best method to clean your carts? Is alcohol bad?

Tried searching but didn't really see a thread on this, so here goes:

I was actually going to replace my nintendo 72 pin and clean all my carts because im sick of having to wiggle the buggers to get them working all the time. Afterwards; I figure i may as well clean all my genesis carts while im at it too. Theyre really not that dirty at all but it couldn't hurt.

One thing though. WHen looking online i see a LOT of people saying you SHOULDN'T use Alcohol to clean the connectors. Is that true? Ive been using a bit on a q tip before and i dont think it hurt anything. I usually use 91% alcohol and wipe down both sides (and the walls afterwards) then follow it up with the dry side

some guides i saw for the nes (which should work fine for genesis carts too) suggested a couple products.
One called weimans cooktop cleaner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4zWI...os=M7u0ABJWuuE

and one called brasso brass polish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEqhg...os=RlopYPHAZEk

anyone tried either of those? The guy that uses brasso is one of the people i heard say NOT to use alcohol. He uses a solution cut down 50% to wipe the residue off at the end. The weimans just seems odd to be, especially if ones worried about residue, but the people on nesforums seem to swear by it

I just dont want to use anything that would hurt the contacts on my NES carts or genesis carts. I never thought alcohol would be a problem. So what should i use? I notice nintnedo reapirshop has some of its own cleaner product:
http://www.nintendorepairshop.com/pr...or-SEGA-games/
but thats probably over priced especially for how little you get. And im guessing its some kinda non conductive brass cleaner and some alcohol wipe solution

btw for the bit to open the carts: this is what i need right:
http://www.nintendorepairshop.com/pr...Security-Tool/

alcohol is a solvent that can damage plastic, but a tiny bit on a q-tip will evaporate long before it can do any damage. ive been using rubbing alcohol for 15 years and it has never caused any permanent damage to any of my games.

im not really concerned about the plastic so much as i am the actual contacts

http://www.cgquarterly.com/articles/cleangames.htm

Chris

Alcohol-based solution is GREAT as it removes dirt, then evaporates whilst leaving no residue.

My procedure for cleaning Mega Drive cartridges is thus:
1) purchase bottle of spectacle lens cleaning spray from Boots
2) purchase pack of 200 cotton buds from Wilkinsons
3) take one cotton bud, spray one end with lens cleaner solution
4) Firmly apply damp end to cartridge contacts. Examine regularly to go 'urgh' at filthy games.
5) Use dry end to dry off excess solution & grime. Simples.

It should then just 'click' into place in the cartridge slot.

Alcohol is just fine... unless it's Captain Morgan. ;)

Isopropyl Alcohol will not hurt your cartridge games, or your CDs, or your DVD cases, your laser lenses, etc. etc. I even clean my inserts with alcohol (I wait until it's just slightly damp and then quickly swipe, mostly to disinfect when questionable substances are on the surface). The only time you need to be careful is with games with paper (note I said paper, not laminated paper) labels. These are very few and mostly off-the-wall unlicensed games and a handful of Majesco Genesis re-releases.

I use off-the-shelf 50% rubbing alcohol because it remains long enough to properly swab and then swipe again with the dry side (the dry side is what removes the dirt since the wet side is already saturated). As long as the game is dry before you put it back in the system, you should be fine. Rubbing alcohol is the cleaner of choice for just about any electronic connection, I've used it for almost everything under the sun. Also, I've NEVER noticed any plastic being damaged from rubbing alcohol.

Quote:

---

Alcohol is just fine... unless it's Captain Morgan.

---

:lawl:

I've been saying this on boards for a couple years now and no one ever responds or seems to care, but there's no reason you can't just use a regular Qtip and clean the cart with it as is. No need for any solvent or anything, just a plain Qtip being rubbed across the board will pick up all dirt. I've done it lots of times and it makes carts that were filthy and non-working work like new again, all without the risk of alcohol destroying it or something.

I don't understand why people find the need to add some sort of liquid to it, it doesn't help clean it any better to me. Simple and effective.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bramsworth

I've been saying this on boards for a couple years now and no one ever responds or seems to care, but there's no reason you can't just use a regular Qtip and clean the cart with it as is. No need for any solvent or anything, just a plain Qtip being rubbed across the board will pick up all dirt. I've done it lots of times and it makes carts that were filthy and non-working work like new again, all without the risk of alcohol destroying it or something.

I don't understand why people find the need to add some sort of liquid to it, it doesn't help clean it any better to me. Simple and effective.

---

haha a regular q-tip will not remove 15 years of dirt , fist dip the q-tip with rubbing alcohol then use a regular q-tip to dry

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bramsworth

I've been saying this on boards for a couple years now and no one ever responds or seems to care, but there's no reason you can't just use a regular Qtip and clean the cart with it as is. No need for any solvent or anything, just a plain Qtip being rubbed across the board will pick up all dirt. I've done it lots of times and it makes carts that were filthy and non-working work like new again, all without the risk of alcohol destroying it or something.

I don't understand why people find the need to add some sort of liquid to it, it doesn't help clean it any better to me. Simple and effective.

---

I am not completely dismissing this theory. I read the other day where laundry detergent may not even be necessary in your washing machine. The argument was that for centuries people just beat their clothes against rocks in a stream. However, it sure feels and smells (key here) cleaner to wash your undies in laundry detergent, if you know what I mean.

Anyone who played with HO electric trains or AFX slot car tracks as a kid knows fully well that rubbing alcohol worked like magic on the electrical rails. The real key was to go over the rails of either the train tracks or the slot car tracks with fine grit sandpaper, followed by alcohol on a cotton swab. The concept is exactly the same with game cartridge contacts. They are simply a conductor between the PROM chip and the game system PCB. No different than electric train rails.

Now, just don't go crazy with the sandpaper. I would recommend the use of sandpaper only every ten years or so, when you notice that alcohol alone isn't quite doing the job.

Nope, plain swab/q-tip (or rolled paper towel) will only get SOME dirt or in cases of light build-up MOST dirt. What I do for dirty cards (and other contacts) is first go over it dry until little is coming off, then go dampened with alcohol until little more comes off, then dry again. Sometimes there's hard oxidation or corrosion and you need to resort to polishing/sanding.

Find a good tutorial online, many known electronic sites cover electronic cleaning, that way a possible experiment wont screw your games.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tz101

I am not completely dismissing this theory. I read the other day where laundry detergent may not even be necessary in your washing machine. The argument was that for centuries people just beat their clothes against rocks in a stream. However, it sure feels and smells (key here) cleaner to wash your undies in laundry detergent, if you know what I mean.

---

-_-

Washing with detergent has the twofold function of sanitizing and deodorizing them. Beating them against a rock will only bang out loose dust and dirt, let's see you get cow shit out with a rock and a stream, especially the smell and the germs that go along with it. Detergent is necessary, don't go the route of TheEdge with this. Whatever you read was probably the ramblings of overzealous and misguided "environmentalists" bitching because detergent doesn't sprinkle fish with fairy dust.

Anyone who has used non scented laundry detergent of whatever it is called knows how nasty clothes start to smell. My mom would buy the hypo allergenic and sucked. I can't imagine none.

Detergents are high in nitrates. We dump our dish and laundry waste water on our plants and the grow like crazy.