
The only time you might want to consider something else, like an eraser, is if there’s excessive build up on the contacts. ( See example on )Īlcohol is all that’s needed 99% of the time. Isopropyl or Rubbing Alcohol – 99% Isopropyl, but the lower 70% is fine.
Cotton Swabs or Q-Tips – Various lengths are available. 3.8mm, 4.5mm Game Bit and a small Screwdriver Set ( See example on and eBay).
There are some nice ones that have LEDs built in to make thing easier.
Magnifying Glass – For a close inspection, a small flashlight helps too. Some recommend grey or white plastic/vinyl eraser, such as Sanford Magic Rub. Ink erasers are more like sandpaper and should be avoided. Pencil erasers are easier on the contacts. Ink and Pencil Erasers have different hardness. Eraser – Hi Polymer/Vinyl Erasers are gentle and will not remove the thin gold plating on the contacts. Simple Cleaning (for light corrosion / no need to open cartridge). After reading, if you have either clarifying questions or suggestions for improving or refining the guide, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below! Table of Contents (click to jump) However, you can easily use the same techniques for other types of game carts. It features on Nintendo NES, Sega Genesis and Atari 2600 game carts for examples. We have a lot of people asking questions about topics like this, so CRTGAMER was kind enough to put together a thread of info and let us republish it on the blog. This guide is a re-formatting of a classic guide from CRTGAMER in our forums. We also want to dig into more detail of specific disassembly and advanced repair that you won’t easily find elsewhere.
There are many basic cleaning guides online, but we want to give more detail on not only which cleaning methods are most appropriate, but why. With this in mind, it might be good to set aside some time to do this routine in batches to save you time over the long run. And some clone systems (even high-end ones like the Analogue NT mini) are a bit more picky about the cleanliness of your cartridges. Personally, as I dig into my cartridge archives, I’m finding more and more cartridges that need a solid cleaning before getting them to boot on an actual console. With all of our classic game cartridges being 20 to 40 years old now (let THAT sink in), you are bound to have some pretty grubby items in your collection - even if you casually clean them from time to time (and blowing in them doesn’t really count) Game Cart Contact Cleaning Guide (The Right Way)