News iFixit releases a PSA on whether or not you should blow into game cartridges

[Admin]

iFixit covers the greatest question of cartridge-based gaming: how they should be cleaned, and why.

iFixit releases a PSA on whether or not you should blow into game cartridges : Read more

 

[bit_user]

iFixit advises purchasing its Precision Cleaning and/or Game Console Cleaning Kits. While iFixit products are nice, we can't help but mention the cheaper alternatives available, such as using far-cheaper compressed air for dust removal or simply combining Q-tips with isopropyl alcohol for deeper (corrosion) cleaning.

I recommend keeping around a can of DeOxIt D-series:

DeoxIT D-Series page with shop - CAIG

DeoxIT® D-Series contact cleaner dissolves oxides and sulfides that form on metal surfaces. This restores the contact’s integrity and leaves a thin microscopic layer that protects the metal. Special additives improve conductivity and prevent dissolved oxides from re-attaching, keeping them in...

caig.com

This stuff is the equivalent for old electronics that having a can of WD-40 is for sorting out aging/rusty mechanical gizmos. I most recently used it to fix a flaky scroll wheel on a digital camera! Another example would be a flashlight, where oxidation has built up on the contacts with the batteries. Be sure to follow the directions, including safety precautions.

Use with lint-free cloths. In a pinch, Q-tips can work, but require more care that they don't snag on anything and pull apart.


P.S. It's usually not worth going the extra step to use DeOxIt Gold. If you read the directions carefully, they say to apply it after regular DeOxIt D-series. If I needed to clean off the contacts of a CPU or DIMM, where someone left a big, greasy fingerprint, I'd go to the trouble of using Gold. Otherwise, no.

 

[booberry]

I recommend keeping around a can of DeOxIt D-series:

​

DeoxIT D-Series page with shop - CAIG

DeoxIT® D-Series contact cleaner dissolves oxides and sulfides that form on metal surfaces. This restores the contact’s integrity and leaves a thin microscopic layer that protects the metal. Special additives improve conductivity and prevent dissolved oxides from re-attaching, keeping them in...

caig.com

​

This stuff is the equivalent for old electronics that having a can of WD-40 is for sorting out aging/rusty mechanical gizmos. I most recently used it to fix a flaky scroll wheel on a digital camera! Another example would be a flashlight, where oxidation has built up on the contacts with the batteries. Be sure to follow the directions, including safety precautions.

Use with lint-free cloths. In a pinch, Q-tips can work, but require more care that they don't snag on anything and pull apart.


P.S. It's usually not worth going the extra step to use DeOxIt Gold. If you read the directions carefully, they say to apply it after regular DeOxIt D-series. If I needed to clean off the contacts of a CPU or DIMM, where someone left a big, greasy fingerprint, I'd go to the trouble of using Gold. Otherwise, no.

Thanks for sharing .that's an interesting product. I think that alcohol plus paper towel/coffee filters or eraser would be good enough to just clean a contact, is that right?

 

[booberry]

I'm surprised there is not an easy product to clean the cartridges off. Like a mock cartridge slot that has a brush to remove dust automatically.

Or gamers just didn't mind blowing into the cartridges to want such a product.

 

[jpow111]

I'm surprised there is not an easy product to clean the cartridges off. Like a mock cartridge slot that has a brush to remove dust automatically.

Or gamers just didn't mind blowing into the cartridges to want such a product.

There was an official product for the original Game Boy that did exactly this! Look up Game Boy Cleaning Kit.

 

[bit_user]

Thanks for sharing .that's an interesting product. I think that alcohol plus paper towel/coffee filters or eraser would be good enough to just clean a contact, is that right?

I've used isopropyl alcohol for lots of things like this. It's a solvent, meaning it can dissolve oil and grease. So, you can use it for cleaning some kinds of dirt off contacts. I most commonly use it to clean off thermal compound from heatsinks.

I've heard it's important to use isopropyl, because industrial products based on ethyl alcohol have a denaturing ingredient (which is designed to discourage people drinking it) that might be left behind as a residue. Isopropyl alcohol doesn't need a denaturing ingredient, because it's never suitable for human consumption.

I think the main benefit of DeOxIt is that you're meant to leave some residual amount on the contact, where it acts as both a lubricant and protects against future oxidation. Alcohol will not do that.