Do-it-yourself NES Console Repair: Page 3 of 3
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Remove the 72-pin Connector From the Circuit Board
Once the screws holding the circuit board in place are removed, you'll be able to lift the circuit board up,
but be careful, as controller wires are still attached to it and could easily be broken if you aren't careful.
Take a look at the 72-pin connector, and you'll note that the way the connector is slotted is similar
to the way PCI/ISA/AGP cards are slotted in a home computer. Gently pull the 72-pin connector towards
the back of the NES, which will remove it from the circuit board. Figure 14 shows the direction
in which you should remove the 72-pin connector.
At this time, you may want to take a look at the contacts on the circuit board that were exposed when you removed
the 72-pin connector. If they are dirty, corroded, or otherwise, you may want to take some of that (optional)
superfine (#0000) steel wool and lightly rub it across both sides of the contacts to remove the layer of dirt/corrosion/oxidation.
You'll be able to see the contacts get visibly cleaner when you do this, but be warned: rubbing too hard can wear down the contacts
too much, preventing your NES from ever working correctly, so use a light touch. After the steel wool, use a little isopropanol
on a cotton ball or paper towel to remove any metal grit remaining on the connectors.
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Replace the 72-pin Connector and Give it a Whirl!
By gum, you've done it. You've now got your NES disassembled to the point where it is time to replace
the 72-pin connector with the shiny, new, 72-pin connector. What, you don't have one? We'll
shamelessly plug one of our products here and let you know you can purchase a 72-pin
connector from us for $9.99.
The next step may give you the most trouble, depending upon how well organized you kept everything
during disassembly, but it is also the shortest set of instructions we'll give in this article:
do everything in reverse, of course replacing the old connector with the new one. When you
attach this new connector to the circuit board, make sure it is seated evenly across the board, to
insure maximal contact with the connectors on the main board. After you've checked to make sure
it is firmly on the board, it is just a matter of replacing all of the screws, starting with the
screws used to hold the circuit board down, and then the screws to hold the CEM in place. Once
you have the CEM back in place, we recommend stopping here before you completely re-assemble the
unit in order to (a) give yourself a pat on the back for not plunging a screwdriver through the
circuit board, whether as a mishap or in frustration (b) make sure your games work before
you close the NES up (see Figure 16). Be sure that when you re-attach the CEM to the circuit board
that it is seatedly properly, as an improperly seated CEM will cause the front portion of the CEM
to bow out, and the ejection mechanism will not stay down when you push it down. There is a small portion of the
CEM that actually fits under the NES circuit board, and until you get this properly seated, you're going to have
the 'bowing' problem. It may take a little effort, but correctly seating the CEM will prevent frustration in having to take your
NES apart again after not being able to get the cartridge holder to stay down properly.
Super Mario Bros. 3
was our test cartridge, and as you can see, it works just fine. Hopefully, you were as successful
in your attempts to repair the NES. If you'd like to send us a comment on this article, or ask
for permission to reproduce it, please send our customer service an email and let us know what you thought, ie was it helpful, did it bore you to tears,
did you end up sawing your NES in half because of it, etc.
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