GBA Games Not Loading Properly

[Jolts]

Hey guys, I've been lurking here for a while and have finally gotten around to creating an account. I'm not going to be completely active, but I have some upcoming projects so bear with me.

Anyways, I've been doing some work on an original GBA I have, but for some reason the games aren't working right. Sometimes it cuts to a black screen with static noise, sometimes it loads but both the music and graphics are slightly corrupted, and sometimes it actually plays correctly but ends up corrupting the save files. I know that the cartridges I'm using aren't the problem because I've tested multiple ones and they all work on other systems. I have a hunch that the problem is with the cartridge slot, but for one thing I'm not sure how I would go around fixing it besides replacing it and for another I just wanted a second opinion.
So, would anybody have any suggestions on what to do?

 

[3MZ]

Buy a new gameboy, or replace the cart slot...

 

[PalmerTech]

Have you tried cleaning the cart slot?

Oftentimes, gunk can build up on the cart contacts, leading to problems like you describe. Rubbing alcohol and Q-Tips work well!

 

[Jolts]

Buy a new gameboy, or replace the cart slot...

I've of course thought of those things, but I was hoping that I could fix it.

Have you tried cleaning the cart slot?

Oftentimes, gunk can build up on the cart contacts, leading to problems like you describe. Rubbing alcohol and Q-Tips work well!

Unfortunately, cleaning out a GBA cartridge slot isn't as simple as some of the consoles. The contact points are too small to get a Q-Tip in there, or at least the ones I've been trying to use. The last time I tried this I could only brush the tips, but it did work for a bit after that so another try might be worthwhile.

 

[PalmerTech]

What kind of Q-Tip are you using? There are the rolled-paper stick ones, and the hollow plastic tube ones. The plastic tube ones are better for this, since you can crush the tip of the tube to fit.

Taking apart the GBA will make it a lot easier to reach the pins, too.

 

[Jolts]

What kind of Q-Tip are you using? There are the rolled-paper stick ones, and the hollow plastic tube ones. The plastic tube ones are better for this, since you can crush the tip of the tube to fit.

Taking apart the GBA will make it a lot easier to reach the pins, too.

I'll try to look out for those, I honestly didn't know there were multiple kinds of toothpicks XD.
And when I was cleaning it out before I did remove the shell for it, but it was still too narrow to fit in the Q-tips I was using.
Thanks for the tips Palmer, I'll try to find some of those as soon as possible and I'll see how it goes.