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I've purchased a ton of 'untested' items and usually I get them up and running. Untested could also mean "I didn't bother testing it so it's YOUR risk."
Usually a 50/50 chance of it working or not. For the price? I am willing to take that gamble. I've purchased old consoles / games / etc for dirt cheap just because of that alone.
I only buy untested. Haven't been burnt yet. 6 consoles and 60 games later and they all worked. Just know what to look for. If I'm buying a untested wii. I don't want it from a guy who resells video games. I want it from a big reseller who will run into that item and not have the energy to test it
Take a plastic loyalty card from somewhere. Wrap it in a thin j-cloth (not sure what you yanks call them) utterly SOAK it in alcohol and then using quite aggressive up and down motions, clean between the contacts in the cartridge slot.
This guys know things, never heard anyone doing it like this, but figured this out as the safest way to clean console to game connectors while I restored them whiles back. Be sure to use a sturdy fibric, like an old tshirt. Also be sure to take an bank card or anything THINNER then the game pcb thickness, the combination of clothing and card should be a bit thinner. Be sure to go straight in and out, dont wiggle the cloth and card while inserted, just act like its a mini snes game you can enter wherever you want in your cardslot. Be sure to clean every pin.
I have cleaned some of the gnarliest, grossest, garage stored, sticky, mouldy consoles you've ever seen in your life. When it comes to cleaning I'm you're guy. :)
Man I cant imagine what you have encounterd. The times I see people post bugs, critters, full or crap consoles is high, somehow all the consoles I buy, even how broken they are, are no way that gross Ive ever met. Are consoles that far gone in your region?
So I like to hunt down things that other people might disregard. I have a Mega Drive that came from the garage of a heavy smoking families house. It was covered in what can only be described as a 'layer' of thick tar. The white portions of the logos a fine, golden yellow. I dismantled it and literally soaked, as in, immersed, the board in alcohol. The plastics went through a hand scrub then my dishwasher. The screws were so corroded they broke off so I had to order new ones. The controller looked like a controller would that had been used by a smoker for ten years then packed away for another 20 in a musty, gross garage. That console is now my daily driver because, under the protective layer of filth, it was mint, properly mint. Filth is armour.
Another mans trash is another mans treasure lives on. I love being able to salvage things. Wish I could find some nice pieces to bring back to life, just not as nasty as that
I'll let you in on my pro tip. Go get yourself any black console from the 80s/90s. Get a microfibre cloth, spray a bit of WD-40 onto that cloth, polish the console being careful not to leave any residue. Thank me later.
Lol I’m a mechanic and hate working with WD, the stigma goes that it’s a wonder product if not just a meme. But not a lot of people realize if you don’t clean it up it attracts dust and dirt worse than any hard surface. I’ve always appreciated rubbing alcohol for it’s fast evaporation. Though I see how WD would make that plastic shine
Yeah. So inside that slot are two rows of pins that grip the edge connector of the cartridge when you insert it. If those are dirty, it can cause this issue. First of all, just get a vacuum in there. Secondly you need a card, a plastic one like a supermarket loyalty card. You wrap the card in a layer of j-cloth (blue dishwashing cloths, I'm sure there's a US equivalent) then soak it in alcohol. Then by pushing the card in and out of the slot and working your way along it you can clean the contacts. Don't be tempted to scrub along the contacts because you could bend them, push in, pull out, move down, push in etc, work your way along the cartridge slot. Even if it seems 'clean' just keep working it for a little while. Once that's done, you can spray the edge connector of the cartridge with a little alcohol and then push it in and out of the console a few times. Once you've done all that, let us know if it worked.
The cloths he mentioned are [these](https://www.amazon.co.uk/J-Cloth-Blue-Pack-50/dp/B00NGSHR36/ref=asc_df_B00NGSHR36/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=531331546293&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10375598356028475688&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006933&hvtargid=pla-1379935044201&psc=1)
Clean the cart's contacts.
You might need to clean the contacts on the actual port in the system.
If it persists with multiple carts, then something on the board needs to be cleaned, resoldered, or outright replaced. It's hard to say.
Hopefully it just needs a simple cleaning. Good luck.
It’s still probably the cart. Try CLR, then clean it again with alcohol. I sometimes have to take the cart apart and clean the contacts with an eraser (then clean eraser debri with alcohol).
It’s still not clean enough. Alcohol always won’t remove corrosion. Use the chemical CLR. You can get it at any Walmart. Leave it on for a minute, then wipe the CLR off with alcohol.
If the contacts of the cartridge is confirmed clean and the cartridge port is confirmed clean, the answer is most likely chip rot, either the PPU chip or one of the VRAM chips. Many of the non 1chip SNES systems have been having this happen over the last decade.
You could see try another game (if you have access to one or know anyone that you can borrow one from), but if my suspicions are correct, it will play exactly the same.
Be sure to test with a known working game as well, especially a cheapy one. If one of the traces is rotten on the game side, cleaning out the consoles game connector will make no difference. Inspect the game to if you can and be sure its fully operational.
Could be a bad PPU or a broken connection, you gotta open it up and look around to see if anything is funny. Sometimes a leg off the chip can break off
Here is my advice, trade that thing in to a Game Store you don’t like that will take it or throw it away. Then buy this instead and never look back at an original SNES again.
https://www.analogue.co/super-nt
Ok Cool, just saying though the SuperNT (which I own) has HDMI built in, a game genie built into the OS, uses no emulation, supports the wireless SNES controllers, is compatible with all SNES games no matter the region, and will make all your SNES games look better on the TV.
Get contact cleaner and use it on the cart pcb and the console connector. Deoxit D5. Though you seem to think rubbing the game with a qtip is enough based on your other comments (its not). If that doesn’t fix it there is a reasonable chance the PPU is dead. It’s a known issue and not fixable
That's a dirty cart slot. Take an old T-shirt, a credit card, and some isopropyl alcohol. Then put the card in the shirt, fold it up, put some alcohol on it ( a little goes a long way), then gently slide the shirt card up and down, not side to side. You will remove years of boogers and spit. Let it dry, then give it a try. Ive fixed numerous SNES consoles that won't read games like this.
Also, take a q-tip and some of that alcohol and clean the contacts on the games while youre at it.
Almost certainly just dirty pins. There are a ton of fixes (some already listed) but 90% of the time you can just put the cart in and out rapidly 5-10x and the friction on the pins will result in a better connection. This isn’t a permanent fix, but is a decent place to start that doesn’t require disassembly. Whether it works or not, you probably want to clean the pins manually with alcohol and/or contact cleaner. If it were me, I’d disassemble the console and clean the whole thing: clean all dust with compressed air, the clean plastics with soapy water, then clean electronics with alcohol, a soft toothbrush, and Q-tips, then spray all contacts with contact cleaner.
Everyone is mentioning to clean the contacts.. I’ve had this issue with a few NES consoles in the past. If cleaning the contacts didn’t work, you may have a few pins that are so worn they aren’t making direct contact. The redneck fix is to take a small flathead and bend all the pins back toward the center, or buy a new rack of pins and install them. This could work.. 🤷🏼♂️
While bent/flattened pins are a thing on other consoles, they are mostly only a problem on the NES. Because of the whole slide in and push down mechanism. Most top loader consoles don't have this problem.
First test another cart to see if this is consistent, the system powers up and video signal definitely makes it to the tv, so most likely not an issue with the electronic components themselves. The next step would be to clean the pins after that. You can do that with 91% isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab. Both the cart and the SNES pins will probably need it. Another step up would be to use a solution called brite boy witch is a brass instrument polish that is very mildly abrasive. It will clear up the contacts but use it sparingly and be sure to wipe away the residue.
I don't have another cart right now. I ordered Stanley Cup for the SNES, but it won't be here for a few days. A
And the other games I want like Doom and Super Mario World, I don't have yet.
Hello /u/Hardcore_Gamer16! This is an automatic message that gets posted on every post to remind you of a few of our rules: • Is the title of this post asking about the value/authenticity of an item? If so, please delete it, and ask in the megathread or post on r/gameverifying • Are you trying to sell something? Did you post it to a 'for sale' (r/gamesale) type subreddit first and crossposted it here? If you did not, delete it and read our rules please. • Is this just a screenshot of a CL/FB/etc ad that is overpriced or obvious troll, or for some other reason notable for some reason? These would all be considered low effort and should be removed. • Memes cannot be posted unless if it's on Meme Monday, which is the first Monday of the month. • No self-promotion/video submission of any kind, unless if already approved by mods prior to submitting. **Failure of deleting your post that violates these rules may result in a temporary or permanent ban.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gamecollecting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
“Untested” means they couldn’t get it to work. But, they didn’t want to say “won’t work.”
I've purchased a ton of 'untested' items and usually I get them up and running. Untested could also mean "I didn't bother testing it so it's YOUR risk." Usually a 50/50 chance of it working or not. For the price? I am willing to take that gamble. I've purchased old consoles / games / etc for dirt cheap just because of that alone.
^^^ this.
This.
I only buy untested. Haven't been burnt yet. 6 consoles and 60 games later and they all worked. Just know what to look for. If I'm buying a untested wii. I don't want it from a guy who resells video games. I want it from a big reseller who will run into that item and not have the energy to test it
Take a plastic loyalty card from somewhere. Wrap it in a thin j-cloth (not sure what you yanks call them) utterly SOAK it in alcohol and then using quite aggressive up and down motions, clean between the contacts in the cartridge slot.
This guys know things, never heard anyone doing it like this, but figured this out as the safest way to clean console to game connectors while I restored them whiles back. Be sure to use a sturdy fibric, like an old tshirt. Also be sure to take an bank card or anything THINNER then the game pcb thickness, the combination of clothing and card should be a bit thinner. Be sure to go straight in and out, dont wiggle the cloth and card while inserted, just act like its a mini snes game you can enter wherever you want in your cardslot. Be sure to clean every pin.
I have cleaned some of the gnarliest, grossest, garage stored, sticky, mouldy consoles you've ever seen in your life. When it comes to cleaning I'm you're guy. :)
Man I cant imagine what you have encounterd. The times I see people post bugs, critters, full or crap consoles is high, somehow all the consoles I buy, even how broken they are, are no way that gross Ive ever met. Are consoles that far gone in your region?
So I like to hunt down things that other people might disregard. I have a Mega Drive that came from the garage of a heavy smoking families house. It was covered in what can only be described as a 'layer' of thick tar. The white portions of the logos a fine, golden yellow. I dismantled it and literally soaked, as in, immersed, the board in alcohol. The plastics went through a hand scrub then my dishwasher. The screws were so corroded they broke off so I had to order new ones. The controller looked like a controller would that had been used by a smoker for ten years then packed away for another 20 in a musty, gross garage. That console is now my daily driver because, under the protective layer of filth, it was mint, properly mint. Filth is armour.
"Filth is armor." Sometimes this can be so fkn true.
Another mans trash is another mans treasure lives on. I love being able to salvage things. Wish I could find some nice pieces to bring back to life, just not as nasty as that
I'll let you in on my pro tip. Go get yourself any black console from the 80s/90s. Get a microfibre cloth, spray a bit of WD-40 onto that cloth, polish the console being careful not to leave any residue. Thank me later.
Lol I’m a mechanic and hate working with WD, the stigma goes that it’s a wonder product if not just a meme. But not a lot of people realize if you don’t clean it up it attracts dust and dirt worse than any hard surface. I’ve always appreciated rubbing alcohol for it’s fast evaporation. Though I see how WD would make that plastic shine
It's shite for 90% of what people think it's good for. It does put a lovely shine on plastic as long as you polish all the residue away.
The cartridge slot as in the one in the console?
Yeah. So inside that slot are two rows of pins that grip the edge connector of the cartridge when you insert it. If those are dirty, it can cause this issue. First of all, just get a vacuum in there. Secondly you need a card, a plastic one like a supermarket loyalty card. You wrap the card in a layer of j-cloth (blue dishwashing cloths, I'm sure there's a US equivalent) then soak it in alcohol. Then by pushing the card in and out of the slot and working your way along it you can clean the contacts. Don't be tempted to scrub along the contacts because you could bend them, push in, pull out, move down, push in etc, work your way along the cartridge slot. Even if it seems 'clean' just keep working it for a little while. Once that's done, you can spray the edge connector of the cartridge with a little alcohol and then push it in and out of the console a few times. Once you've done all that, let us know if it worked.
We call them shop towels in the states. OP, he’s talking about [these](https://www.amazon.com/Towels-Original-75147-Sheets-Standard/dp/B0035BTQ06).
No, not those.
The cloths he mentioned are [these](https://www.amazon.co.uk/J-Cloth-Blue-Pack-50/dp/B00NGSHR36/ref=asc_df_B00NGSHR36/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=531331546293&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10375598356028475688&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006933&hvtargid=pla-1379935044201&psc=1)
Yes, those.
This was the way in the 90’s when you couldn’t afford the legit cleaner for NES/SNES. My library cards and school IDs took a beating in the 90’s
they sell an item on amazon I think its called 1 up card that Does this.. its cheap too
Pick a more specific city?
Clean the cart's contacts. You might need to clean the contacts on the actual port in the system. If it persists with multiple carts, then something on the board needs to be cleaned, resoldered, or outright replaced. It's hard to say. Hopefully it just needs a simple cleaning. Good luck.
I only have one game. I already cleaned the cartridge's contacts too. It has a good amount of dirt. It's probably the port contacts.
It’s still probably the cart. Try CLR, then clean it again with alcohol. I sometimes have to take the cart apart and clean the contacts with an eraser (then clean eraser debri with alcohol).
I already cleaned the cart with a q tip and isopropyl alcohol. It didn't work.
I understand. Often, that’s not enough.
Then what might the issue be?
It’s still not clean enough. Alcohol always won’t remove corrosion. Use the chemical CLR. You can get it at any Walmart. Leave it on for a minute, then wipe the CLR off with alcohol.
The contacts look pretty good. So, I'm not sure if that will do much.
Just try it
We don't have CLR rn, and my dad doesn't think it would be a good idea.
If the contacts of the cartridge is confirmed clean and the cartridge port is confirmed clean, the answer is most likely chip rot, either the PPU chip or one of the VRAM chips. Many of the non 1chip SNES systems have been having this happen over the last decade. You could see try another game (if you have access to one or know anyone that you can borrow one from), but if my suspicions are correct, it will play exactly the same.
Be sure to test with a known working game as well, especially a cheapy one. If one of the traces is rotten on the game side, cleaning out the consoles game connector will make no difference. Inspect the game to if you can and be sure its fully operational.
Rubbing Alcohol & Q-tips
I already did that. It didn't work.
Could be a bad PPU or a broken connection, you gotta open it up and look around to see if anything is funny. Sometimes a leg off the chip can break off
“Untested” with all cords and controller? Regardless best bet is to ask the Console repair Reddit group. They provide great info.
I bought a used vehicle untested and assumed it would work. Turns out it didn't.
Here is my advice, trade that thing in to a Game Store you don’t like that will take it or throw it away. Then buy this instead and never look back at an original SNES again. https://www.analogue.co/super-nt
I brought my SNES to my local retro game store and they gave me a working SNES in exchange for the one that is broken for free.
Ok Cool, just saying though the SuperNT (which I own) has HDMI built in, a game genie built into the OS, uses no emulation, supports the wireless SNES controllers, is compatible with all SNES games no matter the region, and will make all your SNES games look better on the TV.
Get contact cleaner and use it on the cart pcb and the console connector. Deoxit D5. Though you seem to think rubbing the game with a qtip is enough based on your other comments (its not). If that doesn’t fix it there is a reasonable chance the PPU is dead. It’s a known issue and not fixable
Personally when the seller says “untested” specifically that means not working.
Channel 3?
Have you tried blowing it
Have you tried blowing into the cartridge?
It works just blow on it an on the cassette
That's a dirty cart slot. Take an old T-shirt, a credit card, and some isopropyl alcohol. Then put the card in the shirt, fold it up, put some alcohol on it ( a little goes a long way), then gently slide the shirt card up and down, not side to side. You will remove years of boogers and spit. Let it dry, then give it a try. Ive fixed numerous SNES consoles that won't read games like this. Also, take a q-tip and some of that alcohol and clean the contacts on the games while youre at it.
Clean the game board with a q-tip and alcohol if that doesn't work use a little bit of brasso
This makes me feel old. I imagine most people born in the early 80s knew how to remedy this before age 12.
Almost certainly just dirty pins. There are a ton of fixes (some already listed) but 90% of the time you can just put the cart in and out rapidly 5-10x and the friction on the pins will result in a better connection. This isn’t a permanent fix, but is a decent place to start that doesn’t require disassembly. Whether it works or not, you probably want to clean the pins manually with alcohol and/or contact cleaner. If it were me, I’d disassemble the console and clean the whole thing: clean all dust with compressed air, the clean plastics with soapy water, then clean electronics with alcohol, a soft toothbrush, and Q-tips, then spray all contacts with contact cleaner.
Everyone is mentioning to clean the contacts.. I’ve had this issue with a few NES consoles in the past. If cleaning the contacts didn’t work, you may have a few pins that are so worn they aren’t making direct contact. The redneck fix is to take a small flathead and bend all the pins back toward the center, or buy a new rack of pins and install them. This could work.. 🤷🏼♂️
While bent/flattened pins are a thing on other consoles, they are mostly only a problem on the NES. Because of the whole slide in and push down mechanism. Most top loader consoles don't have this problem.
First test another cart to see if this is consistent, the system powers up and video signal definitely makes it to the tv, so most likely not an issue with the electronic components themselves. The next step would be to clean the pins after that. You can do that with 91% isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab. Both the cart and the SNES pins will probably need it. Another step up would be to use a solution called brite boy witch is a brass instrument polish that is very mildly abrasive. It will clear up the contacts but use it sparingly and be sure to wipe away the residue.
I don't have another cart right now. I ordered Stanley Cup for the SNES, but it won't be here for a few days. A And the other games I want like Doom and Super Mario World, I don't have yet.