Repairing Your NES: How to Replace Your NES 72-Pin Cartridge Connector

So you’ve cleaned and cleaned your Nintendo Entertainment System and its power light keeps blinking.  It looks like your days of playing Super Mario Bros or Final Fantasy have finally come to an end.  But wait!  With one little part and 15 minutes of elbow grease, your NES will rise from its deathbed and play like it just came out of its original box.  All you need is a new 72-pin cartridge connector and a “Phillips” screwdriver!

First, buy the part.  (I used to sell them; now you will need to find one on eBay…!)

Once you have that, it’s time to perform a little surgery on your retro gaming wonder box.  Tip it over upside down.  Locate the six screws holding the bottom half of the NES to the top half and remove them. (The screws are located where the colored circles are in each of the images below.)  Don’t push too hard or you might crack the casing!

Step 1: Locate and remove the screws that hold the casing together.

Next, lift off the top of the console from the bottom.  Watch out for those loose screws falling onto your floor!  You should see a silver metal casing.  This is the shield that prevents electrical and radio interference from affecting your NES gameplay.  It is held down by seven screws, and it needs to come off.  Warning: the metal edges can be sharp!  Gently lift it off and set it aside.

Step 2: Remove the screws that hold the metal shield in place.

Now it’s time to remove the black plastic cartridge holder casing.  This is where your NES games slide into.  There are six screws that hold it in place.  Pull it out by sliding it forward.

Step 3: Remove the screws that hold the black plastic cartridge holder in place.

The circuit board has two more screws that need to be removed to properly access the 72-pin connector.  Do so now, and you will be able to lift the entire board up enough to pull the 72-pin connector off.

Step 4: Remove the final two screws that hold the circuit board in place.

Once the circuit board is free, the connector should slide off fairly easily.  It’s probably not a bad idea to make sure you’re not chock-full of static electrical charge right about now as you’ll be handling the circuit board directly.  Most retro video game circuits are pretty resilient, but if your friends refer to you as Thor, God of Thunder, you might want to ground yourself out or use an anti-static wristband if you’ve got one.

Step 5: Gently slide off the 72-pin cartridge connector.

Now that you’ve got the connector off, check the connector for corrosion damage.  This is the point which can be depressing; if the male connector is corroded through, a new 72-pin connector won’t work.  This is a very rare happenstance, so don’t be too concerned, unless you tend to be very unlucky, that is.  We’re talking about actual corrosion.  A little dust won’t be a problem – just clean it off. 

Step 6: Slide the new 72-pin cartridge connector and reverse all previous steps!

The first part of the job is complete!  Now, slide the new 72-pin connector on to the circuit board making sure it fits snugly.  It’s time for the second half of your journey.  Simply put: work your way backwards (don’t forget the warnings you received along the way!), insert a cleaned game cartridge, and bring your NES back to life!

There was no joy in Mudville as Mr. Corrosion struck-out the mighty magisterrex at bat.