Donkey Kong Edge Connector Worn Out? Fix?

JamBurglar

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I've got a Dokert/Flagg harness setup in my DK so I can swap between DK and DK Jr. I don't swap that often but I do go back and forther every few months.

When I switched to Donkey Kong and turned on my machine I found that I could not move jumpman/mario down. I removed and reconnected the edge connector several times and found that I would lose various directional controls and jump. At one point I wasn't getting any input from the control panel.

DK Jr. works perfectly in the same cab with the same harness and everything.

As a cross-check I pulled out my original DK control panel harness (the mulit-connector style). When i hook that up I get all my controls back and everything is fine.

Dont' know if it helps but here's a couple high-res shots of both sides of the edge connector.

Is this something that's fixable?

IMG_3551.JPG





IMG_3553.JPG
 
That's a strange one, man. Your edge connector actually looks just fine. If you look too the edge connector is just connected directly to the smaller connectors, so it can't be a chip problem or something. Since your DK Jr. works great, is their any discernable difference in the thickness of the connector or something?
 
This can easily be fixed by adding a light coat of solder to the fingers on both sides of the board.

This is usually not recommended for any boards. Rather, check that the pins at the edge socket are still springy and stick out enough. Possibly pry them back into shape if necessary, and clean the socket.

To clean the socket, cover the PCB edge connector with isopropyl alcohol and plug it in to the socket. Wiggle it around, and re-plug it a few times to clean it. Do this after being sure the edge is healthy.
 
This is usually not recommended for any boards. Rather, check that the pins at the edge socket are still springy and stick out enough. Possibly pry them back into shape if necessary, and clean the socket.

To clean the socket, cover the PCB edge connector with isopropyl alcohol and plug it in to the socket. Wiggle it around, and re-plug it a few times to clean it. Do this after being sure the edge is healthy.
Good advice.
 
Cleaning the socket and the edge connector with isopropyl alcohol seems to have done the trick and Jumpman is no longer directionally challenged!

Thanks everyone!!!
 
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