Conference rusure::nintendo

                                                
    How could "rented" games do that?   I don't think that is true. 
    
    They were adamant about game rentals...I can see why.  It must have
    really hurt sales in the US.  People don't have to buy the game
    anymore, to determain wether or not they like it.
    
    Is $30.00 the total charge for fixing it?  How old is it?  I know
    that my game is going on 1 1/2 years and the controllers are "sticky".
    I traded my GUN w/Duck Hunt, and the cartridge slot is getting "sloppy"
    so if this problem occured with me, I would attempt to fix it.  If I 
    couldn't fix it I would buy a new package ($99.00) and store my
    old one. But my circumstances are probably different. 
    
    I think 1 1/2 years of "daily" playing is pretty good.
    
    If they fix that problem, another one might occur.  After the warranty
    with most of the products that you buy today, your better off replacing
    than fixing, unless you can do it yourself.
                      
    That's worth about .02 ???
    
    Ron.

    Go to Radio Shack or a like store and buy LPS40. This will clean
    some contamination from the contacts. The can comes with a straw
    that allows you to spray into hard to reach places. So you won't
    have to break any seals. Also if you are near a Field Service office
    maybe you can talk someone into giving you a can of Freon, this is
    basicly the same as LPS40 and will work as well. Both are made to
    clean eletronic devices and will be safe spray with power on or
    off.

    	I hate to sound like a fanatic, but I would hope that people don't
    use Freon to clean their contacts.  Freon is THE major contributor to
    the depletion of the ozone layer.  There are other methods to clean the
    contacts.  These were discussed in note 62.*
    
    							Ned
    

    The console was purchased 3rd week of March and has been played
    an average of 2 hrs a day (some days nothing, some days 5 hours.
    
    We have rented at least 1 game every week since we bought it
    which directed us to purchase 6 that we felt were worth the price.
    
    As I described the problem to the service technician over the phone
    as soon as I said "...white screen" he immediately questoned as
    to whether I rented games.  Apparently, game fingers become oxidized
    because of improrper storage in the store and the fact that some
    folks have older consoles that have worn connectors causing further
    wear on the rental cartridges.
    
    I did not take the console apart last night but did go inside via
    the door, with a magnifier and light.  Having dealt with contaminated
    fingers and cable connectors, the console connector looked clean!
    I was tempted to use LPS but decided to return the console.  The
    $30.00 cost is the flat rate to repair the unit - regardless of
    what it cost, and they pay return freight.
    
    

    On the can of Freon that I got from Digital. The can states that
    it is in compliance with all environmental and OSHA standards. It's
    classification is as a liquid cleaning compound. I haven't used
    this to clean contacts on an NIS but, I have used this to clean
    contacts on many a PDP11 and PDP15.
     I don't want to offend but, IMHO you do sound like a fanatic.

    	Freon is used regularly in all air-conditioning units in the
    country as well.  However, it is a HFC (Hydroflourocarbon I believe)
    and if it is released into the atmosphere eventually combines with
    ozone, eliminating it.  Sure, the stuff is approved, it is used
    everywhere and there is currently no good subsititute for a coolant. 
    But Freon is the major destructor of the ozone layer.  If you need it
    to cool your house or keep your food cold, fine.  (Unless you need a
    recharge on your A/C or refrigerator you're not letting any out.)  But
    if you can figure out another way to clean something, albeit a little
    less convienent, I would ask that you do that.
    
    							Ned
    

    Maybe there is more than one type of Freon. The contents of the
    can I have does not list HFC or a Hydroflurocarbon. This is a Freon
    TF Solvent by brand name. Nor is handled the same as Freon in auto
    or home A/C. That I belive from my old auto mech. days are classified
    as compressed gas. That maybe for reasons of storing or shiping.
    But, this stuff is not classified as a gas. And I do belive it is
    different

    Yes, there are different kinds of freon.
    
    (But all of them probably contribute to depletion of the ozone layer.)
    
    And re. earlier notes, the LPS40 is a big, expensive printer.  It is a
    cleaner, too, or are you'ze guys thinking of WD40?

    Nope, WD40 is for rusty nuts and bolts NOT electronic equip.
    LPS40 comes in a green and white can and is used exclusively for
    electronic equip.
    
     Maybe someone should send this note to corporate logistics and
    inform them of all the F.E.'s wiping out the ozone layer.

    	Sigh.  Freon doesn't list HFCs because it IS an HFC.  I've also
    heard lately that most companies that use Freon as a cleaner are
    looking into environment safe replacements.  I believe Digital will be
    coming out with a new one soon.
    

I have used cleaners, and have taken the unit apart when games started
to be flakey.  After all the hassels, I have found a simple solution
(at least for my unit):

I have one cartridge that really seems to fit tighter than all the
rest...for me that is Top Gun.  I clean the contacts on that cartridge
then insert/remove (almost a sanding motion) a few times and then
all is fine.  This correction lasts as long as the involved process of
dismantling and gets the unit going in less than a couple of minutes.
The unit gets heavy usage with a lot of rentals.

FWIW

Ron M.

    Fine. I offered my first suggestion simply as a means to help someone
    I have no desire to argue. 
    
     p.s. It's a damn shame I heard your sigh alway the down here.

    Well, hold onto your hats...
    
    My wife mailed the Nintendo console the morning of June 29th - First
    Class Air.  I called last Friday (July 7th) expecting to confirm
    the arrival of the console.
    
    To my amazement, I was informed that the unit was in packing about
    to be shipped back to me - UPS, 2nd day-air (which was a change
    from Federal Express...must have seen the TV story!).
    
    The person on the phone said his computer was too slow to log on
    and inform me of the problem/fix, but that it would be listed on
    the invoice - with expected delivery today or tomorrow.  He also
    couldn't tell me whether or not it was fixed or replaced - they
    would choose which according to expediency.
    
    I'm impressed!  Receipt today would be 7 working days - including
    shipping time!!!
    
    It's easy to see why this company says they will remain "on top"...
    
    :-)
    

    Confirmed arrival of console at 12:20.  Description of problem was
    "contaminated game cartridge receptacle".
    
    It came with instructions to clean all rented game cartridges with
    ISO Alchol using a cotton swap, prior to cartridge insertion.  If
    contamination was "sugar based" use simple water.
    
    $30.00 & 7 working days...not bad!
    
    :-)
    

    The kids here have been blowing into the cartridge where the
    gold fingers are exposed.  It seems to work.  Are they moving
    dust or depositing moisture??
    
    It seems a lot like the results from too many module insertions,
    I don't know if the gold is contaminated, oxidized or worn.
    
    						MWR
    

    Since the return of my machine, I have continued to rent game
    cartridges.
    
    Several new ones, like "Defender of the Crown" I didn't bother to
    clean - but I have been cleaning most of the others (about 5) with
    91% Iso and the swab has been black after cleaning (especially the
    older/well used games like "Double Dragon")!
    
    This may be a result of dirt contamination, oxide or both.  I don't
    think blowing would have cleaned the fingers (except for dust).
    
    The console seems to be working fine.  I guess some folks have no
    problems at all and never have to clean anything...while some of
    us aren't so lucky...I guess it's just like the guy who "babies"
    his car performing all the PM ever called for and sinking enough
    money into the car to buy it twice - vs - the 100K Toyota that has
    never had a oil filter change!
    
    Must be the stars...or the game gods!
    
    :-)
    

    
    
    	Hello,
    
    
    	I too 'am experiancing problems with my console.
        All I get is a white/blank screen
    
    	It seems that the video port on the side of the unit is going.
                    
    	I have to put downward pressure on the cable that hooks into
    	the video port of the game. I put a heavy pipe wrench on top
        of the video in  cable while at the same time wedging the wrench
    	between the audio in cable thus putting downward pressure on
        the cord in order for my console to work.
    
    	I tried different audio/video cables but still rec' a blank
    	screen until I use the old wrench trick then it works ok,
    	but this takes some doing. It's not the cables,because they
        work fine with my video camera.
    
    
    	Is this the same problem that you'all are having???
    	Is this a blank screen problem from dirt on the contacts
    	or is this a weak video port?????
    
    	Should I try to clean the game and unit contacts before
    	I send it in for repairs???
    
    
    	wayne.

    
    	Sounds like a broken solder connection inside the Nintendo Deck,
    	If your handy with a soldering iron and a piece of wire
    	you probably could fix it yourself.
    
    	Dean

My copy of Link just died with the result of a white screen coming up when I
plug it on.  However, ALL the rest of the games work fine.  Taking some advice
from earlier notes, I tried cleaning it with alcohol but to no avail.  It still
doesn't work!  Could it be I should clean the inner contacts as well?

Is my next step to try the LPS4 stuff from Radio Shack?  If this still fails
and I indeed have a dead cartridge am I out of luck? 

My son had read something in Nintendo Power about defective cartridges that 
Nintendo would fix free of charge, but I suspect my problem doesn't fall into
that category.

-mark

    We had the same problem with our LINK cartridge.  Called Nintendo
    and they told us to send LINK - ZELDA & CONSOLE to them.  Seems
    a batch of LINK cartridges were released with bad "chips"?
    Anyway 5 weeks later we received our original ZELDA(reprogrammed),
    our original console and a new LINK cartridge.
    Whatever the problem was they fixed it free of charge.
    
    Good luck,
    
    

We will send our link cartridge in as soon as possible.  Thanks!

-justin and mark-

	I have seen a slightly different problem with a Nintendo control deck
	(belonging to my sister in law, not me) Any cartridge that is inserted
	into the unit feels "loose". SOmetimes the red light just blinks and
	the screen alternates between solid grey and white (as if there
	were no cartridge inserted at all), and sometimes I'll see "partial"
	displays - screwed up graphics and bits of sound. THese partial
	displays also blink.

	Has anybody else experienced this? We have tried cleaning the contacts
	on both the deck and the cartidges, to no avail. (Boy, is that thing
	easy to take apart!)

	Roy

    Ours often does the same thing. I can get the game to display 
    correctly by moving it to the left or right by pushing on either 
    corner of the game cartridge while it is inserted into the NES.
    When our system displays the symptoms you described I usually have
    to fool around with it for a bit before I get it right. What I do
    is leave the game inserted, turn the power off, adjust, then turn
    the power back on. When "adjusting" take care not to push down on
    the cartridge releasing it. Just push it slightly to one side or
    the other at the corners.
    
    				Mel
    

	  Yeah, the "adjusting" sometimes works for us too - usually
	after the units has "warmed up" for a while. But it seems to
	be getting worse. Oh, well...

	Roy

    
     Roy,
          I was having a similar problem with my nintendo, the fix it was a 
    cleaning kit.  I got mine at the local video/game rental place but, I'm
    sure they can be found else were.  I was amazed at how dirty the
    contacts on the game tapes were.  
    
    Dan

I found that our Nintendo was acting much in the same way described here
a while back.  The games would have to be pushed in several times to get
them to start up ... they had a tendency to sit there flashing or not to
show all the graphics that were supposed to be on the screen.

Picked up a cleaning kit from Electronics Boutique ($10) and cleaned the
games and the player and it fixed the problems!!  No more reseating or 
fiddling ...  the games were fine.

Vicki

    see 699.4 for surgery.