GBA SP has problems with Original Gameboy games

JBishop_NESJBishop_NES
in Help Wanted!
Ok so I have been trying to play a lot of my original gameboy games on my GBA SP because I can see the screen in the dark. I will be playing for a little while and everything it fine but sometimes I with grip the system a little harder or jerk it in a small way  because of an intense level or something and it will cause the game to freeze up. I'm guessing that when I grip the system too hard that it shifts the cartridge inside causing it to move away from the pin connector inside or something? I've tried cleaning the system and games cuz I googled this before and thats what it said to do, but it still happens. Its very frustrating and I was just wondering if anyone else experiences this and what I can do about it.

Comments

  • JBishop_NESJBishop_NES
    No one knows anything?
  • RetroHackerRetroHacker
    I mean, it sounds like dirty contacts. You should be able to get this to happen with Advance games too, if you carefully wiggle the cart a bit while it's playing. It's just easier to do with Gameboy games because they stick out where they're easily bumped.



    Did you clean the GBA itself? How are you cleaning it?



    -Ian
  • dra600ndra600n
    Sounds like you're slightly bending the contacts where the game connects, like a bridge, and causing the connection from the game to the GBA SP to break. Quit playing it so hard lol.
  • JBishop_NESJBishop_NES

    Originally posted by: RetroHacker



    I mean, it sounds like dirty contacts. You should be able to get this to happen with Advance games too, if you carefully wiggle the cart a bit while it's playing. It's just easier to do with Gameboy games because they stick out where they're easily bumped.



    Did you clean the GBA itself? How are you cleaning it?



    -Ian



    Well I googled what to do before and some instructions I came by said to clean the contacts inside with a cotton swab and a small amount o rubbing alcohol. It didn't really work, but I don't have this problem with GBA games and it never used to happen before with OG gameboy games until recently. Sometimes I won't even be gripping the system that hard and it happens. I heard about an offical cleaning kit by nintendo though. Does anyone know if it works?


  • RetroHackerRetroHacker
    To clean the cartridge, wet a q-tip with 91% isopropyl alcohol and scrub the contact pins at the bottom. The *console*, however, cannot be cleaned with a q-tip because there's no way for the cotton swab to fit into the connector.



    There was an official Nintendo cleaning kit, but you don't really need it. First, find an old credit card like object (without the raised numbers, preferably - like a hotel room key or a gift card). Cut a clean piece of paper into strips the width of the card (narrow dimension). Tape a few layers over the end of the card, you're trying to build it up until it's about the thickness of a the bottom part of a Gameboy cartridge - the part with the contacts on it. Maybe 3 layers.



    Wet the end of it with alcohol, and slide it down into the connector, pull it straight back up, and repeat a couple of times. Look at all the little black lines on the paper! Replace the top sheet of paper, and repeat until you stop getting black lines on it.



    -Ian
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