Help with NES repair

[Mailmann006]

I have a model one NES and I get these small wavy/squiggly lines when I try to play it. Someone told me it was the 72 pin connector, so I replaced that. Now all my games work great, but I still have the lines. I tried different adapters and av wires/rf units to no avail. I hear it could be some kind of interference cause by the large capacitor in the av unit going bad. Does anyone know what might cause this or any way to fix it? Thanks!

[Jazzmarazz]

Lets get a pic of the lines you mentioned. As far as the 72 pin connector, that will not change anything. With a dirty or damaged connector, you'll either have no game or massive graphical glitches. Squiggly line are minor. I want to say that you have a RF box issue or maybe even an AC problem. Checking your capacitors is definitely a good idea too.

[Knightshade]

Lets get a pic of the lines you mentioned. As far as the 72 pin connector, that will not change anything. With a dirty or damaged connector, you'll either have no game or massive graphical glitches. Squiggly line are minor. I want to say that you have a RF box issue or maybe even an AC problem. Checking your capacitors is definitely a good idea too.

I knew you would be the one to help him Jazz @ mailman I have nothing really useful to contribute but I hope you get it fixed.

[Mailmann006]

Here are some pics. It's not that bad but it's annoying because I like all my stuff to run perfect Also, I used 3 different adapters, 3 different rf units, and 2 different sets of AV wires, along with 3 different TV's and it's the same on all of them. Here are the pics. I put it on the 110 inch so maybe you will be able to see them. Thanks for the post.

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I think the first pic shows it best.

EDIT: Also, I know it looks minor, but the camera does no justice in the projector room. It is really obnoxious in person, especially on larger tv's.

[Jazzmarazz]

Definitely strange. I did some reading on on other forums and a few people fixed it with a new cap in the NES.
Just as I thought, a cap was the culprit. I can't guarantee that this will fix yours but it is my best guess.

Start by finding out the value of the power cap just inside the NES.

[Mailmann006]

I can find the cap value, but do you think I could test it with a multimeter? I usually use mine for trivial things like pot tweaks and to check batteries... I don't think it would be too hard to replace the cap being that nintendo used all through-hole soldering so I might be able to get to it from the bottom of the board because the av unit inside is impossible to open without unsoldering every damn connection lol. If the local pawn shop ever did me dirty I'd just buy one there, swap the guts, and tell them that it doesn't work right, but as of now they are in the clear so I think I'd be a little ashamed to do it at the moment.

[Jazzmarazz]

I dunno. It states here that testing with a multimeter will not work well:
http://www.ohmcheck.com/capacitor.htm
You will have to remove at least one pin of the cap, which means you have to get into the metal box....
Your choice: open the box or swap it for the pawn shop's NES.

[Mailmann006]

And another day spent pondering the sins of the future lol. I'll see if I can find a proper cap and I'll just replace it and see what happens. I'm sure it's probably like a 50 cent oddity cap from amazon. Thanks for the help.

[Jazzmarazz]

I hope the new cap fixes it. Maybe you can do a before and after pic/tutorial.
A lot of other people on the internet didn't know what to do. You could end up helping someone.

[Mailmann006]

I think I will. I'll need one for my website anyway. I ordered the new cap. It's a 2200uF @ 25v capacitor in case anyone needs to know. Got one on amazon for like 85 cents. Should be here in a week or two. I'll post pics after it's done. Hopefully it works! Also, in case anyone ever needs to know.

C21 - 2200uF 25v
C23 - 100uF 25v
C25 - 100uF 10v
C29 - 1uF 50v
C35 - 1uF 50v
C36 - 10uF 16v

The above is a list of all electrolytic capacitors on the A/V board.

[Jazzmarazz]

Nice list! Sometimes when a cap blows, the text on it is no longer available.
Can't wait to see is C21 fixes it.

[Mailmann006]

Yeah I hope so too. My cap isn't blown, at least not from what I can see from it, I think it has just began to weaken over time. Speaking of time, only time will tell. C'mon Amazon! I'm dying to play SMB3 in all it's glory on 110 inches baby!!!

[Mailmann006]

So I popped a cap in it's ass after work today and the verdict is...... Well, it only took away about half of the interference so I can almost guarantee that there is another capacitor inside that a/v box thats going bad. Only thing is, I dont think I want to risk unsoldering so much stuff to get to it. Oh well, it doesn't look nearly as bad now, and for 85 cents, I guess I can't really be too bummed. Here are a few pics of how it went down in case anyones interested.

Always make sure to have a solder squirrel hanging around the house to hold your gun for you lols. Also a HUGE eraser to clean off any raw metal like the board connection to the 72 pin.

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Here it is opened up.

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The 2 points that need to be unsoldered

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Open holes after unsoldering.

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[IMG][/IMG]

New capacitor. They make them a little smaller now so you have to bend the leads a bit to get them in right.

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Make sure that the negative side (gray stripe) is going into the negative hole.

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And the final product. You have to trim the leads from the capacitor to size with wire cutters.

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Overall a fun little project. Too bad it didn't completely solve the problem, but it helped a lot. And... I got to bust out my solder squirrel (who also moonlights as my salt shaker)

[Jazzmarazz]

OMG I need a solder squirrel!
Sorry to hear that it didn't fully fix it. I dunno what else you can do.

[Mailmann006]

HAHA. My girlfriend found it at some store lol. It's a salt shaker. It holds an acorn full of pepper on top. Pretty sweet. One day I was doing the 12 volt fan mod on a 360 and I burnt a big ass spot in my kitchen table, so from then on, it was a solder squirrel. On another note, if I took it completely apart and unsoldered the 5 or so joints to get the box open, I bet I could get it 100 percent. I just don't want to risk it. It works a lot better now, and I'd rather have it work decent than not at all. If it ain't broken don't fix it Still a fun little project to do.