DP MYTHBUSTERS : Blowing in NES Cartridges

[Polygon]

Well, since it's here I'll drop a couple of comments.

When you blow into a cartridge you impart moisture on the contacts. And it's not moisture from your breath. Because the steam from your breath will evaporate within a couple of seconds. When you blow on a cartridge, with that expelled carbon dioxide there is small amount of saliva. Saliva contains a lot of bacteria, minerals, and is also a mild solvent. It is not something you want sitting on electrical contacts, or any part of an electronic device for that matter. It will slowly eat at the electrical contacts through corrosion.

Oh, and patina is just a fancy word for corrosion.

[wiggyx]

Well, since it's here I'll drop a couple of comments.

When you blow into a cartridge you impart moisture on the contacts. And it's not moisture from your breath. Because the steam from your breath will evaporate within a couple of seconds. When you blow on a cartridge, with that expelled carbon dioxide there is small amount of saliva. Saliva contains a lot of bacteria, minerals, and is also a mild solvent. It is not something you want sitting on electrical contacts, or any part of an electronic device for that matter. It will slowly eat at the electrical contacts through corrosion.

You expell far more N2 and O2 than you do CO2, just so you know.

It's far more likely that the exhaled air, which has a relative humidity level of 100%, would evenly coat the contacts than a random spattering of saliva. Blow on a price of glass and let me know how much saliva is still there after the water evaporates. That small amount of moisture need only be present for a seconds. How long do you think it takes to insert the cart after blowing on it? That moisture will have a hard time escaping from two contacts pressed against each other, and as someone else already said, it only takes a very, VERY small amount to promote conductivity.

Water + O2 = corrosion. Sure, saliva will hasten the process (as evidenced by my story), but is NOT a requirement for corrosion by any means.

Oh, and patina is just a fancy word for corrosion.

No shit.