Safe to use brasso on 72-pin connector motherboard contacts?

[Brad251]

My NES is currently working fine but I did use brasso to clean the contacts on the motherboard that the 72-pin connector plugs into. I went through 4 small rags and every time I wiped the brasso off the contacts, it left a black residue. Was this dirt or was black stuff the metal on the contacts? I am concerned that I may have scrubbed off too much metal and left the contacts prone to corrosion. I also used a white vinyl eraser on the contacts as an additional measure.

Basically, did I do the wrong thing and potentially damage my NES?

[maxtherabbit]

My NES is currently working fine but I did use brasso to clean the contacts on the motherboard that the 72-pin connector plugs into. I went through 4 small rags and every time I wiped the brasso off the contacts, it left a black residue. Was this dirt or was black stuff the metal on the contacts? I am concerned that I may have scrubbed off too much metal and left the contacts prone to corrosion. I also used a white vinyl eraser on the contacts as an additional measure.

Basically, did I do the wrong thing and potentially damage my NES?

Clean it thoroughly with a weak solvent like rubbing alcohol and it be aight

As long as there is no residue on them to erode the metal over time you have nothing to worry about

Just don't use it repeatedly on the same edge contacts, there's a finite amount of metal there and you will eventually remove too much. One application is not that level

[ASDR]

I'd say you did the wrong thing. Why use an aggressive last-resort type cleaning agent when you don't even have any actual issues? Start with something safe like 99% IPA. Hard to say if you caused damage. Connectors are generally plated with something to better withstand the abrasion and dirt / humidity / etc. they are exposed to. If you removed that plating with something aggressive they might now be more susceptible to corrosion and wear. Make sure the Brasso is no longer on the contacts and can't transfer to your cartridges where it could also damage the PCB plating there.

[thebigcheese]

Always best to start with a contact cleaner or a high percent isopropyl alcohol. Brasso isn't likely to permanently damage them, though, as long as you only do it like once. But you still need to clean up afterward with the alcohol or contact cleaner. Brasso literally removes some material from the contacts, so that residue is, as you said, some metal from the contacts. It also seems to leave kind of a yucky film. So you need to clean up with the alcohol to make sure to get all that grime off or you won't really have fixed anything.