NES's signal is dying

[Mozgus]

It's been getting worse every year. I'm hoping there is just a weak component inside I need to replace.

The main problems are the following:

1) The overall color is getting weak. Reds, blues, and other strong colors are not strong anymore. Reds are starting to look like oranges.

2) The whole screen is starting to get a severe zig-zag look. It sort of resembles the mild dot crawl you get from a composite cord, but this is 10x as bad, and it isn't "crawling". Basically, every even scanline is shifted about 2-3 pixels to the left, and every odd scanline is shifted 2-3 to the right. It's starting to look truely ugly in any game with vertical lines.

[lordofduct]

Is this a bare legite console with no modifications?

Are you using RF or composite (only for older model NES's without modifications)?

[Mozgus]

No mods except for the red LED being replaced with a green one. But I had this issue before then. Oh, and the 72 pin was replaced, but thats not it. I'm using heavy shielded RCA cables. So yeah, composite obviously.

[lordofduct]

Take the bitch apart and look at the connections for composite and follow them back to the encoder chip. Look for filth, breaks and other BS. Those plugs are some shotty things.

Of course try the RF as well... if the jaggies are only comparable to standard RF jaggies you can't avoid then it is probably just shoddy composite plugs (on the NES side... not your cables). If it is all jaggied then the sync is going on the NES and it'll be easier just to buy a new one. I've got one lying around with the 72-pin connector replaced. I ain't doing anything with it if you want it.

[Mozgus]

Take the bitch apart and look at the connections for composite and follow them back to the encoder chip. Look for filth, breaks and other BS. Those plugs are some shotty things.

Of course try the RF as well... if the jaggies are only comparable to standard RF jaggies you can't avoid then it is probably just shoddy composite plugs (on the NES side... not your cables). If it is all jaggied then the sync is going on the NES and it'll be easier just to buy a new one. I've got one lying around with the 72-pin connector replaced. I ain't doing anything with it if you want it.

Sentimental value. Not buying another one. I know this is just a simple fix, and anyone in the business of television repair would probably know exactly what's causing the signal loss inside the NES. There's probably a poor resistor or capacitor somewhere in this. And I'd rather not try to pry apart the metal box which houses the composite connector. I tried once before, but it's soldiered on so thickly, that I can't even melt it with my iron all at once. It aint coming off.

[Pullmyfinger]

I toasted a NES like that

[lordofduct]

Take the bitch apart and look at the connections for composite and follow them back to the encoder chip. Look for filth, breaks and other BS. Those plugs are some shotty things.

Of course try the RF as well... if the jaggies are only comparable to standard RF jaggies you can't avoid then it is probably just shoddy composite plugs (on the NES side... not your cables). If it is all jaggied then the sync is going on the NES and it'll be easier just to buy a new one. I've got one lying around with the 72-pin connector replaced. I ain't doing anything with it if you want it.

Sentimental value. Not buying another one. I know this is just a simple fix, and anyone in the business of television repair would probably know exactly what's causing the signal loss inside the NES. There's probably a poor resistor or capacitor somewhere in this. And I'd rather not try to pry apart the metal box which houses the composite connector. I tried once before, but it's soldiered on so thickly, that I can't even melt it with my iron all at once. It aint coming off.

Someone could find out what it is... but it isn't from the distance kind of thing. They'd have to stick there nose into the real deal. So you should find someone around town to do it. The chances someone can point you in the direction of the right bob to fix is very slim. It will also cost a real lot.

I repair systems with these problems and as I stated before it'd be "easier" to go another route. I wouldn't do it for free for my closest friend.

[Mozgus]

So much negativity in here. I know this is not just a unique problem affecting my NES and no others. In a few years, some dude is going to dig up this thread and say "No problem! Just replace the lil' such-n-such. I've seen this issue on three other NES's before. The such-n-such goes bad over time."

You can't tell me that the NES is a complicated machine. There is something in here that is poorly handling the horizontal positioning of the scanlines, and I know someone else has found it before.

[lordofduct]

Composite signaling is a little complex. As I said if it is ONLY happening on the composite then it is a simple fix going on after the encoder chip. Test, take a look, find out WHERE the problem is going on. The whole encoding process has a couple major stop points that can bugger up. Lets find out WHERE it is doing it.

If it is happening after the encoder chip then it is an easy fix. Maybe it is a bad resistor, or a poor solder joint in the composite out junction box. Maybe some filth covering the wires is causing some cross talk and screwing stuff up. Take it apart clean the stuff fix bad joints what ever is required.

If it is happening before the encoder chip then your dealing with a more complex arena. Trying to diagnose anything in that area is gonna cost you a lot of work not worth the money and you need some know how on how to do it.

We first just have to diagnose WHERE it is happening. As I said before take the stupid thing apart, look at it, see if something looks messed up. Also run that test I told you too do, try both the composite and the RF switches see if it is happening on both video outs. If you had done that you didn't say what your results were.

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Oh and yes the NES isn't as complicated as say a PS2... but can you build one? No, you can't. So for you it IS complicated. You need the know how, I know how composite signaling works and I'm asking you for more detail and I am giving you some advise that if it IS in a bad area (prior to the comp encoder chip) it is better to replace the whole console as it is not cost effective at any degree. Why are you going to spend 50+ dollar fixing a 5 or 10 dollar machine?

I'm not being negative here... I'm being realistic. You didn't give enough info. I'm trying to get more out of you. Yeah a TV repair guy could figure it out.

But if I talked to a mechanic in a forum and asked hey my car is squeeling somewhere in the front of the car. He'd say oh... well WHERE in the front of your car? Near the tires? near the engine? Near the tires it's probably your breaks, near your engine it is probably your belts. It is hard to diagnose via this route as the mechanic isn't right in the mess to see it for himself.

But if it is somewhere else like maybe a bad solder joint then it is a 3 dollar fix. Well worth it, we just have to locate WHERE.

[Mozgus]

I think I'll just go ahead and ignore any posts involving condescending questions and troubleshooting steps only an idiot would have forgotten to go through. After all my time spent in here, you should be able to gather that I'm not an electronic newbie. If you have no previous experience with this specific NES issue, then just don't post. Screw me, for posting on a retrogaming forum, in hopes that someone else who owns a 20 year old NES unit might be having the same issue, and know of the fix.