N64 Game Won't Boot - Fixing Ebay Junk - Conker's Bad Fur Day 

Considering there is a limited supply of these games in existence, and that number will only go down over time, it’s nice to see the dead ones getting fixed

For home repairs, this is a great way to do it, just expose the traces and jump with broken trace with a piece of wire. I've done it myself quite a few times. But just some tips from a solder repair technician who's had to repair enterprise circuit boards on the assembly line, given you are wanting to produce a quality job for resale. There is a product called bonding film, or dry film, for trace repair. The idea is, it's a heat-activated adhesive tape to rebond the traces to the PCB. You lift up the bad trace, cut off a small part of the ends of the traces to give yourself a clean cut to solder on. Cut the film to the size of the trace, and place it under the traces you just lifted up. Then you'd use a piece of circuit track (either by taking a piece from a salvaged PCB after you have cleaned off the mask, or you can buy rolls of them) and place it on the adhesive to fill in the rest of the missing trace, allowing for a tiny bit of overlap so the solder can bond them. You then use your iron to press the traces down onto the adhesive and apply heat from the iron to bond the traces to the surface. Give it a quick zap of solder and flux, and now you have your repaired trace. Going further, you can use UV cured solder mask to protect the repaired trace. And now you have an IPC certified repair. More details on the procedure here: www.circuitmedic.com/guides/4-2-2.html Note: The tutorial describes using a circuit frame, which is pre-manufactured copper traces with the adhesive bonding film already in place. But the cheaper alternative is to use the bonding film, and bare copper traces to fix. They also show specialized bonding equipment which is not needed. Regular soldering iron and tip will do the job just as well. Bonding film: www.circuitmedic.com/parts/115-2706.html UV Activated Solder Mask: www.ebay.com/itm/10ml-Green-UV-solder-mask-PCB-BGA-soldering-welding-fluxes-oil-uv-curing-lig-ti-/123905351638 Roll of copper track (optional only if you don't have salvaged PCB's): www.circuitmedic.com/parts/115-5204.html

It's always a good day when you save a copy of Conker's bad fur day

Seeing him not clean the shell for the longest time hurt me.

Me: “I don’t really need to watch this.” 7 year old me that had several busted cartridges: “Sit your ass down and watch.”

I'd have thought that the 2 missing screws would cause a misalignment.

Finally, a decent tutorial on how to fix a broken trace~ This is something I'm happy to be recommended with.

I really appreciate you so rigorously documenting your methodology, troubleshooting and testing! Stating test numbers and changes/fixes per test goes a long way in showing what it's really like to tear into stuff like this.

I love watching your vids. So methodical & soothing. Seeing something broken being fixed is definitely satisfying to me.

oh wow, i needed you so much during the earlier 2000's...... damn.... great job

Sometimes I see videos of game carts that look familiar and think: "I wonder if this is my copy of that game I traded/lost a long time ago." In this case, I wonder if that was my copy of CBFD that I tried to play in my portable N64 project, that stopped working, and wouldn't play at all. I traded that a long time ago.

$30 for a thrashed, broken game. crazyy

One of the most expensive games to repair, whether you're turning a profit or restoring history, great job!

Wire wrap wire (30 AWG) is great for trace repair. Its plastic coated so it can handle longer runs (aka bodges) and pre-tinned so its easy to solder. Some repair guys also use enamel (magnet) wire. In a pinch, finding some old telephone cabling will net you some solid 28 AWG (or so) copper wire, a little harder to work with as the wire is thicker and sticks up more when on the PCB trace. A trick on the PCB repairs is to touch the iron very briefly to the wire as copper transfers heat quickly, leaving the iron on too long will melt the solder along the entire repair. Dabbing the iron at alternating opposite ends allows the repair to be touched up without melting the whole thing. Several solutions for removing rust, one of the simplest ones to try is a dip in coca-cola for a few days. Other acid solutions work as well such as citric acid. A visit to Canadian Tire will net a bottle of evapo-rust for heavier de-rusting jobs (the cola is cheaper though). Thanks for posting, its nice to see stuff getting repaired instead of thrown out. Cheers,

I just randomly found this, I didn't know about the pencil eraser, working on them. let alone the other stuff you did to get it working.

So interesting, can't stop watching these videos. I want to buy broken cartridges now and I've never soldered.

I would loved to have seen it all restored with cleaned up plastic, new labels, replaced missing screws and new shielding.

I really admire your patience with this...especially for a game as great as Conkers BFD! Count yourself another subscriber :)

love the videos my guy ,Im glad that you started uploading again Im happy that you back :0}

Retin the pins. They looked pretty worn.

I just for a copy a few weeks back actually. Prices finally took a dip. Great video.

Just wanted to say thank you Adam. Followed your tips and brought excite bike back to life

U just saved a cult classic dude, RESPECT

RU-vid just randomly started recommending these videos to me, algorithm strikes again

my initial thought after the fix was the missing screws were causing it to not contact properly when put in the N64, but I guess not.

Thank you, Retro Repairs, Conkers Bad Fur Day would have to be my favorite N64 game of all time. Spent many deployment hour's playing this.

Conker's Bad Rust Day

You got to blow in it first man.

one trick i used to save a rare cart for a friend was to "tin" the pins on the bottom of the cart, the benefit of it is you can do differing thicknesses to take up the gap. the one i fixed only needed a thin coating on all the pins, it was just enough to help it make contact, it is soft too so it wont bugger up the slot, just dont go mad with the thickness, this works on carts with really corroded pins just use common sense.

I thought it was that you forgot the black plastic piece that holds the pins in place on the second attempt. Watching you repair these games is mesmerizing.

Your repair videos definitely helped me repair my video games. Thanks!

Your videos are awesome I hope there is a new one soon, also you intro music is awesome and unique I always know when your videos play even without looking

My parents left my old N64 games in their broken shed and all of my games had orange rust on them, it was bad. But once I used alchohol on them it clean most of it up and amazingly they all worked (except for Power Rangers).

Been waitng for another cart repair!!

This was one of my favorite N64 games. Few years ago one of my step brothers sleezy friends stole half of my collection I had in a box under my TV. I am still searching for a reasonably priced copy to this day. When I bought it new in 2001 from Toys R Us it was only 20.

i dont recall, i might have seen you use them in the past, but a fiberglass scratch pen works great for exposing the traces with reduced risk of damage vs a razor blade

Interesting watch! Just stumbled on this and I did not know the eraser and alcohol cleaning trick! I have a copy of Diddy Kong Racing that seems to be quite intermittent. I’ve noticed the contacts are quite dirty compared to my other cartridges, so I’ll definitely try cleaning them! Thanks!

Awesome video, thank you! I have a few old cartridge games that don't boot up so I'll have to try your technique some time to see if I can fix 'em.

Kona the Repair Pup is awesome! Thanks for giving her some air time.

Would have worked straight away if you blew air in it before putting it in the N64.

Thanks for this interesting video, learned some new things since I just starting getting into this stuff and I am still learning about it

Thanks for the video. If that hadn't worked what was the one last thing you wanted to try? Also do you just have extra shells from other less valuable games that you swap out?

I still play this game almost every day, good job my man👍🏼

Man, that cart was definitely stored in a damp basement somewhere, that is a lot of rust.

Boy conkers bad fur day blew my mind when I was a kid it was the first game I played that was so raunchy lol I still love that game thank you for bringing that one back to life !!

Thanks for the video. I've wanted to figure this kind of stuff out for a while. Got 4 or 5 N64 games that have quit on me. They're getting damn hard to find and expensive too. I'm gonna try my hand at fixing them once the amazon sends me some stuff.

Your videos are oddly relaxing

Those edge pins are still in rough shape. Would love to see them get gold plated.

Could add a thin layer or solder to each of the "Pins" to establish a new connection. The console pins are flexible and will bend to conform to the added thickness. Just don't add too much solder, but can thin down using solder wick without taking all of it off.

Fantastic game and even more fantastic repair!

Only thing I wonder about all of this is if the data was damaged at some other point, but you wouldn't know until you get to that portion of the game.

Surprised that you didn't replace that electrolytic capacitor, make it even more future proof as capacitance changes on those things as they dry up / get older.

Love it🤘 not a quick fix, a real repair. Thanks for your time 🤘

With regards to the eraser used for cleaning, get an eraser that is half blue and half pink. The pink end is for pencil, the blue is for ink it is slightly abrasive and is ideal for cleaning cartridge connectors.

I think the issue was the pins the whole time after you fixed that one broken trace. Try a brillo pad next time to abraid the pins rather than using the eraser. We used to use just the soft brillo from a fresh sponge back at the retro shop I worked at. You should have been able to tell if you needed that reflow just with your continuity tests, I believe.

Just a guess, but the intermittent failure might've been caused by the repair wire making contact with the shield on the case, especially since it looks like the shield was what cut the trace in the first place. I'd advise putting some kapton tape over the repair, and sand back the shield just a bit to prevent the failure from recurring.

Excellent video, I just found you and I’ll be sticking around for sure!

Good video, one tips i just to clean cartridge it's baking soda with a toothbrush and brush gently on the connector instead of a paper pen, it's work pretty weel

im glad you saved that little piece of joy

This was a very satisfying video to watch very awesome that you got to work at the end!!!!! New subber

One man's trash is another man's treasure that's a rare game brother great video awesome tips thanks

Nice! I was hoping for a video! :D

Nice job. Awesome camera work.

Thanks algorithm, very cool.

Why did I read that as “Chonker’s”

Single handedly the best video I've ever watched SUBBED

is there any way I can send you a picture of a ds game cartridge? I'd love to get your opinion on how you'd handle it

You’re so completely passé about performing a feat of superhuman soldering skill. It’s incredible.

Watching you fixing this is so so cool, i never thought about it like that but we throw away so much stuff that is 'broken' Fuck wheres my old galaxy note 1 i bet that could have been fixed too!

If it didn't work after floating the chips what was was the final thing you where going to try

PLOT TWIST: Nothing is wrong with the cartridge. it was the N64 unit that was wrong. hahaha just kidding. You did an awesome job with this. Thanks for the video. keep it up!

This would be the perfect project for a fiberglass pen.

11:19 I use CRC contact cleaner and 2000 grit sandpaper to VERY lightly remove the tarnish and expose fresh metal.

You can get a specialised tool for the pins it's a wand that has heads with very fine sandpaper to grind the crap off the pins, I've seen them before BUT I can't remember the name of them.

Awesome vid! I'm gonna start experimenting with solder

Also, covering those weak or exposed traces with kapton tape helps keep them in good shape

I have been cleaning and testing carts for about 5 years and using magic eraser helps I whole bunch and if the pin are too corroded I use a green scrubbing pad with water to take of the corrosion use it lightly so you don’t damage the pins.

I know little about chips, yet i enjoyied this.

Thanks for sharing this video with us.

This is my first time watching your videos and i found it very informational so awesome vid and awesome game its my favorite for the 64

Conkers was a childhood favorite of mine. one of the original pvp shooters good times sniping my brother in the game room on the N64 from the tower on the other side of the map

Nice work Adam 👌 just curious what temp you set your iron to when reflowing the pins? Thanks!

Amazing stuff. With a little more production value this could be a huge channel

Hey RetroRepairs... I got a SNES game you might be interested in looking into... Doesn't really work and you can see if you can get it too work.

I still have my conkurs bad fur day in my n64 collection, will never, never get rid of it !

I would love to see more stuff like this

Don’t know why but this is like a doctor’s check up or something like it LOL so it’s basically relaxing somehow.

A fit of rage back when I was about 17 caused some substantial damaged to my Star Wars Shadows of the Empire game. 20 years later I watch this video and successfully repaired the game (repair included broken traces and a cracked PCB). All the saved data is still there:) I played this game for about 20 mins and I realized why I broke it 20 years ago; fortunately I have much better self control these days and simply put the game away.

Wonder if anyone could help me. My old perfect dark copy broke years ago, it acts like all 4 save slots on the cartridge are full up, but shows no save files (and I was nearly rank 1 in the combat simulator!) Never managed to fix it, even with some N64 memory menu you can open before the game starts up.

On other restoration videos i see them soak rusty metal parts in vinegar and then the rust scrubs right off, maybe you could try that?

definitely one of my fav games as a kid. Getting drunk and pissing on people awesome shit!

The drifting/shaking camera makes this a little painful to watch, but the content is pretty great!

Lot of work, lot of love!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!

excellent repair!

I hate the screws on the metal shield inside N64 games, they sometimes come loose extremely easily, other times they are very over tightened and it’s a wrestling match to get them out, I’ve even stripped them once or twice trying to do it.

A dremel with a polishing piece works really well on them pins

Thank god you fixed this. This game deserves it.

You can use mag cleaner for the still parts it’s like a wheel cleaner. And will de rust

i know you know what you're doing but watching you scrape that connection hurt my soul because that in my experience is ALWAYS a bad thing

You should make a game room tour vid, would love to see that