Dusting Off A Classic (The Clean Machine)

NES We Forget...

The good 'ol Nintendo Entertainment System was definitely in need of a good cleaning - Something I'd never actually done.

(Aside from the standard "blow into the cartridge" that Nintendo always warned us not to do)














Getting the NES to load a game was like playing roulette….


A persisting “blinking red light” with the screen flashing bright and dark…. More often than not, the games refused to load.

“I've got such a bad case of dust contamination, I can barely move!"

For this NES-cessary detailing job (that apparently also includes bad puns), opted to use a vacuum nozzle to suck out as much of the dust & debris (aka. carbon scoring) as possible (from both the system and the games).


Used a third party (non-Nintendo approved) system cleaning solution (basically rubbing alcohol).
(Forget exactly what percentage is recommended, but apparently stronger is better – and will evaporate quicker).
Actually found an old third party (SNES) cleaning kit within my collection.

A hobby buddy had given me an old SMB cart that he uses for cleaning. Said to soak a Q-Tip in alcohol (I started off by using it sparingly) and slosh it around both sides of the chip. Dust has settled on the contact points due to lack of use.

Insert the game a a bunch of times (unplugging the power first!) and let it dry completely.

Took a few repetitions of this treatment to really loosen and remove most of the debris, but at least I can reliably get it to boot up and load a game.



As for the games themselves, they can also be cleaned.
After a good wipedown with a solution-soaked Q-Tip, left the game cart out with the chip towards a fan for the afternoon. Probably being over cautious, but I don't want to risk electrical shock (nor ruin any of these classics!)



Allowing the machine to run more and more, even managed to keep it alive for an entire afternoon.
Slightest bump or knock to the shelf and it’s game over – The system will usually flicker and reset itself.


These games truly are collector’s items.
However, to enjoy a proper playthru of a game I normally opt to play an Emulator just for increased reliability.

“With all we've been through, sometimes I'm amazing we're in as good condition as we are”

All Systems Go!

Fired Up About a Classic…

Thought I'd had four Nintendo systems over the years - It's actually been FIVE:
NES, SNES, N64, GCN and Wii.

So which one was more fun?
Really feel the N64 hit the sweet spot.

But for me, the old Nintendo Entertainment System is where it all began.

Although I can play any of my classic favorites on an Emluator, there's something rewarding in owning and maintaining the old NES.

Despite much frustration, actually enjoyed "restoring" my old NES to working condition.
(Somehow I feel that if I don't get it working every five years or so, it may never run again)



It’s fun to tinker with the old console and get it operational.
Normally takes a bit of fiddling (and cursing) to get her running halfway decent.

A few hints of life, couple musical notes of a game, and then a crash / freeze.
Finally, the glitchy pixels came through...



Fuzzy at first, with the game graphics all glitched up.


The longer you keep the game on, it almost seems to "burn off" some of the fuzz or dust. The graphics get less buggy and eventually the screen returns to the way it should.



Messing with the old system is literally something I found myself doing on a rainy day.
The trill of getting it working (yet again!) seemed to give a spark of excitement when it finally booted up.



Got it to run exactly FOUR times that afternoon.

First game I got to load was Super Mario Bros 2. The console wasn't doing much at first, so I was basically swapping things out and SMB2 was just the game that I grabbed.


After it froze a few times, decided to try Mario 3. Also loaded with fuzzy graphics and a few freeze-ups / crashes, but had it humming along for the better part of an hour.

When a game has been working and suddenly freezes, I find it best to gently hit the reset button instead of power.


Just taking the old NES for a spin around the block for nostalgia’s sake.
Like an old car, it’s not reliable enough for a road trip… But it's still fun to take it for a joyride.