2019/01/18

2017: NES Blinking Light Win

Hello Birders! 👋🐥🔧🎮

I am posting my Nintendo Entertainment System's (NES) Blinking Light Win install I did back in 2017. It was a simple install with no soldering required, though I did need some help unscrewing the NES case apart because the screws seemed like they were glued stuck. Here are some of the pictures I took from that day in 2017:
 


Blinking Light Win (BLW) replaced the old pin connectors that caused the NES to show a blinking light with no video output. BLW also improved the design of the cartridge slot to prevent the new pins from wearing out as fast. You would not need to push down on the cartridge anymore.

The design of the original NES was that you put in a game cartridge and press it down to make secure contact with the pins. Over time, the pin connectors would be bent past the point of returning to the position were they could make contact with the game cartridge's pins, causing video issues.

The Blinking Light Win came with the new pin connector cartridge slot and tray:


Pin connector plugs in where the old connector was before. No soldering needed.


Here is the NES with the tray installed, along with a game:
 
   

Tada! 🎉
  
The Blinking Light Win mod solved my NES's issue and now plays games. The only issue I found was when taking out the games from the console, the slot would really hold on to the game. It's tough to take them out now, but I'm sure with time it will get better. My concern with that is it may damage the games over time as well, but they don't seem to show that yet.

The picture above doesn't do it any justice, after all it is a CRT and I have learned better techniques since then about taking pictures from a CRT monitor. Looking back at these pictures, I will have to revisit the NES to clean the board up a bit. 

I realize how much I have learned since then, I remember being intimidated, thinking it was a risky process, but it was not bad at all!

Thank you!

-Pico


Blinking Light Win Kickstarter

BLW ArcadeWorks Shop

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