Sick of having to blow into the DS cartridge slot

[greg]

I've been doing this for years. It used to be only a few select games, but now my DS requires me to blow into the cartridge slot frequently. Sometimes in mid-game the contact with the cartridge will be lost.

Is there any way to fix this? I tried swabbing the contacts with alcohol. I'm not sure what else I can do. Please help. Thanks.

[samsonlonghair]

Blowing on electronic connectors is a temporary fix with negative long-term ramifications. Your breath contains particles of saliva. That saliva corrodes the contacts worse over time.

Here's the right way to clean a DS cartridge slot (if the damage isn't permanent already):

First, make sure the Nintendo DS is all the way turned off, not just resting in low-power mode. It would be a good idea to discharge the whole battery too. Make sure there's no electric current. This is a precautionary measure to prevent damage to your DS.

Second, Spray electric contact cleaner into the cartridge slot. Wait a few seconds for it to dry, and spray it again. Repeat as necessary. Make sure you hit every single pin in that cartridge slot. Use the included red straw to aim the electric contact cleaner.

Third, use a can of compressed air to blow away any remaining dirt, dust or debris. One again, use the included red straw to aim your blasts.

DON'T OVERLOOK THIS PART!
Finally, use the same method to clean all of your DS cartridges too - even if they already look clean. You can't always see the tiny bits of grime on those little connector pins. There's no point putting a dirty cartridge back into a clean cartridge sot.

Good luck, and happy gaming!

[Segata]

It doesn't fix anything. It's a placebo effect. Blowing on carts and such isn't fixing anything temporarily or otherwise.

https://www.geekwire.com/2014/blow-nintendo-games/

[greg]

Thank you for the information! I'll have to figure out what electrical contact cleaner is called here in Japan. I doubt even the local electronics stores even have it, since they just focus on selling products but not supplementary stuff. I haven't been on this forum for a very long time, but I figured someone here would have good advice for me. It used to just be the Japanese dictionary software that wouldn't load up right without blowing in the socket, but now it's pretty much any game.

[pierrot]

I'll have to figure out what electrical contact cleaner is called here in Japan.

接点洗浄剤（せってんせんじょうざい）
or
接点復活剤（せってんふっかつざい）

I really prefer to clean PCBs, and electrical contacts with straight isopropyl alcohol (~99%), personally. It's a little more work, but paired with a relatively stiff brush (especially if it has an open handle, that can be used to poor the alcohol onto the brush tip with), most things that need to be cleaned off will be. Generally, if that isn't enough to clean it, more elaborate cleaning is required anyway.

[greg]

I'll have to figure out what electrical contact cleaner is called here in Japan.

接点復活剤（せってんふっかつざい）

I found it! I went to K's Denki and at first the clerks there were telling me that they didn't have such a thing, so I asked them to show me where the screen cleaner stuff is. Lo and behold, there it was. Sometimes I just have to trick the clerks into helping me. Thanks for your help, guys. My DS gets more use from my daughter these days, and she's constantly frustrated with the whole blowing thing.

[CRTGAMER]

I'll have to figure out what electrical contact cleaner is called here in Japan.

接点洗浄剤（せってんせんじょうざい）
or
接点復活剤（せってんふっかつざい）

I really prefer to clean PCBs, and electrical contacts with straight isopropyl alcohol (~99%), personally. It's a little more work, but paired with a relatively stiff brush (especially if it has an open handle, that can be used to poor the alcohol onto the brush tip with), most things that need to be cleaned off will be. Generally, if that isn't enough to clean it, more elaborate cleaning is required anyway.

For the older game carts, I just use a pencil eraser. No chemicals, just an easy quick erase to bring out the shine. As to the DS Carts, the alcohol looks the best method with minimal material removed. Contact Cleaner as Sam mentioned better if real dirty contacts.

Definitely do not blow. The moisture does help in the electrical connection, but also corrodes the brass.

[greg]

Thanks for the help, guys. I removed the battery and used the spray a few times in the slot. My daughter is the one who uses the DS the most, but she says she's only encountered a boot problem maybe once since I cleaned it all out. I will clean it again when it happens again.

[GSZX1337]

I don't know if this is necessary since from what I can tell your games aren't that dirty, but I've seen baking soda used on cartridge contacts.

[marurun]

Baking soda is an abrasive, so this is a rather bad idea.