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NES Cartridge Cleaning Guide |
With the right tools, cleaning your NES cartridges is both very easy, and very rewarding. Cleaning dirty cartridge contacts makes a big difference when trying to load your game on your NES console. With a few inexpensive tools that can be purchased via the links below you can have your NES games cleaned in seconds!
NES Cartridge Cleaning Tools
- 3.8mm Security Bit
- Nintendo Cartridge Cleaning Paste
- Nintendo Cartridge Cleaning Rinse
- Non-Static Cleaning Pads
Or you can find all of these supplies in our Nintendo Cartridge Cleaning Kit
Open NES Cart
Using the 3.8mm Security Bit, unscrew the 3 screws from the back of the cartridge. Our 3.8mm bit is designed to fit in screw holes easily, but this still may require some pressure. Lift up the back side of the cartridge. Be careful not to lose the screws!
With the back open, you can simply pull up the PCB and remove it from the cartridge case
Cleaning NES Gameboard Connectors
The red rectangle highlights the area needing cleaning. Apply the Game Cleaning Paste on one of the Non-Static Cleaning Pads and rub on contacts. You should continue to rub the contacts with cleaning paste until no more black residue comes up. Let dry and wipe it off with some Game Cleaning Rinse. Let dry again. Your contacts should be smooth and shiny. Flip the PCB over and do the other side too!
Reassembly of the NES Game Cartridge
Reverse the order for assembly. Pop it in your NES and it should come right up with no blinking! ...Unless your NES needs repair