how to clean atari carts

[ulera]

Finally got my 2600 working, but my asteroids game has very corrupt graphics, I assume the solution is to clean the contacts, but they aren't exposed on atari carts. How do I do it?

[UglyJoe]

http://www.atariage.com/howto/clean_cartridges.html

[ulera]

Doesn't really help... it shows how to expose the pins but not how I'm supposed to force a qtip through the gap.

Of well, I can probably replace it for fifty cents at any given pawnshop.

[UglyJoe]

What gap?  Once the dust cover is down, the pins are exposed like any other game cartridge.

[JohnnyBlaze]

What gap?  Once the dust cover is down, the pins are exposed like any other game cartridge.

I've cleaned my Atari carts after being in storage for quite a while and I can vouch for Joe. It's true. Once the dust cover is down, the pins come down. Just take the cap off of your bottle of alcohol, pour enough to fill the cap(which is not much), then dip your Q-tip in it and press the tip against the top of your bottle(on the inside of the bottle top) lightly to squeeze the excess off to make it damp and then wipe down from the top of the pins. Continue with other Q-tips until you see nothing more on the tip and then use a dry Q-tip or two in the same manner to dry it off.

[ulera]

I was referring to games that have a solid bottom with a dust cover only a few centimeters wide, too small for a qtip.

If you still don't understand what I'm saying I guess I could take a picture.

[JohnnyBlaze]

You're supposed to put a letter opener or a long nail file(the thin metal one) inside one of the prongs and move with the nail file toward the middle to unlock the dust cover, then push the dust cover back. When it's pushed back, hold it there and take the nail file out. You have to use one hand to hold the dust cover back with the exposed pins, and use the other hand to use the Q-tip to clean.

This guy made a video to show how to do it:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=azHFoGg30_U

If you still need help, I could shoot a clearer video using my iPad.

[ulera]

This is what I was talking about.

Pushing the dust cover isn't the problem, it's fitting a qtip through that tiny gap.

[Flemishdog]

expose the pins, then PUSH THE PLASTIC DOWN, and voila, the PCB is exposed as if the plastic wasn't there