Hey all, some Japanese import games just arrived and I wanted to give them a whirl. I popped in a few games just to test and they worked great. However, I put in another game and I pushed it in a little to hard or something because now there is an annoying green band that constantly scrolls down the screen :( Now every game I put it, the band is there... Any advice as to what it is, or if and how it could be fixed? Thanks a bunch!
You broke a solder joint. Open your SNES up, and with the aid of a strong light and a magnifying glass search for tiny cracks in the solder joints around the cart slot and the video chips (the two big ones marked Nintendo). Also try pushing these chips down with the SNES on & a game inserted while looking at the TV and see if the green bar goes away. If it does, you've got cold solder joints.
Aw man.. I'll try what you suggested 133, thanks for the fast response!
One thing that I noticed is that when I power down and try again, the carts that worked fine still work fine at first... It's only after I put in Seiken Densetsu 3 that the band appears (it even seems smaller now than it was). Really strange.
133mhz is probably right; take it apart and check all the solder joints. If it's a cold solder joint, the green band will probably vary based on where the bad joint is and how it's moved when you put the cartridge in. Should be a pretty quick fix once you have it apart. ;D
Ok, I finally got around to attempting to have a looksie inside. What kind of screwdriver would I need to get this puppy open ??? These screws look rather foreign to me. Thanks!
Those are Nintendo screws. You can open them with a Bic pen! Take out the ink tube, and heat the end of the pen under the flame of a lighter until the plastic becomes soft. Then insert the soft end into the screw hole and let the plastic harden. The plastic will mold to the screw shape allowing you to screw it off easily. You may need a pen for every screw on your console, so better go to Office Depot and get a box of 'em ;).
For putting it back together, just replace them with normal screws.
Quote from: 133MHz on June 07, 2008, 08:27:22 am
Those are Nintendo screws. You can open them with a Bic pen!
You can also buy the proper heads for a socketed exchangeable screwdriver, from Play Asia:
3.8mm head (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-k6-77-1-49-en-15-gamebit-70-14z.html) (This size is used in cartridges).
4.5mm (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-28-49-en-70-140.htmll) (this is the size in the consoles)
I have a pair of my own and they're very handy for things like changing the battery in old carts etc.
You may also be able to purchase them at a hardware store. They are for sale on ebay, too, which is where I got mine for $1 each. In the meantime, for the console, as 133mhz said, bic pens will work if you can't locate the bit.