I don’t know if it’s really cleaning, or removing static, or something, or exactly what is happening, chemically-- that’s actually me question-- but I needed some word for the thread title.
I have an original NES console. My brother got it for his birthday in 1983 or 84, and then gave it to me around 1990, when he had moved up a couple of steps, and never used it anymore.
I still have it. I dug it out of storage a couple of years ago, and found the last trove of games after the pandemic set in. I’ve got quite a few. We have other consoles, but I think this is actually my favorite.
Anyway, a lot of the games don’t play when I put them in, even if they were playing fine the day before. I just get static of the screen.
If I get a Q-tip with a little alcohol on it, and wipe off the connectors on the game cartridge, it will play just fine.
What am I doing? and is it harmful in the long run? am I cleaning, and if so, how does it get dirty so often? or does the alcohol improve the connection ability of the worn connectors, or something? or remove static?
If it’s going to be harmful in the long run, what can I do instead?