Cartridge slot fix, please help!

[cryingfreeman]

Hi, everyone! I'm new to the console and forum and I'm also aware it's a common problem for the saturn's cart slot to fail. I bought an action replay soon after the console for the usual reasons, and while it did work perfectly the first time I tried, and a little the second, it just stopped working after that. Originally I thought it was the cart, but researching brought me to the conclusion that my cart slot is damaged.

So far:
-I tried rubbing alcohol and a card wrapped in paper towel, no dirt or grime
-The trick where you slightly unplug the cart + the screwdriver trick
-Attempted to get to the pins with a paper clip and sewing pin, to no avail

Some say that the pins can be pushed away from the area of contact, so the solution in that case is to push the pins back into place. Because of the dust cover and too-small opening, I can't get to the pins with a sewing pin, which would seem to work. I attempted a disassembly but quickly put it back together due to fear of getting the internals damaged. My questions for you guys are:

Should disassemble the top again to have an adequate reach to the pins? Would I need the hardware expertise to fix the slot or is there something else I can do? And lastly, should I buy a new system? (is the model 1's slot less reliable than the model 2? If so, do you recommend I purchase a model 2 and test the slot before I buy?)

I NEED this slot to work, because I bought Dracula X and Sonic Jam from Japan for more than I'm happy to say I spent, and I can't just leave them sitting there. I have mostly US titles at this point, but I'm going to be importing A LOT like most fans of the console. Thank you so much guys!

[sych]

Not sure what to tell you here, sounds like you have tried every trick in the book. Hopefully some of the more technically advanced members will see this and point you in the right direction. One advice I'll give you, if you manage to get the cart working again NEVER remove it from the cartridge slot unless you absolutely have to.

[NeoGeoNinja]

Aug 11, 2015 7:22:20 GMT sych said:

One advice I'll give you, if you manage to get the cart working again NEVER remove it from the cartridge slot unless you absolutely have to.

100% this.

I'm almost convinced that, if you are serious about the Saturn (ultra dedicated), multiple Saturn's, constantly set up are required:

Either:

1x Multiregion Saturn with AR4+1 and 1x Multiregion Saturn with Memory Card.

You can play all your RAM games without issue and all your memory hungry games without issue.

-

As a side note Freeman, it's worth considering a new AR4+1 too, just in case yours has accidentally flashed/wiped itself due to dodgy contacts.

Also, welcome to SSUK

[mick_aka]

The last resort thing to try is flowing solder over each connector on the cart making them thick enough to reach the connector pins.

This will however make the AR cart unusable in any other Saturn without potentially damaging it's cart slot.

[cryingfreeman]

Thank you for all the replies, guys! True that if I do manage to get it working, NEVER take it out. With AR, luckily, it has everything a saturn owner would need. I will consider checking out a new card, but if that doesn't work, I'm no soldering wiz so I may have to consider a new system. :-[Before that, though, I will attempt another dissection with a video guide, and get at those pins in case they're the problem.

Thanks again, guys, and thanks for the welcome!

[zyrobs]

The card bricked itself. Happens often. Just re-flash it (you need to be able to boot backups for that, though - swap trick will suffice).

[Catch22]

Try not pushing all the way down when you put it into the cartridge slot. OK, PUSH IT ALL THE WAY IN, THEN LIFT IT OUT ABOUT 1MM, OR VERY SLIGHTLY.

YES, I'M NOT MESSING AROUND. From my Backup Ram carts, to my 1MB and 4MB carts, to my PAR, to all of my consoles- I have 7 of them, they all need to have the cart lifted slightly or else they may work intermittently.

[cryingfreeman]

I did try that, read it worked for tons of people. Isn't working for me. I think it's the cart like zyrobs said, because the slot itself looks fine, and wasn't dirty when I cleaned.

[NeoGeoNinja]

Aug 12, 2015 13:54:31 GMT cryingfreeman said:

I think it's the cart like zyrobs said, because the slot itself looks fine, and wasn't dirty when I cleaned.

Pretty much what I think/said too.

Try/acquire another cart, just to be sure. I think it'll work

[cruxible]

The pins are spring contacts that can be bent away from their original "specced" locations. The slot has a lot of pins. There are many things that can go wrong with the slot itself. It is not unlike, if not worse than, an original NES slot. Blow, wiggle, rub, clean, pry all you want. The problem might just be with the slot itself. It could be the solder contacts, or the spring contacts being bent or worn one way or another. If you had patience and the right tools you could go from top to bottom checking every contact there is from cart to board, or you could invest in another Saturn unit. What would you rather do?

[cryingfreeman]

Problem solved! My cartridge slot works like a dream! What doesn't is the POS action replay. I got a gameshark and it works like a dream.

True the gameshark can damage the pins after repeated inserts, but just leaving the cart in there shouldn't cause a problem, and I have absolutely no reason to take it out.
Thanks for the support, guys!