The Energon Pub

I decided to dig out and hook up my Super Nintendo after all this time and play it, but I think there's something wrong with it.

First of all, the screen flickers every so often from colour to black and white, then colour again. I checked the connections between the av cable and tv, but that all seems fine, so I'm wondering if it's the machine itself. Anybody know?

Also, for some reason, when I press the Y button, it pauses the game. The game it happens on that I've tried so far are Super Mario World and Super Mario All Stars. I don't remember it doing that before. Did Y really double as a pause button, or is my SNES well and truly done in?

Thanks.

Well it sounds like you are getting video which is good. I've had something similar with some of my SNES / N64 gear and have never really been able to explain it.

That said, let's try to address the potential glaring problems. The first question is have you cleaned the contacts on your cartridges? A little windex and Q-tips will do wonders for getting the unwanted crud off of contacts. Wipe em' down with the damp end and then use the dry end to take away any moisture or dirt that was partially broken up by the windex.

You did not specify if you are using a composite video set or the RF switchbox on your SNES. If you are using the switchbox, use more windex and a paper towel to wipe down the RCA connector on the back of your machine. It may not buy you much, but it'll improve the contact between the RF box and your SNES.

If you are using composite video, try swapping the video cable out with another known good cable. The SNES, N64, and Gamecube use the same video connector and are interchangeable.

As for the pause button issue, I'm inclined to suspect your controller. It's a fairly simple device, but there are some small and easily broken/lost parts inside the controller. If you are paranoid, get a camera and use it to take pictures as you take the controller apart. I suspect that your rubber pads for one or more buttons may have dry-rotted on you. You'll know from the cracks around the part that should go up and down. It's also possible that there is something contaminating the controller and it's confused as it makes contact, or the cable may be intermittent.

Honestly, I have worked on a ton of SNES decks and they are tanks. You really have to work to cause one to fail, because I'm yet to see one that was truly dead. Gross, all the time. Dead, never.

If you want to ask more detailed hardware questions -- some of which I may not be able to answer -- PM me and I'll send you a link where you can get more help.

Hope that helps.

Hex.
[ Has his nose stapled on so it doesn't run away... ]

Your problem is that the console is almost 20 years old. Machines tend to have problems after that much time.

Though my SNES still works like a dream...

Sounds like your SNES is fine.


I suspect your AV cable is damaged (which happens with age and use. (The metal goes funny.)

Your controller sounds a lil funky. Pass it off as a quirk and be happy. At least it still works!


In Mario World, X and Y have the same function anyways I believe.

Well, thank you for the suggestions, guys. After work this evening, I tried the SNES on my lounge tv, as opposed to my bedroom tv, and funnily enough, I didn't get the same problem.

I used the same AV cable (I didn't hook up the switch box to either), played it for an hour and I didn't get the problem at all. My dad suggested that my tv wasn't fully tuned onto the channel it was playing on upstairs. He could be right since I didn't tune the tv in when I set it up last night.

As for my control pad, I guess it is kinda broken, because the other pad I tried for it works fine. I'm so happy it's working properly (not that it wasn't working before, because it was, it's just the problem I had was annoying) and I'm amazed that a machine I've had for 16 years still works perfectly, and a PS2 I've had for 6 years broke down.

Shadowman wrote:Your problem is that the console is almost 20 years old. Machines tend to have problems after that much time.
Though my SNES still works like a dream...

Dude, I still have 1977 Atari 2600s (yes that is plural) that are in good working order. For what it's worth, there is a whole community of classic gamers out there. Some are even actively developing for these old platforms. The results are amazingly sophisticated at times.

Also, bear in mind that the cart-based machines have effectively no moving parts. Sure, you can still have them turn up dead, but the odds are in your favor. Mechanical things fail a lot easier than most electrical things. Find me a 20yr. old PS2 and I'll show you an improbable event.

@Optimus:
I'm glad you got your deck running. I think you can find some 3rd party controllers on E-Pay if you need a new controller.

Hex.
[ Last seen sifting through his mystery game pile and deciding the fateful 'keep or sell' ... ]

hex65000 wrote:Find me a 20yr. old PS2 and I'll show you an improbable event.

That somehow a PS2 existed in 1988, when the machine didn't hit the market until 2000?

You're on! I'll go warm up my time-machine.