Today I picked up a nes from a local market, I took it home popped in dr. mario to get a blinking red light. I did the research, tried 4 different carts same thing. Tomorrow when i go home i will disable the lockout chip. I have two questions: 1. If i disable the lockout chip do i have to disable it on every cart? from what i read if i disable it on the console then the carts i shouldnt have to but i am not 100% sure 2. If that doesnt work I will first clean the connector, if that fails, I will replace it, this will definitely fix the problem right? Also can anyone link me to the connector I would need?? Thanks ahead of time!!
ya i am thinking it is the connector to, time will tell, can you answer any of the other questions??? :nod:
thats what im thinking to, i dont think that the nintendo wont be able to read the cart its just that since the nintendo is so old the lockout chip security is not working (which seems to be an extremely common problem among NES consoles)
A properly working NES is too retro You can actually get a decent number of games to work without even taking the NES apart if you just mess around with the game cart's alignment with the 72-pin connector. With "broken" NESes, it seems that you'll find higher success rates by not pushing the cart down. Another option you could look into that's given me a lot of success is to insert the cart at a slightly skewed angle. It's certainly not the most efficient technique long-term, but when you consider the fact that you're probably going to end up replacing the old connector anyway, you might as well enjoy some Dr. Mario while you wait for the new one to arrive. :thumbsup: Also keep in mind that carts can also get incredibly dirty overtime. I've never run into a problem cleaning contacts with small amounts of rubbing alcohol.
thanks for the lengthy answer i actually already took it apart lol (im not very patient) as this is my first NES and I am extremely excited to play! tomorrow i am going to deactivate the lockout chip, if that doesnt work i will definitely try some of your methods to be able to play while i wait "patiently" for the new connector. I could see cleaning of the carts may help as well because they were not in the cleanest conditions from where i purchased them! any chance you could link me to the replacement connector I will be needing? )
Isn't the blinking light about the connector pins? Over time the NES pins get bent back. If you take the connector and and push all 72 pins off the sides you'll get a better chance of booting a game or buy a connector.
I have done basic repairs on NES's for a long time, the first thing I do is clip the power pin to U10. You will have no lost functionality for any game, and you will not have to mod any game. You do not have to ground the pin like some articles say. I've clipped mine for 5 years now, and haven't had a single mishap. I also took my 72pin connector out and did a pin bend. Saved me $, that I used to help buy a powerpak cart with all my games loaded on it, now I never remove the cartridge. Blinking is caused by the lockout chip sending a reset signal to the console every 1 second, if it cannot connect to the lockout chip in the cartridge. This is usually caused by the connectors 71 and 72 being right next to each other. When the cartridge isn't seated perfectly, or when the manufacturer makes them shoddy; cartridge connector 71 connects to the consoles ground pin (72), causing the blinking lights. Because the pins are on the edge they tend to get bent first and because the cartridge connectors are so long, its hard to align them properly. A dust/dirt into the mix and you have more blink potential. Buying/bending a connector, and snipping the pin on the U10 chip fixes allot of reliability problems with the NES. For blinky consoles, blowing on the cartridge just removes surface dust, its the re-seating afterwords that it that makes it work.
Agree with others, it is the connector that needs looked at. It is better to slightly bend the pins of the original connector instead of getting a replacement. Sometimes the replacement does not have as good quality pins. One thing you never want to do is use the NES Game Genie, it bends the pins too much. As for the 10NES Lockout Chip, you can disable and you do not have to disable any of the carts. If you do the mod, take it a step further and properly ground it though. Disabling the chip comes in handy if you happen to get a bootleg cart that does not have a 10NES chip inside. Since most bootleg carts are Famicom PCBs and a Gyromite game Import Adaptor has a 10NES Chip the mod is not really needed. 10NES Guide: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&p=431031#p431031 .
