SNES won't read DSP games

[sheath]

I bought WeaponLord recently and the SNES wouldn't even read the cart (it was turning on though).  I cleaned the heck out of the cartridge port and the game loaded, but would either glitch out the audio when sword swinging  samples started or would glitch out the graphics and audio in game.  I tested StarFox and MKII and they worked fine, but Super Mario Kart glitches out the graphics like Zsnes used to when it didn't emulate the DSP chip. 

The effect in Mario Kart is similar to the Mode 7 glitch already documented in these forums.  I have no intention of resoldering a processor of any sort.  I mainly wanted to see if anybody has had any experience of replacing capacitors helping in this situation.  This is my second SNES to break in the last five years.  Granted both were used when I bought them, but I still don't want to pay full price for yet another one.

[l_oliveira]

You could get a hold of a SNES test cartrdige (I personally recommend the newer "SNES Burn IN test instead of the older test cartridge) rom and make it into a cartridge.
Most useful for repairing the SNES.

[sheath]

That sounds like a good possibility, what do these things run.  A quick search didn't reveal any prices.  I can probably snag a banged up SNES for a reasonably low price.

[phreak97]

clean the cartridge edge connectors. I find opening the games up and using fine wet and dry sandpaper works well.

[Midori]

That's not a good solution in my opinion, you'll paper down part of the connector. That's destructive against the game cart in the long run, a practice that should be avoided.

Use some cleaning alcohol instead or put the game in the dishwasher, the later works fine. Just dry it properly before use.

Don't wash games with batteries though, if you need to do that remove the battery first! The water may short circut the battery, that is also a practice that should be avoided :-)

[brody]

I have always found rubbing a good pencil eraser over the dirty contacts on a games cartridge to bring them up lovely and clean, no need to crack out the dishwasher!

[phreak97]

you can clean them with alcohol etc too.
dont go nuts with it, you can see if youv'e gone through the plating or not.

you should never have to wash the whole pcb, youll end up with moisture stuck under the ic's.

[l_oliveira]

Sandpaper: no
Pencil eraser: Yes, please

Basically, mind what Midori said.

[phreak97]

its not just sandpaper, it's very fine for automotive bodywork..

[kendrick]

I think everyone's objection to sandpaper is that it wears away the metal of the contact as well as the corrosion that might be built up. It's the difference between washing your car and using the clay to strip off the top layer of paint. You can do the former a bunch of times, but the latter only once or twice before you hit the layer underneath.

This is a perfect opportunity to post a reminder that all the information on GamesX is given person-to-person and doesn't constitute professional advice or guaranteed solutions. What we do, you do at your own risk.

[phreak97]

yeah ofcourse

my process is:

test cart with n cleaning, if it works, ok cool.

if not, clean edge connector with a cotton bud (Q-tip) dipped in shellite

retest, if it works, ok.

if not, open the cart and clean the edge connector with fine grit wet and dry. if it doesnt work after that the problem is elsewhere.

[sheath]

First, I'm sorry that I missed all of the activity in here, I just figured the thread was dead when I didn't get a response.  Second, Hi KKC! *Waves*. 

Now, cleaning the carts and cartridge port of the SNES was my first attempt to test whether the thing actually was broken.  For several years this SNES, like my last one, had been temperamental about loading carts, half the time I'd get a black screen until I cleaned the cart with rubbing alcohol.  It could be something wrong with the cart port itself, or possible something wrong with the way the cart port is hooked up on the board.  I also was thinking about trying a universal AC adapter, to see if the SNES was getting enough power. 

At any rate, your posts confirmed my suspicion that this is not a widespread issue with an easy fix.

Scott H

[red5standingby]

have you tried opening up the console and look to see if any of the capacitors are blown or leaking that might be the problem..how old is your console? cause when mine wasn't working it was some of the capacitors that had gone out. try checking them first and tell me what kind of results you get.

[sheath]

None of the caps are visibly popped, but I've never seen a surface mount capacitor pop (See GG soundboard).  I suppose it might be worth it for me to try to replace all of the board caps. 

Man I hate replacing more than a couple of these at once though, I just can't seem to get the electrolytic cap legs to stick to the board half the time.  I still have a GameGear in the garage that I'm halfway through replacing the caps on, but two of them just won't stick.  I'm using a Weller WLC100 with a fine point tip that works great for everything else.  Soldering joints through the board is so much easier for me.  Any soldering tips and tricks, beyond the obvious basic stuff I mean, would be much appreciated.

At any rate it occurred to me to try another AC adapter, I'll give that a shot this week if I have a chance. 

[l_oliveira]

They won't stick because the copper track was ripped out of the board and is still stuck on the original capacitor... It's pretty easy to do such mistakes, even more when the capacitor leaked and corroded the copper under it. >.>

[sheath]

That makes sense.  So did I ruin the connection or is there some way of correcting my error with a soldering iron?  Also, in the future what can I do to prevent this from happening with surface mount caps.  All of the online instructions tell you to simply rock the thing loose from the board, which has almost always worked for me. 

This GameGear would be my first attempt at replacing every cap on the thing, and I've gotten stuck.  So.... unless I get unstuck or have better techniques to use, there is no way I will try the same with a SNES.

[l_oliveira]

The only way to "safely" remove such caps are heating both sides at the same time. Even when doing it correctly you risk breaking the pads.
You're doing the best you can I'm sure. Anyway it's possible to (after you clean the board) glue the new capacitor and use a small piece of wire to make it connect to where it's supposed to. For that you remove the protective  ink on the remaining copper track and that should work.


If you have power up problems on GGs, it is usually dry or leaked capacitors on the POWER SUPPLY board.
The ones on the main board will cause either CPU to  fail to boot or crash often. Also screen bright/contrast problems.

The ones on the sound board are quite obvious when they fail...

Anyway I don't think I EVER replaced capacitors on a Nintendo system.
My 1990 Super Famicom console still play like a champ (after the PPU1 problem was solved which was the only fault it ever had, check the board for pictures of the issue)

[sheath]

My old SNES died totally shortly after the new AC Adapter was plugged in.  I thought it might have been a power issue, I guess this confirms it, though it doesn't confirm whether any cap replacements would have helped.  I still have the board, but since a friend gave me a beaten up SNES that worked fine, I swapped the hardware out and am back up and running.

Now to figure out why this particular Croc Saturn CD causes 3D objects to clip or simply not appear on screen.