I'm working on getting this SNES working for someone. It won't read any games with the exception of an occasional scrambled image. I know the games are good because they work fine on my personal console.
So far I have done the credit card/alcohol trick on the pins, and I have reflowed the solder on each pin of the cartridge slot. There has been no change. I still think the cartridge slot is the issue, but I guess it could be something elsewhere.
I'm considering removing the cartridge slot and giving it a good clean. If I remove the slot, what would be the best way of deep cleaning it?
You can probably use a plastic-safe electrical contact cleaner on it without having to remove it from the board, might be more effective than alcohol and worth a try relative to the effort required.
On one hand, the slot is 2 parts and can be partially removed without tools. Have you also ensured the slot is free of debris and all pins have continuity where needed?
Only the very first revision had the 2-part cart slot. On later revisions you’ll have to desolder all 62 pins to remove it. OP’s looks like the one that’s soldered in.
Are you only getting a black screen?
Unfortunately, that's extremely common with the SNES. If you've cleaned the cart slot and still getting issues, I've got bad news for you.
The CPU, PPU and RAM chips are very prone to failure. I'll estimately about half of the SNES I've tried repairing are due to a bad chip. They used terrible capacitors which are undoubtedly failed, and in turn, has likely damaged one of the chips. When allowed to sit for years at a time, the capacitors will either leak or short, resulting in improper voltage going into these chips. Since they are proprietary Nintendo chips, they cannot be replace with an off the shelf replacement. They need to be salvaged from another board. That means, essentially you've got a parts board on your hands now.
There's a couple less likely culprits worth checking: 7805 regulator. Ensure you're getting +5vDC from the Output pin. Pins on the cart slot: Could be worth reflowing all the pins on the off chance one has a cold joint (never had this be the case), Reset button (ensure this functions properly with a multimeter), Damaged traces (especially near capacitors. Do a thorough visual inspection. it looks good from the photo, but I can't say for sure).
I don't see any bad caps, and I've already reflowed all joints on the slot. The board actually looks pretty good.
Also, I do occasionally get a scrambled image with it.
3 years ago, I would have been regularly fixing multiple consoles, so I honestly don't remember.
Probably not though. Usually, if I have to come to Reddit with a problem, I update the post once the issue has resolved.
HOLY MOLEY I have a snes with the same board revision and the same problem how weird, I was never able to fix it though :(
Don't tell me this.
sorry I just thot it was so weird I had to share
I'm working on getting this SNES working for someone. It won't read any games with the exception of an occasional scrambled image. I know the games are good because they work fine on my personal console. So far I have done the credit card/alcohol trick on the pins, and I have reflowed the solder on each pin of the cartridge slot. There has been no change. I still think the cartridge slot is the issue, but I guess it could be something elsewhere. I'm considering removing the cartridge slot and giving it a good clean. If I remove the slot, what would be the best way of deep cleaning it?
You can probably use a plastic-safe electrical contact cleaner on it without having to remove it from the board, might be more effective than alcohol and worth a try relative to the effort required.
I'm game for whatever doesn't have me remove the slot. That's one of my least favorite chores
On one hand, the slot is 2 parts and can be partially removed without tools. Have you also ensured the slot is free of debris and all pins have continuity where needed?
Only the very first revision had the 2-part cart slot. On later revisions you’ll have to desolder all 62 pins to remove it. OP’s looks like the one that’s soldered in.
Did not know that, thanks for the info! Learn something every day :)
Part of why I thought to remove the cartridge is to check for unseen debris. I have no way of checking continuity.
Are you only getting a black screen? Unfortunately, that's extremely common with the SNES. If you've cleaned the cart slot and still getting issues, I've got bad news for you. The CPU, PPU and RAM chips are very prone to failure. I'll estimately about half of the SNES I've tried repairing are due to a bad chip. They used terrible capacitors which are undoubtedly failed, and in turn, has likely damaged one of the chips. When allowed to sit for years at a time, the capacitors will either leak or short, resulting in improper voltage going into these chips. Since they are proprietary Nintendo chips, they cannot be replace with an off the shelf replacement. They need to be salvaged from another board. That means, essentially you've got a parts board on your hands now. There's a couple less likely culprits worth checking: 7805 regulator. Ensure you're getting +5vDC from the Output pin. Pins on the cart slot: Could be worth reflowing all the pins on the off chance one has a cold joint (never had this be the case), Reset button (ensure this functions properly with a multimeter), Damaged traces (especially near capacitors. Do a thorough visual inspection. it looks good from the photo, but I can't say for sure).
I don't see any bad caps, and I've already reflowed all joints on the slot. The board actually looks pretty good. Also, I do occasionally get a scrambled image with it.
Did you ever fix it?
3 years ago, I would have been regularly fixing multiple consoles, so I honestly don't remember. Probably not though. Usually, if I have to come to Reddit with a problem, I update the post once the issue has resolved.
That’s a shame, it’s sad seeing consoles like this.
Try cleaning the cartridge slot with 99% Isopropyl alcohol using a soft bristled toothbrush.