Did Blowing into Nintendo Cartridges Really Help?

By compl3x
in Gamers' Hangout

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Grand Master

compl3x

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Those of us old enough to have used a cartridge based console remember insering the cart, the game failing to start, taking it out and blowing out the dust which we all thought was why the game wouldn't start. Apparently, that was nonsense.

When I was a kid with a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), sometimes my games wouldn?t load. But I, like all kids, knew the secret: take out the game cartridge, blow on the contacts, and put it back in. And it seemed to work. (When it failed, I?d just keep trying until it worked.) But looking back, did blowing into the cartridge really help? I?ve talked to the experts, reviewed a study on this very topic, and have the answer.

....

So the Answer is No

So, dear readers, all signs point to no: blowing in the cartridge did not help. My money is on the blowing thing being a pure placebo, offering the user just another chance at getting a good connection. The problems with Nintendo?s connector system are well-documented, and most of them are mechanical ? they just wore out faster than expected.

Having said that, it?s true that kids can be grubby, and getting crud into the cartridge or slot was a real problem ? I suspect that most of that crud was not just dust, though, and required a more thorough cleaning than a moist mouth-blast could provide. In fact, Nintendo released an official

in 1989 in an attempt to keep both the slot and cartridges clean. Ultimately, Nintendo redesigned the NES console, releasing an NES 2 console in 1993 that?s commonly known as the ?top loader.? Its main feature? A top loading slot. It was more like the original Famicom, using a slot that held up better to abuse. Similarly, the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) was a top loader.

I shortened the article. If you wish to read the whole thing, you can find it at the link below:

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/142550

Grand Master

Nashy

Posted
Posted

I call lies. I never encountered a problem with my cartridges that wasn't solved by blowing in to the cartridge.

Like the article said. It wasn't the blow, it was you re-seating the cartridge.

Grand Master

Nick H. Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted
Reseating without blowing would ave worked to.
Like the article said. It wasn't the blow, it was you re-seating the cartridge.

:pinch:

I know. Apparently people can't smile at their own childhood magic, sorry about that. All humour shall cease immediately.

Grand Master

Detection

Posted
Posted

I used to blow into the cartridge and into the console slot but I think it would have worked the same just by taking it out and putting it back in again without blowing, but blowing it made you feel as if you fixed something :)

Conclusion: Blowing on cartridge has as much effect as touching wood :p

Apprentice

Kaos DComo

Posted
Posted

I ran one of those Nintendo World Class Service centers back in the early 90's and the main problem was actually the design of the NES. When you put the cartridge in and then press it down, you are spreading the pins of something called the 72-pin Flex Connector. Over years, this action spreads the pins too far apart and causes weak contact, nonetheless add that many people didn't use the cartridge dust jackets. What you have is now a dusty, dirty connections.

Did blowing in some cartridges fix them, for a short period of time? Yes! But not for the reasons you'd think. Your breath contains condensation which when blown in the connectors, would loosen up some of the dirt. When you then put this into the NES Control Deck, the dirt would then be 'scraped' off causing contact of the pins. Over time, you'd find that this was not sustainable.

Nintendo did release a cleaning cartidge and deck cleaner, which mainly used rubbing alcohol as the cleaner. You could save yourself the $14.95 and simply use your own alcohol and a few cotton swaps. (This wouldn't however, clean the control deck.) The main fix for that was to have the 72-pin Flex Connector replaced, which I must have replaced hundreds of them.

You can indeed still get these, and Amazon actually carries them now:

http://www.amazon.com/NES-Pin-Connector-Nintendo-8-Bit/dp/B000A3IA0Y

(I used a parts depot between NOA and Parts Express... I think I paid about $8.00 each or so, but I also used to buy 100 at a time.)

I have 6 NES Control Decks and all of them work as excellent as they did when they were new.

Cheers!

Drew

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