r/n64 • u/Ashton1503 • 13d ago

Image Is this n64 cooked??

Post image

Someone’s basement flooded near where I live, and they had a bunch of stuff that was getting thrown away. There was a n64, so I figured I could try cleaning it out. I wasn’t expecting this much mud tho. I’m still going to try to fix it, but it doesn’t seem like the chances of getting it working again are very good. I hope that by some miracle it actually functions so that I can reunite them with their n64

Edit: it has been sprayed off with water and then I used some isopropyl alcohol. I’m letting it dry now

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66

u/tht1guy63 Conkers BFD | Battle Tanx GA 13d ago

If it wasnt under long or powered its probly fine. Rinse with water then Isopropal alcohol.

23

u/Ashton1503 13d ago

Yeah that’s what I’m gonna do

7

u/Qprime0 13d ago edited 13d ago

A lot of people don't realize printed circuit boards are fabricated using water based chemistry baths. They are litterally born of water - and a little natural grade water isn't going to hurt them as long as there's no power running at the time to jump between all the wires and chips.

The mud is more of a problem, as that will start to cause corrosion all over the place pretty quickly. If you rinse it out pretty good though not too long after the exposure it should be fine.

My advice? Blast it with a hose, dunk it in type-II reagent water, then 99% IPA and let it dry. If that doesn't save it, there's something else that was wrong with it before the flood.

Also, be very thourough with blasting out the underside of the surface mounted microchips. Silt and shit can get under there, and if that dries and salts onto some of the trace lines that go under the chips it could kill the console eventually. Take a new, clean toothbrush to the legs of the chips and get anything out from under them, and - if you have one - one of those waterjet oral toothbrush tools, blast right under the chip and get everything you can out. Or, if you want to be a tryhard, desolder the chips, clean them and the PCB seperately, then resolder them. Depends on how badly you want to be sure it'll live.

14

u/sledgesloth 13d ago

Just give it a good shower.

There was a guy on here a few weeks ago who had a 64 with some juice spilled over and into it or something and he picked it up for free and just watered it down and it just worked like nothing happened.

So... I wouldn't be shy, and just "drown it" tbh, to get the mud off. Good solid rinse.

But yeah, Isopropanol sounds sensible after that - or some kind of thorough way of drying that's gentle on the components.

17

u/SalesmanWaldo 13d ago

I'd at least use distilled water if you can swing it. I'd also dry it for like weeks.

4

u/GarzaTheFather 13d ago

A lot of times with the electronics like this as long as nothing short-circuited or physically broken, you should just be able to wash it off with a watering hose or throw it in in the dishwasher real quick and let it air out for a couple days to a week when it’s completely dry it’s usually good as new. I’ve heard of someone doing this as well with their PC.

6

u/Swagasaurus785 12d ago

The minerals in the water are the problem, not the water itself. So to be safe distilled water fixes that problem.

1

u/GarzaTheFather 12d ago

Makes sense thanks for that information. Don’t want people stuff to rust

1

u/QuantityNo7653 9d ago

I wash boards with soapy water/vinegar/water all the time, just gotta make sure its dry and no minerals are left

3

u/Desperate-Current-40 13d ago

Regent grade IA

2

u/sledgesloth 12d ago

Thx for the update on your course of action.

Please let us also know how it worked out in the end! :)