Hey, guys. New to the forums. No one around here shares the passion, so I was hoping you all could help me out.

My NES has been in my home since it was new. Boxed up and stored away, it emerges after several years with the blinks. I've cleaned the games, and with some tampering I can get most of the titles to work, if only for a minute or two, but once I pull the cart out - it's square one.

So, the 72-pin connector: I'm sure it's worn, since the least ornery games are the older releases like SMB, Duck Hunt, Mega-Man, etc. which I have read were made with thicker boards. People have reported a new connector to be somewhat less than a "holy grail" though.

Apparently, some are "new" but cheap materials ensure the problem will persist; some are "refurbished" which consists of just bending the pins back and maybe a good washing; and then there are the relatively highly priced "new" connectors which are described as being of much higher quality, equaling a satisfactory lifespan.

I'm leaning heavily towards the expensive remedy, but is it worth it? I can't find many written accounts of people actually trying this one. If this will give my console another another ten or twenty years, I'm down.

I might just buy a model 2 and be done with it, though. I'm sure there are some people around here with some firsthand experience who can give me some advice.

Thanks in advance.