Trog cart in really rough shape - is it salvigable?

[SatoshiMatrix]

My local game store had a 50% off sale today and I picked up a number of super cheap NES games. Among them I picked up Trog, which didn't work when I tried it. I opened it and discovered why - the pins were in the worst shape I've ever seen any cartridge PCB be in.

After cleaning with hydrogen peroxide and q-tips, this is what I'm left with:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30701966@N ... otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30701966@N ... otostream/

Even after cleaning it, it refuses to run on my NES with a six month old 72 pin connector OR any Famicom with a pin adapter. I fear there is a disconnected pin or several of them.

Now I need some expert advice: is this game salvageable? What do I need to do to fix it? I suppose I could try and be a total cheapass and take it back, but I'd like to get it working if at all possible. Thanks.

[MottZilla]

At the very least you could desolder the ROMs from another UNROM board and solder the MaskROMs from Trog in place and put the board back in the Trog case. You'd basically be killing one game to revive another. Alternatively you could buy a brand new PCB from RetroZone, and manually rewire it to accept a Nintendo pinout MaskROM. You could probably reuse all the components from the original PCB like the 74 series logic chips and 8kb SRAM, not just the MaskROM.

Honestly I think the PCB is horribly damaged beyond repair. It might be possible to get it to work but a new board is best. I suggest buying this: http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.ph ... ucts_id=42

And just use wires to connect to a DIP socket to the new PCB and plug Trog's MaskROM in it, or if you are comfortable just solder the wires to the actual MaskROM. I'm not sure if you can cut traces and rewire the new PCB.

Or lastly if you have a terrible UNROM game you could do as I said and pull the old MaskROM and put in Trog. I'm sure there are some bad UNROM games that are dirt cheap but hopefully have good PCBs.

[blargg]

Yeah, salvage the chips and toss the board. Those edge fingers are in bad shape. I'd be worried about getting some of that crap on the 72 pin connector, causing the ruin to spread.

[Bregalad]

I'd be worried about getting some of that crap on the 72 pin connector, causing the ruin to spread.

I've had that once, onlly one CHR Dx pin on one cart was really dirty. Dirt contamined the connector, which in turn contamined several games, having all of them play with "dots" on the screen. I've had to open my NES, clean the connector, and clean many of my cartridge to be sure the "disease" was gone.

Personally I'd just throw the thing away and keep the case as it might always be useful. Of course you could do what MottZilla says but personally I've never been able to disolder integrated circuit without irreversibly damaging them.

[Memblers]

The gold plating has worn off. I wonder if Deoxit would be able to clean it. There are also contact conditioner products that will make it more conductive, but it's no good if the corrosion is still there.

My willem eprom programmer had developed really bad corrosion on it (jumpers were going open), I used deoxit on it and managed to save it just by cleaning it (and replacing the 'shorting blocks').

[MottZilla]

Personally I'd just throw the thing away and keep the case as it might always be useful. Of course you could do what MottZilla says but personally I've never been able to disolder integrated circuit without irreversibly damaging them.

It's relatively easy with a standard desoldering pump (looks like a big spring loaded pen) and a standard 15 watt soldering iron to remove DIP ICs from boards. It may take you a little time but generally damaging the PCB is more of a concern than the ICs. The ICs are a lot more durable in my experience. It shouldn't be a big deal saving the Trog PRG-ROM.

If you don't want to do it please give the cartridge to someone that will salvage it.

[3gengames]

I've repaired games with those bas connectors. Get a cloth, we the connector, then run it over with Wiemans stovetop cleaner, add some elbow grease and about 2 minutes of rubbing, and it'll get close to 95% of that off. I saved a couple of my games like that. In just as bad of shape, too.


And worse comes to worse, I'm sure someone would be needed a cart shell for another game!

[marvelus10]

Try using some metal cleaner I use a product called Wenol can be found in a tube at local auto parts store. Even try and eraser.

[joe1088]

Looks like the original owner didn't read the cautions

[Tormenter]

Try using a big block (pink) eraser, itll clean up some of it

[3gengames]

You'll need a few thousand pink erasers as that corrosion won't come off with those.....Yet again, do the weiman. I will guarantee it will work and be as nice as new with it.

[blargg]

When I was a kid and had a model railroad, I remember an eraser for cleaning the electric rails. It had metal grit mixed in with it, so it was like steel wool or sandpaper, but milder.