Cleaning Nintendo NES games

[2151tech]

Water will not harm the contacts. They are made of metal ( copper that has been plated with a thin layer of gold). Please be aware that gold is non reactive and quite conductive. It protects the copper from corrosion, and insures a low resistance connection. Once worn or scratched away, the copper circuit trace will start to oxidize, and require constant cleaning and maintenance. Although copper is more conductive than gold it is poor choice for an electrical contact- due to the fact that an

[link1s]

better to use an eracer and not open nes game

[thrash77581]

I seriously cringed the whole way through this video. Please, viewers, don't use a scouring pad to clean electrical contacts.

[johnandrewthomas1981]

Brasso

[norxcontacts]

I just use a bench grinder, makes it nice and smooth.

[Daniel2577]

Or you can use an eraser. It actually does the same thing.

[basilisk555]

i always heard that 70% is what you want to use, 100% is too strong, corrosive

[AlderDragon]

That was painful to watch!

[DavArroyo7242]

Out of his mind!!!!!! Water????? Scouring pad????? Most liquids will damage electrical components, period, even alcohol. The only reason alcohol is used is because it evaporates so quickly it does not have enough time to cause much damage. Q-tips, alcohol (pure not mixed) and a pencil eraser should be the only things used!!!! Do not listen to guy or your games will be pretty much useless in a short amount of time.....

[NESJohnny]

@DavArroyo7242 Been doing this for 8 years now! Not even once has one of my hundreds of games cleaned with this method failed to boot on the first attempt.

[N0TFAKEBUTREAL]

@NESJohnny

It looks like you are scrubbing a layer of the copper off. The gold looking plating or copper looking plating is a conductor (could be wrong), so is it not bad to scrub it off?

[SCUBONZIES]

I USED TO GIVE EM A BJ

[shadowrunspike]

ya crazy bye bye gold ....

[bangulo2012]

Rubbing off the copper plating is the worst idea ever!

[gamestats1go1]

rubbing it with a white eracer works best

[NikeThe]

dude nice tip

[gimee50k]

The alcohol doesn't damage the copper -.- it isn't scientifically possible.

[TheMike894ftw]

@gimee50k The pad will.

[gimee50k]

@TheMike894ftw Yea it will, i just use alcohol and q tips. works great

[GamingLeeLee]

dude,,,,a scouring pad? NOT GOOD. A scouring pad will, in time, take the contacts right off ... its an abrasive pad for crying outloud!

You need to use a none abrasive cloth and some none corrosive/abbrasive alcohol cleaner. But a scouring pad is NOT good...

[NESJohnny]

@GamingLeeLee it's only for a bad case, and if you do it right, it's just once in the cart's lifetime :)

[GamingLeeLee]

@NESJohnny nope sorry just once can be enough to take the gold plating off, on such an old cartridge you dont want to be taking the risk, a cotton Q tip and alcohol cleaning solution will do the job just as well without and risk of sratching or outright removing the gold plating

[GamingLeeLee]

@NESJohnny and i just read your vids description, isopropyl alcohol solution (i wouldnt do it pure, it doesnt need to be so strong) does not cause damage to a game cartridges pins and doesnt even lead to corrosion.

My family has owned a shop that, among more modern systems, deals with old legacy systems like the NES and SNES. Though I chose not to go into that kind of buisness i did a few years there so in my professional opinion you need a better source of information

[TheMike894ftw]

@NESJohnny You just rubbed off the copper plating.

[zebuyak]

@NESJohnny

are you insane? I think you meant only if you are lazy and dont care

Alcohol does not harm electronic connectors. Sure water does, but a 70/30 mix is not going to hurt your game. If you can get a 100% mix even better.

Refurbished electronics are bathed in alcohol solutions. Because the parts are bathed, and air exposure is limited the higher concentration of alcohol is needed to improve drying time to prevent rust.

Stop recommending such awful advice. Lazy solutions are bad ideas

[zebuyak]

and in case i was not clear, rubbing off your brass connector, gold connector or any other electronic connectors with anything which results in abrasion is a terrible idea. granted if there is a lot of build up ( which I honestly can not imagine how there could be with this system ) and you do it gently one time it wont hurt much.

[01xvortec]

@GamingLeeLee I did both the q-tip, windex, rubbing alcohol and drying it off, and then i even went to the extent of taking a scotch brite pad to it, and after stopping to test it before i took the scotch brite pad to it...it worked on the very first try AFTER using the scotch brite pad...just my experience...1/1 for scotch brite pad...

[wiggyx]

@GamingLeeLee Yeah, I agree. Steel wool does the job much better, and won't destroy the contacts. Also, there's no need for water. This sort of cleaning is never a once in a lifetime affair. Metal contacts are subject to corrosion/oxidization. Over time they will oxidize again, especially if they aren't kept in a dry, climate controlled space. Using something that won't destroy the cart over time is preferable.

[mercuryinoverdrive]

You just completely destroyed the gold plating on your contacts, I hope you're happy - I know your game isn't. All those tiny scratches make it more prone to rust and oxidation in the future. The gold film protects it. Trying using a large rectangular eraser instead and just erase the oxidation easily w/o residue, chemicals or harsh abrasives. You have to apply a fair amount of downward pressure and keep rubbing fast until the chip heats up. Then you're good and all oxidation will be erased.

[faust192]

This suggestion worked perfectly. My games are now working without any problems. Thanks!

[chagojimenez]

It Works perfectly, Thanks men. U rock

[088MIKE880]

or simply just use an ink rubber, which makes the same stuff, but is more inexpensive, less abrasive, and you can use it on any kind of connector, without need water. and returns a shiny smooth finish without any scratches

[RedFalconGamers]

dude this is the WORST THING you can do to a game is like kiling yourself with acid because That's a destructive procedure.

[jmpowers83]

I wish I saw this video 20 years ago when my NES actually worked

[terppa12]

Use eraser!

[Nintendough]

Yep, scrubbing the gold plating off your contacts is *way* gentler than wiping the surface dirt off with an alcohol-dampened swab. Nice gag, I guess.

[DefiasBrotherhood]

Finally someone who actually knows how to clean a NES game! Sick of all the damn people who tell you to use windex and q-tips! Morons!

Also that 3.8mm security bit is 6 bucks on ebay. Also I recommend trying Brasso. Works good for polishing.

[Watcher3223]

@DefiasBrotherhood

'Sick of all the damn people who tell you to use windex and q-tips! Morons!'

Yet you say this:

'Also I recommend trying Brasso.'

One of the major cleaning ingredients of Brasso is AMMONIA, which is also a major cleaning ingredient in Windex.

There's a reason why Windex is advised: it's a gentler alternative to metal polish as it can clean most carts well enough but without abrasion.

Now, metal polish is still useful, but should be reserved for stubbornly dirty contacts.

[gpmt700]

cheers man going to try this in a bit, usually use alcohol and q tip

[Hax0rKyo]

I was under the impression that water only damages electronics when there is an electrical current, correct me if I happen to be wrong.

[Eddyles]

@Hax0rKyo Yeah, water and electronics don't mix. Water contains electrons and is a very good conductor of electricity, ironically the best way of repairing water damaged electronics is rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol would be the best method, in my opinion

[Watcher3223]

@Eddyles

Actually, what makes water conductive are any minerals contained within it, creating an ionic solution.

Water by itself is a poor conductor, but aside from perfectly distilled water, where can you find water completely by itself?

[alextheanimator9910]

Oh my god that is scratching off the contacts!!! How does that work!!! It's so damaging... I just use a que tip and rubbing achohol and that works for me!

[Riddler95]

How does Alcohol damage the game?

[timabad]

you scraped off all the copper

[liquidbeats]

Das macht man n paar mal, und irgendwann sind die Kontakte im eimer (Oo)

[ballm0use]

w00t

[loney3x]

i just thought i'd share my method and tools to clean nes games. I use q tips, glass cleaner and a grade 0000 steel wool to polish the contacts. i thought the steel wool will mess the contacts up but nope it will have them shiny and work like new. not only that but it'll last a very long time! trust me this method works because i bought excitebike and took 4 tries to get it to work so i did the steel wool trick..works 100% give it a try

[jamstrat]

@loney3x

Been using 0000 steel wool since 1989, no problems yet.

Games don't need to be cleaned to often people, steel wool once every 10 years, trust me it works great.

[Geektendo]

@loney3x not bad, what works better and is alot safer is simply 3 q-tip ends. 1 with vinagar to acid away dirt, then one with water to clean out the vinagar, then use a dry end of a q-tip to dry the contacts. No need to open the cart

[HyperVegito]

Lmfao... Nice dude

[combatdigiq]

thats a brutal method. but it  works.

[jalmjalm]

That's not a good idea. That's a destructive procedure.

Just polish contacts with Brasso and a dry cloth until they shine again. Sandpaper will make contacts thinner every time you want to clean them...

[jamstrat]

@jalmjalm

"every time you want to clean them.."

How often are you cleaning your carts my friend? Using a scouring pad or fine steel wool is completely safe to use, you should only need to do this every 10 to 15 years.

If you are constantly needing to clean your games perhaps store them better or check on your console for other problems.

[BigDrummerBoy]

i just use a white eraser that works equally and doesn't leave any water damage.

[boredtaco]

can i use, specifically, a s.o.s pad? which side of the pad do i use-steel wool or sponge side?

[NESJohnny]

Not a S.O.S. pad, those are really abrasive and have some caustic chemicals in them. Do a internet search for "3M scouring pad," it's made by Scotch Brite and should come up as the first result. Be sure not to get the heavy duty!

[Sillyzombie666]

how do you open the game?

[MN12BIRD]

Damn that works great! I need one of the tools to open Nintendo carts!

[NESJohnny]

Sure does! Search for "3.8 mm NES security bit" in your favorite online shopping search tool. They're just a few bucks and totally worth it.

[Zxander34]

overall there dirt cheap I got mine for under 5 bucks.

[ScrewAttackEurope]

People said using water leaves a film on them, hence the anti-water claims.

What do you do if they have verdigris on the connectors? Bought a Punch-Out cart like that recently.

[NESJohnny]

I sure haven't ever noticed a film. I always dry the pins off with a paper towel immediately so the water isn't on it any longer than it has to be. Also, I make sure the board doesn't get wet.

If the connectors are real bad and have verdigris, I use this method with Brasso. It's real caustic but it takes some tough love to get that stuff off.

[ScrewAttackEurope]

Indeed, it's absolutely lethal stuff, verdigris in a powdered from is actually arsenic!

So be sure as hell there's none under your fingernails.

[Watcher3223]

@ScrewAttackEurope

The only reason why water leaves behind a film is, when the water evaporates, it leaves behind minerals that were dissolved into it.

However, if you were to dry the area exposed with water before the liquid evaporates, you prevent this residue from forming.

[ScrewAttackEurope]

@Watcher3223 Ah interesting, thanks for the info!

I take it de-ionised water has the minerals removed?

[Watcher3223]

@ScrewAttackEurope

Yes.

[Floristeam5]

Thanks man! maybe I can finally get my ninja gaiden working! :D great vid!

[NESJohnny]

Cool man! That's where this method works best. If the contacts are awful, using a cleaner called Brasso will give it some extra cleaning power.  But you want to use the least abrasive method that works so you can keep as much of the gold plate on as you can. Good luck getting the LoZ working!

[k9rulzzz]

what else could I use to clean it because I can't open the case so I have to use p-tips

[NESJohnny]

A lot of people use rubbing alcohol or oven cleaner.

[NESJohnny]

Not stupid at all!! That works a good 90% of the time. But sometimes you'll find them so filthy and corroded that you'll need more cleaning power than that.

The one I show in the clip is one that's already been q-tip'd.

[Moshpitdisciple]

Hell yeah.

[metaleggman18]

I thought you had a way of doing it with taco sauce from THA BELL!? :)

[NESJohnny]

If you have a link or method to a better way I'd be very open to hearing about it.

[GreenDayRlz]

It`s costing more. Because those will need gold plated back onto the pins... Alchlohol does less damage then that. Search around the web. There`s a WAY better way to clean. Harder, But keep the games connectors intact.

[ArcadeGames]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking...