How many times have you seen someone grab a cartridge, pop it into their NES, curse because the game isnt playing and they've got a flickering screen? Then they usually go through a ritual that involves jiggling the cart or taking out the cart and then blowing in it - rinse and repeat ad nausem?
Well, even though we all went through that ritual back in the 80's, it really is not a good way to get your carts to work. Blowing in them might be a short term fix, but just think: whatever goes on that cartridge (spit, food particles, whatever else is in your mouth) will likely end up on the pins inside your console...which is a lot more difficult to take care of then just taking a moment to clean the cartridges properly before you pop it in. So, here's how I've kept my consoles working and my games grime free for many years now. (NOTE: This is how I clean my carts. This is not the recommended way by Sega, Nintendo, or anybody else except myself. I've had a great deal of luck with this, but I strongly recommend people experiment with their spare copy of Shaq-Fu before doing this (or anything else) to their Nintendo World Championship cartridge...)
First,: I replaced my pin connectors inside my consoles (I was an idiot for selling my consoles when I was at the university - I had to repurchase used ones, and goodness only knows where they'd been or what they'd been through! I still recommend replacing them even if you are the consoles only owner though). Nintendo used to sell them back in the day, but they are still available from ebay sellers. If you dont think you are up to the challenge of replacing the connector yourself, there are people out there willing to do it, or sell you a console with the connector already replaced. There is also a new console out that plays both Famicom and NES carts, it tends to sell for less than $30. Whatever your preference, I strongly encourage one of the above options to start simply because this gives you a 'clean slate'. Remember, the NES came out in 1985/86- thats 20 years of wear and tear, grime, dust, smoke, children shoving carts in and jiggling them and blowing in them....that pin connector has probably taken a beating. Replacing them helps ensure your newly cleaned carts STAY clean and will continue to get a good, non-blinking connection when you play.
Now, the carts. I actually have a little routine I like to use when cleaning up my carts. I have done this with everything from Atari carts to the memory cards for my PS2: Qtips and windex (that blue glass cleaner). I know some people prefer alcohol or distilled water, but I swear by windex for mine. I dampen a qtip with windex, then give the exposed metal pins a good rubbing - both sides if I can (like for NES, SNES carts where the pins run down the middle and you can clean both sides). When I do this, I keep the cart angled so that if the qtip drips it will just drop on the floor (or on me) rather than running up inside the cart. After a few moments of scrubbing with the wet qtip (make sure you've scrubbed all along the pins), examine the qtip. Is there a lot of grime coming off onto the qtip? Eventually, you'll be able to tell whether its just dusty, or came from a smoking home, or if little previous owner Johnny liked to bury his carts in the back yard. At this point, I change to a DRY qtip, and give it another good rubbing. Is there more grime coming off? I will repeat this proceedure until the qtips stop picking up dirt, and no longer have a greyish/blackish/brownish tint to them. After I have finished cleaning them, I always let them dry for 10 minute or so before putting them in a console, just to be on the safe side. The number of qtips you will need is determined by how dirty the cart is. I usually average one wet and one dry if the cart is in decent condition, however I have used as many as 10 on a cart that was just filthy.
I clean every cart that I purchase, no matter if the seller claims 'cleaned and tested' or not. I also clean carts if I havent used them in a while, or have accidentally left them out where dust can collect on them. Those quick 'spot cleanings' tend to take up just one qtip and about 30 seconds of my time, well worth the effort when I remind myself I havent had a 'dead' or blinking cart in my NES for 3 years now. :)
Exterior cart cleaning is a little more tricky. There are several substances you can use in an attempt to remove markers, crayon, or sticky goo left over from price tags....I hesitate to mention any of these by name simply because it all depends on what it is you are trying to remove. A particular chemical that is supposed to remove markers may work well with a modern brand of permanent markers, but not so well on a permanent marker used 15 years ago thats sunk in and stained the cartridge. Your best bet is to test a small bit and see how the plastic reacts.
Orignal From: Don't shake and blow - clean your cartridges properly!
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