How to properly(?) clean and restore an NES cart

I'm a huge NES fanatic and there is nothing I love more than kicking back and playing the classics on my original NES console. But... everyone who has ever owned an old toaster style NES knows how much of a pain they can be... There's a whole back story behind why Nintendo went with the toaster style design for the US console and it definitely played a huge role in revitalizing the gaming industry at the time, but their design had many serious flaws. The flaws actually created an entire micro-economy of NES repair...

The following is the method I use to restore my ever growing collection of NES cartridges. I've used this method over and over to restore hundreds of carts to 99% working condition. By using this technique and other console restoration steps such as disassembling and cleaning and replacing or refurbishing the 72 pin connector, you can enjoy your NES as it was brand new and right out of the box, without all the blowing on carts and resetting.

It may not be the right way, hence the (?) but all of my games load 99% of the time in the first attempt. Of course this is not the only thing you have to do to get your NES working like new but its a good place to start. I do highly recommend disassembling your NES and performing a very thorough cleaning along with either refurbishing or replacing the 72 pin connector. You can also easily disable the lockout chip which creates the NES white, gray, or green screen of death and error resets every second.

You only need a couple thing to perform restoration:

3.8 mm Security Bit (or homemade version)

Driver for the 3.8 mm Security Bit

Pencil eraser, emery board or 400 grit or finer sandpaper

Rubbing alcohol

Q-tips

A soft cloth or paper towels.

I begin by first cleaning the outside of the cart. Using a soft cloth and if needed a spray bottle full of soapy water. Most cases clean up pretty easily but if it's a previous rental store cart, (which you should never buy anyway) it may have nasty old stickers all over it. Carefully scrape them off and use a bit of rubbing alcohol to dissolve the glue. The NES cart labels are pretty tough but be careful not to damage them.

I should mention at this point that if you're storing your carts in dust sleeves don't forget to clean them thoroughly as well. You're just wasting a whole bunch of your time if you return your cleaned and reconditioned carts into dusty and dirty dust sleeves!

Step 1 Opening up the casing

Using your security bit remove the three screws from the backside of the cart and place the screws in a safe place.  Here we are confronted by some cautions.

Caution

• DO NOT STORE IN EXTREME TEMPERATURES.
• DO NOT IMMERSE IN WATER.
• DO NOT CLEAN WITH BENZENE, THINNER, ALCOHOL OR OTHER SUCH SOLVENTS.

Now the first two make absolute sense, but the third is just a bit off… In 1989, Nintendo released an official NES Cleaning Kit to help users clean malfunctioning cartridges and consoles. And what was the cleaning solution that came with it? You guessed it, plain old rubbing alcohol… Rubbing alcohol is the best option because it evaporates quickly and will not leave any mineral deposits.

There are several ways to remove the security screws if you do not want to purchase a security bit. If you only have a few cartridges to clean and you are willing to put in the effort, a homemade security bit can be made easily. Although they will not last very long and you can not re tighten the screws very well.

A homemade bit can be made by melting a small diameter “stick” of hard plastic and pushing it into the recessed hole where the screw head sits. Before I ordered my real 3.8 security bit I made several of these out of plastic paint brush handles. I would heat up the end of the handle and push it into the recessed hole of the security screw. The plastic would form to the shape of the screw head. After a few seconds I removed it and submerged the tip in water to cool. To be honest, you really should just order the security bit, at $5 it is a great tool to have. The homemade version typically lasts long enough to tighten or remove on average 1 to 3 screws…

Another method is to melt the screws out by holding the tip of a soldering iron to the screw head and heating it up until it can be pulled out. The security screws are replaced with larger Philips head screws which will make any future disassembling easier.

Comments

[WhatULive4]

I use Weiman's stove top cleaner (then rinsed with water and dried) instead of alcohol and sand paper. I find it much less abrasive. As you can see in your pictures, most of the gold plating has been sanded off and they will be more susceptible to corrosion now.