NES-nerds to the rescue! (Brainstorming)

[Plainsongs]

Went to my folks like a month back to visit family, and grabbed one of my NES-consoles to bring and brought it home, only to have it do the usual thing where it won't work and you kind of have to sweet talk it and warm it up and storke it gently until it's nice and comfortable enough to play games , and as usual I got it to work-- at least I thought I did. It booted to game menu and then rebooted, rinse lather repeat.

So I did what every other gamer in the history would do: I cleaned up the cartridges - nothing. I cleaned up the console - nothing. I switched out the power adapter - nothing. I even went as far as replacing the 72-pin connector - and then it wouldn't even boot to menu, but instead I got stuck with the "Red Light Of Doom". 

Now, I'm at loss - is it worth doing the 4th pin mod on this, is there even the slightest chance that it would help?
So bummed over not getting to play this row of games stuck on my bookshelf, THEY ARE TAUNTING ME.

[palmer6strings]

When you cleaned the contacts to the 72 pin connector, did you make sure to clean the motherboard contacts also? It can easily be overlooked.

[Arseen]

... and then it wouldn't even boot to menu, but instead I got stuck with the "Red Light Of Doom". 

Now, I'm at loss - is it worth doing the 4th pin mod on this, is there even the slightest chance that it would help?
So bummed over not getting to play this row of games stuck on my bookshelf, THEY ARE TAUNTING ME.

If by red light of doom you mean that the console blinks on and off with the light doing the same, it well might be that the region chip is broken.
If that is the case doing the region by-pass (which I assume you mean by the 4th pin mod) is feasable way to fix it.
If that turns out not to be the case, doing the region mod will not do any extra damage anyway.

[Dr.Agon]

+1 for disabling the lockout chip, (super easy)

[Plainsongs]

I decided to trust my guts (and/or an old memory somewhere in the back of my head) and fixed the lockout chip, which made the games play just fine, as I was hoping, so THANK YOU GUYS (also; not thank you, says my spouse who is tired of me blabbering about Famicom 64-in-1's)!

Now for a technical "problem" - after disabling the Iockout chip, my games will play just fine, all regions, BUT only when cartridge slot is not in the loaded (pushed down) position, any quick fix to this? ;-)

[Arseen]

I decided to trust my guts (and/or an old memory somewhere in the back of my head) and fixed the lockout chip, which made the games play just fine, as I was hoping, so THANK YOU GUYS (also; not thank you, says my spouse who is tired of me blabbering about Famicom 64-in-1's)!

Now for a technical "problem" - after disabling the Iockout chip, my games will play just fine, all regions, BUT only when cartridge slot is not in the loaded (pushed down) position, any quick fix to this? ;-)

That sounds like that there is something wrong with the 72 pin connector, did you put it in the correct way?

[palmer6strings]

Just know now that you broke the 4th pin on that console, it will never be able to play a few games. And from all my research it's literally only like 4 games. Be that they EXTREMELY rare it's not a big deal but still, just wanted to point that out.

[Rx_79]

I have never heard that what are the four games?

[Arseen]

I have never heard that what are the four games?

Yeah do tell us, I've never encontered or heard of any games not working.

[Plainsongs]

Pin connector is assembled correctly, yes.

What 4 games are those? I remember hearing something about that in a level magazine (Swedish gamer mag) a bunch of years back, but I can't remember what that all was about.

Just know now that you broke the 4th pin on that console, it will never be able to play a few games. And from all my research it's literally only like 4 games. Be that they EXTREMELY rare it's not a big deal but still, just wanted to point that out.

Luckily, I've got 4 or 5 unmodified spare NESs, one even unboxed ;-)

[palmer6strings]

They were games like Nintendo World Championship and Campus Challenge. I read that if the cart couldn't detect that pin it wouldn't play. It could all just be here say but ya, I'd rather be safe than sorry no matter what the case is.

I would personally desolder the 4th pin an solder in a manual switch just to be sure.

[Plainsongs]

They were games like Nintendo World Championship and Campus Challenge. I read that if the cart couldn't detect that pin it wouldn't play. It could all just be here say but ya, I'd rather be safe than sorry no matter what the case is.

I would personally desolder the 4th pin an solder in a manual switch just to be sure.

Definitely good to know, palmer6strings! Any good guide for the manual switch out there? I've just found the standard "solder to ground"-guides so far, and after being tired and mounting the new 72-pin and cleaning the console I couldn't even be bothered doing that just then

[Arseen]

They were games like Nintendo World Championship and Campus Challenge. I read that if the cart couldn't detect that pin it wouldn't play. It could all just be here say but ya, I'd rather be safe than sorry no matter what the case is.

I would personally desolder the 4th pin an solder in a manual switch just to be sure.

Definitely good to know, palmer6strings! Any good guide for the manual switch out there? I've just found the standard "solder to ground"-guides so far, and after being tired and mounting the new 72-pin and cleaning the console I couldn't even be bothered doing that just then

Just cut the leg, and then solder switch onto the cut ends so you can switch between the leg between connected or not.

Right?

[palmer6strings]

Well, I wouldn't cut the pin. Flip the board over, locate the forth pin, use some solder absorbent and get all the solder of the pin. push the pin through the board and solder a wire from the empty 4 pin hole to an on/off toggle switch then back to the actual pin.

The switch will most likely always be in the off position, but that's how I would do it.