Nintendo Entertainment System Console Repair

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
72-pin Replacement Guide

Do-it-yourself NES Console Repair: Page 2 of 3

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Keep On Removing the Screws..

Once you've removed all the screws from the metal casing, and picked up the ones you dropped in your carpet, and in the crack of the couch, you'll be able to lift off the sheet metal covering. Take note however, that one little lip of the metal casing is placed under one of the components (refer to red arrow number 2 in Figure 7 - that is where the metal lip can be found.) You may have to give the metal covering a slight back and forth to get it to come out, but you shouldn't have to force it at all.

Once the metal covering is off, go ahead and set it to the side for now. You'll now be able to see the black cartridge ejection mechanism, the spot of interconnectivity to your world of 8-bit zen. At the back of the ejection mechanism is the 72-pin connector we're going to replace.

Remove the Cartridge Ejection Mechanism (CEM)

Figures 8 and 9 show the location of the screws holding down the cartridge ejection mechanism. You'll need to remove all six of the screws with a phillips screwdriver in order to be able to remove it.

Place the six screws you removed from the CEM in a container separate from the one holding the rest of the screws, so you don't get them mixed up. I didn't eyeball them as being different in size, but it's better to be safe than sorry later when you have a stripped screwhole.

Remember! The CEM was laying flat against the circuit board and does NOT bow out at all when properly seated. Ignore those repair guides that tell you to leave the front screws of the CEM slightly loose so the cartridge holder will stay down properly - they are doing you a disservice by giving you incorrect advice on properly repairing your NES!

The Naked Circuit Board

Removal of the CEM is easy: pull it a little forward, as it houses the 72-pin connector we're interested in, and once it is clear of the connector, you can lift it off and set it to the side for now. Figure 10 shows the complete CEM after removal.

Remove Screws Keeping the Circuit Board in Place

Now that you have the CEM removed, you'll be able to see the exposed circuit board and the 72-pin connector in the back, which is merely slotted into the circuit board (Figure 11).

However, Figures 12 and 13 show two screws near where the power cable and A/V cables come in that should be removed before attempting to unslot the connector from the circuit board. These two screws hold down a metal plate that helps to keep the circuit board in place, and if you don't remove them, you'll have a difficult time getting the connector off of the board, and may damage the board if you do.