RESTORE YOUR NES PIN CONNECTOR

If your NES system suffers from blinking syndrome or if you constantly have to blow on your games to get them to work. The 72 Pin Connector is most likely at fault. This is what your NES games actually connect to when you insert a cartridge. This guide will show you how to restore your old pin connector in your NES system. You could save some time and purchase a brand new pin connector, but I find that repairing it can work just as well and cost you nothing. Before using this guide I recommend you follow my guide for cleaning your cartridges first to see if your pin connector is truly the culprit. If your system still does not work correctly then this shows that your pin connector is the problem and you can proceed with this guide.

Here's the materials you will need.

Small Flat Head Screwdriver

Rubbing Alcohol

Q-Tips

Here we have our pin connector that we removed from our faulty system. If your unsure of how to disassemble your NES and remove the pin connector you can follow my guide HERE.

Upon close inspection you will probably notice that not only are the pins dirty but are also bent too far making them difficult to actually make contact with the cartridge.

So for out first step, we will bent the pins back. We do this by taking our flat head screwdriver and sliding it under each pin and gently pushing the pin upwards. Try to bend each pin so that there somewhat even. Its quite easy once you do a few of the pins.

Now once your done fixing the pins so they connect better you want that connection to be a clean one. Take a q-tip and generously soak it with rubbing alcohol and gently wipe the pins as shown below. Make sure you don't press too hard because you don't want to bend the pins back. Also make sure you don't get a lot of q-tip lint stuck in the pins. Once your done cleaning all the pins you can begin reassembling your system.

Once your system has been reassembled don't go trying to play games just yet there are a few you rules you must follow to get your games to work and stay working.

1. CLEAN YOUR GAMES!!! I cannot stress this enough, before you use any game make sure its clean. If you haven't already, view my guide on how to clean your cartridge based games HERE.

2. DO NOT BLOW ON YOUR GAMES!!! Blowing on your games causes moister and creates all that lovely green corrosion that builds up on the contacts.

3. NEVER LEAVE A CARTRIDGE IN THE SYSTEM WHEN IT'S NOT IN USE!!! Leaving a cartridge in the system 24/7 is why the contacts become worn out in the first place.

As long as you follow these rules you should never have a problem with your system again. Most games should start on the first try. Have Fun!