Let's take apart the Nintendo Zapper! (NES)

The Nintendo Zapper!  Yes.  

I've spent hours hunting digital ducks, playing the only redeeming part of Bayou Billy and pulling off trick shots with Barker Bill.


Let's spend a few minutes taking it apart.

Remove the three screws holding the light gray housing together.

Take off the gray bits to expose another screw.

Remove the three remaining philips screws and the two small flat headed ones on the front sight.

Take off the top housing on the gun to expose the innards.
Check them out!

Now that you're inside, take out the lens, gray metal tube and counter weight.

To remove the trigger mechanism, remove the three philips screws.

If you want a peek inside the trigger mechanism, remove the five small flat head screws.

Check out all those little springs and plastic bits.

I'm going to take them all out.

This is what's left, the switch and the sensor.

Here's an awesome picture of everything.

Let's put it all back together.

Start with the trigger.  Grab the trigger, the small white plastic bit, the metal peg and one of the small springs.

Attach the spring to the white plastic bit, slide it into the trigger and line up the holes.  Place the peg in the hole and attach the spring to the peg on the trigger.

Next, take the trigger housing and fit the other white bit and spring in like this.

Fit the trigger in and put the large spring back in.

Put the switch back in and screw the trigger housing back together.  Five small flat head screws.

When you put the trigger back into the gun, run the wires under the switch and around the pegs on the bottom.  Secure the trigger with three philips screws.

Put the lens, metal cylinder and weight back in.

Place the other half of the gun back on and screw in three philips and two flat head screws.

Put the gray plates back on the side and screw it together with the remaining three screws.

Done!


Here's a super artsy picture looking down the barrel of the Zapper.

Let's take apart a Nintendo Controller! (NES)

Today I have two Nintendo controllers we will take apart.

A clean one and a disgusting, malfunctioning, yellow one.

Hopefully we will be able to repair the gross one and clean it up a bit.
The d-pad only responds if you press very hard.  That's annoying.

Let's start with the clean one!

Flip the controller over and remove the six screws holding it together.

Find something to put your screws in.  Like a Game Boy game case.

This is the inside of the controller.

Take out the board and have a look.

 These are the contacts for the buttons.

Take out the rubber button contacts and the buttons.

Check out this wicked picture of all the components!

Let's open that gross one!

Same thing, flip it and take out all the screws.

Yuck, see that?  That grime makes me puke in my mouth a bit.

I have paper towels, glass cleaner and alcohol.  Let's clean off that filth!

Take out the board and clean the carbon contacts with a Q-tip soaked in alcohol.  Be careful not to erase the whole contact.  Clean it so there is no gunk between the contacts.

Clean the pads on the rubber buttons too.

Oh gad, that's gross!  This is what years of sweaty, unwashed finger grime looks like.

I cleaned it.  Don't worry.  Let me put it back together real quick and test the d-pad.  Brb.

Yessssss!  It works!  It's still yellow but I can run and duck easily.


Let's put the clean one back together!

Put the A, B and d-pad buttons back in.

Place the rubber button contacts on top of them and put the start select buttons back in.

Fit the board in and wrap the wire around all the pegs.

Pop the back on and screw it together.

Yeah!

Don't throw out your old controllers just because they don't respond very well.
Clean them. 

Let’s take apart a Nintendo! (NES)

The Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1985 and it's amazing.

Tools.

You need a philips screw driver for sure.  Optional, a toothbrush, Q-tips and Isopropyl Alcohol.

Let's get started. 

Flip the NES over and remove the six screws holding the case together.

Pop out the little tray in the center and use it to hold all the screws you take out.  Convenient!

Flip it back on its feet and take the top off.

Get ready, the machine is over 20 years old, there may be some disgusting things living or dead inside.

Remove the seven screws holding the metal shielding down.  Pull that off and you can see the cartridge ‘drop down’, the pin connector and the main board.

Remove the six screws holding the ‘drop down’ in place, two silver ones and four bronze.

Also, remove the two screws holding the rest of the main board down.  This will make it way easier to remove the drop down and pin connector.

Lift up the main board and slide off the drop down.  

Get a good grip on the pin connector and pull it off.  Watch out, you don’t want to graze your knuckles across the sharp solder points on the main board. 

It sucks.

Brush your teeth.

This is a good time to soak a toothbrush in alcohol and brush the pin connector.  You can choose to replace it, but, seriously, just clean it.

Or you could get one of these things to clean your pin connector.

 

This is usually how deep you have to go if you just want to replace your pin connector or try to fix your drop down.

Let’s go deeper.

Disconnect all the wires from the board.  Firmly grasp all the wires, as close as you can get to the connector, and wiggle the connector free.   If that bottom shield is in the way, twist the board free from the shield to get a better grip on the wires. 

Separate your board and take a good look at it.  Clean the contacts for the pin connector if you want.  Soak a Q-tip in alcohol and scrub it clean.

Side note:  If you need to replace the 'power a/v box', it’s soldered in like crazy.

You can pop off the top and bottom shield and check if your problem is a simple solder break. 

If you do need to replace the whole thing, invest in a solder sucker.

Back to what’s left.

Taking out the power and reset buttons are easy, two screws. 

Flip the bottom casing over and remove the two screws holding the black plate for the controller ports.

The plate folds down and comes off.  Remove the controller ports through their opening in the housing.  

That’s it, all the pieces are out.  Here’s a sweet picture of all of it.

Let’s put it all back together!

Count your screws.

The Nintendo has three different types of screws.  Two small and two long silver screws and twenty one bronze ones.  Easy.

Put the power switch back in (two screws, bronze).

Pop in the two controller ports and put the plate back on (two small screws, silver).  The port with the shortest wire is for controller one.

Feed the power button wire under the controller port wires.

Put the pin connector back on the board. 

Place the bottom shied on the board. 

Plug in the power and controller ports.  The board and shield should fit snugly into the bottom housing.

Slide the drop down back in place.   

Pro tip:  This little lip needs to be on the bottom of the board, if it’s on top it will stress the drop down and it may not work properly.

Screw in the drop down with the two long silver screws and four bronze screws.  The silver ones go in the second hole from the top on each side.

Screw in two more bronze screws beside the power a/v box. 

Put the top shield on and screw it down with seven bronze screws.

You should have six screws left, all bronze, use them to put the housing back together.

Clip the little tray back on the bottom and, voila, you’re done!