Nintendo NES Wavy Lines on Screen - Retro Console Repair
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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2024
- In this video I work on my beloved NES, which is one of the first consoles I restored prior to creating a UA-cam channel. The system works great and cosmetically in fantastic shape. It does have one minor issue however... there are wavy lines on the screen during gameplay.
Prior to thoroughly researching the issue, I assumed the problem was with the AC power supply. It was suggested that using an inexpensive DC power supply instead would resolve the issue, and sure enough it did. However when I acquired additional bulk console lots that included more NES-002 AC adapters, I realized that they all produced the same wavy lines on my console. This got me thinking that the issue was somehow with my console rather than it's power brick. But why did using a DC power supply seemingly resolve the issue?
More research pointed to failing capacitors on the Power/RF module. This made sense, as there is a large filter capacitor in the NES and several on the output of the voltage regular, along with others for audio and video. I purchased a decent quality Panasonic capacitor kit and the project sat on the back burner... until today.
After recapping the board, the picture returned to being clear and crisp. Moreover, a test of the old capacitors using a component tester revealed a couple of capacitors that were toast, including several others with high ESRs. This proved to be the proper permanent repair to resolving my video issues with my NES, and has breathed another couple of decades of life into the system.
A rewarding repair and a satisfying amount of soldering required. If you're NES displays wavy lines, toss out that DC power supply and give that bad boy some fresh juicy capacitors.
🎵 Music
Sappheiros - Timeless / sappheirosmusic
"Sappheiros - Timeless" is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0)
Affiliated links below to some of the tools I use if you'd like to support the channel:
🎮 NES
NES-001 Capacitor Kit: amzn.to/3p5aG17
🖥 Composite and S-Video on my Mac
USB Capture Card: amzn.to/2YM4TT7
(Catalina 64-bit drivers can be found on the manufacturer's website)
🔧 Toolkit
Screwdriver Set: amzn.to/2X7s0Gj
Automatic Wire Stripper: amzn.to/30F5TJm
Component Tester: amzn.to/3l5rHG8
🖌 Soldering Essentials
TS100 Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2YIJZUR
No Clean Flux Syringe: amzn.to/2NFUZvQ
No Clean Solder: amzn.to/2NHEAqQ
Desoldering Braid: amzn.to/312Grws
🔍 Soldering Add-ons
Tip Tinner: amzn.to/31w2EF4
Helping Hands Soldering Aid: amzn.to/3ihgksP
🔥 Thermal Compounds
Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste: amzn.to/2Ak2y8w
1.5MM Arctic Thermal Pads: amzn.to/2Vv1RQU
I'm no EE but I've watched enough ElectroBOOM and Dave Jones to know why the DC adapter masks this. The AC adapter outputs the same 60 Hz (NTSC) or 50 Hz (PAL) sine wave form the mains power has. The FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER in the NES converts this to a series of half-sine bumps, which the filter capacitor(s) smooth into a roughly flat DC to power everything in the system. If the filter caps have gone bad, the DC produced will have significant ripple, which is probably what's triggering the wavy lines. By using a DC adapter, you supply your own FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER and good filter caps, so what goes into the NES is already smooth DC and so the inadequate smoothing doesn't affect it.
So, replacing only the caps in the power section should be enough, and using a DC power brick instead of recapping is actually sort of a proper fix rather than just hiding the problem. However, the other caps in the system are likely on their way out too and it's just a matter of time before they fail, so yeah it's really best to replace all of them.
Thank you for the thoughtful explanation, great to better understand the underlying behavior of what was causing the issue.
It makes me so happy to see people like you out here saving our video game history from landfill and making it so that it can be enjoyed by future generations. Thanks man, keep up the good work!
Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it.
Hey, remember me? I commented on your ps one video 7 months ago! Since, i’ve watched All of your videos and must say im so glad that you grew from 40 subscribers to almost 7,000! You deserve much more! Keep making this great content!
I actually do remember you, quite well in fact. You left one of the first comments on my channel (and the first one on a console repair video). I remember feeling a little discouraged early on after uploading my first couple of videos, which weren't getting any views and I had put so much effort into making them (granted I was in over my head and a little overwhelmed). Your comment was very sincere and encouraging. I still remember feeling motivated after I read it, so a very belated thank you :) It's people like you that support the little guy with words of encouragement when they needed to hear it. I'm sure you've done the same for other creators and you might not realize how you helped encourage them as well. Thanks for reaching back out, and glad you've been enjoying the content!
One year on and I'm enjoying going through the back catalogue and it's now ~21K subs. Decent progress and well deserved.
32,000 subs now 👍 fantastic content.
I love this channel, keep up these videos man, they're fantastic. The only thing I want more of is more videos! :D Also, if there is one thing I could suggest, I really love in-depth cleaning off old consoles. Seeing these retro consoles go from dirty to clean is so satisfying! Again, keep up the great videos dude!
Thanks very much, appreciate the enthusiasm and sincere comment. I love trash-to-treasure type of restorations as well.
Hey whole Greece is in quarantine so whatching your videos are relaxing keep it up!
Thank you, appreciate your ongoing support on my videos.
How many cases donypu have in Greece?
@@freddyvidz a lot i dont know exact number
Dude. Thank you so much. This problems been eating at me for some time.
Your expertise, demeanor and overall production quality are top-notch. Looking forward to taking more of your channel in. Thank you, again.
Glad I could help!
"smells like Fish" That is because old Caps from the 80's has fish oil in them to get past some sort of import standard.
Nice work. I remember doing this about a year ago on my front loader. I did the Voltage Regulator too while I was in there. It was part of the whole kit from Console 5.
Did not expect this to be the reason. That is hilarious. I need to look this up some more. Do you know if this was done on any other systems? I've worked on a bunch of stuff and never smelled something like that.
@@BorderlineOCD it depends on the import laws and restrictions that were in place at the time.
you sure it does not use fish processing? ;D
@@BorderlineOCD Try repairing a Game Gear and you'll be struck with that smell again.
@@BorderlineOCD it's the wet, er, sticky bandits.
Always nice to see the real issue resolved instead of a hack that just hides the issue. Especially when it's a capacitor that would eventually leak all over the board and kill it.
Also, thanks for putting those "like subscribe bell" pop-ups during unimportant parts like undoing screws or throwing parts in the sink to get washed. Some people interrupt the most important/interesting parts with them and it's annoying. 👍
Thanks, I try to avoid being spammy and instead make videos I would enjoy watching myself. Glad you enjoyed it.
I’m glad to see another person shared my love for these retro consoles me and my brother both grew up with and has it been over 30 years already.
I love the work and the care you have for these consoles 😃
You should try working on a sega cd model 1 for your next video
Thank you, I truly enjoy it so I'm glad that comes across. I haven't yet found a good deal on a parts Sega CD but I tend to keep an eye out.
It's so relaxing watching good soldering videos.
Hi buddy, I discovered your chanel yesterday and fell in love with your videos, can't stop watching them. I have one question: wich disoldering iron are you using?
This is the desoldering iron I used in this video: amzn.to/3fMqFwL. Not bad for a manual pump iron but I'm not in love with it. Considering buying a proper desoldering vacuum iron soon.
Thank you for sharing the hack at the beginning. I had squiggly lines on my NES video, switched the power supply with another 9V power supply from an old wi-ifi TP-Link access point and, ta-da, squiggly lines are gone. Thanks!
Wanted to drop note and say BIG THANK YOU as stumbled upon this video looking for answers on waves on my NES and your steer to go swap out to DC adaptor worked like a charm!
Thanks for this I recapped my nes few weeks back using this and it’s working perfect.
This was great. I remember as a kid when the NES came out. I need to repair my old NES since it doesn't turn on right away. Hope you have a video that can help.
Extraordinary good and interesting work! I have a original NES since 1985 and your video inspired me to have a look back on it! 😉👍
Small hack: use flux with your solder wick, it will work even better
You always want to desolder the pins from the single-sided RF/power board since the motherboard is double-sided and the RF module is a huge thermal load for the desolder iron. If you do desolder from the motherboard you need to give it much more time to make sure the heat has soaked through and flowed solder on both sides.
Yeah, leaked electrolyte always smells like fish when you heat it. I have yet to find an NES RF/power module without at least one leaked capacitor, even if you can't always see it. The three on the mainboard, on the other hand, are always fine. It seems that Nintendo used better caps/engineering than Alps or Mitsumi (the two suppliers for the RF/Power module).
Most variants of the RF/Power module can be fully recapped without removing the whole thing but I always seem to run into the one that has a single electrolytic in the opposite corner from the main filter cap. :( Still, if you can avoid desoldering it, that's always best/safest. Huge waste of braid and effort if you ultimately didn't have to.
Great feedback, thanks for sharing your own experience. I had that capacitor on the other end of the board, but it looks like it's part of the RF audio circuitry. I might ignore it in future recaps and try the method you propose but not my favorite option to leave an old cap in there.
The trick with desoldering the RF-Modulator without ripping pads is to desolder the pins inside the RF-Modulator rather than on the main board. The pins on the main board have a lot of solder on both sides of them, and it's almost impossible to desolder them without having a lot of solder remain on the unreachable bottom side.
Also the dark stuff on the RF-Modulator board probably isn't flux but leakage from one or more of the caps. Would also explain the smell. Usually, these rarely leak, but it CAN happen.
I plan to experiment a different approach on the next NES build to see what works best. I'm sure there's an easier way.
recently found your chanel and loving it. subscribed.
I'm really enjoying your videos, they are really informative and detailed. If you can, please do a SNES repair video, that would be awesome :D.
Thanks yesterday I check my NES and see that issue, now I know what to do
Great video. I'd have discharged that big cap from the module before messing with it.
Thank you. Yeah probably a good idea.
Hi great video had to do a few of these over the years. I wanted to ask like so many people maybe . What capacitor tester have you got there. As I could of saved some money as to. Just replacing all of them . Many thanks looking forward to your next installment of videos
I have it linked in the description. It's a nice little gadget for the price. I'm really enjoying using it for jobs like this and plan to use it for component identification on salvage boards if I'm harvesting parts.
@@BorderlineOCD Thank you for your reply. I'm sure so many others are greatly appreciated for putting a link in the description. That's very true also to check when harvesting old parts. Thank you once again for the great video's your doing. I've liked and subscribe too
It's a LCR-T4 in a fancy box. Can be had from 100s of vendors, I paid about $7 including shipping from china. All based on the same open source code, it's not clear there's a reason to choose one over the other.
@@xeostube Superb stuff Thank you for your reply 👍
what will you be working on in your garage? car stuff?
Will be working on my motorcycle next week.
If I wanted to replace the diodes in that bridge rectifier, what are the replacements?
Excellent video! Very soothing! I could watch this all day long :)
Not sure bud, haven't had to do replace mine. You'll have to do some research as there are slightly different revisions of that RF module board and I believe some might have 4 diodes while others will have 4-pin bridge rectifiers (all-in-one).
What's that tool you're using to punch out the pins and solder that's awesome. I normally just use the soldering iron / flux then the braid.
My nes needs this done.
ElectroBOOM scream: *FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER!*
He haunts me in my dreams.
@@BorderlineOCD xd so how this man is still alive? thi man is get chocked with peaks arround of 20kv me: ._.
Thank you very much I fixed my wavy image in 5 minutes! yes!
You may find that you can save those ripping up those pads by the judicious use of a hot air rework gun following your desoldering pump work.
@Bordeline OCD What was that clamp that you attached to the capacitor to look for the broken pad and via?
What does flux do? I never used it. But seeing your vid makes me wanna try.
you could use little bit of clear nail sealer to cover your wire to help prevent shorts with a bridge that small.
8:08 it’s because of what you just said. The caps are capable of storing the same amount of energy. But not able to deliver it in time. With a dc signal the voltage is not changing and the caps are not being asked do deliver a changing amount of charge. In fact they don’t do anything once at a steady state (for ones acting as filters) so the problem goes away
It's easier to replace the capacitors if you leave the RF unit attached to the board, remove the one fully exposed cover and bend the other one open. The long legs of the new capacitors will reach the through holes with some creative tweezer work.
Thank you for the nice video with what temperature you solder with the ts100
It depends what solder you use as they have different melting points. The ground plane on the device also plays a role as it can suck up a lot of heat its if a big ground plane. I find 350C or 375C to be a good sweet spot with my setup for most jobs. I lower it for sensitive work, and every now and then crank it up if the job demands it. I would suggest doing some practice on a junk board if you haven't used your iron much yet to give you a good feel for your iron and the products you are using. Just remove some random components, clean up and re-attach them.
@@BorderlineOCD Thanks for the quick replies 😘
One of the NESs I have has a corrupted graphics issue. I've tried all kinds of stuff and can not get it to work properly. Have tried a couple 72 pin connectors. Cleaned everything numerous times. Reflowed a bunch of stuff on the board. Recapped the board and AV module. I'm thinking it has a bad memory module. Shows graphics on the screen but they are all garbled up. I have three others that all work great.
Something smells fishy🙃🙂 Meaning you are in the right track!
Ha thank you. Cheers 🖖🏻
I switched to a DC power supply and I’m now starting to get some wavy artifacts again, though they’re a bit different than before. Might go ahead and try this out. Still not great at soldering, but this doesn’t look too bad.
When my daughter was born in 1994, I sold my NES, Super NES, and Genesis CD, because I did not use them enough, and we needed the money.
I kick myself all the time for not keeping them, and finding money elsewhere. :(
I bought rivets designed to repair ripped pads. They’re available in all different sizes. No messing around with wires and whatnot.
That's interesting. What are they called? How do they work?
nice repair. love it!
Thank you, glad you liked it!
looks like the T-1000 sneezed on the mother board.
Lol. Voular fan? Right on!
@@BorderlineOCD nintoaster !
Hey what did you use for the jumper?, I did the same thing and tore a lead on it and want to try and fix it like that, thanks
I used one of the capacitor legs that I trimmed off from the install. Some solid core wire will also do the trick.
Great video. Would you know how to fix horizontal lines on the NES Mini classic? We’ve had it for about a month now and all the games show lines all across horizontally. But the menu strangely doesn’t. Do you know what I should do?
Sounds like you have the CRT filter turned on? Try turning it off from the menu.
@@BorderlineOCD Thank you so much! I’m a complete idiot when it comes to game consoles. You saved my day! ♥️
I love your videos! What kind of formation do you have? I'm trying to learn this kind of skill set as well!
What do you mean by formation? I have some links to the products and tools I use in every video description if that's what you're asking about?
@@BorderlineOCD sorry, English is not my first language. What I was trying to ask is: are you a technician or did you take any kind of course?
Ah got it. No, just a hobby and I like electronics. I started with simple repairs and inexpensive equipment and gradually started working on more challenging projects and upgraded my gear.
@@BorderlineOCD Thank you for answering! I will do the same thing. Keep up these amazing videos whenever you're ready
Any advice? I broke the pad for the positive of my 2200 cap
Take care of whatever you have to do and come back whenever you can
Thanks my man.
I just bought a NES in very good condition. Sadly it has this problem. I first thought it would come from my "hacked" camera monitor I use for testing but it is the same on my TV. I have the luck that I have a TV that can make old consoles look very good without a converter so I want to enjoy a good picture there.
Mine is having the same issue. Anyway I could ship mine to you and pay for parts and service?
the cool thing about nes is if you have good soldering skills theirs a couple of cool hardware mods you can do to it
I might look into some of those. I like doing practical mods to my systems, we'll see.
Hi
I have a NES cartridge showing lines when power on . The console is in good condition working, but the game was not giving a full clear image !
I tried it with two different consoles and still same !
Any idea how to fix it !
@Sophie Thanks for the reply!
Yes I did but unfortunately still have it !
@Sophie I feel it is damaged. It tried many times cleaning it with both alcohol and toothpick!
Good console. I still have it👍
thanks for the video, unfortunately i tried and tried. but I couldn't solder the power supply, I could only change the capacitors on the motherboard. so i went for the workaround. i'm mad at who design is nonsense to solder the power supply
What's the tool you used at 2:54? Is it some kind of solder sucker?
Do you know any good places near Madison Wisconsin that replaces the caps in old consoles like the NES? My system is having the wavy band issue and I am already using an aftermarket cord
No idea bud, sorry.
Hey borderline . I have one of these NES systems that flash the console power on and off . After a few attempts of pushing the power button off and on it stays powered up and works great. Have you heard of this and is there a remedy?
I would check the 72 pin connector and the contacts for oxidation.
Ok thanks 👍
Why does the board in the nes power and AV box always look like crap?
I've yet to see one that looks as good as the main board.
awesome, fantastic job. see u soon.
Thank you. Cheers.
How about the capacitors inside the power supply?
How is you holding your camera
im trying to fix my NES, it has this wavy line problem, but also has a BSOD, id like to fix it, i just need to know, at 3:36 what tool is that? and where can i get one?
It's a desoldering iron, but a manual pump version rather than a vacuum pump version. I ended up returning it, I wasn't all that great but it was around $30 or so, so can't expect much. I recently took the plunge and bought a proper desoldering iron but they start in the $120 range so a bit of a price difference.
I can't find OCD in google maps! What does it border?
Ah I see you used Panasonic capacitors. Good choice.
did you go to school to learn how to work on boards or are you self taught because i find it amazing how anyone can know all the fine details
Self taught. It's just a hobby and I do it for fun.
Had same issue. Replaced caps and it worked like new. Then it went back to wavy lines.
Hi pal, can you share the replacement capacitor list?
Good work.
Thank you.
Keep up the good videos!
Thanks, will do!
Can you add a link to your or a recommended desoldering iron ?
So what size philips head could you use because i have that small red one thats included with usually ds lite parts and in repair kits
The screws on this console are pretty large I think I used a Phillips #2.
i've seen this caused far more often by poor quality power adapters from china and going back to an original power supply or a better quality one has resolved the issue, however replacing caps with modern high quality ones in classic systems is always a good plan.
I wouldn't be surprised. That aftermarket power supply was incredibly light (not to mention underrated even though it was advertised for the NES). I wouldn't trust running that for any extended period of time.
I plugged a dc adapter into a ac before. Let me tell you what, I almost crapped my pants.
Little smoke? No biggie.
@@BorderlineOCD no more like the capacitor exploded 😅
I did almost the same thing but with a LED (it was shorted out and i turned on the power and it popped open throwing pieces of itself all over, it was very loud and a couple pieces hit my face)
Hey what is this product ? 8:41 and what does it do ? I've never seen this before.
By the way, great channel, this is the first video i saw and i really enjoyed, great content. =D
Thats flux. It helps solder flow and adhere.
You should do an atari 2600 console for your next video
Haven't come across one in during my hauls yet although I have a controller and games for it so I'm keeping an eye out.
great video
Thanks!
The fish smell might be from the caps leaking .. electrolytic capacitors contain fish oil :)
Very nice video, but this looks difficult for someone like me with no experience doing this kind of thing. I might just buy a new NES or something...
Use a DC power adapter, it should make the picture better.
@@BorderlineOCD that's ultimately what I did. Thanks!
ah man you make it look so easy! :D you r pro
A little practice (and good flux) makes most people look like soldering pros :)
Cool 😀👍👍
Thanks.
Faulted/burned out power supplies or components will smell like fish. That's normal.
yea...I have been going to my buddy's place for 40 years to watch the game every weekend on the traditional '72 Admiral 4:3 CRT 26"...last 10 years my buddy has been complaining about his wife....turns out it was the TV.
Can you try the expanion sound mod???
I have n Nes that plays some games and other games i am missing sprites. Anyone know what it is? I know its not the games as they all wirk on another functional NES.
I really don't trust to plug my Nintendo consoles with the original power supplies on these days, if you probe them they will for sure output much higher voltage than the standard 9/10v that they usually output, I don't really know why, but I had several that was outputting 14v, even one that was 17 volts.
That’s normal for unregulated power supplies. They’re very basic, not much to go wrong with them. Connect them up and turn the system on, and you’ll see the rated voltage as expected.
Now if a modern regulated power supply is doing that, don’t use it.
Would a 5v 2000ma adapter work
5V isn't enough to energize the board. You can probably get away with a couple of volts below the rating without experiencing graphical artifacts but 5V likely wont even turn the console on.
My nes has this issue as well it seems. I hadnt even realized it was an issue because its my first nes. Guess ill replace the caps lmao
If you use this retro bit adapter please plug it straight to the wall outlet not on a power strip
cool!
The fishy smell comes from amine salts of boric acid which is used in the electrolyte.
Hey there I think I have the same issue with my neo cd Sd loader? What you think. Check my video I made please.
need to start getting cap kits from @console5
It's a great resource. It would be nice if they gave you the option to upgrade to premium caps like Nichicon or Rubycon.
The original large capacitor is a Nichicon from fue vt (m) series but it is obsolete. Wich one did you use in the video? thanks a lot
Have you seen how caps can be replaced inside the power module without removing the casing from the board? Seems a little hard, but maybe worth it not to rip traces. Here's a video showing this method:
ua-cam.com/video/rdbRlH-Iubk/v-deo.html
Cool approach, it does present some challenge to route the caps in there. I applaud this mans resourcefulness. My OCD spikes a little that he left one capacitor unchanged because he couldn’t get to it, but seems like it’s responsible for RF audio so it’s not critical. I may try this on a future repair to see if I can pull it off.
55k 🎉
Guys someone here have the list of caps?
Google will do that up for you in a heartbeat.
I love u
great, will last another 35 years hahaha
Yes hopefully my grandchildren will play it with me some day :P
You need a heat gun or a hot pad 11:58 your technique here is very rushed. You could also just leave the iron on for 60 seconds or longer. It’s a lot of metal to heat here
Nice diagnostic work, but if you only want to replace the caps that need it: the two 100uf (10v and 25v) caps nearest the video out is all it takes to fix this. See photo here: alantechreview.blogspot.com/2021/06/fixing-wavy-vertical-lines-in-nes-video.html