I'll start by saying that I'm new to NES collecting as I've been strictly atari most of my collecting life. I purchased a top loader for a decent price a month or so ago and have a small collection of games. Now, in a thrift store a couple days ago I bought a toaster NES with 5 games.
Now, from what I've read on these and other forums, many diehard NES fans prefer the toaster over the top loader for a few reasons which I'm sure you all know so I won't bother going there. Suffice it to say, the reason I bought a top loader was because over the years, on and off, of trying to get a decent working NES toaster, I've NEVER been successful. Even when I went on ebay years ago to get a replacement for the pin connector (a gold one IIRC), it didn't seem to work. Just that damn blinking light.
So my question is - can a toaster be successfully restored to be a reliable machine? If you or I walked into a thrift and bought an NES toaster and it had the blinking light problem, what are the chances it could be fixed and made reliable?
I'll admit I haven't tested the one I just bought but I'm sure it will be a frustrating time when I do.
Assuming the pin connector needs replacing - is it worth it the hassle - the time and money on something that may or may not work?
How much success have you guys had in getting old toasters working? Is it a crap shoot or is there some trick to making them reliable machines? Any hints or advice on how (or if) I should proceed in getting or fixing an old NES toaster would be appreciated.