SNES Retrobrighting and Restoration

Super Nintendo consoles use plastics that are well-known to suffer from severe yellowing which ruins the original light grey colour of these systems. At ABD Games we use any available techniques to restore the consoles we work on and that includes "retrobrighting", a popular method for restoring aging plastics through a chemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide. First, we fully clean the shell of any contaminants built up over the years. Then we soak it in a warm hydrogen peroxide solution while exposing it to UV light until the beautiful original grey finish is restored.

SNES shells are also quite fragile, so most develop minor cracks and chips. We carefully glue and/or rebuild any cracked or chipped corners and edges using a mix of cyanoacrylate adhesive ("super glue") and sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda), which produce a finish close to the original SNES light grey.

In addition, we perform any other necessary repairs. That includes replacing cracked or broken AC connectors (which commonly fall apart on SNES systems), servicing the motherboards as required, as well as deep cleaning all internal components such as the catridge connector, controller ports, power, and reset switches. Any included SNES controllers also get the full restoration treatment with a wash to remove any contaminants inside and out, cleaning all contacts, and replacing any failed button membranes.

Finally, we perform a thorough stress test of each system using a variety of games and check the controllers for responsiveness.