Hey guys. I just launched a kickstarter for another video game project. It's called the Blinking Light Win. The idea behind the project is to solve the problem with the 72-pin connector on the original NES and replace it with a design that makes it more reliable. It effectively makes it a side-loading top-loader. Check out and feel free to ask any questions.

https://www.kickstarter.com/proje...

I'm very interested. I would love to pull a toaster out of retirement and not have to worry about losing connection mid-game.

Ive always been curious why someone didn't make a replacement pin connector that uses those similar to the top loader. I might pick one up and keep it around just in case.

Should be putting a lockout chip on the pcb to eliminate another point of failure, and to make all unlicensed carts work on all front loaders.

Because it's not really needed at all. How often do you find people complaining their NES consoles refuse to work after cleaning the pins and reconditioning them? Hardly ever.

That's a pretty good idea. I'll add that as a stretch goal later on.

great for the average consumer but I don't mind re-bending the pins for a tight fit. Good luck with your campaign!

Any way this could be wired to support Famicom expansion sound natively, or is that solely a console-side thing?
How about removing the metal bar to support carts that are too thick to fit in the NES without modification AND save money on production costs to boot? (protos, dev carts, Game Action Replay, RetroVision)
PS: Slug 2 > X
those are fighting words

I think the expansion audio would have to be a console side thing you need to do. I believe the expansion pins are unconnected to the rest of the system. The metal bar support is optional. The one you see in the video is one taken from the original tray.

PS: Yes, those are fighting words.

The guy wearing the same blue shirt as the kid on the back of the box, lol.

I was in until shipping killed that deal. $18 + $10 to ship one within the US?!

I thought the expansion audio fix involved tying a resistor between NES Pin 56 and another pin on the cart slot. Couldn't that be shortcutted inside the new pin connector?

Audio goes to the expansion slot, not the cart slot, otherwise the carts themselves would be making the connection.

So you're basically giving us a redesigned pin connector and a new tray that you don't have to push down. Is it the tray being pushed down that causes the pin connectors to be bent back?

Ah, right it goes to the expansion slot. I think the NES was designed by morons.

Yes it's the pushing down action that ends up ruining the pin connector, but also accumulated dirt and carbon buildup. Nintendo's original pin connectors needed you to push the game down, but it wouldn't take much for the pin connector to get worn out further.

Those new ninja grip connectors are far better once you can break them in. Those ones can work without pushing the games down into the locked position, meaning it will basically never wear out.

This new blinking light win thing is a lot easier than that though.

Yeah, you replace both the tray and connector with the new ones I designed. The tray is fixed into position so the connectors don't wear out from the tray latching up and down.

Seems like a worthy upgrade. I'll pass it on.
Personally, I've rarely had issues with my NES blinking to be honest. I'm using an original NES from '86 as well.

I think the trick is to never insert a dirty cart (or blow on them). I also use the "Eliminator" pin cleaner on the system every once in a while and the games always work on the first try. I even keep my original SMB cart inside the system at all times when it's not in use (supposedly another bad thing to do?)

Great job within the KS video btw. I like how you matched it up with the Deluxe Set "Nintendo Family" picture.
The only thing that would have been better is a "Your parents help you hook it up" tagline at the end.

Consider it backed, $20 teir. I first read about it on NintendoLife.

I hope you have traces for all 72 pins on the PCB. The expansion pins connect to the expansion port on the bottom of the NES. Even though the expansion port was never used officially outside of the Miracle Piano, the expansion pins have since been repurposed for various homebrew purposes. I have several mods on my Toaster. Lockout disabled, Blue Power LED, PowerPak audio with 10k volume pot, and a CopyNES with USB port for cart dumping. That NES is my baby and I have replaced the cart connector 3 times in ten years. Hopefully everything will fit correctly.

Cheers; I hope you are successful

But the lockout mod is stupid easy to do. Just cut pin #4. An alternative would be to include instructions for the user to disable the lockout by clipping the pin him/herself.

Also, if he puts a stock NTSC lockout chip in it or a CiClone chip that's NTSC locked, then PAL owners will be screwed because the PAL lockout chips are incompatible. I'm actually considering installing a switch for mine to enable it back if I want.

All 72 pins are hooked up from connector to connector. I figured some people use the expansion pins for various purposes and there wasn't any reason not to do it.

I backed it! I like the idea enough to figure i'll want one at some point, even though i now have my NES working pretty much at 100%. At some point i'd like to get one if i can on the cheap and maybe do some customizing to it, and this would certainly go in that probably

shadowkn55 has done some good work. I'm sad that the MVS kickstarter didn't come through.

MVS is fairly niche. Nearly everyone with a remote interest in Retro gaming/collecting has a Nintendo. With 60 million of the things made, there's plenty of toasters still kicking. I imagine many gamers are fed up with maintaining pin connectors, so a permanent fix to the cartridge loader problem would be awesome.

Captain hindsight says Nintendo should have used a strait loading cartridge design from the get go. Well since he wasn't around in 1985, we have some "blinking Light Win" to the rescue!

PS, can i buy one of these even if the kickstarter fails? I'd buy one just through you.

No. If the kickstarter fails he gets zero funds and there will be no new horizontal cart loaders for anyone.

If the kickstarter succeeds, then they may be able to supply more after the initial shipment of units are sent to backers.

If you want this product to exist, then back the project. If it fails, you won't lose any money.

EDIT: Looking mighty good right now.
http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/...

So keen on this. Just waiting on the postage thing to get sorted. I know a few people are too. Great idea!