Repairing badly damaged connector edge pins on a game cart.

I need to repair a NES Arkista's Ring cart with with severely damaged connector edge.
Do not ask me what happened to it, I have no idea. It is a bit weird as the rest of the game and case looks very good condition.
This will stay a mystery.

As you can see on the following pictures some of the pins are damaged to the point of being severed with deep gouges going through the plastic beneath. There is no way this cart will work in this current state.

My idea is to use Silver epoxy conductive paint to restore the severed pads. Then when it is dry, file and polish the surface as well as I can.

Before I proceed I like to ask here in case someone has a better Idea.

 

My suggestion would be to buy another one, or swap the roms into another PCB thats the same.

 

That's what I did with a Chrono Trigger which had a trace cut, and swap roms with a NHL97.

 

Traces are easily repairable. Edge connectors, not so much.

 

I've got a copy of City Connection you could use for this.

 

Pretty much everyone told me to just swap the rom
While I agree with this I still kind of want to try my repair plan just for the sake of it.
Another reason is that I do not have a suitable donor in hand right now.
If the silver epoxy fails, I will try finding a donor and will swap the roms.

 

The trace was cut near the edge connector. I managed to reconnect it but it's slightly to thick and the shell isn't closing properly for a half millimeter. The game is working and plug without problem though.

 

Ugly, but if it's stable then bitchin.

 

Let me introduce you to a Super game boy I repaired recently.
Some corrosive agent had leaked on it in the past and destroyed half the traces leading the the connector edge, right where the two halves of the case close together.


I had to jump the breaks with small wires but the soldering points prevented me from closing the shell properly. I tried working it up with a soldering braid, but using this I ended up inadvertly tining several pins in the process. I polished the tin surface so it still inserts easily but that was not part of the original plan. I also have to make small grooves with dremel in the shell so I could close it properly. And yes the super game boy works just fine now

 

Silver conductive paint is not designed for edge connectors - it will most likely wear when the cart is inserted and removed.

You're much better off finding a donor cart with a faulty ROM.

 

I have applied the epoxy. I will wait 1 or 2 days until it is fully curred and will try to smooth it out.
My little finger tells me this might actually work pretty well and be durable. Unless it chips off or crack from use or polishing. I am not worried about wear as the area with the epoxy is mostly not in contact with the console pins.

 

If the pins don't go that far, you might be in luck. If they do, even partially, it might wear.

Only way to tell is to use it lots! ;-)

 

There are repair kits. Way over my head in price, tried google for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKX-GBe_lUI

http://www.paceworldwide.com/products/support-products
http://www.techni-tool.com/612PA0182

I would go for this if the board is expensive and no donor is availeble or willing to murder a ok game. but because of the price I think ill would make something myself, some special glue, and strips of metal should be easy aswell. a donor board for a cleaner and save approach is cheaper i think. But just wanted to let all of you know that these kits exists, for when you need to repair more or other damages and/or won the lottery

Here is the video:

 

Id take the wire out and just use solder. Failing that, if the gap is too large - cut out more of the PCB so the wire is flush with the board, then solder over the top to do the reconnection - this should leave it pretty flush and allow it to close.

Already know they exist. You also say you are going to make X and Y in nearly every thread, but nothing to show for it.

 

I reckon rom swap would be the best solution, anything else will look like a bit of a botch job try find an appropriate cheapo donor and switch the roms

 

I like how you all turn your nose up my ghetto epoxy repair strategy
Anyway, I do it for science!!
If it fails I can always do a rom swap then.

 

I would actually suggest you try your botch job first, just to at least confirm the game works XD, but just in the long run a rom swap would be nicer, especially if you can find a appropriate game that's. In terrible condition outside like removed sticker/cracked case, let the poor game have a poor pcb and decent game have a decent pcb

 

All I see are the kits that are $300+

 

You don't want to trust Goldfinger... he uses too much gold paint!!