The 72-pin connector trick for NES consoles isn't what most people think

I keep seeing folks boil their 72-pin connector or bend the pins way out of shape to fix their NES. Had a friend from Toledo do that to his system last spring and it actually made the gray screen worse after 2 weeks. What usually works better is just cleaning the connector with 91% isopropyl alcohol and an old toothbrush, then adjusting the pins maybe 10 degrees at a time with a small flathead. Has anyone else found that the boiling method does more harm than good in the long run?

2 comments

2 Comments

rileyjones17d agoMost Upvoted

boiling your NES connector is like trying to fix a papercut with a chainsaw. bent pins that are too far out just lose their grip over time, making the system worse than before. stick with the alcohol and gentle adjustments, or you'll end up with a fancy paperweight.

paul11717d ago

Stick with the alcohol method for sure... I had a top loader that wouldn't read anything until I went at the pins with a q tip and 91% isopropyl, took like three passes but it worked perfectly. @rileyjones is right about bent pins losing grip over time, I've seen guys bend them out like 45 degrees and two months later they're just flopping loose. A 10 degree nudge is plenty if you even need it, most of the time dirt is the real problem.