Topic: difficulty putting NES back together

hey guys i recently bought my first nes but been having some trouble getting it working. i got 2 games with it DK classics and mario bros. dk worked quite well most of the time but was having a hard time getting mario bros going, most of the time just getting a gray screen. the games were off a friend though so dont know how well they were looked after. so i picked up top gun, marble madness and digger t from a retail store near me. none of these games worked except top gun once. i assumed it must be the nes since these games were surely tested before being sold (i trust the store btw).

so anyway i thought it might be the alignment of the connector pins so i took it apart put a game in and screwed it into place ( i also disabled the lockout chip) tested it with the lid off and if anything its worse, managed to get DK to work once. but even still I cant physically put it back together the front of the drawer seems to get caught on the block on the front of the cart holder. the back fits flush but i cannot get the front to lay flat. i cant understand it because everything is screwed down in its original spot.

so anyone got any tips for
1)getting it to read the carts (seems like a problem with the nes since 4 out of 5 carts wont play)
and
2) getting the bloody thing back together

thanks in advance guys

Sounds like the NES isn't too functional. You may need to replace the pin connector — you can buy replacement pin connectors from lots of places online and it's easy to just pop out the old one and replace it (though you may want to check for a how-to online just to be safe).

Without seeing the inside of your NES, it's hard to say why you're having trouble putting it back together — from having taken apart my own NES many many times, i can say that some of the parts (like the metal housing part that goes over everything) fit in very precisely, often sliding under other parts. So even if it is screwed back together properly, if (for example) a lip of the metal housing is not aligned in exactly the right way, the case may not close properly. Another thing to look for is that there are a few very small wires (on the right half of the console, if i remember correctly) that have a knack for getting caught under other pieces when you reconnect everything. That will definitely throw off the alignment.

Good luck!

You can also boil your pin connector instead of replacing it

thanks guys going to have another crack at it tonight and ill get back to you. im sure the connector should be okay it looks brand new and although i bought it from a friend i know he didnt play it much and its got a sticker on from a local retro game shop that i know wouldn't sell faulty gear. Im almost certain its some sort of alignment problem.

that boiling video looked pretty good actually ill give it a go if all else fails. i want it to work so badly.

just thought id come back and say the boiling worked a treat also it wasnt fitting back together due to the small lip on the bottom of the cart holder i didnt notice it so was sat on top of the board not underneath.

i would recomend the boiling method to anyone having trouble getting there nes to play games.

@Big_L91
Awesome, great to hear you've got it working!

yaaay, success!