Author Topic: N64 Pin Cleaning  (Read 217 times)

April 16, 2019, 10:36:57 PM
Read 217 times

Spoonman

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Hello TCP community! While I haven't been able to be as active on these forums as years past, I have been much more active collecting lately, which I'm happy about. I'm happy to say lots of cleaning tips I learned from this great community. I have another challenge for you all!

A work friend of mine gave me this N64 last year. I just got around to cleaning it. It was pretty dirty, so I cleaned up the plastics, opened it up, found lots of dirt, dust, dog hair, etc. Cleaned that up too. I was just about to put it back together when I noticed something way down in the pin connector. Hopefully you can see it in this picture. Looks kind of like a straw or string and something red that looks like foil or carpet fiber.

I've tried doing a bit of research online and there doesn't seem to be a way to get all the way to the bottom to retrieve that stuff from way down there. I've tried the "credit card method" with alcohol on a microfiber, but can't get all the way down there. Anybody here have different advice or experience?


April 17, 2019, 02:59:22 AM
Reply #1

sheep2001

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Vacuum cleaner doesn’t shift it?

April 17, 2019, 07:00:39 AM
Reply #2

retrosherman

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Hmm.. some really fine tweezers? Cutoff the one end of a tooth pick maybe and apply a small amount of super glue than lower it to the debris and let it dry.. and hopefully it'll stick and you can pull it right out, lol jut some ideas. I don't have an N64 atm so I don't know exactly know how small that space is.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2019, 07:06:23 AM by Spence »

April 17, 2019, 07:46:58 AM
Reply #3

Tech13

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Try a small needle. if needed bend the needle into a right angle hook.
Maybe canned air to force it out.
Definitely not superglue. That could ruin the contacts too easily.

April 17, 2019, 10:28:08 AM
Reply #4

Spoonman

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Good tips, thank you all! I hadn't thought of the vacuum. I'll try that first. Then maybe a safety pin... but I don't want to hit any of the pins in the unit.

April 17, 2019, 11:42:27 AM
Reply #5

wiggy

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Tweezers or compressed air.