, left it for a few days, started scrubbing, and it started up and read games just fine. Now that PS2 is the one I still use to this day. Reselient little thing it is.

[@Xpnvh]

if i saw that i would get rid of that thing

[@kadengonzalez548]

Hey there matt! Something to try is put your finger on the not h of the cartridge and give it a good wiggle. If you see the startup screen flashing, then press the reset button. This revived my NES

[@BGDMusic]

imagine living in the era in the NES, getting your first NES. man, id be excited NOW to get an nes

[@jerricabenton842]

Be careful with a Japanese Famicom! It has no such rectifier! I fried my Famicom by using a Genesis power supply.

[@AlexS-sc3gb]

I guess Americans do it better!

[@AlexS-sc3gb]

Tolly Hill Its a joke

[@SpartanViper7Edits]

oof, that sucks. did you get it repaired?

[@kishannathan4186]

@@SpartanViper7Edits its fried

[@stingertv7363]

@@TollyH weeb lol

[@maingimoveyourteleporter]

I appreciate the use of the sloppy opening clip in 5:28. Also you blue balled me, I was expecting to hear the satisfying sound of the cartridge being inserted but it never came :(

[@raulcastellanosjr.4754]

Awesome video! I love your presentation and humor, not only on this video but on your others too (the training videos had me in stitches). I'm not sure how I found your channel but I'm glad I did!

[@lukas_png7523]

0:06 This moment when you see that your wrapping paper for your brother has a "Happy Birthday" on it

[@Left-Earth]

_"This Nintendo console has seen some sh*t. It might rob you in a back alley."_ 🤣

[@Darklordsidius_JC]

Your toothbrush and rubbing alcohol will clean the ports pins and use an old pink eraser on the motherboard pins where the connector slides on. its usually all that's needed but if it still doesn't work, you can, as someone suggested, bend the pins (you only need to bend the top pins, the bottom ones should be fine). If you bend the pins you shouldn't be required to push the cartridge down when you play any longer, you can just slide the cart in and turn it on and it should work. You can also try this without bending the pins, after a clean, to see if it will play. I have been doing this since the 80's and never need to push my game down and it works like new 100% every time and I've had my console since '86, so long as the game is cleaned (I use an eraser on my games contacts). I've been using this method long before youtube was invented and everyone I know that I've done this to their NES, their system still works flawlessly and without having to push their games down.

[@rich1051414]

If the humidity in florida doesn't ruin it, the ocean breeze will! Hope you like missing clear coat on your cars!

[@thomasvlaskampiii6850]

Don't forget about Florida Man attacking the NES with a butter knife because he lost The Game

[@juhomajaniemi8479]

I power my PAL NES with a 9V guitar pedal powersupply. I just twisted and elec-taped the proper connector to the cable and it works like charm 😅

[@mostbest2561]

I love retro games/systems and watching you restore them is intriguing and very relaxing. Your videos are awesome; thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Easy sub.

[@pleaseenteraname386]

1:27 nes camouflage

[@adamp9553]

Nintendo had the transformer outside the box to get around regulations for a device that would have high voltages. And so the AC adapter was just the transformer outside the box. All voltage regulation was inside the NES. It can take a range of voltages; the official adapter produced 10.5 volts AC when I tested it way back when, so 9.3 here isn't high at all.

[@PhattyMo]

4:20 Behold,the glory of the FOOOOL BRIDGE RECTIFIER! (To quote Electroboom.) They're nifty devices. Because of them,some devices are like the honey badger,they don't care,just feed them the approx. correct voltage,AC,DC,either polarity,It'll take care of the rest.

[@parentprofanities]

"Even using the infamous "blowing the cartridge" technique." -MattKC

[@Her_Imperious_Condescension]

You matched the 8 Bit Guy style _perfectly._

[@eclipseaus]

music at 1:04 is Akumajo Dracula - Vampire Killer (X68000)

[@gamerboyofficalyt]

0:23 he's playing some game's

[@tookitogo]

4:15 there are two main reasons why gadgets don’t typically use bridge rectifiers on their power inputs: 1. added cost; 2. power losses. In a bridge rectifier, the power always flows through two diodes, so you have two diode voltage drops (2x0.7V=1.4V). So whatever current the device draws, you get that much power lost as heat in the diodes. (For example, if the device draws 0.5A, then it will waste 0.5Ax1.4V=0.7W of power in the diodes.) On an AC adapter, this wouldn’t really matter, but it’d be terrible on battery (where a bridge rectifier could theoretically be used to allow batteries to be inserted either way). So given that the power brick is typically included with the device, manufacturers prefer to just say “USE ONLY WITH SUPPLIED AC ADAPTER”, save the cost of the bridge rectifier, and just ensure the device and power brick are designed for each other. Nintendo is a bit of an outlier, in that they tend to design their stuff to be nearly indestructible. In this case, they clearly just have all of the power supply regulation circuitry in the console itself (whereas most modern stuff has it entirely in the power brick), and used an inexpensive AC wall wart that’s just a transformer and nothing else. Rectification, smoothing, and regulation is all done in the console, and it doesn’t mind being fed DC instead of AC.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Not caring about the polarity on DC plugs is probably a bonus benefit of it taking AC.

[@RogerCollectz]

Lol. “Oh wow a Nintendo Entertainment System from Nintendo maker of entertainment systems!” Bro 😂

[@adultmoshifan87]

I have before powered my NES using an SNES power adaptor!

[@dustin202]

Well thanks for the information

[@mrt1r]

Over time the NES cartridge pins get bent out of shape from pushing the cartridge down. It is pretty easy to get a small flat blade screw driver under the pins to bend them back up. This will let the cartridge make better contact with the connector. I've fixed an NES this way before, no replacement slot needed.

[@TheMovingChicane]

Woah I see one of your vids was getting pushed, and now 4K subs! Hell yeah man! Always loved your content. Now YT is showing love. Anyways, great video. Never thought I’d see anyone try to do this to an NES. Very cool and creative Matt.

[@stewartbladensb]

Strange fact, the hard wired ring doorbell takes 24v AC? People were complaining that the adapter didn’t show which was positive as you have to fix bare wires round screws on the back of the unit. It’s the first digital device I’ve ever seen that uses an AC power adapter.

[@WalrusStu]

Now that you live in the US, that means that this NES has made a journey across nearly the whole world.

[@Jerepaukan]

Month: christmas Wrapping paper :Happy Bday!

[@lildogg72]

I watched 22 seconds of your video, and I was like wow you aged well lol. Its been over 30 years, and you still look like your 17 years old. Whats your secret? Ok lets keep watching. Btw love your videos.

[@Devilmonkey667]

He’s like 20

[@billandhisboard]

Ahh man. You never experienced picking up the controller, grabbing it by the cord, swinging it around as fast as possible like a scooter kid at a skate park and cracking your best friend in the side of the head with the god awful sharp corners of the controller?! 🤣🤣 Those were the days!!

[@robertm5581]

AC power stands for "Alternating Current" that meas that the power is constantly changing from (+)Positive to (-)Negative and DC power is "Direct Current" it won't change, it stays the same. Where DC comes from batterys so the current is only traveling in one direction and stays the same but AC is made from generators (usally Roatating Magnets) so the power fluctuates with the spin of the magnets positive and negative sides. If my memory is correct the reason you can't use AC power on DC devices is because in alot of older DC devices the power is only set up to go in the one direction, if it ran backwards it send the power to the components you dont want it too. BUT any device made for AC power would constantly have the power going from its Negative to Positive state so a Direct charge through the line would hurt it as long as the DC voltage is the same as the AC device wouldnt matter if it used DC.

[@PichuTheCheerio]

I wish NESes could talk now, because I need to sit down and listen to this one's story.

[@HalianTheProtogen]

6:15 [angry floridian noises] :þ

[@nayzal]

Very nice use of thorn

[@HalianTheProtogen]

@@nayzal Thanks! ^_^

[@TheResidentSkeptic]

This is the second video I've seen of yours now talking about the NES AC input. I'm not sure if you're just ignoring it for time or simplicity, or if you don't know, but the voltage rating of an AC power supply is in volts RMS. When you rectify that to DC you don't end up with a DC voltage equal to the AC RMS voltage, you get the AC voltage multiplied by the square root of 2, minus the forward voltage drop of the rectifier diodes. TL:DR The NES runs on 12VDC internally, not 9VDC. It'll probably work fine on 9VDC, but a 12V DC power supply would be closer to the original power source.

[@s15melb]

Awesome to see solder and a DMM from Dick smith electronics!

[@thesillyone3837]

The beginning reminds me of how our grandma nes broke i hope i can fix it

[@suspectpumpkin4799]

Just boil the cartridge connector in water to restore the pins back to their original positions. I don't even need to push the cartridge down anymore!

[@jeffschleg9665]

0:07 Crack?

[@soraltt]

yes

[@scepticgd]

yes

[@yelir64]

I can't wait to play some games! Inserts cartridge labeled "some games:

[@timothyvandyke9511]

I am from your last video, I love this type of stuff, keep it up :) Keep tinkering away!

[@lonelyPorterCH]

We had an NES^^ But only a few games, like Mario Bros, a Legend of Zelda Game and Lolo.

[@vinegar4556]

I just realised that the "Christmas gift" is wrapped in obviously birthday-themed paper.

[@jonvanbrunning4294]

The blinking could indicate a bad lockout chip. There is a leg you can cut, and honestly that chip is a ticking time bomb that does nothing but prevent you from playing unofficial cartridges. You should cut it anyway. Cutting 1 leg disables the lockout chip and if for some reason you want to restore it, you just need to solder a jumper wire

[@ExterVR]

The NES was wrapped in a happy birthday wrapper

[@superJK92]

OMG The 8-Bit Guy is one of my favorite KZbinrs

[@bill-clintongaming]

"Florida ruins everything good". That's the most true statement I have ever heard.

[@montywh]

when my friend got an NES with the same issues, i got it up and running for him. looking up solutions online, i boiled the connector in water as a way of cleaning it, then i went and got a hook of some kind (can't remember what i used) and bent the pins back in place so they'd make good contact. after that the system worked without any issues

[@Z64sports]

Sometimes if you don't push the game down it works better. Not sure if mine is just screwed up or if that's the way everyones is but it works

[@Pulverrostmannen]

You could had tried to boil the connector and bend out the pins a bit with a thin tool. I had one example that just did not wanna start a game, to the point everything was tried without a positive result and the board was considered broken since the last time it worked it played fine until it froze with a glitchy sound and never ever started again. With the fail at my hands I put it aside. But I eventually got back to it. Trying other connectors and still dead. But the beast was just sleeping. I went out and used metal polish and rubbed the motherboard 72pins and boiled the connector. Bend out the pins. Clean it even more. Lubricate it complement it with kind words and eventually it actually came back to life again. Nothing was changed. Just refurbished and it worked again. And still does. Now it is my Frankenstein console since it is basically parts from everything else broken but not dead stuff I swapped while fixing other consoles. Now I have it as a testing console with stereo sound mod. Still going!

[@MagnumForce51]

You likely just need to pull out the top row of pins and bend them a tiny bit back down to restore the proper tension. How loose does the slot feel when inserting a cart? If it feels like it doesn't have any grip on it at all then yeah it's likely just needs to be re-tensioned. I didn't have to mess with the bottom row on mine. But you may also need to re-tension those too. Though those are usually easier since they are more accessible. There's a hole near the back of every top pin on the slot enclosure. You use a small tool to push the metal tab down on each pin that keeps in inserted and then pull it out and re-bend them (the bend location is right where the pin gets thinner and you don't have to bend it very far. Just the smallest possible amount you can manage should be more then enough). I did this to the entire top row of pins and after that my NES worked perfectly. Though mine wasn't as dirty as yours. I think with enough work most of the original slots can be repaired this way. It's a shame so many are just tossing them for cheap repros that may be too tight on the cart. I've heard some of the lower quality slot replacements are like that. If there seems to be a lot of corrosion on the pins you may need to also clean the end of the slot that connects to the motherboard....Though that end rarely needs cleaning. :P

[@suspectpumpkin4799]

Boil the connector in water for about 15 mins and job done. It works so well you don't even need to push the cartridge down afterwards!

[@Octolicia]

Yeah...Happy Birthday on Christmas... it's like me offering gift cards, that has a married couple on them, to my family. XD

[@breawen]

music: Christmas wrap: Birthday

[@Jazztoasty101]

heya protip for NES cartridges: dont press them down. they work fine not pushed down and it puts less stress on the pins so your cartridges last longer.

[@retrocole7846]

No

[@ruddiestmanx5116]

I heard the electrical components in it use DC but it is a AC converter so it can use both

[@uria2001]

This reminds me of all the times I took my NES apart. Then you learn about bent pins that you could push back. DAMN YOU NINTENDO

[@proxy1035]

4:08 it accepting AC already means it doesn't matter where + and - are because they constantly swap anyways... that's what AC means. so i'm a bit confused why you're saying it like it's a seperate thing from AC

[@Ragnar8504]

I'd guess a cellar and not even a very damp one. High humidity is enough to cause surface rust like this. A shed wouldn't be entirely impossible either.

[@timeking1]

As an American, everyone outside of Florida approves of your "Florida ruins everything good" joke

[@Xpnvh]

6:30 😂that actually made me laugh

[@Ikkepop]

What a wholesome video. I like this guy. Give him a cookie.

[@UnforeseenConsequences586]

Loved the music gave me a nostalgic feeling when I was in my teens, what is the title of the tune?

[@karll3144]

Why not cutting before the ferrite clip, and saving to add extra wires for nothing? Plus, aesthetically cleaner ? Or any power adapter from any old cordless home phone or appliances with a barrel type plug that fits, 2.1 or 2.5 mm barrel type connector? Nice work on the rest though !

[@ephemeralic9648]

did that NES get dropped with the lego island master cassettes

[@hismastersvoice2729]

1985: Nintendo releases NES 1986: Катастрофа в ЧАЭС

[@TheGuitarTheory]

Detach and wire pin 4 on the NES Lockout chip to ground. You’ll never see a blinking light again and you can play PAL and unlicensed Nintendo games.

[@Starlesslemon]

"I sure hope this is what i hope it is"

[@SullySadface]

That's some game! I bet that burn is from a cigarette.

[@technikfreak9859]

My C64 II can also run on 9VAC/5VDC and 9VDC/5VDC and my problem was that the original power brick from the C64 was broken it puts out over 15VAC/9VDC so i just used an old ATX power supply and installed a 9V DC/DC converter and soldered on the cable from the broken PSU and it worked like a charm. Another good thing is that I can power the C64 and the Floppy Drive with this one ATX PSU.

[@goober183_]

Dude did a better refurbishing job than DK oldies

[@zurkel1098]

If you still read these comments, some companies make 9 volt dc jack adapters of multiple types for guitar effects pedals and might work for old stuff like this

[@Tippex_Official]

0:07 poor dude, his birthdays on Christmas .... yes I point out the little details