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Super Nintendo Entertainment System Cartridge Connector Replacement

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Super NES longer silver screws and 62-pin connector (Nintendo ASC manual)
A Super NES main board in its lower case, from Nintendo of America's service-centre manual. The 62-pin cartridge connector runs across the middle; the red circles mark Nintendo's four longer silver screws.

The 62-pin cartridge connector of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is the first part Nintendo's diagnostic table blames for three faults: a solid-colour screen, a distorted picture and a game that freezes or runs erratically.[1] Nintendo told its service centres not to clean these connectors but to replace them.[1] On the first board, SHVC-CPU-01, and on early GPM boards the connector is in two halves: an upper half that pulls off a lower half soldered to the board. Nintendo of America sold the upper half as part 23084, "Connector, 62P GPK upper", and its 2002 service manual says that newer GPM consoles have a connector soldered to the board, which it lists as not repairable.[2] Nintendo Japan priced the two halves separately for the Super Famicom and graded the soldered lower half rank C, the class of repair that needs a powered desoldering tool.[3]

The procedure below is Nintendo's, for the SHVC-CPU-01 board that its Brazilian service manual describes. Later boards differ in screw counts and in whether the connector unplugs; see Board differences.

Symptoms

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  • A solid-colour or black screen, a scrambled or distorted picture, or a game that freezes or behaves erratically.[1]

Rule out the cartridge first. Nintendo's Game Pak diagnostic table puts a dirty or corroded edge connector first for scrambled video and for a frozen or erratic program, and its Game Pak test starts by making sure the edge connector is clean.[4] Try a second cartridge that is known to work.

Nintendo's own triage for a console is to retest it with a known-good sound module and a known-good upper 62-pin connector before any repair on the board.[5] A solid-colour screen can also come from the sound module, poor soldering, the CPU, PPU1, PPU2, work RAM, the RGB encoder, the 21 MHz oscillator or the CIC, in that order of likelihood.[1] See the Super Nintendo Troubleshooting Guide.

Safety

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The console runs from a low-voltage adapter. Nintendo's first step before opening it is to switch the console on with the adapter disconnected, to discharge the input reservoir C67, which the manual says can otherwise discharge during servicing and damage components.[6] The board carries static-sensitive LSIs; Nintendo's handling notes ask for an earthed wrist strap, cotton clothing with no synthetic fibres, and an earthed soldering iron.[7]

Tools and parts

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Tools and parts
Item Detail
Case screwdriver Six security screws. Nintendo used the larger end of its LH driver;[6] Adam Wilson used a 4.5 mm Gamebit.[8]
Phillips screwdriver Shield and board screws[2]
Upper connector Nintendo part 23084, "Connector, 62P GPK upper"[2]
Soldered connector A powered desoldering tool, as Nintendo specified for the soldered lower half[3]
Test cartridge A cartridge known to work. Nintendo used Super Mario World[5]

The connector has 62 contacts in two rows of 31, on a 2.5 mm pitch, not 2.54 mm; a standard 0.1-inch connector will not fit.[9]

Procedure

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Opening the console

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Super NES lower case security screws (Nintendo ASC manual)
The six case screws on an SNS-001, arrowed in Nintendo of America's manual
  1. With the AC adapter disconnected, switch the console on to discharge C67, then switch it off.[6]
  2. Turn the console upside down and remove the six security screws from the lower case.[6][2]
  3. Turn it the right way up and lift off the upper case.[6]
  4. On an SHVC-CPU-01, remove the two screws on the far side of the sound module and lift the module straight up.[6]
  5. Lift the ejector bar that holds the eject mechanism to one side, pull it out to the right and lift the mechanism out of the console. Note where the ejector spring sits.[6][2]
  6. Remove the two screws holding the power switch, unplug its lead from the two-pin connector on the board and lift the switch assembly out.[6]
  7. Pull the 11-way ribbon cable gently out of its connector and lift the controller-port board out of the lower case.[6]
  8. Remove the six screws holding the upper shield and lift the shield off. Most of the board is now visible. Remove the three remaining screws at the rear of the board.[6]
Super NES sound module lifted out (Nintendo ASC manual)
Step 4 on an SHVC-CPU-01: the plug-in sound module lifted out. The cartridge connector and eject lever are in the lower half of the picture.
Super NES eject lever removal (Nintendo ASC manual)
Step 5: lifting out the eject lever. The controller-port board, its ribbon cable and the red and black power-switch leads are also visible.

Some of the board screws are longer than the rest. Nintendo of America's photograph circles four longer silver screws: two at the rear of the board and one at each end of the cartridge connector. Playtronic's manual says the longer chrome screws go either side of the 62-pin connector, near the RF and Multi Out ports at the rear. Keep them apart from the others.[2][6]

Replacing a plug-in upper connector

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  1. Hold the upper half of the 62-pin connector and pull it firmly straight up off the lower half.[6]
  2. Press the new upper connector, part 23084, straight down onto the lower half.[2]
  3. Reassemble in the reverse order of the steps above.[2]

Replacing a soldered connector

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SNS-CPU-APU-01 62-pin connector solder joints (Evan-Amos)
Underside of an SNS-CPU-APU-01 board. The cartridge connector is soldered through the board: 62 joints in two rows, numbered 1 to 31 and 32 to 62.

A one-piece connector cannot be pulled off. Check the underside of the board: on the SNS-CPU-APU-01 in Evan-Amos's photograph, the connector's 62 pins are soldered through in two rows.[10]

  1. Lift the main board out of the lower case.[6][2]
  2. Desolder all 62 joints with a powered desoldering tool. Nintendo graded the soldered half as a rank C repair, the only Super Famicom job that called for one.[3]
  3. Lift the old connector off, fit the new one and solder all 62 pins.[3]
  4. Inspect the joints for bridges between neighbouring pins; the pitch is only 2.5 mm.[9]

Nintendo of America's service centres did not do this repair: its 2002 manual lists consoles with a soldered connector as not repairable.[2]

Reassembly

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Super NES main board removal (Nintendo ASC manual)
The main board lifted out of the lower case after the shield screws and the connector have been removed
  1. Refit the board and the shield, putting the longer screws back in the positions noted above.[2][6]
  2. Refit the controller-port board and push its ribbon cable fully home. On a Super Famicom, Nintendo's manual says the side of the flat cable without blue printing is the contact face.[11]
  3. Refit the power switch and its lead, then the eject mechanism with its spring in its original position.[6]
  4. On an SHVC-CPU-01, press the sound module straight down onto its connector and refit its two screws.[6]
  5. Refit the upper case and the six security screws.[6]

Cleaning instead of replacing

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Nintendo's instruction was to replace a 62-pin connector, not clean it.[1] Where no replacement is available, RetroRGB cleans the slot with an old T-shirt wrapped over a credit card, soaked in isopropyl alcohol and scrubbed through the contacts, and warns against metal polish or anything corrosive.[12] Clean the cartridge's edge contacts too.[4]

Testing

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Nintendo's console test, after any repair:[5]

  1. Connect the AC adapter, the RF switch and the stereo A/V cable, and plug a controller into each port.
  2. Insert Super Mario World, switch on and start a two-player game.
  3. Play for a short time and watch for correct colour, picture and sound. Scroll the screen three or four times, and check both controllers.
  4. Check the RF output on channels 3 and 4, then the A/V output, moving the RF and Multi Out plugs while watching for drop-outs.

If the fault remains with a known-good cartridge and a new connector, return to Nintendo's list for the symptom on the Super Nintendo Troubleshooting Guide.[1]

Cartridge connector pins worth checking
Pins Signal
5, 36 Ground
27, 58 +5 V
26 /RESET
24, 25, 55, 56 CIC lines
1 21 MHz master clock
31, 62 Cartridge audio, left and right

Source: fullsnes.[9] With the board out, check continuity from each ground pin and each +5 V pin of the connector to the matching rail on the board.

Board differences

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Connector and screw differences by board
Board Connector Notes
SHVC-CPU-01 Plug-in upper half on a soldered lower half Nintendo's disassembly: six shield screws, three rear screws, sound module on two screws[6]
Early GPM Plug-in upper half Playtronic's GPM parts list has both halves, upper (23084) and lower;[13] Nintendo of America's GPM model has two rubber and two moulded feet[2]
Newer GPM and later Soldered, one piece Not repairable by Nintendo of America's service centres;[2] soldered through on the SNS-CPU-APU-01[10]
SNSP-CPU-02 (PAL) See note Adam Wilson counted four screws on the lower RF shield and five on the main board[8]

Nintendo's Super Famicom exploded view and Nintendo of America's both show the upper connector as a separate part above the board.[2][14]

Super NES exploded view (Nintendo ASC manual)
Nintendo of America's exploded view of the Super NES. Part 23084, the upper half of the cartridge connector, sits between the shield and the main board.
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Nintendo / Playtronic, Manual Técnico do Super NES, Rev. 01/94, pp. 2-28 and 2-29 (console diagnostic table and its preface), hosted as File:Manual Tecnico do Super NES Rev 01-94.pdf. The 62-pin connector heads the causes of a solid-colour screen, distorted video and a frozen picture or erratic program; the preface says to inspect the whole board first and not to try to clean 62-pin connectors but to replace them.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Nintendo of America, Authorized Service Center Manual, revision June 2002, chapter 6 (Super NES), pp. 38-42, hosted as File:Nintendo Authorized Service Center Manual June 2002.pdf. Two models of the original console (original, with four rubber feet; GPM, with two rubber and two moulded feet); six security screws; inspect the 62-pin connector; disconnect the ribbon cable and power switch and remove the ejector lever; remove the Phillips screws, the shield and the 62-pin connector, noting the four longer silver screws; newer GPM consoles have a soldered 62-pin connector and are not repairable items; lift out the main PCB; reassemble in reverse order (pp. 38-40). Parts list: 23084 "CONNECTOR, 62P GPK UPPER" (p. 41); exploded view (p. 42).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Nintendo, ファミコン・スーパーファミコン・ゲームボーイ サービスマニュアル (Famicom / Super Famicom / Game Boy Service Manual), 1992, hosted at Nintendo Famicom Service Manual. P. 15, Super Famicom repair price list: item 9 "card connector 62P (lower)", item 11 "card connector 62P (upper)". P. 21, repairs by rank: the upper 62P card connector is rank A (screwdriver only); the lower 62P card connector is rank C (screwdriver and electric desoldering pump).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nintendo / Playtronic, Manual Técnico do Super NES, Rev. 01/94, p. 7-6 (Game Pak test procedure: clean the edge connector before testing) and p. 7-7 (Game Pak diagnostic table: dirty or corroded edge connector first for scrambled video and for a frozen picture or irregular program operation), hosted as File:Manual Tecnico do Super NES Rev 01-94.pdf.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Nintendo / Playtronic, Manual Técnico do Super NES, Rev. 01/94, p. 2-23 (console test procedure: inspect the upper 62-pin connector for damage or contamination before inserting the game; test with Super Mario World and two controllers, scroll the screen three or four times, check RF on channels 3 and 4 and the A/V output while moving the plugs; before any repair to the PCB, retest using a known-good sound module and a known-good upper 62-pin connector), hosted as File:Manual Tecnico do Super NES Rev 01-94.pdf.
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 Nintendo / Playtronic, Manual Técnico do Super NES, Rev. 01/94, p. 2-14 (general disassembly instructions, steps 1 to 7) and figs. 2, 4 to 14 on pp. 2-16 to 2-20, hosted as File:Manual Tecnico do Super NES Rev 01-94.pdf. Discharge C67 with the adapter disconnected; six security screws with the larger end of the LH driver; sound module held by two screws on its far side and lifted vertically; ejector bar lifted to one side and pulled out to the right, noting the ejector spring; power switch held by two screws, its lead unplugged from a two-pin connector; controller-port board joined by an 11-way ribbon cable; six screws on the upper shield, then three remaining screws at the rear; the chrome screws are longer and go either side of the 62-pin connector, near the RF and Multi Out ports at the rear; hold the upper 62-pin connector and pull it firmly upwards; lift the PCB out of the lower case.
  7. ↑ Nintendo / Playtronic, Manual Técnico do Super NES, Rev. 01/94, pp. 8-1 and 8-2 (handling ICs: earthing through several megohms, no synthetic clothing, earthed iron, power off before fitting or removing ICs, do not test ICs with a multimeter or signal tracer), hosted as File:Manual Tecnico do Super NES Rev 01-94.pdf.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Adam Wilson, "1993 Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Restoration & Modifications", Adam's Vintage Computer Restorations, 9 December 2024 (retrieved 2026-10-25). PAL SNSP-CPU-02 console: six 4.5 mm Gamebit screws; eject mechanism held by a spring; power switch held by two Phillips screws and unplugged from the main board; front I/O panel on a ribbon cable; lower RF shield held by four Phillips screws; main board held by five Phillips screws; 7805 heatsink held by one screw on the regulator and three around its edge; 1.5 A picofuse, single-use, often found open circuit, replaced in that restoration with a 1.6 A 60 V self-resetting polyfuse; 7805 replaced with a TSR-1-2450 switching regulator.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Martin Korth, fullsnes (retrieved 2026-10-25), section "SNES Cartridge Slot Pinouts": 62 pins in two rows of 31; nonstandard 2.5 mm pitch; 1.2 mm cartridge board; pin assignments including GND on pins 5 and 36, +5 V on pins 27 and 58, /RESET on 26, the CIC lines on 24, 25, 55 and 56, the 21 MHz master clock on pin 1 and the cartridge audio inputs on 31 and 62. Community reference.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Evan-Amos, "Nintendo-Super-NES-Mk1-Motherboard-Bottom.jpg", Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Underside of an SNS-CPU-APU-01: the cartridge connector's joints numbered 1 to 31 and 32 to 62; R28 marked [SNS/SNSM]; the regulator's joints marked I, G and O with C61 beside them; the axial fuse marked SOC 1.5A.
  11. ↑ Nintendo, ファミコン・スーパーファミコン・ゲームボーイ サービスマニュアル, 1992, p. 12, section 3 (FFC harness connection: the cable passes through the ferrite core between the front unit and the CPU board connector; the side not printed in blue is the contact face), hosted at Nintendo Famicom Service Manual.
  12. ↑ Bob, "Restoring A Super Nintendo", RetroRGB, 31 May 2020 (retrieved 2026-10-25). Cartridge connector cleaning with a T-shirt over a credit card and isopropyl alcohol; no metal polish or corrosive materials; the white line on 1CHIP and Mini consoles, the 78S05 and the 1 µF output capacitor (C61 on a 1CHIP-02) replaced with 22 µF; earlier models do not have the line; avoid newer regulators that need no heatsink.
  13. ↑ Nintendo / Playtronic, Manual Técnico do Super NES, Rev. 01/94, pp. 3-1, 3-3 and 3-4 (the GPM board: shorter board, no lower RF shield, C67 and the 4 MHz oscillator removed, sound circuit on the board, lock bar replaced by a warning label; GPM parts list with "Conector 62 pinos Superior" 23084 and "Conector 62 pinos Inferior"), hosted as File:Manual Tecnico do Super NES Rev 01-94.pdf.
  14. ↑ Nintendo, ファミコン・スーパーファミコン・ゲームボーイ サービスマニュアル, 1992, p. 13 (Super Famicom exploded view, with item 11 the upper card connector), hosted at Nintendo Famicom Service Manual.
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