anybody got fixes for the dreaded "on off on off" problem old 8 bit nes's have?have like 3 cleaners and none work.it seems everybody had about 10 ways to try to get the games to play, blow on em, jam a tape case in the player, etc. i know the games male contact surfaces and the players female ones r whats causing the problem. anybody ever fix theirs? i love those old games like contra, pac man, rc pro am, top gun, dr mario,ect. we have about 4 systems and none work. its sucks

 

Radio shack used to be able to get the connector you need. What's happened is that over time the use of the spring board has warped the cartridge connector on the board. If you're handy with a soldering iron you can replace it yourself. I'd use one that stands up vertically, and cut a slot in the top for the cartridge. That's the way the newer ones are. This will solve the connection problem.

 

you can also get an emulatror for the pc. Thats what I did I play all the games I gad for nes or snes onm the pc now.

 

The blinking reset syndrome is caused by the "authentication" chip in the machine not communicating properly with the companion chip in the game. That can be anything from a connection problem, or if it's happening with every game reliably, it can be due to actual failure of the chip in the machine.

 

I actually found that if every game was doing it, the cartridge connecter was wore out.

 

When I buy another game, the first thing I do is clean the cartridge contacts with a damp Q-tip, and then I usually have to blow into the console inbetween the 4-5 times I put the game in&out of the console before the game actually plays

 

Oh, how do I find an "emulator" to play my NES games on my comp?

 

Emulator Zone

You will find all your favorites there too.

 

Sometimes you can come across a whole lot of games and a emulator for download, I have downloaded all the nes and the snes ones in a lump download.

 

well i searched ebay and found lots and lots of fixes for sale. u can buy a new "female" terminal connector for the base. its a screw in , screw out thing. they also say to clean the games real good by taking them apart and using a paste rubbed over the connector.some also sell a gold plated connector already installed in a nes, for about 100$. i knew the problem was in the connectors not makin a good contact, and a lot more people have those problems with em. i think they all do that after 10 years or so. at least all the ones i've had or played.

 

Yeah,

I just bought a nintendo and the factory connector is garbage. I did google search the "blinking nintendo" issue and the part did come up for like $10.

I think mine just needs a cleaning, though.

Try to pass time on a crewboat when the nintendo just blinks then works when you have to fire up the engines and untie from a platform and get going.....thank God I'm back on land now!

 

One thing is for sure, never blow into the Nintendo or on the cartridge. This has been said by the people at Nintendo themselves. I know it usually works at first, and I am guilty of doing it as a kid, but after a while it actually makes things worse. When you blow on the contacts it will remove the dust, which is why it works the first few times, but then over time the moisture and other chemicals on your breath actually start to corrode the contacts and end up making everything worse.

Like people have said here, look on ebay and you can usually find the replacement contacts really cheap, or a used NES with the contacts already replaced.

 

I enjoy the older videogames myself, though I generally favor the Atari 2600 over NES. It feels kind of odd to be discussing it on FTE though.

Beerstalker is right, never blow in the cartridges. Part of the reason it works is because the moisture you put in there actually helps complete the connection. Then all the nasty saliva acids start eating away at the contacts -- especially if you've been enjoying a beer or soda.

You can do the cartidge connector swap or you could also try opening up the NES and slightly bending the connectors up. Give them a good cleaning while you're in there. Alcohol on Q-tip works well, I've even heard of some folks using a pencil eraser. Now that your NES is clean, scrub up the contacts on your games too so that you don't dirty up what you just cleaned. I just use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol and scrub until no more black residue comes off, then give it a quick wipe with a dry one to finish it up. No need to open up the cartridges. Many of them require a special bit to do so anyway.

Lots of times even if the internal connector is worn out, if you have a Game Genie you can plug the games in through that and get it to make connection since the Genie cartridge is a tighter fit. If you don't enter any codes the game will play the same as normal.

Regarding the Game Genie, I've never had to change the internal connector on an NES since both (maybe a 3rd stashed away in a closet somewhere?) of mine still work. However, I've heard reports that some of the new connectors you can buy make the fit so tight that you can no longer plug in the Game Genie.

Whew.... All geeked out for now.