cleaning cartridges

MyAnalogFuture · Oct 28, 2015

I just got a MVS cart in the mail yesterday, the PCB is filthy. Any tips on cleaning it? Was thinking rubbing alcohol + toothbrush? Then wipe down with soft cloth.

Also, any way to reduce/remove scratches on an AES cart? Or make it glossy?

Sorry in advance if this is the wrong subforum to post this in.

Karou · Oct 28, 2015

soft bristles?
skipping the cloth seems right, but do get it dry.
if contacts are poopoo I always see them say deoxit or something like that?
whats the verdict on soap and water?

??because I'm no expert! since its here already maybe other than 'plenty of times use the search function'*which cartesian shuld note works better with the forums as the site in google advanced search

plastic polisher ptex like for skis buffing wheel on a grinder or dremel :lolz:

ghettoaes

DNSDies · Oct 28, 2015

99% iso alcohol or demineralized water will work. Just let it dry for a day or two.
I've washed old SNES PCBs with soap and water and then flushed them with demineralized water and/or iso alcohol to dry them quickly.

I believe I did the same with an MVS copy of KOF2001 I got that had some nasty sticky residue on it. It worked very nicely and the cart worked just fine a few days later.

As far as getting scratches off plastic, the only real way is to buff them out. Jeweler's rouge, or any plastic polish (meguiars, etc), a chamois cloth and a lot of elbow grease.
If you're very careful, you can use a buffing wheel, but I'd test it on a scratched up CD first to get the technique down.
For deep scratches, you can try to use an abrasive like Brasso to grind it down a little, then use a polish to smooth it all out and maybe give it back some shine.

shadowkn55 · Oct 28, 2015

I use a shoe polishing brush to get rid of dust that is caked on there pretty thick. Compressed air afterwards. Dishwasher if absolutely necessary. Yaton carts pretty much get this treatment.

Xian Xi · Oct 28, 2015

WTF? Seriously, just use a toothbrush, liquid dish soap and water(distilled preferred). Use canned air to get the water out from under the flat pack chips then let it dry completely before powering it back on. That's how I clean mine.

shadowkn55 · Oct 28, 2015

Xian Xi said:
WTF? Seriously, just use a toothbrush, liquid dish soap and water(distilled preferred). Use canned air to get the water out from under the flat pack chips then let it dry completely before powering it back on. That's how I clean mine.

A little toothbrush doesn't cut it when a Yaton cart pcb looks like it's covered in dirt frosting.

wyo · Oct 28, 2015

Xian Xi said:
WTF? Seriously, just use a toothbrush, liquid dish soap and water(distilled preferred). Use canned air to get the water out from under the flat pack chips then let it dry completely before powering it back on. That's how I clean mine.

This right here.

Side note: FFS, can we please get a "how to clean" sticky thread? This question gets asked more often than any other on the entire site.

MyAnalogFuture · Oct 29, 2015

Thanks guys I appreciate it.

Xian Xi · Oct 29, 2015

shadowkn55 said:
A little toothbrush doesn't cut it when a Yaton cart pcb looks like it's covered in dirt frosting.

Pregnant women love dirt frosting.

xsq · Oct 29, 2015

all I have to add is: clean the contacts (aka "fingers") with a good contact cleaner like CAIG DeoxIt D5... it will also help keep your motherboard slot clean.

MuppeT · Oct 29, 2015

Since this topic has been discussed at least a trillion times here... I will be a innovator and suggest using an angle grinder.

Westcb · Oct 29, 2015

MuppeT said:
Since this topic has been discussed at least a trillion times here... I will be a innovator and suggest using an angle grinder.

Wyo's post covered it but I like where you are going with this :-)
I like the Bosch one it's affordable and gives your contacts that sparkling finish everyone wants. Also after the first few passes add some deoxit.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1446125841.062646.jpg

MuppeT · Oct 29, 2015

Westcb said:
Wyo's post covered it but I like where you are going with this :-)
I like the Bosch one it's affordable and gives your contacts that sparkling finish everyone wants. Also after the first few passes add some deoxit.
View attachment 29875

Bosch is a good solution .
for max effect combine with -

BladeDancer314 · Oct 29, 2015

Put the pcbs in the dishwasher

supergoose · Oct 30, 2015

Cartesian Dream said:
Also, any way to reduce/remove scratches on an AES cart? Or make it glossy?

mehguy · Nov 1, 2015

Qtips and Windex works very well when cleaning contacts. Might have to use a toothbrush instead due to the much larger size.

Craig · Nov 1, 2015

I'm more of a natural clean kinda guy...
Rain water rinse and dry in direct sunlight in my solarium...

Stupid bitch...

Liquid Snake · Nov 1, 2015

I use soy sauce to clean the contacts. Nothing beats ancient Chinese secret!

wyo · Nov 1, 2015

Liquid Snake said:
I use soy sauce to clean the contacts. Nothing beats ancient Chinese secret!

RetroTechRewind · Nov 1, 2015

Liquid Snake said:
I use soy sauce to clean the contacts. Nothing beats ancient Chinese secret!

Soak it in beer, like the Germans do. Beer seems to help.

On a serious note, I use 91% alcohol, and a makeup brush. It's thick enough to get into small areas in the board and under chips etc. Dishwasher works too, but you need to let it dry completely. This is especially good for board that had leaky capacitors. I also use flux cleaner on reallllly dirty boards with caked on flux etc.

Just don't over do it on the brush, don't want any ESD on accident. Hopefully you get your boards nice and clean!

BladeDancer314 · Nov 1, 2015

I cleaned the boards from an MVS cart with dish soap, just like if I was cleaning a dirty dish, the boards were filthy.

(STP)rOck · Mar 18, 2017

For easy cleaning of contacts I used Q-tips and a contact cleaner spray. Apply contact cleaner on Q-tip and rub every contact alongside (not across). When moving on you will notice the dirt on the Q-tip, so turn it to the clean side from time to time. If it is too dirty, change Q-tip. When finished, check if any tiny hairs of the Q-tips remain on the contacts. Remove it and let the cartridge dry. I got my games clean this way and reduced issues with graphic and sound dramatically.

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