N64 cart won't work.

GhostNinjaGhostNinja
in Help Wanted!

Hey, having trouble with an N64 cart. The cart doesn't boot at all, so after inspecting the circuit board, it appears that there is a crack or something just above the contacts on the right hand side. There also appears to be no visible bending on the board itself from the side, and the damage is not visible on the other side of the cart either. Here is a pic:

image

Is this cart salvageable? Any input on how to fix it would be great if possible. Thanks.

Comments

  • VGS_captmorgandrinkerVGS_captmorgandrinker
    Save the cart shell for another Pokemon Snap NFR?
  • BouncekDeLemosBouncekDeLemos
    Yeah, it's really cracked. Unless some here can provide a donor pcb or can refurbish it, it's pretty toast. There might be a way to salvage it... since only the leads to the contacts are cut off, It's gonna require some wiring and soldering to connect the chips to the contacts bypassing the cut/breakage.
  • GhostNinjaGhostNinja
    Alright. It's not my cart but I appreciate the input. That's all I needed to know, thanks.
  • Swordless LinkSwordless Link
    Yeah, this is actually my cart from my Pokemon Snap Blockbuster NFR that I posted about the other week. Ghost just posted it for me cause I was AFK at the time. So I guess it really is screwed beyond repair. Typical.
  • BouncekDeLemosBouncekDeLemos
    ^ Well, it's not totally screwed, just depends on how and how much time and money you want to spend fixing/repairing/replacing/refurbishing. At least this IS fixable. I have a N64 cart with the contacts broken completely in half! 0_o
  • removed04092017removed04092017
    You can transport the chips and all that to another board if you need to save it. That's what I'd do. Any side pictures of it? How bent REALLY is it? I'd say the thin contacts you can try to remove the green layer and just get a blob of solder to make sure there's not a break under that, same for the other side. Probably the end pins too, as those are ground and are important too, although there should be two grounds, still a good idea to keep all pins connected.
  • DxSDxS
    Here's a donor board you can have for the price of shipping. Just drop in the CIC and ROM from your board and you're good to go, it should only take about 10 minutes.



    image
  • GuntzGuntz
    FYI, the green looking traces can be scraped and exposed, so you can solder to them. Traces are pretty tough against scraping, just don't do any cutting movements.



    The donor board is a good idea though, maybe I should try doing it with my dead Killer Instinct Gold cart. I'd have to find a board that looks exactly like it though.
  • BouncekDeLemosBouncekDeLemos
    Yeah, donor board is the best way to go.



    Which is something I need since there's no hope for me to even attempt to re-solder or reconnect the traces. Here's mine:



    image



    I got it for free and it's only WCW/NWO Revenge, but damn, what mad kid would break the board in half like that?! D8<
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