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u/Green-Cry-6985 9h ago
Blow on it. That always works.
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u/HelloIAmMacintosh 9h ago
I tried that. It always glitches, freezes and makes weird noises mid game and stays there
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u/satyrday12 9h ago
That means you're not blowing correctly
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u/ReferenceFull5016 8h ago
Correct blow harder for longer. And when you insert the cartridge slide it back out just slightly so that it barely allows you to push it down.
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u/NeganSaves 7h ago
Q-tip the contacts. You'll see how dirty it is. Blowing on cartridges is actually bad, but we all still do it. The moisture from our breath can rust the contacts.
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u/southdakotagirl 8h ago
I think I have a extra copy somewhere. Im in the process of moving but if I find it I can mail it to you.
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u/mrshagzsf 8h ago
As pure isopropyl alcohol as you can find and a q-tip. Blowing it will make it worse due to the age of those things.
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u/junctiontoron 7h ago
Adding to say that it's often about corrosion - the alcohol should remove some of it but you do have to work it in . Also - blow out the system because it could also be the reader heads - if you know someone else with a working system you can always test .
The reason you use a high percentage of alcohol vs water is that when it evaporates it doesn't cause more corrosion/ oxidation.
There are YouTube videos you could look up for disassembling/ cleaning
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u/Kez_Inch_818 9h ago
Check the NES contact pins
Make sure they're not bent, loose, etc..
Clean the NES contact pins as well
It could very well be the cartridge is fine and its the console itself
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u/stabbygun 9h ago
these have been on the market for over 20 years. they fix the corrosion problem. if i recall correctly, all you gotta do is take 2 screws out.
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u/Visual_Initial6719 8h ago
Tip from the Angery video game nerd from episode on Glitches I actually used it it works. Take a qtip then spry little windex or eye glas cleaner put little on Qtip and rub it i did it holy shit so much crap came out and the games worked each time.
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u/junctiontoron 7h ago
Windex works because it is slightly abrasive- so it runs off any oxidation on the top layer - 99 percent alcohol works because it breaks down the oxidation.
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u/Visual_Initial6719 6h ago
Yes but eye glass cleaner works just as good doses not affect the pins
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u/Beginning_Feedback44 6h ago
As the local Nintendo repairman. The proper process was slam it and down in the console 3 or 4 times to make sure it did not work. Then scream MOM it's not working again. With the response of wait till your father get home. Then after throwing across the room at your sister's or brother's head blaming them cause they played it last. Out of absolute frustration you blow on the end of the game with teddy gram Silvia dripping mouth. Slamming it's back into console with enough force to knock enough dust from the 70s shag carpet mixed with the kid juices it some how manages to work one more time.
That is how to properly do that job
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u/charlotteREguru 8h ago
Hilarious that so many answers think this is a serious question.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE WORLD KNOWS WHAT TO DO.
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u/___po____ 8h ago
Take it apart, soak the board in 97% isopropyl alcohol and wipe the pins clean, dry a few days.
You also want to clean the pins in the Nintendo. You can do that when it's unplugged and with a narrow/thin tipped makeup brush. Or you could take it apart too.
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u/Tavernknight 8h ago
No you don't. You just blow in the cartridge and the Nintendo. Like we all did when we were kids.
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u/Difficult_Mix_3620 7h ago
Go to your local video game store where they likely have 20 of these for a nickel.
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u/gunsandsilver 3h ago
Blow three times across the contacts, gently insert with even pressure on both sides, press down until click, and finally - and don’t skip this part - stuff a Stephen king book between the cartridge and the lid to apply extra pressure, both literally and figuratively.
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u/coci222 8h ago
Fun fact, blowing on the cartridge doesn't work and never did. It was an illusion covering up what actually did work. When the cartridge is inserted, all of those contacts on the cartridge have to line up with the pins inside the console. So what was happening when we blew on it was we were reinserting the cartridge in a position that didn't cause a short across the contacts. What you can do instead, is grab a flathead screwdriver or butter knife and stick it on the side of the cartridge while inserted in the console in the up position. Gently pry the cartridge on either side to center it before pushing it down. Repeat until it is positioned correctly. You'll notice that there is a couple mm of play either way. The goal is to get it dead center
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u/SeaSkimmer2 9h ago
Seat it in the console tray, then rock the cartridge side to side to scrape through the contact corrosion.
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u/Philly_3D 7h ago
If you legit cant get it working after cleaning... Sometimes the carts just go bad. There's tens of millions of these SMB/DH carts out there, so you should be able to find another very easily.
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u/Specialist_Shirt_164 6h ago
Blow on the points, put it back in the machine and kneel on top of it until it comes on
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u/MDFan4Life 4h ago
Wet a Q-tip, in your mouth, then rub it back and forth across the board.
Works 75% of the time.
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u/ArgumentAlarmed9532 9h ago
If blowing doesn't work, shake it until you hear a little jangle on the inside. If still no luck, repeat until crying.