Editing Super Famicom Maintenance Guide (section)

== The cartridge connector ==

The cartridge slot is a 62-pin edge connector and it is the first thing Nintendo blames for three of the ten faults above.<ref name="nintendodiag" /><ref name="fullsnes" />

Nintendo's own instruction was blunt: '''"Do not attempt to clean 62 pin connectors; they should be replaced."'''<ref name="nintendodiag" /> That was written for warranty service centres with a parts bin, and it is worth reading as a statement of how much Nintendo trusted cleaning rather than as advice for a modern restorer with no source of new connectors. In practice, cleaning is what people do and it usually works — but if a console keeps coming back after cleaning, Nintendo's view was that the connector itself was the problem.

In contrast to the NES-001, the Super Famicom connector is a conventional edge connector, so inserting and removing a cartridge does wipe the contacts. That is why the Super Famicom does not have the NES's reputation for needing constant attention.

* Clean the '''cartridge''' contacts as well as the slot. A cartridge with tarnished contacts will dirty a clean console.
* Isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free swab or a contact-cleaning card. Never metal polish and never an abrasive on gold plating.
* Inspect for bent pins and for cracked solder joints where the connector meets the mainboard.