If your game cartridge is having difficulty booting or running consistently the first step is to clean it. 99% of all game issues are due to dirty pins on a game cartridge.

Prerequisites: Q-Tips, 99% rubbing alcohol, Eraser, Tools to open your game cartridge

Before you being cleaning your game cartridge, evaluate the golden pin connectors on the PCB in the game cartridge. If the golden pins or material around them appears heavily corroded, or pitted, we suggest cleaning your game cartridge with alcohol only (skip the steps using an eraser).

1 — Prepare a clean and flat workstation. If you would like to be as safe as possible, consider using an ESD tool to avoid static discharge.

2 — Disassemble the plastic from your game cartridge. Make sure to use the correct tool for the cartridge you are disassembling.

3 — Separate the inner PCB from the plastic. Lay the inner PCB on a flat surface.

4 — With the eraser, scrub the golden pin connectors vertically, in the direction of the way the cartridge is inserted, until they are clean.

5 — Apply rubbing alcohol to the q-tip. Enough so it is wet but not overly hydrated.

6 — Scrub the golden pin connectors vertically, in the direction of the way the cartridge is inserted, to remove the residue left over from the eraser and further clean the golden pin connectors.

7 — Wait for the PCB to dry. Reassemble.

8 — Your game cartridge is now clean.