Reddit reviews 72 Pin Connector for NES 8 BIT Nintendo System (Bulk Packaging)

Awesome setup!

You know you can fix those issues with your NES really cheaply.

You just open it up and replace the 72-pin connector. The hardest part is getting the screws out to open the system up (I used a bit of wd40).

I did this with mine, it barely played anything before but it worked amazingly after.

The original connectors on NES were kind of shitty and got bent down really easily, causing poor cartridge contact which makes games freeze or fuzz out (also causes that blinking power blue screen thing). If you want a quick fix, unplug the system and bend the pin connectors up slightly with a tiny screwdriver. That works alright, but replacing the connector works amazingly. It's not any harder than changing the hardware in a pc.

Deep clean your games.

To do this I would recommend a deep clean. These games have 25+ years of dust build up and corrosion from people blowing in them. And simply dusting it out might not be enough.

To deep clean the games you will need to open them up this can be accomplished with a 3.8 security bit screwdriver. You can get those here from amazon for a few bucks. After it’s opened gently remove the chip and wipe out the inside of the cart with some isopropyl alcohol to remove any dust inside and set it aside. Then move to the game contacts these are the gold slips at the bottom of the game. Dip a q-tip in the isopropyl alcohol and firmly scrub the contacts until the q-tip stops getting a dark color. Use as many q-tips as you need.

After that there should still be some alcohol on the contacts. Use a pencil eraser on the contacts and firmly rub off any hunk that might have built up. I found the pink rectangular ones work best.
Next take a magic eraser and buff out the last of anything remaining on the contacts. Do this to both sides and then take a paper towel and some alcohol and gently rub off any dust or eraser markings left behind. Let everything dry for a minute or so and the put the game back together.

If doing that doesn’t solve the issue it’s a problem with the 72 pin connector. Turn the NES upside down and use a Phillips head screw driver to remove the 6 screws on the bottom so you can lift the top off. After that remove the silver heat shield there are 2 screws on the left 2 at the back and 3 or 4 on the right side. Once that’s off blast the insides with compressed air to get all the dust out that has built up. After a good dusting remove the tray and 72 pin connector there are 3 screws on either side with the middle screw being longer then all the other screws. Side the tray foreword and up to remove them pull the 72 pin connector off the back.

You can bend the pins back up or boil it to clean it if you don’t want to buy a new one or really care about having all Nintendo parts ( if so let me know and I’ll explain how to do that as well), but I personally usually just replace it at this point. If you don’t really plan on using your NES very often you can get a basic 72 pin connector on amazon for $10.00. If you play it often you might look into upgrading to a Blinking Light Win it’s more expensive but it’s designed so you don’t push down on the game and loosen the pins so it should last much longer and it will circumvent the region lock chip. Personally I love mine.

I think that’s everything. Let me know if you need to know anything else. Good luck with the repairs

new 72 pin connectors are like, ~$10 and fairly easy to replace. barring that, the lockout chip is easy to disable (fiddle with one pin (#4), carefully), but does make a select few games unplayable so isn't desirable for some, or for those wishing to keep their units as stock as possible. the unit i snipped the lockout chips pin on is rather beat up anyway, so no loss for me.

but lockout chip issues are usually a white screen and red flashing power light as it soft resets every second trying to find the lockout chip that should be in the cart. and even then, most of the time a new connector fixes all those concerns.

grey screens tend to be general contact issues in the connector.

and most nes consoles have standard phillips head screws. i do see the random one that had them swapped to the stupid nintendo lobed screws, but since you're the original owner and all, it should have phillips and it'll be simple enough :)

Except it doesn't exactly work like that. The cartridge fits fairly snugly into the pin carriage. Each pin is basically it's own spring, and with use, these pins can bend enough that they no longer connect. The NES is ridiculously easy to take apart, and these pins can be gently bent back down one by one with a bent sewing pin. Or you can just replace the whole pin carriage, they are still available on Amazon.

Eta link tutorial for bending the pins down. Fix your Nintendo 72 Pin Connector:

did you try replacing the connector?

http://www.amazon.com/Connector-Nintendo-System-Bulk-Packaging-Entertainment/dp/B002DLOM6C

My friend did the same thing. He was getting a divorce and clearing out his house and posted on FB free NES, few games, 2 NES advantage controllers (one in the original box never used and still in the plastic) and multiple boxes from previous games he no longer had. The only thing missing was the power supply. I was super stoked and ordered one online. Plugged that baby in and got the blinking red light. I cleaned the games, blow the fuck out of them, stuffed one on top of the other and I could only get Contra to work briefly and it was all pixelated and crappy display. My heart was broken and I sadly packed it all up and put it in my basement.

6 months go buy or so and I find a store in my mall that repairs and sales retro games. He was like here replace this connection component on the motherboard and you will have a new system, cost $15. Bought it and swapped it out and I was back to a new system!!!

So I would suggest doing the same and always clean the cartridges with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol to remove any oxidation.

This one will fix the actual design issue and you may never have to swap out the 72 pin connector again.

https://www.arcadeworks.net/blw

This is the original replacement, it is cheaper, but over time you could experience the same issue where the pins stretch and don’t make contact.

https://www.amazon.com/Connector-Nintendo-System-Bulk-Packaging-entertainment/dp/B002DLOM6C/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=OHU19SUAITHR&keywords=nes+72+pin+connector+replacement&qid=1551190926&s=gateway&sprefix=nes+72+&sr=8-4

And here’s a cleaning kit that does well.

https://www.amazon.com/1UPcard-Video-Cartridge-Cleaning-Nintendo-NES/dp/B00S7HYEKK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=ET82QFTGL1X4&keywords=1up+card&qid=1551191045&s=gateway&sprefix=1up+&sr=8-1

Oh and retro gaming can and will become an addiction. I now own Atari 2600, NES, SNES, N64, Gameboy (orig) a ton of games and peripherals for the systems. And wait when you find home brew games and there is a company that made a brand new game and I sponsored on Kickstarter and will get the game this year.

https://youtu.be/3qgjKb0ecBs


Good luck! And have fun!

72-pin connector, yo. If you can't replace that, you don't deserve to work on anything, at all, ever.

https://www.amazon.com/Connector-Nintendo-System-Bulk-Packaging-entertainment/dp/B002DLOM6C/ref=sr_1_3?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1517525131&sr=1-3&keywords=72+pin

FYI, the grip is tighter for a reason (if you read the customer reviews). The original connector was soft and wasn't able to dig through the oxidation from the pins of the game, and would also easily get permanent set. The stiffer pins makes sure it grabs on tight for a good connection.

Edit: why in the fuck was this downvoted?

It looks like a pin problem. Most of the time, from what I have experienced with my NES, it is a pin problem. Opening one up and replacing the pin set is really super easy! They're cheap, but I'll stop by work tomorrow and see if we have any extras I could send your way. :)

You could have fixed it with this, but nice lunch box.