Found a trick for stubborn NES pin connectors that actually worked

I had this Zelda cartridge that would only boot up about 1 in 10 tries no matter how much I cleaned the pins. Tried the usual isopropyl alcohol and even the eraser trick but nothing stuck. Finally tried bending the pins just a tiny bit back toward the center with a toothpick after reading some old forum post from 2005. Got it to boot on the first try and it's been solid for three days now. Anyone else have luck with bending pins or is there a better method out there?

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jana_henderson521mo ago

Oh and don't forget the boiling trick if bending doesn't work long term. I read somewhere that the stock pins are designed with a certain tension and bending them too much can snap them over time. Boiling actually resets the plastic connector without risking damage - it's wild but it works on my beat up Mario 3 cart.

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