I finally fixed the blinking red light on my NES

My NES has been sitting in a closet with that annoying blinking light. I decided to try fixing it last weekend. Cleaning the cartridge connector with isopropyl alcohol did the trick! It's now playing games like it's 1985 again. How do you all handle corrosion on old pins?

4 comments

4 Comments

tessa_morgan1mo ago

I used to think cleaning the cartridge connector with isopropyl alcohol was too simple to work. But after seeing your post and trying it on my own system, I'm totally converted. What other old console maintenance should I try next?

ruby3221mo ago

My cousin's original Xbox from 2001 still boots up fine without ever opening it. I understand cleaning can help, but is it really needed for most people? These consoles were made to last, and a lot of the time they just work. I see people spend hours fixing things that were not broken to begin with. Why not just enjoy the games instead of worrying about every speck of dust? Do you think we focus too much on maintenance these days?

diana_schmidt781mo ago

Actually, about using isopropyl alcohol on cartridge connectors, it's good but not always enough. Old consoles can have oxidation that just wiping won't fix. For a better clean, try gently rubbing the pins with a pencil eraser first to scrape off that gunk. Then use the alcohol to wipe away any leftover bits. Another simple fix is opening up cartridges to clean the contacts inside, which often get dirty too. Just take your time and use the right tools so you don't break anything lmao.

michael_green448d ago

You should try the pencil eraser trick diana_schmidt78 mentioned, it really gets the tough stuff off.