My Personal NES Broke! I Have to Try & Save it!

[@12345.......]

I like the old console repairs. Keeping them alive one unit at a time.

[@Tronicsfix]

There is something really satisfying about fixing this old stuff.

[@EraserTraceur]

@@Tronicsfix luv it bro

[@windowsxpprofessional]

@@Tronicsfix things were made to last unlike today, made to die after warranty so we buy new ones.

[@Chiller31916]

Same here

[@Bishopfistwick]

Even fine grit sandpaper is very harsh on contacts. I've found the best method is just to use a sheet of paper. Works great for cleaning carbon pads on controllers as well.

[@carlsharkey6424]

Need to re-think those transitions, at 7:50 in to the video, my heart genuinely sunk when I thought Steve just casually snapped the board in half! Haha Thanks for another great video.

[@Evergreen64]

Just to let you know you don't have to clean off the DeOxit. It leaves a contact lubricant and protector behind. Also they make a DeOxit specially for gold plated contacts.

[@froggore52]

I did this exact thing to my old childhood NES a few months back. Cleaned it, bent the pins, boiled the connector, clipped the 10NES chip, cleaned all my games (with ipa and pencil erasers, Brasso for the really dirty games). And boy, it works like brand new! So satisfying.

[@chriskaprys]

What does that chip lockout bypass achieve? I hadn’t seen that until this video.

[@j.lietka9406]

What is the purpose of snipping one leg of the chip? Thank you 🤓

[@froggore52]

@@chriskaprys Nintendo implemented the 10NES chip to prevent unlicensed games from working in the NES. Both the console and the game cartridges have chips that do a sort of handshake and allow the game to be played. If they don't match, the chip tells the system to power cycle ad infinitum (thus, the blinking light). The problem is it's very easy for games with a bit of dirt or corrosion to be read as "incorrect" by the 10NES chip and cause the blinking light. Disabling the chip gets rid of the blinking light issue entirely.

[@chriskaprys]

@@froggore52 I see. Sweet. Thanks.

[@Zhabana]

Boiling the connector seems to be the way to go. I have bought some old NES consoles and always boiled the pins for like an hour. After that dried those and then soaked in ipa for some minutes. And after this those consoles worked much much better

[@jdgamingandfriends5286]

great repair steve! I did one of these myself around a year ago. Dont think I missed the super mario theme at 3:13 :)

[@Warlock_UK]

10/10 comedy

[@Saiegel]

love the super mario tunes during the testing. Great video as always mate.

[@korkuc26]

Wow that deoxit/magic eraser method is a total win. Best method I've ever seen! Actually cleans it very well without removing any material. Keep the retros coming!!

[@froggore52]

Well the magic eraser works like a fine grit sandpaper, so there is a bit of material being removed. But I doubt it's enough to cause any issues.

[@MIForrestguy]

I had good luck with a cheap NES connector swap. Used fine sandpaper on the cartridges and everything works after 30 years. Your advice is solid as always.

[@chrissiebeneck3294]

Ah the joy of finally being able to relate to a system you're fixing and feeling like, "I can do that!"

[@jimmymyers]

I'd never attempt a 3DS, but this makes me want to try making the 2 NES consoles I have laying around work.

[@XaFFaX]

For those who do not know - this is why pins are covered in gold, so that one would not need to sand them every once in a while.

[@j.f.christ8421]

And for the love of god, if they are gold plated DON'T use sandpaper.

[@windowsxpprofessional]

@@j.f.christ8421 most probably it's brass

[@lyianx]

Harshest thing i use on the contact pins is a drafting eraser.

[@klorslug]

@@lyianx those white drafting erasers work like a charm. Used them many a time for cleaning contacts.

[@zillatech8703]

@@klorslug you’re talking about that white rectangular eraser ?

[@joshmiller887]

Fixing these is my bread and butter! I don’t agree with the use of sandpaper, but if it’s your console…do what you want 😅

[@mperry0913]

FYI the other iFixIt toolkit, the smaller one that has the the tweezers, and phone screen attachments have an extension for the screwdriver that would be plenty long enough to reach the screws for your NES. Love the continuity beep sequence too. Great video!

[@SolidSonicTH]

Hm...that still wasn't enough for me to get my driver into my Sega Saturn when I was disassembling it this morning. I still had to turn to a regular screwdriver to disassemble that.

[@ryandann9362]

Years ago I took my nes apart, and bent the pins tighter that hold onto the cart. Now the nes doesn't play if you press the game down once you insert it. It does work if I insert the game and leave it up tho. Works for me!

[@Cedalus]

That issue also occurs in consoles that saw a lot of Game Genie action, it bends the pins on the connector since it is a weird fit compared to actual NES carts.

[@jamesgoss1860]

"The president has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the president?" Damn I miss the 80s.

[@Delus1on_L]

I got a “for parts” NES at a thrift store for $18.60. I plugged it in, put a game in, and after a few attempts, it worked just fine. 😅

[@kattriella1331]

Sounds like probably the pins were just dirty from being in storage, and trying the game a few times rubbed the dirt off. Nice find!

[@Matt.Thompson.1976]

Researching this over the years, I had always heard never snip the '10 chip', never boil your 72 pin, and never use sandpaper. There are a few more cardinal rules, but these are the ones in question. Obviously, to each his own and I'm glad everything worked well for you. Really like your vids, and respect your skill. Cheers from Northern California.

[@Outshinedsg]

Love seeing these older console fixes. It is fun to see how much more simplistic the components are compared to the newer consoles.

[@RetroFix]

Fixing my childhood NES back in 2014 sent me on my journey in video game repair!

[@jefftrainer7128]

Sounds like you got a cold! hope you feel better buddy!

[@micheledeconti7535]

I had this issue cleaning and replacing the part did nothing, so I recurred to the obscure art of boiling the 72 pin connector (had nothing to loose). I put it in boiling water for 5 mins, inserted repeatedly a cartridge while hot, another 5 mins of boiling and then a final cleaning with IPS. And to my surprise, it worked and still does.

[@robertw31968]

My NES was doing the blinking red light also. On the main board I had to do the same to my lock out pin and it has been working great. Great video sir.

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed

[@_BELMONT_]

lockout pin doesn't make it perform any better. it makes it region free and just doesn't make the power light flash when it's having a problem reading the cartridge. It doesn't increase the chance of your cart reading first try.

[@MNSweet]

@@_BELMONT_ Thanks for explaining this. I was confused about what was going on in the video. Still don't know why the boiling water.

[@froggore52]

@@_BELMONT_ In my experience there are carts that have JUST enough dirt on them to trigger the lockout, but once the chip is disabled they work perfectly.

[@paincalledliving]

Just threw a refurbished 72 pin connector in mine. Works first try almost every time.

[@scrumbleyj]

I love how you, so nonchalantly, pulled on those 40yo cables...

[@kattriella1331]

One thing about it, old consoles are quite literally built different. They were made in the era when electronics were built to last. They were built to be handled by children, who are not known to be gentle. If you even sneeze on a modern console, something breaks, but you could knock some of those old consoles off a counter top and the only thing that would happen is you MIGHT crack the housing or break the door flap.

[@scrumbleyj]

@@kattriella1331 or the counter top

[@kidtnt2695]

A pencil eraser also works very well to clean the connectors

[@Solious]

you should advertise your videos as repair guides, you sure as hell can help some people

[@Tronicsfix]

I used to to that on my early videos...those don't get nearly as many views as this style of video so this is what I've stuck with

[@johnathanscalfani1707]

Love the NES. Super easy to fix just about anything on it and with minimal upkeep it will last probably longer than it's owner.

[@antagonizerr]

1000 grit is wet sandpaper and isn't meant to be used dry so it's best to wet it for smoothest effect. You can wet with ISO as well but water works fine.

[@TheGlitchyMario]

For the 10NES 4th pin clip, id desolder the chip and add a switch to that pin. There are a few carts that can detect a disabled chip. And it is great for repairs because if it doesn’t blink, that means that the chip and the traces to the chip in the cartridges are good

[@froggore52]

Interesting. Do you know which carts can detect the disabled chip?

[@LUCKO2022]

The only cart I know of that does that is the Nintendo World Championship cart. I have never heard if any other carts that do that. So you are full of it.

[@TheGlitchyMario]

@@LUCKO2022 idk, I heard about it somewhere.

[@erniesdeck7550]

Great video I especially love the fact that that's your own NES.

[@tbyrd9772]

Steve I don't know where my life would be if you were not on KZbin. Your awesome

[@MikBaa]

Great work, happy to see it start OK, internals definitely making perfect connections after that pin bending and all the cleaning 😁👍

[@Alan2E0KVRKing]

I use car headlight polish to clean edge connectors, Works great!

[@maxhiggins6270]

The sandpaper against the pins was like nails on a chalkboard to me, had to mute. Excellent how-to on cleaning these though. The more you know.

[@Tronicsfix]

Lol, well I'm glad you still liked the cleaning part.

[@CecilTheDarkKnight234]

I've got two OG Nes systems and yeah keeping them up & running "compared to modern systems" is rather easy compared to modern hardware. Also there is only a single RF shield/sheet under the motherboard, so you're not missing anything. Lastly while it's trial and error, make sure the screws are not to loose or to tight. The cartridge tray will not be fully come down correctly making contacts with the pins an issue. Regardless great repair work as always, keep up the good work!!

[@instahawk8422]

The crunch sound of the 72 pin connector going into place is so satisfying that’s a ultimate asmr moment 9:24

[@iloc8one]

when i see your videos, i feels like a new episode of a Netflix series released which i have been waiting for days, love your work🍀

[@crashoverride576]

I put in a blinking light win on my og NES. Absolutely luv it.

[@BRGKasumi77Main]

Yes! Thanks for making this amazing retro gaming video Steve! Maybe you should fix other gaming consoles like Sega CD, Sega Genesis and among others. Now the game that you played, was released first on arcade then to NES. I recommend to play Japanese games like the Famicom, the NES predecessor

[@RDJ134]

My NES went poof the magic smoke years ago, hope to have it fixed one day...... It's a great system :)

[@thefunkdroid2777]

At 7:50 you put this fold transition but my tired brain processed it as you snapping the board in half and I genuinely freaked out for a split second.

[@beartackle]

That NES must be the happiest NES ever, having a nice owner who can fix it any time!

[@grahambaker7563]

Another enjoyable video, Steve! My NES is "playing up", though I haven't been using it for a long time! Thanx for the advice on what to do with it - and, yes, I DID buy another 72 pin connector, just in case!

[@dannyyarbrough915]

That was cool that you played Mario checking the pins :)

[@venialgaming4295]

Someone's definitely been in there before, there's supposed to be an rf shield on top of the whole thing when you take the top cover off, by the looks of it it's missing on yours because all the screws that hold it in place were already screwed in with the thing missing.

[@user-curtisingreenville]

I'd love to see you try a few case mods. Maybe a cool paint job and some internal lights. I know that is about as much your area as building lego cases is but hey its all in fun and I know viewers would definitely tune in. And by the way,love the work you do. I am learning a lot I didnt know which will help my skill level improve.

[@cooleyzz]

I have the 64bit ifixit kit and honestly. I use it for more than pc building and taking apart some of my handhelds. My family comes to me often wanting to borrow it lol

[@lostconciousness4255]

3:12 this warms my heart

[@Sylakk]

Love these TronicsFix vids. They helped me fix so many consoles. Just a couple of questions about your Nes that i hope you will have time to answer. Mines a Pal region. 1. I noticed yours has a switch on the power board. What is it for? Mine has a hole in the plastic casing for one but its just blank 2. What is lock out?/Why snip the chip leg? Thanks in advance 😊

[@Ven115]

Can't answer the first question but I'm pretty sure the chip is acting kinda like a region lock and it prevents certain games from being played and lifting that pin disables this lock. I think that's what it is. Might wanna fact check me.

[@Sylakk]

@Ven115 I thought that but wasn't too sure and with mine being PAL I wasn't sure if it would be a different pin to snip or tbh not actually having been inside mine if the boards are the same 👍

[@gamebros87]

So I have a NES-07 mother board in my ness do I still need to snip the pin?

[@vbottoni]

i have fond memories of being about 10 trying to fix my NES. great vid

[@Javantea]

I'm curious what the logic behind boiling the part with the pins is. I know that weak plastic does not hold up well with heat, I assume that the plastic used in the NES doesn't warp from that, but what about the metal? It seems like a very easy way to cause those parts to rust. Am I way off? What benefit is boiling that part?

[@sadmac356]

Yeah I'm wondering what exactly the goal was there

[@christophervanzetta]

Learn chemistry?

[@groovestreet77]

What was the liquid ??

[@EvoFred11]

Deoxit did a great job on that catridge !

[@jmac79ers]

Quickest way to get most toaster nesesssss to work is choose a sacrificial cart(preferably cheap with full set of pins), generously coat pins with isoprop (higher % better), push and pull sacrificial cart multiple times, 10 or so. Take cart out and take new cotton swab with isoprop and wipe contacts, notice any black that comes off. Repeat if necessary. Sometimes you do have to manually bend the console's pins out a bit if they're not grabbing. Best thing about this is you may not even have to open the console.

[@Darko1226]

I do the same exact thing and I have 7 nes consoles and they all work great. No death grip from bending the pins. The key is to clean every game that you insert so you don’t re introduce more dirt into the pins too.

[@jmac79ers]

@@Darko1226 nice, I've bent pins on a few, and the one I currently use I don't have to push down. I think it's a happy medium between loosey goosey and death grip though haha

[@Darko1226]

@@jmac79ers I’ve bent pins too where I don’t have to push them down but my nostalgia made me stop doing that lol

[@Badonicus]

Somewhere John Riggs is having a heart attack looking at you using sandpaper instead of bright boy to clean it.

[@rdouglas5742]

Great video. What does lock out pin do? Also, only tip I know on Bad Dudes is to hold down A and it will charge a super punch. Best of luck beating the top score!

[@revamp2672]

You can play any game even japanese etc

[@dayman9]

I'm confused or what is a lockout pin and why are you cutting the 4th PIN?

[@Chandoggy]

The lockout chip prevents you from playing Japanese Nintendo games (Famicom games) in an American NES. In this video, Steve disables the chip by breaking the connection of one of the pins on the chip. Many American NES games from 1985 actually have Japanese game cartridge boards inside of them, along with Famicom converters, because Nintendo did not have enough American NES game cartridge boards to meet the demand for the upcoming American Christmas holiday season. So basically, they were Famicom games with special converter boards to allow them to be played in an American NES. Gyromite is one of those games. The Famicom cartridges have 60 pins instead of 72 pins. In the American NES, 4 pins are dedicated for the lockout chip.

[@rubbersoul420]

say what u want but i like brasso for nes connectors, it works so easily to clean and everything still works great for me

[@310_Latchkey_kid]

What have you told us about pulling the plugs wires!! Also Bad dudes was the third game I've played when I bought my NES! Everything looks amazing, great job!

[@groovestreet77]

I like the Mario sound 3:35

[@SaccoBelmonte]

Bad Dudes was one of my fav games growing up.

[@raddaks2039]

Glad to see you used the perfect amount of deoxit.

[@fredyelranger]

I do a lot of NES repairs and I personally think disabling the lockout chip isn't a great idea. Here's why: it allows a somewhat sketchy connection with the cartridge to proceed to the title screen and run. So instead of encountering the flashing and re-seating the cart to fix it, you end up having a crash in like level 3 of the game you're playing.

[@originalbadboy32]

Thats not the reason to disable it though, it allow you to play PAL and JAP famicom games (with an adapter)

[@rfmerrill]

This somewhat makes sense but the underlying assumption is that a poor connection on the CIC pins implies a poor connection on other pins, which isn't necessarily true (but may often be).

[@Zhabana]

That region free modding can also be done with soldering couple wires to the board. I prefer that method, because it can be undone if needed for collecting reasons or something

[@Esperian]

If you ever feel like modding, you could look into the Blinking Light Win maybe ?

[@Dtr146]

I need to find a NES so I can test this original copy of lone ranger that my grandma still has that I used to play when I was a toddler. So many memories.

[@Dtr146]

There is a kit from Walmart that's called hypertuff. The green ones come with an extension that would fit down in those holes.

[@RPM_RTG]

There's a great new replacement available for the 72 pin connector called the blinking light win.

[@adom6264]

Keep the retro console fixes coming!!

[@RainyDays2823]

I can’t fix things myself, but I sent my joy cons into Nintendo’s repair center to be fixed instead of buying new ones. Saved me money and now I can keep using my joy cons

[@xo_plays_]

You can not apply the perfect amount of thermal paste here 🤣 Great video 👍

[@christopherrowell3777]

I had this problem you can also snip a specific leg on the region lock chip and it works the same

[@rubbersoul420]

wow, mario tune with a multimeter, that deserves a thumbs up

[@jeremypalmer5695]

[@jeremypalmer5695]

I'll have to give cleaning it a try. What grit is your sand paper?

[@rukitomikutochi8764]

Man's broke his own Console for Content. *Respect earned*

[@smeepUCA]

I did this a few times on my og NES then just decided to buy ready light mod and replaced the entire pin connector and haven't had any problems since

[@Paul-IE-Repairs]

we always used a rubber eraser to clean oxidation off of the pads

[@FernandoRivero80]

I love seeing how the legacy is kept alive, those consoles that entertained us 30 years ago deserve to be in perfect working order... And why not our children continue the legacy

[@Nimbus12]

I like to wrap the sandpaper over a credit card or something and inset into connector a couple times.

[@VideoGameRestoration]

Nice! Save the consoles!!! I meant to throw a NES capacitor kit in with your package :/ Only just remembering now 😂

[@Tronicsfix]

Lol, I appreciate the intent!

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

Another life for an old console. Great!

[@Igorlp55]

I was watching That 70's show today and you sound just like Eric 😁

[@NekroBroly]

Boiling the piece was a wtf moment for me 😂 learned something new I guess

[@73abg21]

You and your Videos brought ne to repairing stuff ive never done this before and there was No interest at all. But then i saw your Videos and found it so awesome that i watched more and more until i startet buying repairkits and stuff and now all day i Hope sombody Breaks so i can Open IT Up 😂 Sounds kinda childisch but i guess thats my new Hobby now. Thanks a Lot i Hope you proceed the good Work an keep in being in remission

[@jessyrob2000]

I would recommend leaving the deoxit on the pins for future use

[@6581punk]

A fix I've actually done myself. I replaced the 72 pin connector, big mistake as the after market one I got was even worse. The originals are fine, they just get dirty because the press down action of the NES doesn't result in the cartridge scraping the connector clean.

[@manny_r4077]

had to send my nes to fix that blinking red light. felt like it took a year to fix as a kid. i loved playing bad dudes at this pizza place. good times!

[@BigRedDog-mz3or]

It's been so long since I last opened an NES console and I wish I had those tools to use when I was 12 yo doing this repair.

[@theisenpants1]

Currently doing a full shell swap on a switch lite and a shell swap on a switch oled. And the i repaired the joysticks on the switch lite. All with ifixit tools.

[@sebastiaanbakker9748]

Steve, i love your video’s alot!! I have order your t-shirt with the perfect amount of thermopaste!!

[@ZT_1234]

All it took was a slight turn of a screw, a few que tips, some solvent, and a reflowed solder joint to make these consoles work!

[@Sillysoft]

Blinking red light, adjust the pins. Worked for me 99 out of 100 times

[@Chrish1981]

Oh man bad dudes is a classic, good taste!

[@Palkia02365]

Page flip edit @7:51 had me thinking he went Hulk on the board

[@H2Oredfirefox]

You can actually remove the edge connector for the cartridge slot if you need to do maintenance.

[@91n3tr33]

Hopefully this helps me fix mine thats broken. Thank you so much!

[@stephenmccallum7686]

You should have apply the perfect amount of super glue to fix the crack in the back top cover.

[@GrundleGrump]

So much work for such a simple issue. Just disconnect the red LED. Problem gone! :P

[@RyanHackintosh]

that mario edit was sick lol

[@adiohead]

8:18 Save the water for Nintendo flavoured tea 🫖🍵

[@Tronicsfix]

Lol, now that's funny!

[@valuevinyl110]

*APPLAUSE for the effort put into Mario Beep edit... bravo!

[@adleyfloyd1626]

you know even thou you put this out a year ago, i just want to say i love your work. you have shown me some new thing's i could do if i need to fix my console's . Honestly i open Every Single one you have shown just about. From Nes Snes Sega Master System Genesis PS 1 ,2 ,3 ,4, 5 heck even my Sega Saturn.. I am also looking to buy some retro gaming consoles from you if you have any around . i miss my ole school Gaming Console's i am not sure if you have a website for this or how we go about that at all, but let me know