Is this N64 cartridge beyond repair?

Hello all!



A few months ago, I found a beat up copy of Super Smash Bros. at a small electronics store. The shop owner told me that it didn't work so he didn't want to sell it, but I figured it would be a fun project to work on and bought it for $2.

It looks like it's had a rough history, as if someone spilled something on it and then tried to fix it by prying the cart open with a screwdriver (the plastic feet that interlock at the bottom of the cart have been completely snapped off and it looks like someone tried to take out the screws with a pair of needlenose pliers..) It sounds like a nightmare, but I don't want to give up on restoring this cart until I see an N64 logo fly up on the screen.

Visually-speaking, the ROM, CIC, Save Chip, and the PCB itself look like they're in good shape (could always be wrong of course). I cleaned the contacts with a small amount of rubbing alcohol to get the surface dirt off but it looks like it still needs to polished or even re-tinned.

Is there any good news, doctors? Will my copy of Smash Bros. ever get to see the light of day and host random parties and tournaments again?

 

Clean the contact points and there might be a chance it will boot.

 

Maybe it's just something funky on them, but those contacts seem worn away somehow. Geesh, they didn't take sandpaper to them, did they?

These carts are relatively indestructible though. Wish you the best of luck with it!

 

I did clean the contacts since taking this picture, but no luck sadly.

 

Those contacts look pretty bad. I would clean the contacts, perhaps flux and tin them, and then test continuity of all the pins/traces with a multimeter.

 

wash the PCB in some of this






Then reflow the Roms ect and replace the capacitor.

Also clean your console.

Are you 100% sure that the cart is the same region?

 

The trace to the right of the 'C2' mark looks broken.

Can you upload some bigger pics of both sides please? maybe use a scanner?

 

As fot the contacts, I stumbled recently into a clever solution : use an eraser. It sounds like a joke but I myself have been able to efficiently clean a JAMMA board contacts using it.

And as for the C2 traces, they indeed look fishy but I don't think they are broken; still, a better picture would greatly help us confirm it.

 

Put a bit of lemon juice mixed with very little amount of water. Then scrub it off the pins.

 

If there's any loose pin on the chips, try soldering it.
The SRAM could be too corrupted, try removing the battery for 10 minutes and putting it back, or get a new one and replace it.

 

I would put my money on the broken trace theory, or this kind of damage:

 

I would bet money on bad traces as well. Those pins look worn away too. Jump them all

 

That's going to damage the console. That stuff will flake off into the cart slot.

Don't put anything on the edge connector contacts as it's only going to damage the console or make things worse.

 

N64 has 12V on one of the cartridge slot pins. I would consider Bad_Ad84 advice *VERY SERIOUSLY*.

 

I've had bad experience using graphite to fix bad cart edges. Don't put anything on them. Not even solder tinning. It will give problems at some point. If the cart edge is that bad then this is a lost cause. Time to junk it in favor of another.

 

Or buy a cheap sports game with the same pcb layout and swap chips..

 

Me too ! So much that I did this:
http://cheezburger.com/5934145792

Edityes, the fan is from a XBOX360s)

 

What is going on in that picture o_o I'm assuming some sort of cooling mod