My Super Famicom cart slot is very picky, any suggestions?

[alec]

Ok, so I bought a Super Famicom console off of ebay that the seller described as being in grade A condition. When it arrived though, it clearly was not, IMO I would give it no higher than a C. Basically, I got ripped off.

The worst problem is with the cart slot. It is very picky, and tough to get working propperly. Most of the time I have to push back on the cart just to get it to read it. To play Zelda, I had to actually wrap a controller cord around the cart with the controller behind the console just to hold the game in place so that it would register. This is the pickiest Super Nintendo I've ever seen in my life, its harder to get working than my NES even.

Is there any way to save this console? I managed to save a Neo Geo cart slot once by squeezing it together with my fingers, but that method did nothing to this system. I've tried cleaning it with water and a q-tip, but that didn't help either.

I managed to pull the tabs out of my snes to play my sfc carts. It works great, but its a shame to see this Super Fam not do what its supposed to do. If at all possible I would really like to save it.

Also, the console seems to be fairly yellow as well, is there any way I can restore it to its original grey? I also have some carts that are quite yellow on the back half. Obviously this problem isn't nearly as urgent as the cart slot, but I would like to take care of it as well once I get it read games with more consistancy.

Thanks in advance to anyone with any tips that can help my situation.

[madman77]

It's either a really dirty slot, or the card edge connector is extremely worn out. Cleaning with alcohol and a q-tip would actually be better, water is only going to make the situation worse. You might also try wetting a cart with alcohol and sticking it in the slot to clean it a little better. But, it's quite possible the connector is just old and worn out.

As for the yellowing, you're stuck w/it.

[RugalSizzler]

I used alcohol on my Super Mario Bros. 2 for nintendo and it does not work agian.

The slot might have been messed around physically in some manner. Who is the person who sold you the system?

Do they take returns?

[rbudrick]

First, clean the hell out of the slot and all the games. Next, you can tighten the slot by slightly bending each pin in, but it's a pain in the ass. Third, you can always go to MCM electronis to buy a new slot. No solder reuired for those babies. You will need the special screwdriver they sell to open it, though.

-Rob