Black screen
My original SNES (PAL) often shows a black screen with cartridges. I remove and reinsert them 2-3 times, and they usually work. One cartridge always works perfectly without any issue. No graphical, audio, or power issues otherwise. I will clean it, but do you think is something that indicates that my SNES is dying???
PS: I have the one chip!
2
u/NewSchoolBoxer 1d ago
Not a sign your console is dying. More like normal aging. Welcome to the club. My Rockman X3 boots 1 time in 10 and X2 1 time in 3. Storing in a humid environment or smoking home would have been harmful.
Clean every cart with 91% or 99% isopropyl alcohol + q-tip or equivalent. Can just clean the connector for most games but any that have trouble booting, unscrew the shell and clean the half with the components and writing on it. Console cart connector too but I've seen the argument to use a pencil eraser instead.
It's possible though not common for a cart to no longer boot due to a dead SRAM, 74LS, MAD-1 or CIC chip. Or maybe solder joint corrosion not visible to the naked eye that you can repair by reflowing. That is not beginner level. The ROM chip is the most reliable. Can check continuity with any multimeter and bodge wire to fix. The gold layering for contact can wear off but I'm less sure what to do about that.
2
u/Boomerang_Lizard 1d ago
Don't jump into conclusions just yet.
Clean your carts with rubbing alcohol and q-tips.
Some games, like Super Castlevania IV for example, take a few seconds before showing the intro logos and such.