NES Graphic Glitches

AlexKunioAlexKunio
in Help Wanted!



So I got a really filthy nonworking NES in a lot on eBay and was trying to get it working.  I took it apart completely yesterday and submersed & brushed all the plastic non electronic parts in bleach water (that's how nasty this thing was), let it dry out overnight.

I disabled the lock-out chip & reassembled the machine just now with a brand new 72-pin connector.  When I tried running it I get graphic glitches that look just like the usual dirty cart / dirty connector problems, but everything is pretty clean now and the connector is new.  Are there any other known problems that could cause glitches like this?  Is it possible for the actual video output parts to be bad?  (The carts I tried are clean and work fine in my main NES.)

It wasn't working at all until I did all this.  It was just a grey blinking screen, so I assume I'm getting somewhere

Comments

  • AlexKunioAlexKunio
    hmmm, the first paragraph of my post got eaten somehow. Basically, I got a dirty, nonworking NES as part of a lot on eBay, and took it completely apart, cleaned the plastic components with bleach & water (it was filthy)
  • removed04092017removed04092017
    Works fine on webkit, I see it.



    But anyway, what game? Was it the powerpak you were testing with?



    And try another game....could be just that game.
  • AlexKunioAlexKunio
    Yep, tried a bunch of games, all of which work fine on my main system that I use for playing. This is just an extra system I'm trying to get working.
  • removed04092017removed04092017
    So they just look corrupted, not flashing or anything? Weird.


    Did you clean your games too? You should clean your games with a new connectr, don't want to get it dirty again. Aside from that, don't really have any ideas that are easy to fix with no soldering equipment...
  • elhectorelhector
    Did you clean the contacts on the board that the pin connector goes on to? Sometimes that gets really dirty too. It would requiring take it apart again and take the new connector off but it might work.
  • AlexKunioAlexKunio
    Originally posted by: elhector

    Did you clean the contacts on the board that the pin connector goes on to? Sometimes that gets really dirty too. It would requiring take it apart again and take the new connector off but it might work.


    This was it!  My bro suggested this so I took it back apart & cleaned the motherboard contacts the same way I clean carts (some Weiman's and then some alcohol).  I was surprised it could be so dirty since it was wedged under the old 72-pin.  Anyway, if anyone else has this problem, this fixed it!  Thanks for the input   This thing was kind of gross, so I didn't know if I'd be able to get it working again.  That was satisfying to see everything playing perfectly!

  • BusdriverjBusdriverj
    Good to know on nasty ones. I wouldnt think that connector would get that dirty either but I guess anything can happen.
  • elhectorelhector
    Originally posted by: AlexKunio

    Originally posted by: elhector

    Did you clean the contacts on the board that the pin connector goes on to? Sometimes that gets really dirty too. It would requiring take it apart again and take the new connector off but it might work.


    This was it!  My bro suggested this so I took it back apart & cleaned the motherboard contacts the same way I clean carts (some Weiman's and then some alcohol).  I was surprised it could be so dirty since it was wedged under the old 72-pin.  Anyway, if anyone else has this problem, this fixed it!  Thanks for the input   This thing was kind of gross, so I didn't know if I'd be able to get it working again.  That was satisfying to see everything playing perfectly!


    Right on!  I've cleaned lots of really nasty ass NES consoles in my day.  It's pretty rare for an NES to just flat out break.  It's surprising how nasty contacts on the motherboard can get.  I just cleaned an NES the other day that looked like someone dumped a bottle of coke into the console.  It took me about an hour to clean the motherboard, but sure as shit it fired up just fine once I was done cleaning it.

  • ayjanuayjanu
    I'm having the same problem currently.  I recently fried my other NES board (which was working perfectly ) because I forgot to unplug it and discharge the board when putting the RF shielding back on, so I bought another one off eBay - same revision number as my other one (NES-CPU-07).  Well, I started cleaning it yesterday, and guess what?  Over SIX HOURS later, and there's still grime coming off the board - it just won't freaking stop!  You can tell that this thing hasn't been cleaned in, like, 24 years.  I'm using the cleaning kit from classicgamesource.com, by the way (works great).  The weird thing is, the connector looks clean - sorta shiny now.  But there's still grime on it - how dirty could this thing possibly be?  The WEIRDEST thing is, however, I decided to test and see if it was my games acting up, or the board itself.  I usually keep all my games very clean if I can, and they're not the problem, because after hooking just the board up, not even the (very new) 72-pin, I turned the system on, and it was red, not black.  I've already disabled the lockout chip on this board, like I did with the other one, by the way.  So, why is the system showing red instead of black?  Furthermore, I tried Contra, and there's glitchy vertical lines running through the majority of the screen.  Oh yeah, and one side of the contacts on the board seem....a little roughed up, but not chipped off or anything.....  I dunno.  Sorry if I seem scatterbrained in this post, but I'm really REALLY frustrated - I just wanna get this thing into good working order, but don't understand why these things are happening.  I know it has to do with the board itself, as I've ruled everything else out.  There's constant grime that just won't stop coming off, there's the stupid red screen (where it should be black) with glitchy lines, and there's one disappointed retro gamer, about to throw up his hands.  Please....  I know there's a lot of really helpful people on this forum, and I'm reaching out to you guys, because I believe I should be able to get it to work again, but........ *sigh*

    EDIT: Uhm, okay....  This is weird.  After, *ahem* working with it for a little bit (i.e, rubbing the contacts fast, hard, and a lot with a NON-static rag, and rapidly turning the power on and off multiple times) due to impatience...  It starts up red for a split second, then goes to normal......  I also noticed that it was flashing different colors when I was doing the rapid power test....  Maybe this thing just hasn't been used in years or something.....  Could that be it?  Will keep updating information as I learn more.

    EDIT 2: Got a black screen without putting a game in this time.  I'm leaving it on for a while as I go make dinner.  I hope this battle is over soon...

    EDIT 3: Leaving it on for over an hour doesn't seem to have solved the colored screen problem, but maybe it's a start...?  I can't tell.  I'll continue to attempt to clean it with the non-static rag, but I'm out of cleaning spray - all I have is the paste, and not much.  This thing likely still needs some work.
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