Hello, all! I have an NES toaster that is displaying two vertical bars on most sprites. Here is a screenshot with Super Mario Bros: The bars appear on the Mario sprite when moving right. If Mario moves left, the bars do not appear. The game works fine on other NES systems using the same TV, RF cable, and power supply. I have tried multiple 72-pin connectors (new and refurbished ones). I replaced the RF/Power module with another module that had all new capacitors installed. Does anyone have any insight on what could be the problem? I'm wondering if it could be the PPU or one of the SRAM chips, but I'm not sure of an easy way to test them. In other words, I'd like to avoid desoldering the PPU. If that's the only way, does anyone know which type of 40-pin socket I can use for the PPU? I'm not sure of the pin spacing, and I want to make sure I get the right one.
Many visual issues with the NES comes down to either dirty contacts on the cart, dirty/a worn out connector on the console or both. First thing to try would to disassemble the cartridge and clean the contacts with some isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud (AKA Q tip). Just dip the cotton bud in the isopropyl alcohol, scrub the contacts with it, throw away the cotton bud once it's dirty, and repeat with a fresh cotton bud until you see that the cotton bud is clean after scrubbing the contacts with it. Also, take a look at the contacts on the cart, if they look corroded, you can help fix this by scrubbing them with a magic eraser that's been wetted with isopropyl alcohol. If all this still doesn't fix the issue, you'll probably need to replace your console's 72 pin connector.
Thank you for your reply. However, I have already cleaned the cartridge contacts thoroughly, and the game runs fine on other NES consoles. In addition, as I mentioned in the original post, I have tried multiple 72-pin connectors (new and refurbished ones). I've narrowed the problem down to the motherboard since I have desoldered and replaced the entire RF/Power module with all new capacitors. If someone knows an easy way to test the PPU and SRAM, please chime in. Otherwise, I suppose I will remove the chips and install sockets on the board.
You're using RF? What happens if you use composite? Actually, why are you even using RF? It's horrible!
I didn't say that I used RF exclusively. The RF/Power module I am referring to is the small metal box that has RF jack and composite jacks. The vertical bars appear with either connection.
Does the cart slot make a tight grip on the game? Something I've had to do to get NES consoles to work properly is to bend the 72 pin connectors with a small screwdriver to get it to grip firmly. I even had to do this on a "new" 72 pin once, as it had no grip on certain cartridges. Long story short, my console now grips extra strong but I rarely have video issues.
