NES Tips and Tricks

[@slipangle3027]

There's this thing out there now called the "blinking light win" which is a much better solution. It replaces the cartridge connector with a straight-forward one instead of the one where you have to push down, and it replaces the spring-loaded tray with a completely flat one that doesn't move. It basically replaces all the main points of failure with things that actually make sense.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

You don't have to push down, there are no models of the NES where you had to push down other than the top loader for obvious reasons. Just insert the cart into the slot and you're done. No need to ever push down on a side loader.

[@adamsfusion]

Another tip: The old electrolytic capacitors love to bulge and leak, and replacing them with newer, more stable versions can add decades to its lifespan. Remember: The farads should stay the same, but the replacement's rated voltage can be higher than the one you took out.

[@jwhite5008]

Important addition: Low-ESR caps are highly recommended and for anything hi-tech from 199x and newer they are mostly required. The capacitance (mF) can go somewhat higher in filtering circuits (where larger caps are used) - this may improve stability with low quality electric power or allow save you another trip to the parts shop - but not too high since that compromises the ESR (equivalent series resistance) and some high-frequency noise may get through. Sometimes a 0.1mF to 1mF ceramic cap in parallel may also help with very noisy situations. Capacitors lose both capacitance and ESR as they age, faster if used, so replacing *all* caps on older electronics (not just the bulged and leaking ones) can fix it.

[@1337Shockwav3]

avfusion "the farads should stay the same" ... more like your stupids should keep off the internets. I've seen more hardware being ruined by idiots attempting to swap capacitors than machines being in actual need of a repair of them.

[@SupraViperhead]

Hans Meier "your stupid"? Of you're going to insult someone's intelligence, perhaps you should use proper grammar, lest you prove yourself to be a bigger idiot than those that you insult.

[@1337Shockwav3]

SupraViperhead: You're looser. Especially when it comes to detecting what's an actual point and what's obvious trolling. GET OFF MY INTERNETS.

[@SupraViperhead]

Sorry, I didn't have my Snickers this morning.

[@williampfeifer2136]

Centuries isn't long enough. I want mine to last until the heat death of the universe. Do you have a cleaning kit you can sell me?

[@surajlal]

entropy, things are cooling not heating lol

[@ThorHammerhand]

This is the cpu, this is the ppu, and this is the pew pew pew.... only used in the game "life force"

[@finalbossoftheinternet6360]

imma chargin mah lazer

[@BMUSTDIE]

Felix is not amused

[@minibigs5259]

I love the stories! It sounded like Felix doesn't so much.... :-D

[@TazarZero]

When is Felix ever amused by anything? He seems like he doesn't want to be on camera have the time.

[@SumDumGy]

Felix needs a stick removal.

[@WR3ND]

Felix is my favorite. Was looking forward to a potentially informative video for a moment there instead of frivolous anecdotes.

[@honorablejay]

Another way to bend the pins, if you don't want to chance breaking them, is to simply boil the 72 pin connector. For mine, I filled a small pot with distilled water (didn't want to chance my tap water since I have extremely hard water), brought it to a boil, then dropped the connector in it for 15 minutes. Once I pulled it out, let it dry and cool down, all the pins had bent back to factory spec (or damn close to it). The grip is really tight but it works fine, and the plastic housing for the metal pins is solid enough to not melt.

[@Supadupanerd]

Have more Felix time. His demure demeanor reminds me of myself. He's my spirit animal.

[@BawesomeBurf]

I've done this several times over the past couple years, and it always feels good to bring a non-working NES back to life. I always just leave pin no. 4 floating though. I prefer cleaning and adjusting the pins to buying a new pin connector because I hate throwing away original parts, and some of those replacement connectors have a death grip on the carts.

[@Quiltfish]

>Jim Henson across the street. Ok, that got a doubletake out of me.

[@JFD62780]

Quiltfish You're telling me. I was like, "He's still alive? YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!1!! [/KermitFlail]" for a brief second...

[@lilg8017]

They left it to the comment section

[@techhonour3821]

Completely missed that one.

[@Spud8]

Plz can you make a GameCube laptop but it must have the game boy player in there

[@mokendkomer]

spud YES!!! Gamecube is the best console of all time

[@yourtechbreak]

make the wii portable and use it as a gamecube... is easier: the wii is more compact

[@mokendkomer]

MasterPhyton GD&MC Yeah. Great idea. But you won't get the classic startup sound.

[@KuraIthys]

That's a thought... The Gameboy player doesn't work on the Wii because the expansion port is missing. But is it completely gone? Or are there any internal pins that still have the appropriate signals for that? (my guess is, no, because you remove everything you don't need in high volume electronics, but if it shares fundamentally the same chips as a gamecube, it may just exist.)

[@trevorgrover5619]

THREE-IN-ONE Wii, GC, GBA! TOP CONSOLE!!!

[@3DSage]

That kid was me. Do you have Aaahh!!! Real Monsters?

[@MatthewWeiler1984]

Great video, I'm going to try disabling the lockout chip. But I bought 4 of the 72-pin replacements off of eBay years ago. I have 3 in a box just waiting until the 1st one dies.

[@NinjaKurosai]

Matthew Weiler those replacement pins are garbage. All you need to do is disable the lockout chip and you'll be OK

[@MatthewWeiler1984]

+Brandon Ramos Ya, I heard that recently :( But I don't have much choice anymore... I tossed the original 72-pin unit years ago when I first replaced it.

[@BawesomeBurf]

I hate them because they have a death grip on the cartridge sometimes which makes it very hard to get the game out.

[@MatthewWeiler1984]

+BawesomeBurf I guess you could just bend them to loosen their grip. Granted, you don't want to loosen them too much :p

[@dinkyflix]

I worked at our local FuncoLand during college. That was back when it was FUN to work there. I left as soon as Barnes & Noble bought them and it became LAMEstop

[@tails64dsntchannel8]

Wow, perfect timing, i just got my first NES this morning :)

[@Jingleboy14]

"My NES is a bit buggy." "That sounds great." I love how condescending that sounded, even if not intentional

[@Geeksmithing]

I think Ben Heck should do a segment where he addresses the whole "blowing the dust out of a NES cart" thing. It is my opinion that blowing onto the cart pins only furthers to corrode and negatively affect the health of the pins. The moisture from your breath temporarily increases the conductivity of the pins, giving the illusion that you are blowing "dust out" and getting the game to play, but in reality you are doing more harm than good. Thoughts KZbin commenters?

[@MegaZeta]

I'm thinking that 7 years ago, you had a weird compulsion to type out common knowledge as though you thought it up yourself, and all you'd get for it is this pity reply

[@Phoboskomboa]

My NES had an interesting defect in that it would work without pushing the game down. I found that I could get games that weren't working in friends' consoles work in mine by not pushing the game in all the way. It wouldn't have been possible if I couldn't leave the game in the raised position, so there was room for it to stick out a little bit.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

It's not a defect, all of them are supposed to work without pushing them down. The reason they didn't work in their systems is that the cart wasn't pushed the right distance into the NES to read.

[@Phoboskomboa]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade Wow, 7 year old comment reaction. That's a blast from the past. Defect or not, my NES worked differently than any of my friends'. Theirs would do that power blinking thing if the cart wasn't pushed down.

[@Bahamut1988]

No soldering required, just cut pin 4 and you're golden, though there's nothing wrong with thoroughness.

[@MicahTheManiac]

Summer Break just started, and a Ben Heck Show made it 1000 times better...

[@mawkheaf]

Why is that Felix guy devoid of personality? He's like a robot. Quick, one word answers, monotone voice, expressionless face.

[@desktorp]

he clearly hates his life, his job and most especially his boss.

[@lilg8017]

Ben built him for the show

[@SlavomirG]

He got the job, he probably likes the money, hates all the rest

[@KuraIthys]

It's a pity you can't rip the CIC chips out of SNES and N64 consoles. You can get away with that on an NES because the lockout chip in the NES checks the chip in the cartridge. Even the official NES top-loader removed the lockout chip... On the SNES and N64 however, lockout is bi-directional. A game with a chip won't run on a console without one, and vice versa. Of course, neither of these systems seem prone to security chip related problems, so it's really only homebrew that's affected. For the SNES you can just use a SuperCIC replica chip instead, but the N64 is a bit more tricky... Ah well... Long-term preservation of hardware is surprisingly tricky in some ways. Though having said that, the cartridge-based systems are an order of magnitude more reliable in the long-term than ANY CD-based system, (or those using magnetic media such as a floppy disk or hard drive or something.)

[@adamsfusion]

Yeah, for N64's we tend to use intermediate cart adapters which look ugly. They emulate the bi-directional CIC communication and just make both parties think everything is whizbang good. I hate to say that's why I prefer flash carts on the N64, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@JC-th5gc]

I know a lot of people prefer the first model, but a similar episode about the NES model 2 would be pretty great.

[@IggyM]

My eye still kind of twitches every time you say NES, even though I know its coming.

[@jakelong4510]

NES tips and tricks *̶B̶l̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶t̶r̶i̶d̶g̶e̶*̶

[@shanecorning5222]

No you have to include a bit of the spittle. You're doing it wrong. Let Me Try?

[@wawarushii]

:D first problem

[@lonewolfette]

I just stumbled on this video because I have a Nintendo that's still working but is very picky. I know very little about electronics. I'd hoped the teardown would have had more explanation, or at least have a separate video about the teardown linked in the description.

[@mikahl757]

Keep our NES running by disabling the LockOut chip (also enables unlicensed cartridges to run) & decadal maintenance of Male pins on the console or replacement. Thanks for the PSA, enjoying the channel and all its relevant content! ✌ subscribed.

[@Nandru85]

I used to be so terrified by that t-rex... I used to go to another room until the menu showed up. Loved the game, btw. love it's music also..

[@killerms2221]

I disabled the lockout chip in mine just pulling it out with a needle nose pliers. Worked ever since for a few years now.

[@f3rns]

This is pure gold. Thank you Ben.

[@swoopnscoop]

Beck Heck throwing some impressive video game knowledge in this one. Nice work guys!

[@SergioAF08]

Great, the part when they do the chip part won't appear on the video now I don't know how to disable that chip :/ I need to know what pin I need to take off, and where do I solder to the ground

[@masheen_]

Ben heck read my mind!!! I was like he should work on the NES and you did. Craziness I say!

[@bunnypig1]

5:36 I love how Felix is all careful and concentrated to try and detach the cable perfectly while Ben is janking the SHIT out of the cable to get it lose...

[@MorRobots]

Felix is why I watch this show TBH.

[@spartonberry]

In 2003, Nintendo stopped calling it the Seal of Quality and just called it the Nintendo Seal and gave a more honest statement that buying a game or accessory without the seal will void your warranty. I noticed the change between my Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and "Fire Emblem" GBA instruction manuals.

[@DFQreacts]

Does anyone else's PS4 KZbin App freeze up their system when a new Ben Heck video gets uploaded? It seems its every new video i try to play.

[@betacrest10]

I think there's a 3rd party product or adapter for the NES that you can install that will disable the push down spring feature for the cartridge and the games will still run just fine. Just insert the cart, close the lid, power on and play. I forgot the name of the product though. Edit: It's called the 72 pin connector replacement - Nintendo Cartridge Connector Repair Part the Blinking Light Win.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Why? NES consoles never required you to push down on the cart to read.

[@JoshuaPritt]

OMG Ben loves the pause music from Battletoads! I love my NES model 101 with the top loading cartridge slot.

[@jelle_smid]

i was charged the equivalent of $100 back in 1989 for this mod... lol. Totally worth it because allowed me to buy the US version of Zelda and Mario 3 at half the price the Dutch retailers asked. Man did i feel blessed.... and all my friends had this mod too.... i guess the store that performed the mod got ritch sleeping.

[@pinfarmer]

There is a kick starter product that fixed the cart pins being bend by how the cart is loaded. It's great!

[@jimjimx5418]

I used a sawing motion with an x-acto knife to cut a gap in pin 4. It only took about a minute, and it works perfectly fine.

[@Nukle0n]

Really a waste of time completely desoldering the lockout chip, you can just cut the leg right there.

[@JimSan_]

No need to rip out pin 4 on the chip, can just solder in two wires which knocks out it out and leaving the console relatively as how it was built.

[@ИгнатАртурович]

Exactly! That + breaking chip on cartridge made this clip way longer than it was supposed to be. Would have been nice to see some smart modifications.

[@Nukle0n]

Could've maybe shown cap replacement, stereo mod, overclock... Or going wilder, the HiDef NES mod.

[@TheTurnipKing]

My preferred solution is to simply desolder the one leg and bend it up.

[@noanoxan]

You could just not push the cart down. I never did lol

[@Lilithe]

The instructions I followed years ago used a resistor. I forget which value. I sold that system and a bunch of other retro consoles to an old co-worker though. Right now I want to build myself a Pi3 portable. Just don't have the time to get stuff 3D printed.

[@Strongit]

I was hoping they'd get a bit more into common issues rather than just the lockout chip. I've repaired a few of these now, you'll also need to look at the voltage regulator and the two giant capacitors sticking out of the RF box. They're fairly simple to fix and solve a lot of issues, especially if you're a purist like me who prefers to use the original AC to AC adapter.

[@danielrhodes7594]

Can those 2k memory chips be replaces with larger ones? If so will it improve the quality any?

[@modhappy]

Dude! Felix is pumped for nintendo!

[@DeadKoby]

I wish you guys would have showed in more detail how to ID the chip to pull. Now I get to search it out.....

[@wallacelang1374]

The Nintendo NES Lock-Out Chip tends to cause the screen to flash various colors when the cartridge does not connect to the slot pins properly.

[@SwankeyMonkey]

I'm TeamKaren. I also pronounce it N-E-S. I'm showing my age, but I get annoyed hearing those who are new to retro consoles lazily call Nintendo, 'nes'. More than likely the same who don't know how to build a powerful engine, and think the easy way to horsepower is by throwing around the word 'nos' (which is a brand) instead of nitrous, or rather nitrous oxide.

[@yonumpty]

NES and SNES pronounced as a single word was the norm here in the UK back when these were around. No one really said N.E.S or Nintendo. So to me, hearing N.E.S is odd. Just different people would have heard it said different ways.

[@SwankeyMonkey]

Yeah, it's always a regional thing. Like here in the States, depending upon what part of the country you are from, you'd call carbonated refreshments either *soda*, *pop*, or some call EVERYTHING a *coke*. I've noticed that although in the UK they have the MegaDrive, when a Brit refers to the N.A. Genesis, they often call it the Gennie. I know (because of my age) when Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back first came out, everyone simply called the AT-AT phonetically *at* *at*, which only changed recently when it became technically proper to address it by every letter... almost like the N-E-S. :)

[@SumDumGy]

Back in the day we just said Nintendo because there was only one option. It wasn't until the Super Nintendo came around that N.E.S. became a thing.

[@iCach0]

I'm beginning to think Ben might be an undercover psychic, I was playing Battletoads as this video played in the background.

[@GodsMemeTV]

i would love to see an episode in which you disassembly a FAKE NES or Super NES made in China and compare it to the original one

[@CrimsonSanX]

It'd be pretty cool to see a Dendy on this channel (if it's different enough).

[@jwhite5008]

+ItinerantSoldier, I don't believe Ben would go through ordering one internationally from a Russian auction site, especially since he most likely never even heard of it in first place. And the ones manufactured today under that name are completely different from the "original" ones. The new ones are based on NES-on-a-chip, which means: 1 no-name black-blob chip, and a cartridge slot, so nothing to look at, really.

[@GodsMemeTV]

he does not need to order it from Russia, I have one and it works but Iam outside the US so... the postage costs would be high and the device itself has some "value" too :))

[@Flokker]

'He's got more teeth that Steve Tyler' ; legit laughed

[@SharifSourour]

That was an awesome episode! Great info.

[@justin21002002]

i would love to see a wii u portable. I have found nothing online about one, except plugging it into a power brick and putting it in a backpack. I would love to see you combine the game-pad with the console into one unit

[@marcobravod]

Thanks for the video. I have a question. I didn´t understand the part with the chip. Is there another video where i can see this process step by step? Thanks again!

[@ams5616]

you can also Play Import Games with disabled lockout

[@Hambs]

you all should do a video like this for SNES

[@D3ltaLabs]

awesome episode. reminded me of the original Ben heck series...

[@NakedEggSalad]

I have a couple of GameGears here. One has major sound issues and the other has screen issues. I probably know what the issue is, but you could do a show on it.

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

weird fun fact: in argentina nintendo sold famicoms instead of the NES. it was weird, you could play the same but in some games you do not get squad. i got some covers on my acordeon of games, you could use it in your videos, just put a link on the description of my channel. i made zelda, mario bros, battletoads, castlevania and a lot of song. even the touhou death waltz. i am still learning to play by myself through youtube tutorials.

[@cdigames]

My local record store STILL has some of their CDs in those huge sleeves to prevent shoplifting.

[@dougstanton9816]

Hell yeah the Nintendo customer service number still works. I called it like 3 years ago on some bs just like that. lol

[@TVsMrNeil]

"Look at that sweet old nesssss." That will never sound right to my ears. It's the N. E. S.

[@Sfekke]

Great video, as always! Keep it up ;)

[@JacobBrunsonBurner]

I enjoyed felix having more time in this episode

[@spicydeath82]

have to say, Felix didn't look too thrilled in this.

[@rya3190]

I know it's been nearly 4years, but you wouldn't happen to have the circuit for the keyboard you made for the text radios you made?

[@RyanUkAus]

I see that Atari 800 system lurking behind you, do you know of a good alternative power supply for one of those as they seem to use a 9vAC 3.4A which I can not find a suitable replacement for!

[@emersonarmstrong89]

I was hoping there was gonna be more info in this video because I already knew these two things, but alas, there wasn't :(

[@TheNerdDwarf]

I adjusted my pins on the connector 4 or so years ago, I haven't needed to click the cart down since. And if it doesn't boot first go its basically always the cartridge pins being dirty.

[@johnbrockiii2]

Dude. Blinking Light Win.

[@loganjorgensen]

Mostly the lock-out in the NES is enough to disable, would take a long time to take the chip out of every game cartridge even if the loading becomes reliable. Definitely recommend pin bending over replacement as the new ones aren't as good as the old ones, cheap for testing purposes but I wish ram and video chips were easier to find as that is another common fail point.

[@SkyCharger001]

not all floating pins will cause a fail: back at school we worked with a couple of 4-bit counters that had a weak internal short between clock and carry-in. this worked as a cheap way of identifying the first chip in a multi-chip counter.

[@chantafreak]

Look at Felix all gangsta...n' stuff! Niiiice!!

[@allluckyseven]

Now we need a spin-off series called THE AUSTIN SANCHEZ SHOW.

[@bucketsAMF]

Seeing a Jurrasic Park game on a NES makes me feel really old...

[@RoomerJ]

I'm 35 and I've called it Nes since I got one when I was a kid.

[@TotalMK]

I don't get it they break off pin 4 then they say you need to ground it? How can you ground that pin when it was removed

[@THECH0SEN0NE82]

what a flashback hearing that voice on the nintendo phone number! same voice as when i was a kid

[@Sauraen]

"That's all the time we have for today"... No no no, you mean "That's all the CONTENT we have for today". But, nice video!

[@agr00m]

FELIX! You gotta hit me up this summer.

[@flamshiz]

will cartridges still work if you don't take the lockout chip off of them? or was that just to demonstrate that unlicensed games will also work?

[@xKatjaxPurrsx]

Karen, you sweater/scarf combo was 👍

[@xKatjaxPurrsx]

(that's a thumbs up, in case it doesn't render on your device)

[@rjnash2610]

Yeah... oh and btw.. I would (she's pretty hot).

[@SlavomirG]

For sure she is hot based on american standards where most women are fat and/or ugly. Eastern-european standards? Like 5/10 ? 6/10 tops because I try to be nice.

[@SumDumGy]

Try and fail...miserably, Slavomir.

[@howard81]

You can actually disable the lockout much easier by soldering two wires to the top-facing side of the board. Better than destructively and irreversibly cutting off one of the legs and a lot easier than desoldering the entire chip!

[@Vizimech]

Was that a Thinkpad I saw? Good taste Felix my man

[@jesus0ad]

awesome idea, and so helpful

[@MK-qo1rz]

oh the pink cleaner cart? forgot about that thing!

[@gustasauksciunas1516]

Removing the lockout chip is like cracking a modern console

[@tomb8430]

Is it possible to cut the track on the board? Or is the board multi-layer which makes that not possible? Unsoldering the chip would be tricky, but I don't want to cut the leg of the IC which would be non-reversible. Cutting the track would be easily reversible. Any idea?

[@cradledani]

Ben, one thing I think the world needs right now is an External CD Image Emulator, Like the gotek floppy drive emulator. That would be pretty friggin sweet.

[@cradledani]

Yes and No. That doesn't work on the PC right? Its for xbox360 only.

[@tristragyopsie5464]

have you thought about taking the original hardware and 3D printing a new housing? like one that removes the need for the push in press down cartridge slot. not necessarily making it verticle like the Famicom, but removing a fail point and makes the contacts more accessible for cleaning and repair.

[@ecmyersvids]

The Blinking Light Win pretty much does that already.

[@SumDumGy]

Sadly. He did.

[@dimitrimotor2861]

I myself have a switch between done and so I could put it on the back or off together with a rgb led that indicates when it is on or also a clay fan inside, I am happy with it and works out of stitches for playing another country I am from Belgium

[@dimitrimotor2861]

ik heb zelf een schakelaar tussen gedaan en zoo kon ik hem achter aan aan zeten of uit samen met een rgb led die aan geeft waneer dat aan staat of uit ook een kleie ventilator van binnen in ben er blij mee en werkt uit steeken voor spelen van een ander land ook ik ben van belgie nederlands

[@MAYERMAKES]

As a fact Ahhh real Monsters was the first SNES game I have beat... I hated it first but then got addicted.

[@drmariopepper4354]

If possible could you please do a similar video for the SNES? Awesome Video!

[@theantithesis1]

Nintendo only made the catridges for third parties in the US... possibly other non-Japanese markets. This led to games being slightly different in Japan where the third parties made their own cartridges and could put extra stuff in them. Compare the US and Japanese versions of Contra for an example.

[@lolindirlink]

where is my where are my dragons?!

[@LovelyAlanna]

got some questions mate, what happened to the Portable n64? and also, would it be possible considering the state of wii homebrew and the virtualconsole in it to make a portable wii? only for VC, if the wii has a classic controler then you won't need the ridiculous motion bar or anything like that to control the system, I think that would be a better approach to having portable N64 games.

[@allluckyseven]

As a graphic designer, and knowing that Ben was "a mild-mannered graphic artist", why is it that the thumbnail has one style, the "title card" (let's call it that) has another style (grungy, dirty white background, helvetica), and the "interstitials" have a third style (blue, pixel font), one completely different from the other?

[@tonycaffeine2642]

Hey Ben great video, I have cleaned and repaired a hand full of Nes in my days, But what do I do if the ROM or PPU chip goes bad. The problem I having with one Nes is it will flash 0and1's on different color screens.

[@WaltSorensen]

Would be interesting to see the 2 channel audio hack. Can you do other mods, like maybe add more memory for the 6502 up to the 65k max?

[@DamnDealDone]

2 channel audio mod is nonsense. The NES was mono and game audio was designed for mono. If you do a 2 channel mod you will have guns coming out of the left speaker and explosions coming out of the right. It's not right and far worse.