[BluefoxIcy]

I've got Zelda 3 now, and it's... not saving. At all. The battery has probably crystalized; the low voltage across the terminals isn't trickle charging it at all, so I need to replace it.

The replacement procedure will be pretty simple, but annoying. The battery's soldered on, so I need to crack it off with a screwdriver and solder a new one. I could tape it, but the glue will weaken over time and the connection may sometimes be weak enough to lose contents of SRAM. Further, in the future if I need to replace the battery I'll lose all saved games again!

So now I'm thinking about it, and I'm considering a way around this issue. My current thinking is to modify the game very slightly, pretty much making battery replacement easier and simpler. This involves adding a real CR2032 slot (like on your computer's motherboard) and a small capacitor so the battery can be out for a few minutes without losing static RAM contents. This should make future replacement and battery testing safe and easy.

So here's a question: Would you buy a cart with a replaced battery? If the battery's dead you can't save games; but the procedure involves soldering and desoldering around inside the game.

How about a more specific question. Let's say on eBay you spotted two copies of... say.. Chrono Trigger, each with about the same current bid, no box, and no book. One copy is vanilla, but the other boasts a battery replacement:

This cartridge has had the battery replaced, and a slot holder added for easy replacement in the future. The battery can be switched without soldering now, simply by opening the cartridge with a 3.8mm bit.

This cartridge has gone through the following restoration:

- Replaced the old battery with a fresh CR2032
- Soldered in a 2032 holder so the battery can be replaced without soldering in the future
- Soldered a 500uF 3V capacitor in parallel with the battery, so the battery can be out for a couple minutes without losing saved data
- Alc'd the cartridge body, leaving it clear of smudges and dirt
- Disassembled and alc'd inside the cartridge slot
- Alc'd the pin connectors
- Label was slightly peeling at edges, applied new adhesive
- Tested with an FC Twin, working and compatible with after-market SNES systems

Would you be more or less likely to bid on the cleaned up/restored game than on the vanilla copy?

[Flik]

Depends on if you want a game for collector value or to just play. If you want a more trouble free cart, get the modified version if it's fairly cheap. If you're after collector value then get the untouched one.

It's not like you're going to see the modifications on the cart with the replaced battery. All that stuff is on the inside.

[BluefoxIcy]

Yeah.. I guess if you're after collector value, a cart with a dead battery might be better than a cart with a replaced battery. Then there's the "Unholy Hands" dilema, where if NOA did the battery replacement (and soldered in a slot for some reason), would it be considered still "pure"? But eh.

The actual "damage" to the cart could be limited to two blobs of solder on the leads for the original battery, easily reversed; but that still would probably bounce people who would much rather play CT on their PSX, and just want the cart for bragging rights.

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

Originally Posted by Wikipedia: Ship of Theseus

According to Greek legend as reported by Plutarch,
“ The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned [from Crete] had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place, insomuch that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same. ”

Plutarch thus questions whether the ship would remain the same if it was entirely replaced, piece by piece. As a corollary, one can question what happens if the replaced parts were used to build a second ship. Which, if either, is the original Ship of Theseus?

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[BluefoxIcy]

Didn't you bring that thing up last time I had a philosophical question?

[The Damned]

There's only so much philosophical material in the world, you know...

[FiremanJoe]

I'd buy the one with the replaced battery, cos I'd rather have a playable game than a pristine one that doesn't work...

Speaking of dead batteries, my copy of Pokemon Silver refuses to save anymore. I'm annoyed with this, cos it's a fairly recent game. (My Donkey Kong '94 cart works and saves fine.) What do I need to replace the battery and how hard is it? (and should this thread/post be in Tech Assist? =P )

[SosusOCR]

Originally Posted by FiremanJoe

I'd buy the one with the replaced battery, cos I'd rather have a playable game than a pristine one that doesn't work...

Speaking of dead batteries, my copy of Pokemon Silver refuses to save anymore. I'm annoyed with this, cos it's a fairly recent game. (My Donkey Kong '94 cart works and saves fine.) What do I need to replace the battery and how hard is it? (and should this thread/post be in Tech Assist? =P )

*pops in from the dark*

Just ring the Nintendo help line on 190 224 1001 and they should tell you the best way to get a replacement copy. They're fairly cool and will try to help like they did replacing my old school DS and Pilotwings 64.

*fades back into the dark*

[BluefoxIcy]

Do what Sosus says, yeah. It's safer and less threatening for your game; although if you can get a fresh Pokémon Silver for less than the cost of repairs, just take a shot at resoldering and buy a new game if you break it.

If you're going for repairing your cart, just get a 3.8mm bit (I got one for a penny on eBay plus $4 shipping) and replace the battery yourself. It's fairly simple, pry the old one off very gently with a screwdriver (i.e. crack the solder off) and solder the new one back in. I'm sure you can see why I want to hack an actual slot into my SNES carts....

The biggest problem with replacing the batteries is that you have to be very careful. You're using brute force to rip off something that's soldered in in such a way that it's not to be removed; generally you only do this in two cases:

• You're sure you know exactly what you're doing. In this case, you probably already have decided not to even find out the price of repairs, because you know you won't break the damn thing.
• Having it repaired is going to cost as much/more than buying a new one. In this case, you're better off buying a new one anyway; breaking the old one won't set you back, so you might as well try to just slip in a $3 battery on your own first.

This is pretty much why I want to augment my carts with a proper battery slot and cap; I can just swap the battery out when it gets near EOL, and the cap will give me a minute to make the change without losing my game. No need to crack solder and weld a new battery down; the entire set of tools needed is reduced to a toothpick.