DIY Console Maintenance: Metals

Metals serve a number of purposes in our consoles. They provide both rigidity for structure and conductivity for heat and electricity. Over the years, metals can tarnish, rust and corrode (even if stored well). Let’s take a look at some of the common types of metal-related maintenance you can do to your retro consoles.

Disclaimer: Just like anything, these methods require finesse and common sense. Make sure the console isn’t plugged into the wall while working on them and go easy with any of these methods to prevent damaging your system (also wear safety glasses while dremeling). Not that you have a warranty at this point, but any of these methods would likely void it (I supposed a used game store might warranty something they sell for a limited time). So use these methods at your own risk.

Electrical contacts like those in NES carts can become corroded over the years. It’s a fairly standard practice to blow into a cart to remove dust. Unfortunately, this can leave condensation or human saliva, which can corrode the pins (even to the point of removing traces from the board). It’s been discussed before, but there are much better ways to clean these contacts (the prime method being 90%+ alcohol and q tips to remove dust particles). If you notice your pins aren’t looking so great, you can try a fiberglass pen or a micro-abrasive pad to remove corrosion and reach bare metal again.

(two examples of cartridge pins that need to be cleaned)

Battery connectors (like the battery compartment of a Game Boy) can be corroded from leaky batteries or exposure. For acid damage, I’ve had fantastic success with both vinegar and alcohol paired with a simple toothbrush (the acid crystals are very soluble so clean right off). A brush seems just right to get into the spiral and around the flat part to clean off the light-blue residue and expose the bare metal.

(acid-ridden battery terminals on the left and cleaned up battery terminals on the right)

All controller buttons (that I’m aware of) work by completing an electrical circuit. For most, when you press the button, a carbon pad connects two sides of a circuit. Old controllers sometimes have intermittent button issues because there are two points of common build-up/corrosion that prevent the circuit.

First, the male or female connector at the end of the cable may be corroded from exposure to water or atmosphere and these can be hard to clean. For the connector, I would try a small file or Dremel bit. There’s also the corrosion left on the console’s controller ports. It’s very hard to clean these ports without making a tool yourself.

Second, the board contacts below the rubber membrane on control pads can be covered with carbon left-over from the pads. Usually a thorough scrubbing with a q tip soaked in alcohol will clean these up (they’re fine being darkly colored like that so don’t think they need to be shiny to make a contact). Just keep cleaning them until no more carbon is being cleaned off (cleaning too much or with a metal brush can remove the surface too much).

(controller button pads from a Game Boy)

You can clean the carbon off the board pads like you could any connector (though refrain from using sandpaper). Also, sometimes the carbon pads are shiny and need to be roughed up very slightly to work.

(fiberglass pen and 3rd party NES pad with pads to be cleaned – especially the set of pads on the right)

Very rarely, the connector between a power jack and the board becomes damaged from repeat use and abuse. In these cases sometimes reheating the solder (re-flowing it) will restore the broken or weak electrical connection (it’s also a good idea to do this in general).

(Game Boy power jack – needs re-soldering if jack has been abused through the years)

Exposed metal on controllers is prone to rust over the years (it’s generally harmless, but aesthetically displeasing). I clean this metal with a small wire wheel on a Dremel tool, fine-grit sandpaper, or steel wool. Once you’re done, you want to put some sort of oil back on the metal to prevent future corrosion (like WD40). If the metal is chrome, cleaning will likely lead to more of the plating being removed (so something to consider).

(left – Wico Atari 2600 controller with some rust at the base, right – another Wico Atari 2600 controller with the rust having been cleaned off with a steel Dremel wheel)

Metal Maintenance Supplies

Your metal maintenance tool-kit (generally from less severe to more severe)

90% Alcohol and a Q Tip or Toothbrush – You want a high concentration because that’s less water left to contact the metal after cleaning. For larger jobs (like a motherboard) you can use this with a spray bottle, but you’ll need to leave adequate time and temperature (like an air canister or hair drier) for this to evaporate. If you apply electricity before this has fully dried, you risk the chance for an electrical short. There’s also 99% but you usually have to order that since stores won’t carry it (as the percent can be much less for antiseptic use).
Vinegar and a Q Tip – Vinegar can dissolve remaining acid or acidic residue. This is most useful for cleaning away acid residue (such as the light-blue corrosion left on copper from a leaky battery). Be sure to remove the remaining Vinegar with Alcohol or Distilled Water. I’m not sure if you can use brown vinegar, but I use the clear (with distilled water). For q tips, I buy the better brands because the cheap varieties have hollow tubes on the sticks so they’re harder to scrub.
Rubber Eraser – If you’re really concerned about harming a contact (say on a rare NES cart) you can use a rubber eraser to remove dirt from the pins. I can’t say an eraser is really effective from personal tries. Plus it leaves a rubber residue that must be removed by some other cleaner. I would recommend the micro-abrasive instead.
Boiling Water (Distilled) – I’ve used this with 72-pin connectors on toaster NESs and it does remove dirt from the connector (thanks Joe Walker for the information). Of course the component must fit in the container and I would only recommend this for similar plastics (and not circuit boards of course). Make sure the water is distilled and not from the tap.
Magic Eraser (micro-abrasive) – The micro-abrasive material is softer than the brass pins on the cart. This means you can scrub away dirt and residue without worrying about damaging the surface. Cheap brands work too but mileage varies.
Fiberglass Pen – Often used by arcade machine enthusiasts, this pen will allow you to clean up boards and bare metal without worrying about damaging the material (which is far harder). These can be had fairly cheap online, so if you are cleaning up contacts, I would recommend getting one.
Fine-Grit Sandpaper – Sometimes you have to rough up a metal surface to remove corrosion. Use a fine grit paper so that you don’t remove more metal than you need to and to avoid leaving grooves that lend themselves to further corrosion. I’ve used this for connectors that grab on to things (where I couldn’t use other abrasives).
Brass Brush – The bristles are often softer than other metals (like steel) and can be used instead of sandpaper on contacts if necessary. Also seems to be a good way to clean circuit boards, but do so sparingly (make sure the brush is appropriate – i.e. not a grill brush).
Oven Contact Cleaner / Brasso – Using chemicals on electrical contacts can be tricky and you’ll often read suggestions for and warnings against using this. I’ve used it on really grimy carts to some success, but it took several applications. If you do use this, do so sparingly and don’t leave it on for very long. I would only recommend this after physically cleaning to access the metal left on the pins.
Steel Wool / Steel Dremel Wheel – I wouldn’t recommend using this for electrical connections, but this comes in really handy in removing surface rust. Just take it easy with this (treat like sand paper).
A fine tip for a Dremel tool – Basically like sandpaper or a small file, this is really handy for cleaning the inside of connectors. Of course you want to do this by hand if possible or in quick pulses with the motor if necessary.
Soldering iron – For re-flowing solder that has become corroded and/or cracked over the years. Or to replace an electrical component that is soldered to a circuit board. If you’re going to be soldering, just fork the cash over and get a station. Temperature control is awesome.