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Disassembling Nintendo 64 Cartridge

Device	Nintendo 64
Difficulty	Easy
Time	5 minutes
Steps	4

This guide is by BWest on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

When games have been in storage or used for years on end, they need to get a good dose of TLC. In extreme cases you need to crack them open to get everything. It can be tense opening up a loved game in the fear that you'll destroy it.

Alternatively, you can open up a game no one liked and make it into an innocuous enclosure for something else.

Tools: Gamebit 3.8mm; Phillips #1 Screwdriver

Parts: Game Cartridge Kit; Cotton Swabs; Brasso or Isopropyl Alcohol

Step 1

• First flip your game over and you'll see two screws using the 3.8mm "Gamebit" screwdriver bit. A 3.0U Spanner bit can also get them out.
• Take the screws out and peel the case off starting from the top taking care not to force it due to the tabs at the bottom of the cartridge. Outlined in Red
• The two halves of the case should come apart easily.

Step 2

• On the inside of the front plastic casing the game board and metal shielding are attached with two Phillips head screws. Unscrew them to remove the shielding and access the game board.
• The top of the metal shielding held on with pressure tabs. Be sure to press down firmly when reassembling.
• With the shielding off, the main circuit board and pins can be seen.

Step 3

• The only thing holding in the board is the plastic shield on the bottom of the cartridge. No screws are holding it in and is easily removed.
• Now you can fully take out the cartridge board from the casing.
• Here you can fully clean the pin set and inspect for damage to the circuit board.
• NOTE: NOTE: The top edges of the board are made asymmetrically so it can only go into the casing one way. Near the Blue Circles

Step 4

• Cleaning the pins is the easiest part; use a cotton swab and either a rich mixture of isopropyl alcohol or Brasso. Other people swear by an eraser(the white kind).
• While reassembling the cartridge, remember to put the lower plastic shielding underneath the two pins on the outer casing. There are two like this on both sides.

Conclusion

To reassemble the cartridge, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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