iFixit - Answers With Device "Nintendo Entertainment System"

Nintendo Entertainment System: Is it Safe to use Isopropyl Alcohol to clean cartridges?

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:32:34 -0700

I want to clean the contact points on my old NES Carts. I thought to do this with a little bit of Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) and a Q-Tip, or perhaps a micro-fiber cloth.

I don't think this would damage the board, but the NES Carts have a label on the back that tell you not to do this so I am a bit hesitant to try it.

⟐ Commented 12月 27, 2024 at 22:32 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Games only playing in up position

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 05:44:06 -0700

After replacing a 72 pin connector the system will not read the game when pushed down. I will read perfect in the up position. Any ideas on what could be happening?

⟐ Answer edited 7月 10, 2022 at 5:44 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Why won't the screen and red light stopping blinking?

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 20:15:42 -0700

Maybe my NES has finally had its last day of life, but I think it can be fixed some how. When I put in a game and start it up, I get a flashing screen and blinking red light. I have taken apart my NES, cleaned it and moved the connectors closer together. It works occasionally now, but I wanted to know if there was anything else I could do to restore it and hopefully make it more functionally?

Update: Bought a new 72-pin connector from ebay. Will get back to you guys with the results.

⟐ Commented 3月 31, 2021 at 20:15 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: System only runs Mario/Duck Hunt. Out of ideas, need help!

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 10:15:27 -0700

Okay, so I'm kinda new to fixing NESs. So I've been following a lot of how-to's online and trying a lot of easy fixes, but so far nothing has worked. As of right now, I have boiled the 72 Pin Connector 3 times, I have cleaned it with alcohol twice, I have cleaned the contact points on the NES every time I have boiled the 72 Pin connector, and I have disabled the lock-out chip.

I no longer get the Red Blinking Light, and I can get the NES to run both of my copies of Mario/Duck Hunt about 70% of the time, but I can't get any other games to work at all. And before you ask, yes I have cleaned the games, multiple times even. This is a second NES that I got basically for free that I am trying to fix and sell/gift. All of my games work on my personal NES.

I'm kind of just out of ideas at this point, and I'd prefer not to buy a new 72-Pin collector if I don't have to, but if there's nothing else I can try, then I'm open to doing that

⟐ Answered 11月 17, 2022 at 10:15 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Game cartridge won't stay down.

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 14:56:52 -0700

My game cartridge won't stay down, it still plays games but I have to put something (like another cartridge) in between the game and the system.

⟐ Commented 6月 24, 2023 at 14:56 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Flashing Red NES Screen, new pins already, help please?

Sun, 08 Jan 2017 11:38:29 -0700

I've tried fixing two NES now, one with a solid grey screen, one with a flashing red screen, both have new pins and I have disabled the lockout chip on both. The games are clean and in working order but I can't seem to get any of them to work. Any help would be helpful. <---Redundant sentence! Yay!

⟐ Answer accepted 1月 08, 2017 at 11:38 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Blue screen after powering up NES

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:01:39 -0700

I recently found a dusty old NES, controller and some games (score!). The power light was blinking when i hooked it up, so i took it apart and cleaned it (and also disabled the 10NES chip). Put it back together, cleaned the game cartridges and hooked it all up. Now the power light is solid red, but the TV screen is a solid blue/purple color. I connected the NES to my TV via an AV Cable RF Box. Do I need a different kind of connector, or is it something else wrong with a component in the system itself? thanks in advance!

⟐ Answered 12月 09, 2024 at 14:01 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Cartridge does not fit the console.

Fri, 22 Dec 2017 19:39:27 -0700

It feels like... loose.

Like the console does not grab very well the cartridge.

For that reason most of my games dont work (blinking screen).

⟐ Answer edited 12月 22, 2017 at 19:39 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Why is the screen purple?

Sun, 22 May 2022 19:18:15 -0700

Whenever I turn my system on the screen only shows purple. I made sure that there was no dust but just can't get my system to work....

⟐ Answer deleted 5月 22, 2022 at 19:18 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: How do I fix my audio video connections?

Sat, 05 Oct 2019 21:33:34 -0700

My NES wasnt connecting to my tv, but I found out that when i applied a downwards pressure on the audio and video inputs on my nintendo, it ended up working (i'm sure its not the cables, as I have tested many kinds)

I tried opening my nintendo, but there was no way of accessing the interior of the input/outputs since the video card is saudered on the top of one side and the mother board is saudered onto the other side. What is wrong? What should I do?

⟐ Commented 10月 05, 2019 at 21:33 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: No Image on TV and blinking light

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 10:35:36 -0700

Hi there! I bought a NES that doesnt work.. When i plug her on the TV, the light start blinking and no image appears on the TV, the image is the same as i didint have plugged the console.

Do you know what is wrong with the console? I tried different TV outputs and cleaning the cartridge reader.

Thanks in advance!

⟐ Answered 12月 06, 2017 at 10:35 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Why is my NES turn grey and won't read games? Wont read DuckTales.

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 07:23:49 -0700

Hello. I have a NES that works, but when I use the AV input on my Sony Wega, it wont read the game and the screen is grey. I've cleaned everything and it still won't work.

I have Godzilla 2 and Super Mario Bros but they too dont work. All my games don't.

⟐ Commented 8月 25, 2022 at 7:23 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: game plays without being pushed down

Sat, 25 Jun 2022 21:54:59 -0700

when i push down the game in slot it stops working only in up position replaced 72 pin

⟐ Answer edited 6月 25, 2022 at 21:54 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: NES with no video or audio

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 10:16:37 -0700

Ive got a NES with a black screen when using either rf or rca outputs. I have confirmed the game is working my cables are good and the power/rf module is working by swapping it with one from a working NES although the vout is only 7.3v it was 8.7 in the other console. Something on the motherboard must be pulling the voltage down but i have seen other consoles work with 7.3v. I captured the video signal coming out of the ppu and going into the rf module with my O-Scope. It has the sync pulse and color burst but no video data.

I haven't found anything else wrong with the system yet.

I hope someone might be able to guide me in the correct direction.

UPDATE: Ive discovered the R/W signal measures a constant 5v with the cartridge in but with no cartridge it gives a square wave as it should. Im not sure if the R/W signal originates in the CPU or is generated somewhere else. It is also used by the ppu, the sram and the cartridge. Im going to try swapping out the cpu with a known good one to see if that has any effect.

⟐ Commented 3月 19, 2022 at 10:16 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Worn pin is this fixable

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 15:26:39 -0700

Are burn pins fixable

can this be fixable or is it garbage?

⟐ Commented 1月 07, 2022 at 15:26 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Stairs or Teeth Effect with Video on NES

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 08:58:05 -0700

Hi.

I have purchased NES from an online store and when I am playing games, it has some weird stairs effect, like every next line shifts with 1 pixel and then after 8, it goes back. On the letters/text it looks really bad. It is the same using Composite and NESRGB:

There are also weird yellowish shadows on the objects:

-----

Any ideas about what it could be and what to try to figure it out?

Thanks!

⟐ Answer accepted 4月 10, 2023 at 8:58 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Duck hunt game not working

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 14:37:48 -0700

I have the mario/ duck hunt game. Mario works fine but the duck hunt don't. It turns on but won't shoot the ducks. Do I need some sort of connector for it to work?

⟐ Answered 3月 10, 2025 at 14:37 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: How do I fix the vertical lines on the screen during gameplay?

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 12:24:16 -0700

All my games have the same issue, so there is something wrong with my NES. I have cleaned and bent back the pins of the 72 pin connector and cleaned all the games. When the games come on, there are vertical lines about a half inch apart across the entire screen. I am connecting my NES to a CRT television using the yellow and red RCA cables. Has anyone else experienced this? Can anything be done to fix it?

⟐ Commented 3月 09, 2023 at 12:24 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Connecting to Modern TV

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 07:00:01 -0700

Hey! I was trying to connect my NES to my TV using the composite ports, but it won't work. Any suggestions?

⟐ Answer accepted 7月 14, 2022 at 7:00 GMT-7

Nintendo Entertainment System: Screen going black temporarily when new graphics loaded

Mon, 02 May 2022 01:45:30 -0700

I’m having an issue with an NES that I recently acquired, which I haven’t seen reported elsewhere. Periodically, the screen will go black for about 2-3 s. This always happens when there are lots of new graphics being loaded in. For example, in Final Fantasy, it happens when I go from the world map to a battle screen. In Bubble Bobble, where each level is one screen, it happens at the start of every new level, starting with level 3. And in Kirby’s Adventure, it happens any time Kirby moves enough to cause scrolling. Oddly, while the majority of games I’ve tried have this issue, it’s not universal. Mario 1, for instance, never does it, no matter how fast I force the screen to scroll. Maybe its graphics are simpler to load? In any case, I doubt it’s an issue with the game cartridges.

This console has had issues with the 72-pin connector, which I have improved, but am still working on perfecting, so that’s a possible source.

I’m connected to a Toshiba flatscreen smart TV (50LF711C20) via composite (RCA). No other device that I’ve connected to the TV has had this issue, including a DVD going over composite. I have tried swapping out the video cable, which had no effect. I have ensured that the Picture settings for Composite specify “Game” mode. I unfortunately don’t have another TV with Composite that I can try out.

Could this be some faulty video processor, or a memory chip not loading the data fast enough? Or a fundamental incompatibility between the NES and this TV? Or should I just keep fiddling with the 72-pin connector, since it’s generally the Root of All Evil?

Any thoughts are appreciated!

EDIT: Boiling the 72-pin connector, while generally seeming to improve connectivity, has not resolved this specific issue.

⟐ Answer edited 5月 02, 2022 at 1:45 GMT-7