NationStates Jolt Archive

Right. So I borrowed my friend's NES this afternoon. I've tuned it to the right channel and all that on my tv, but the power, and the power light, won't stop flashing on and off. Any ideas, anyone?

Right. So I borrowed my friend's NES this afternoon. I've tuned it to the right channel and all that on my tv, but the power, and the power light, won't stop flashing on and off. Any ideas, anyone?
It's a happy NES (forgive me my ignorance...what's a NES??)! It's celebrating...something. It's trying to talk to you, you just have to listen more closely. No, closer. ...closer. cloooser... that's better. Now listen.

NES? You mean the original Nintendo Entertainment System from the late '80s?

is the reset button stuck?

wait, you honestly don't know this one?

it means that the game cartridge isn't completely connected to the system. take it out and put it back in. if that doesn't work, take out the game and blow on it. and if that doesn't work, i've found that rubbing alcohol and a q-tip can be used to clean the connectors on the game.

if that doesn't work, take out the game and blow on it.

ahh, the memories of cartridge blowing...those were the days...

wait, you honestly don't know this one?

it means that the game cartridge isn't completely connected to the system. take it out and put it back in. if that doesn't work, take out the game and blow on it. and if that doesn't work, i've found that rubbing alcohol and a q-tip can be used to clean the connectors on the game.
OK, cool. Thanks. I thought I'd done it enough, but evidently not.:rolleyes:

I have an old SNES at our summer house. It's great fun playing Super Mario when it rains. But I actually never blew on a cartridge... weird.

I have an old SNES at our summer house. It's great fun playing Super Mario when it rains. But I actually never blew on a cartridge... weird.
That is because the SNES is not the NES.

ahh, the memories of cartridge blowing...those were the days...

getting the nes to work has a lot in common with sex really.

you have to stick the cartridge in and pull it out, bounce it up and down, keep playing with the power button, give both the cartidge and the system a good blow, and if all else fails get it liquored up.

getting the nes to work has a lot in common with sex really.

you have to stick the cartridge in and pull it out, bounce it up and down, keep playing with the power button, give both the cartidge and the system a good blow, and if all else fails get it liquored up.

lol :D :D that should be a signature.

I have an old SNES at our summer house. It's great fun playing Super Mario when it rains. But I actually never blew on a cartridge... weird.

snes (and n64 and sega genesis and atari, etc) is top loading, so the connectors consistently line up. the original nes was side loading and pushed down, so it only connected on its edge. combine that with the moving parts and pressure of repeated use, and eventually the connectors just don't work reliably.

lol :D :D that should be a signature.

heh. i'm thinking the order needs to be changed a bit for sig worthiness. maybe i should put the blow part first

lol :D :D that should be a signature.
Done.

Done.

:D perfect

I have an old SNES at our summer house. It's great fun playing Super Mario when it rains. But I actually never blew on a cartridge... weird.

I have a SNES that I still play and 'cause the cartridges get a little dusty, they sometimes don't work unless you do that.

I had problems after my NES became so troubled that I had to take it all apart and use a 5 lb weight on the cartridge to make it work.

If yours is lucky enough to still be intact, sometimes pressing down on the cartridge after you've inserted it can get it to connect.

:D wait, you honestly don't know this one?

it means that the game cartridge isn't completely connected to the system. take it out and put it back in. if that doesn't work, take out the game and blow on it. and if that doesn't work, i've found that rubbing alcohol and a q-tip can be used to clean the connectors on the game.

Bingo!

God...I love the NES.

I took mine up to my grandparents house after going to newer generation systems, mainly so me and my cousins would have something to do when it rained.

When they sold their house and moved to Arizona, I took it back and gave it to my best friend, who now (except for Virtual Boy and DS) owns every generation of Nintendo systems.

We still jam on that thing basically every weekend. :cool:

I had problems after my NES became so troubled that I had to take it all apart and use a 5 lb weight on the cartridge to make it work.

If yours is lucky enough to still be intact, sometimes pressing down on the cartridge after you've inserted it can get it to connect.

Eek...I always just jammed another cartridge partway in, right above the "playing" cartridge.

Seemed to hold the bastards in place quite well. :D

Ahhh, the NES. A wonderful machine, it is.

Unlike today's modern machines, the NES requires knowledge of arcane rituals and dark incantations to get the damn thing to function. A few prayers to the gods of Failing Electronics don't go astray, either.

Keeping the carts in those snazzy sleeves that they come in when you're not using them is a great way to keep the frequency of needing to blow on connectors down, and keeping the door of the deck itself shut is also a good idea.

Some more general NES tips: Don't be afraid to open up the control pads and clean the gunk out every once in a while (but don't think too much about what that gunk is made of). When blowing on a cart, make your mouth as dry as possible; moisture is bad for them. If you have a light gun, give the lens a gentle dust every now and then, and generally be gentle with it. Be gentle with the power button because the spring on some decks is shithouse and gives out easily if you're too hard on it, though the reset button doesn't seem to this problem as much.

Oh, and don't forget to sacrifice a modern console to your NES every now and again to appease it, for the NES is a cruel and capricious mistress.