Nintendo NES Complete Restoration Part One: Disassembly Video

 

What is a complete restoration?

 

Many times when buying used Nintendo NES consoles from eBay they will need quite a bit of work. When I say a complete restoration I mean taking an old dirty non-functioning console and making it as near to the original condition as possible. Not all defects of course can be corrected but this series will show you how to disassemble, clean (inside and out), replace the 72 pin connector and diagnose and repair the control pads on an old NES console. I don't recommend trying to restore systems that have yellowed, cracked or are missing the front panel. Even if fixed as much as possible these systems aren't really desired by buyers and it would be a waste of valuable time to try to restore them.

How To Disassemble A Nintendo NES Video

Getting Started

[caption id="attachment_142" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Find The Six Screws Holding The Outer Casing Together[/caption]

• First flip over the NES


• There are six screws holding the case together as shown


• Unscrew them using a medium Phillips head screwdriver


• While holding the case together flip  the NES right side up again

 

Getting Inside

[caption id="attachment_143" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Find The Six Screws That Attache The Metal Shielding[/caption]

• Remove the top lid


• Now we must remove the metal shield.


• There are seven more screws holding the metal casing on.


• Make sure that keep these screws some place safe you'll need them later.

Removing The Cartridge Tray

[caption id="attachment_144" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Find The Six Screws That Hold The Cartridge Tray To The Circuit Board[/caption]

• If you plan on replacing the 72 pin connector then you'll need to remove the cartridge tray


• This also helps with cleaning the circuit board


• Again there are six screws


• Keep these screws separate from the others as they differ slightly.


• Leave the tray on until we remove the circuit board as well

 

Removing The Circuit Board

[caption id="attachment_145" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Find Two Screws Near The AV And Power Outputs These Hold The Circuit Board To The Bottom Casing.[/caption]

• There are two more screws holding the circuit board to the bottom casing as shown


• Before you can fully remove the circuit board you must disconnect some wiring


• Start by disconnecting the cable that runs to the power and reset buttons


• Then disconnect the two controller ports

 

Almost There...

[caption id="attachment_146" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Now You Can Remove The Circuit Board And Slide Off The Cartridge Tray[/caption]

• Now you can pull out the circuit board and remove the cartridge tray


• You may also want to remove the 72 Pin Connector as shown


• Let's also remove the Power and Reset buttons as well.


• There are two screws holding them is place as shown.

 

[caption id="attachment_147" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Find The Two Small Screws Holding The Power And Reset Button To The Casing[/caption]

• Flip the bottom casing over


• Find the two screws that hold the controller ports as shown


• Remove the screws and take off the plastic cover.


• Now you can remove the controller ports as well.

 

[caption id="attachment_148" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Find The Two Screws Holding The Controller Ports In Place And Remove Them[/caption]

Up next...

Next we'll be looking at how to clean the Nintendo NES inside and out, fix the blinking light problem, repair the controllers and more. Stay tuned.