Dead Genesis Cart Backup Battery

[Supralight]

I posted this a couple days ago, on the GENS board, got referred to here, and posted in the "Genesis" forum. No responses have shown yet, so I looked again and saw the tech forum that I somehow missed. Posting here, sorry.

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Ok, well, I recently got my hands on copies of Sonic 3, and Shining Force 2. The backup batteries in both of them are dead, which isn't a HUGE problem in Sonic 3 (but I'd like it to save anyway), but in Shining Force it's a must.

I've heard that you CAN replace the batteries, but AFIK they're soldered on the board, and you need to get the cart open first. (I know you need a GameBit, and I know a local store who will open the carts for me)

Does anyone have any info on replacing the battery, or where to get it done? (If you have any info on doing the same for SNES and GB, please let me know as well, it could come in handy)

I want to play Shining Force 2 on the original machine! 🙂

 

[ExCyber]

All I can tell you is that my Beyond Oasis (another Sega-published game with significant ROM size) has a CR2032, and it's in some kind of holder that doesn't want to let go of it. I'm thinking it might be some kind of horizontally-oriented combination solder tab/strain relief, but it looks too much like a holder for that. I don't think it would be too hard to remove the holder and replace it with a nicer one, but it is a bit close to one of the ROMs, which could present a problem.

 

[Supralight]

ok, thanks. 🙂 I'm hoping someone'll know how to take care of this..looks like we both have the same problem. 🙁

 

[IceDigger]

my european Story of Thor (PAL name for Beyond Oasis) has a standard CR 2032 in it, with horizontal solder tabs. you can buy them like that. just desolder them using a semi-powerful soldering iron (25-40 W) and a solder sucker pump.

 

[ExCyber]

It could be that I've just never seen horizontal solder tabs before, but mine definitely looks odd - the mechanism really doesn't quite look like it's substantial enough to be a holder of any kind, but it also doesn't look like the battery was manufactured that way... it looks like the tabs were glued on afterward or something. Is that what they normally look like?

Also, I was fairly pleased with the lack of a mapper for that SRAM weirdness... I guess Sega wasn't going to be stupid about it even if they were ####-bent on keeping the SRAM at the standard address. 🙂

 

[IceDigger]

the tabs are like pressed on, they're not soldered or glued r anything. they're standard stuff, have seen them used in alot of things.

 

[Supralight]

hmm....think that my carts might be set up the same way? where would I go about getting one of the batteries with the tabs?

 

[Mangaman]

Sorry to butt in here, but does the same apply for SNES carts? i.e. CR2032 batteries? The day Secret of Mana dies on me I'll be very unhappy...

-Mangaman-

 

[IceDigger]

they might use different batteries, but other than that, it applies to SNES carts too. just open the cart and check the type, it's printed on the battery itself. then just ask for that type (i.e. "CR2032 with solder tabs").

 

[Supralight]

Interesting. For another change of pace, what about Gameboy batteries? Turns out my bro has a cart that the battery died in recently. I'd think it's gotta be somewhat different than the much larger SNES/Genesis carts.

 

[ExCyber]

It's probably either a smaller battery with tabs designed for surface mounting, or a so-called "nonvolatile SRAM" with an onboard battery.

 

[IceDigger]

same thing, just smaller batteries. nothing that couldn't be fixed the same way, tho.

 

[Supralight]

Ok, thanks! With any luck I'll be able to find the batteries+tabs, and have an electronics repair place do the actual battery replacement. (I don't have a solder suction pump) 🙂

 

[Xavier]

Or you could send it in to sega and theyll do it for you for $8 , at least last i checked they would .

 

[megametalgreymon]

Quote: from Mangaman on 9:29 am on April 11, 2002

Sorry to butt in here, but does the same apply for SNES carts? i.e. CR2032 batteries? The day Secret of Mana dies on me I'll be very unhappy...

-Mangaman-

that is a cr2032, just opened my us one to look

 

[ShadowStitch]

Just FYI, I actually just replaced a dead battery in a SNES game... I couldn't find a battery with solder tabs on it, so I bought a little watch-style battery socket from radio shack, plugged the battery into that, and soldered the socket to the points inside the system using kynar wire...seems to work just fine.

 

[StryCt100]

I remember reading a process on one of the big Shining Force websites about replacing the dead battery with a watch battery at a local game store and it only cost like $10.