When your NES case is busting at a rapid rate...

[FunkyPoopMonkey]

What are your options?

My 16 year old NES now works flawlessly, thanks to the replacement 72-pin and replacements buttons and pads for the controllers. However the NES itself has been through hell all my life, and is on it's last legs. It's got cracks ontop of cracks. Half of the screws are worthless because they stripped the plastic spokes they used to go into.

I don't wanna go buy another NES just for the shell, because that would be boring. I was thinking of making one out of legos. It could be an on-going project. I could add to or modify it as time goes on, and when I feel it's done, I could glue all the blocks together and it would be mighty sturdy. I planned it all out, and I think it would be easy.

Any other ideas though? We've all heard the NES in a toaster gag, so what else?

Edit: Oh and also, tell me if this has happened to anyone. The picture quality on my NES is getting worse over time I think. All vertical lines are starting to look...zig-zagged. Very badly. It's not due to interlacing. Let me attempt to explain. All the odd numbered scanlines are slightly squirming to the left, by about 1 or 2 pixels, and all the even numbered scanlines are doing the same thing, but in the other direction. This is also not typical of composite cords, and the zig zags do no move at all, like dot crawl artifacts would. And I am using an expensive shielded composite cable, and it makes no difference.

Someone on another forum told me this is typical of top loader NES's, which is what I DON'T have. They said the fix was to install some specific capacitor into an area on the motherboard that has a circle, with an X in the middle. But my old-style NES already has 3 capacitors of varying voltages and uF's, and no spots left for anymore.

Any ideas?

[Matt]

Hmm sounds like a very cool project. Think your mainboard might be fried though

[FunkyPoopMonkey]

I wouldn't say fried. The image is still tolerable. It's just a couple pixels of difference at most. Also I already thuroughly inspected all of the solderpoints within the AV box, thats connected to the mobo. I even resoldered all the points that looked connected to the composite RCA jacks. So I don't think that's the issue.

This may sound stupid, but what is this dried up brown goo stuff that seems to have leaked from most of the solder points on this system? Is it natural for this to happen? It's like the current causes some kind of corrosion.

[arrowhead]

was the "goo" always there? Because solder flux is usually a brown goo, and the flux helps the solder points join better. If they are new, maybe someone spilled a coke in it or something.

[ptr.exe]

Sorry cant help you with the dodgy out put but the custom lego case sounds sick, possibly a matching controller?

[Smiley]

I have a spare nes that you can use for the mo bo and the case, if interested.

I haven't has any problems like this with the nes, but have had the casing of my snes turn a ight-brownish color over time. Is there any known reason for that? or just cheap plastic?

While I am asking: what would anyone suggest for getting scuff marks and scratches off my dc case?

[FunkyPoopMonkey]

Okay then it must be solder "flux" or whatever you said.

I need to make a direct comparison of my NES's picture to someone else's first. I wanna make sure that this is a unique issue.

[Smurph]

I still have to order a replacement 72-pin connector for mine. thanks for the reminder.
= D

[FunkyPoopMonkey]

I took a pic of the NES. It looks in better shape then it truely is, because most of the cracks and damage are on the bottom, or insides. And I just today replaced the red LED with a green one, which I got out of an old computer case. Seems to work fine. It shines brighter then this picture shows.



And as you can see, the lid snapped off years ago. And yes those buttons on the controller are orange. I recently bought replacement buttons for 2 NES controllers. Now they perform like new, but they look different.

[crc73]

While I am asking: what would anyone suggest for getting scuff marks and scratches off my dc case?

Dunno about the scratches, but you might be able to get the scuff marks out with a rubber (an eraser to you guys in the US).

[Raijin Z]

NES: If I had time and money, I'd trash the original case, change the edge connector to suit vertical insertion, and build a Nintari style case. Something like a cross between the Atari 5200 and the Famicom. Hell, maybe a couple such mods, and convince people it was a prototype Famicom from Atari. Who's to say they didn't have plans, just because they didn't accept Nintendo's offer?

Dreamcast: Or purchase a dremel tool and buff the scuffs out... but you'll end up with smooth spots.

[dallanwagz]

I have a spare nes that you can use for the mo bo and the case, if interested.

I haven't has any problems like this with the nes, but have had the casing of my snes turn a ight-brownish color over time. Is there any known reason for that? or just cheap plastic?

While I am asking: what would anyone suggest for getting scuff marks and scratches off my dc case?

yes, get a bottle of nail polish remover, but it on a paper towel and rub away. It works like a charm, i have already done it several times

[Sir Savant]

Superglue the bottom.

Buy a case for the bottom

Make a portable nes using the original case (I am making another. YAY!)

New case out of busted nes cartridges.

XBOX NES

Put your nes in a vcr.

Nes PC

[VB_User]

buy a new nes for 5 bucks and put the pins in it..........theres a surplus store here where i live that has bout 100 genesis and 200 nes systems for 5 bucks each so im sure you can find one for cheap

[FunkyPoopMonkey]

buy a new nes for 5 bucks and put the pins in it..........theres a surplus store here where i live that has bout 100 genesis and 200 nes systems for 5 bucks each so im sure you can find one for cheap

No, no I can't. My town has one tiny gamestore that has no more then 50 games on assorted systems. It's THAT tiny. If they even get an NES, it goes for $25.

[Smiley]

I have a spare nes that you can use for the mo bo and the case, if interested.

I haven't has any problems like this with the nes, but have had the casing of my snes turn a ight-brownish color over time. Is there any known reason for that? or just cheap plastic?

While I am asking: what would anyone suggest for getting scuff marks and scratches off my dc case?

yes, get a bottle of nail polish remover, but it on a paper towel and rub away. It works like a charm, i have already done it several times

Worked well, thanks!

I have seen some I guess gold-plated nes pins on ebay that say that they last longer and are more reliable than the standards. They are a little more than wha you'd pay for the standards; anyway, has anyone used them?

FunkyPoopMonkey:I like the green led in the nes. MAYBE next you should paint the case, and go a little extreme.....btw, the leds for the nes are 5mm, right? I might try putting a different color in mine....

[FunkyPoopMonkey]

btw, the leds for the nes are 5mm, right? I might try putting a different color in mine....

I have no clue. I just found this old green LED from one of my old computer cases, that I don't need anymore. It was the exact same shape as the NES red one, so I swapped.

[DCFan2004]

btw, the leds for the nes are 5mm, right? I might try putting a different color in mine....

Yeah, they are 5mm and 5V

[paulbecky2004]

looks pretty nice, i love the shape and layout of the NES. i always think the black stripe down the rigt hand side looks like black duck tape holding them together!