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Super Nintendo Cartridge Maintenence

Device	Super Nintendo
Difficulty	Easy
Time	5 minutes
Steps	3

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

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

Step 1

• On the bottom front corners of the cartridge you should see two screws using the 3.8mm "Gamebit" screwdriver bit. A 3.0U Spanner bit can also get them out.
• Once the screws are out, slide the front part of the plastic casing down to clear the tabs on the top of the case.
• The two halves of the case should open easily.

Step 2

• At this point the game board and pins are freely accessible.
• Here you can fully clean the pin set and inspect for damage to the circuit board.
• Cleaning the pins is the easiest part; use a cotton swab and either a rich mixture isopropyl alcohol or Brasso. Other people swear by an eraser(the white kind), but it can lead to damage if you're not careful. Personally, Brasso works the best.

Step 3

• 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
• Games with battery backup (allowing for save games to be stored in SRAM) allow access to the battery at this point for replacement. Most of the time the battery is a button cell: CR2032.
• CAUTION: The battery is soldered in. You will have to break it out and re-solder the new battery in.

Conclusion

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

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