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From: jjgames
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  • Saw EarthBound

    INSTANT LIKE!

  • hey my snes super metroid saves sometimes, I can turn the system on and off with out losing the file, but when I try to put cartrige bak in, it sometimes takes me a few tries for it to work.. and sometimes my save files are erased.. What do you think could cause this?

    Thanks a lot!

  • Does that work on PAL catridges?

  • @ZidaneTribal93

    It will work on any gamecart that uses a battery backup for save data which is pretty much all of them.

  • Hey dude, I got a copy of EarthBound for Christmas. When I played it and saved it for the first time, the game didnt save. When I tried it the second time, it worked. When I tried it for the third time, my game file was erased.

    Should I clean it or replace the batteries?

  • thanks i appreciate it.:)

  • Do you only need to cut one of the legs, or both?

  • @jpizzle73 Just one side. The side that goes into the smaller hole.

  • iv got donkey kong country 3 for the snes i will save the game and it stays there for a long time but twice i have got very far and then i go back and the save is gone its very annoying, is this because of the battery

  • I can play Super Mario World, and I can save. But a few hours later I lose that save. Is this due to a dead battery?

  • @Wolfspydir Yep, that sounds like a dead battery issue to me. You can save with a dead battery, but the save file will disappear as soon as the power to the system is turned off.

  • You shouldn't recommend pliers. A fitting screwdriver or bit only costs a view $, and you don't scratch the shit out of the screw. It's all about preservation.

  • @LudwigNyman Right! PLUS ITS FRIKIN' EARTHBOUND!!!!!!

  • @jjgames I just got a SNES game, Zelda A link to the past. I went to blow it to make it work.. it wouldnt let me create a save file. I reset a few times and got the old owner's save files. Then it wouldnt work again for letting me save. Is this telling me that I need to replace the battery or clean the cartridge?

  • @themeowmaster If you were able to recover the save files at some point then it is not the battery. A dead battery would have no save file data at all. You would usually be able to save and see the save files with no problem until you turned off the system. Then the data would be gone.

    So my guess is you need to clean it.

  • @jjgames This is what I was figuring. I just wanted to make sure. Thanks for the help.

  • @jjgames Thanks, cleaning the cartridges worked perfectly. They work like new.

  • @jjgames Well, I have another issue. So, I went to play the game, and I was able to save in the game. I got the first heart container, and then saved. I turned off the power, and the save with 3 hearts shows up, but not with 4. Would this be a dead battery?

  • Nice video. I now feel confident about doing this

  • i wish i could be like this and a modder.. all of my stuff would be better.. my super mario all stars would have a new battery, my n64 controller would have a gamecube anolog stick, i would change the LED lights on my consoles..but im too afraid and not as technological to do that

  • I Got The Battery To Work On My Donkey Kong Country With Just Electrical Tape.

  • aww and i came soo close to beating super metroid

  • i lost my save data playing super metroid can i recover my save data by doing this

  • @supercarrot4 Unfortunately not. Once the save data is gone, it is gone forever. There is no way to recover it. Sorry

  • can you just use a battery from another functional cardtrige or does it have to be a brand new one????

  • @dashingjavi You can use a battery from another game, but it won't last as long as a new battery. All batteries eventually lose their charge so using an old one will mean you have to do all these steps again sooner.

  • @jjgames thanks alot! by the way you lucky bastard, with earthbound its so hard to find that game

  • @jjgames how many watts would you recommend for the soldering iron?

  • YOU HAVE EARTHBOUND?! Man you're LUCKY!

  • other than the bit screw I cant open a dam nintendo 64 cartridge please help!

  • I've just bought a SNES. Super Mario World crashed and wiped my save is this the battery? if it is, is this method of replacing the battery the same for a PAL cartridge do you know?

  • @antonw91 I have never tried it with Super Famicom games but my understanding is they have the same battery so the process would be the exact same.

  • @jjgames Thanks for your reply, and thanks for the tutorial too, hopefully I don't ruin Sper Mario World trying this :)

  • @MegaCandy39 it will stop saving eventually, but a new battery in it should last 20 years

  • I bought the battery you recommended, followed the video and was able to replace the battery. I have never soldered before today, but thought the hardest part was just clipping the pin on the battery to fit in the small hole on the motherboard! Anyway, the game works, but the save function on Chrono Trigger still doesn't work. Any troubleshooting advice would be greatly appreciated.

  • do Japanese games use the same battery?

  • @88119966 I have never tried it myself, but I have heard they are the same battery.

  • hey do you know where i can buy the battery in a store instead of buying online?

  • @aliz123456 I don't know of any shops that carry these. We have some at our store/warehouse but we only have one location in Denver, CO. If you happen to live there, you're in luck.  Otherwise, sorry.

  • @aliz123456 All you need to buy is a CR2032 at Wal-Mart, Target, Radio Shack, etc. They are only $2.08 for two at Winco. Hope That helps!

  • @aliz123456 You can buy the batteries anywhere batteries are sold. Wal-Mart, Target, grocery stores, etc. I found a 2-pack of Energizer at Winco for $2! They are CR2032.

  • Is the process the same for Super Famicom games?

  • @KAiZAfox I have never tried one myself but I have heard the only major difference between SNES and Super Famicom is the cartridge shape. So I assume the batteries are the exact same.

  • @jjgames this sounds like the guy i talked to yesterday...

  • what about for the 64? what battery do i use?

  • @NintendoLinkGamer N64 batteries are the same. I have never replaced one myself, but I have opened them up and the battery is the same type.

  • @jjgames

    i have a 3.6 volt battery, will its higher-than-normal voltage ruin my game, or will it work?

  • @erizo908 I honestly don't know enough about electronics to say for sure. I know too high a voltage can damage things, but I don't know if 3.6V would be too high. Sorry I can't give more info.

  • @erizo908 Yes it will ruin the cart. do not use that high a voltage.

  • @vxbinaca

    woah, thanks. U were like the only guy out of a whole bunch of smarties who knew more than to just bust open a cartridge and could give me a good answear.

  • hey what batteries should we buy?????????? please reply soon

  • @mastercody101 Click the link just below the video. I sell the batteries that I used. They already have the connectors attached.

  • Holy crap that is more complicated than I thought. Thanks for sharing I will have to try this sometime.

  • PLEASE HELP

    I put earthbound in, and the it works fine, then the title where you chose your file comes up and the game has a fucking breakdown, sometimes the menu won't appear for a minute, I can't chose a file, and the text is all over the place!

  • @MrBumpits Not sure what would be causing that. I know that Earthbound has some protections to stop people from making copies of the game so maybe this is one of those protections and this game is a copy. I'm not sure.

    If you try cleaning it and it still happens my guess is there are some other problems with the circuit board.

  • really helpfull : ) thank you for posting

  • I have a question, If my battery is working and I suddenly remove it from the mother board, will I loose all my saved data?

  • wanst there only one earthbound/mother created and sold for thousands of dolars?

  • i'm not sure if this has anything to do with batteries, but when i put a snes game (usually super mario all-stars) in to the console, it will only play the game for a short time. sometimes it wont even play the game at all. PLEASE HELP ME!!

  • @moviemakerHaris yes games back then used batteries to keep save files, so ya a new battery will do the trick :)

    If it doesn't then something is wrong with the game itself

  • I just bought Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, and it won't start up, and I have thoroughly cleaned the contacts, do you think a battery could fix this problem?

  • Does anyone know where is the battery inside Donkey Kong's cartridge? Cause i opened mine and it looks different from the game in the video. Seems the previous owner removed the battery, and now i have no clue where i should place the new one. Please help!

    Thanks!!

  • @cmcnic64 No. The battery only affects saving games. If it doesn't start up even after cleaning the contacts, it's probably busted.

  • i have a question

    for some reason my file on mario deletes itself after awhile

    will replacing the battery fix the problem

    PLEASE reply

  • @moviemakerHaris Replacing the battery should fix this issue.

  • Earthbound one of my favorites

  • Has anyone ever tried connecting a second battery with wire before replacing the bad one, in order to keep the data from being erased?

  • @voidshirt I have never thought of that, but I think it would be possible. You would have to get just the right power supply so it didn't send too many volts through the circuit. But it should be possible.

  • You made this a lot more complicated than it needed to be.

  • So, I can also replace the back part of the cart using this right? (The part where it has that Cautions sticker like in 3 or 4 languages lol). Because I'm thinking of buying some cheap ass games to replace the back part of my Aero Fighters copy.

  • @ShinOnigashima The back part of all SNES games is the same. You should be able to replace the back from a cruddy game with the back from Aero Fighters and there will be no problem.

  • @jjgames

    Yes, exactly as I thought! Thanks.

  • This might sound a little stupid, but is it possible to "copy/backup" the data on a battery to another? I mean, it's nice to have a new battery... but playing a game such a Final Fantasy or Secret of Mana, and lose all your hard-earned points, can make you sad! :) Cheers

  • my batteries dont have those legs (i'm doing it for theNES)... what do i do instead? If you could make a tutorial for an NES game (ex: FF1, LoZ, or Dragon warrior) I would greatly appreciate it.

  • OH MY GOD YOU DID THAT TO AN EARTHBOUND GAME!!!! BE CAREFUL!!!

  • @alicemudgarden123

     That game is the reason why I'm looking this up. I got it at Vintage Stock. I got past Moon Side. High Leveled. Moved it around no save!

  • Does this same process apply to N64 games? I want to replace Harvest Moon 64. I also heard electrical tape can be used instead of a soldering iron. Could I use tape? Thanks in advance for any replies!

  • @cutliquidsnake The same basic process works on N64 games too. The battery is the same as well.

    You can use electrical tape, but I do not recommend it. If the tape comes loose at all the battery will lose connection and all save data will be erased. Solder is a much more permanent solution. But it does cost a bit more initially to buy the soldering iron.

  • @jjgames

    And the same can be said if the N64 game use EEPROM to save data? Is that easy obtain and solder on the cartridge board?

  • where did you get the replacement battery from?

  • So this is when there is a processor always running and no solid state memory systems?

  • Does the battery normally recharge during play?

    If not, I think it would have been a good idea.

  • @trkka

    the battery does not recharge ever

  • @trkka If I recall correctly they did recharge as the system was powered on. They would've died much earlier if not. The main problem here is that even rechargable batteries have a limited lifespan, even when meticulously maintained for good health. These games are starting to push decades and haven't been used very regularly so it's only natural for them to get stale and die. Even if they had been used, you only get so many charges.

  • I love earthbound!

  • Wow. First of all, I'm suprised you have Earthbound. Second, I wish I was smart enough to do that stuff. My Kirby Super Star is having trouble saving... Then again, it also doesn't work...

  • Will this same method work for an NES game?

  • @Riddler95 Yes. The same steps will work on a NES game too. They use the same battery.

  • FAKE

  • Dude where did you get pliers that small?! I've tried Radioshack, Home Depot, everybody. Those things are nonexistent....

  • OR you can just use an emulator and play all these old classics with no troubles.... jeeze get with the times. Just spend the money on an adapter so u can use your old controllers with ur PC... then ur golden.

  • @Armadeadn How dare you?! You should only need to use an emulator if...

    1. The game is not available in the US (or PAL... Depends on where you live.)

    or 2. You own the game, want to do a video on it, and don't have the money to get a Dazzle.

  • this should work ill try to take some time on fixing my super metriod game

  • Hi,

    When the game batterie is dead, the cartridge still play without saving or it don't play at all ?

  • @Siegfried6669 If the battery is dead the game will still work and you can play it, BUT you won't be able to save your data. Once you turn off the system the data will be gone.

  • @jjgames

    My Ocarina of time copy can save data but at random times it will erase data. One time I got to the final dungeon, saved it and then when I came back the next day all my data was sadly gone. Do you think my battery is dead or that maybe the game just needs to be cleaned out thoroughly?

  • @xOmniCloudx I'm not positive but my guess is the connection on the battery is not very good so it loses the charge sometimes. Or the battery is on the frits.

    I would try replacing the battery to see if that helps.

  • @jjgames

    Thanks for your help. And I made a mistake. It was actually my A Link to The Past. I was listening to a OoT song while posting so that's why I made the mistake haha. Either way it seems I should just replace the battery. After watching your vid it shouldn't be too hard.

  • It kills me to see that a game like Earthbond needs to be subjected to this.What was Nintendo thinking not having a basic socket for a battery in there?IMO selling games with battery designs like these is like the company telling its customers to go F themselves.Before Isaw this video I did not know that soldering the board was required sort of assumed it would be a basic socket like in every pc mainboard.Some bonehead collectors would want original dead battery now, killing the game completely!

  • is soldering risky? could you screw your game up

  • How do you back up your save so that when you install the new battery, you still retain your old save?

  • @bl4ckw1ngz64 I don't know of any way to backup the data before you replace the battery. I'm sure there is some way if you can still provide power to the memory card, but it would require some pretty fancy equipment that probably costs lots of money.

  • @bl4ckw1ngz64 Before you start you can probably hook up another battery to the connectors on the board BEFORE YOU START.Keep this battery connected during the entire process.Connect them from wires off to the side.Once the new battery is secure then you can clip off the 2nd new battery.I've not done this myself, but just by knowing how batteries work,the batteries would be in parallel there would not be a doubling of voltage when both new ones are on there.

    I would prefer let it Erase instead.

  • @bl4ckw1ngz64

    I've replaced the battery in a few games. Unless you can provide constant power there is no reliable way to preserve the save.

    There was one odd case however where the saves on a copy of Super Mario World survived when I replaced the battery. Not sure how <_<

  • im having trouble opening my snes cartridge my needle nose pliars are too big and i dont have a 3.88 security bit, do you have any other suggestions or should i just buy a 3.88 security bit and just wait until it arrives in the mail

  • If the new battery stops working then yes, you can replace it again. The new batteries should work for another 15 years plus. Did you follow all the steps in the video when you replaced it?

  • hey one thing

    what if the new battery stops working?? should i follow the same procedure??no clipping?

  • @BloodandBourbon You can find them on ebay. Search for "gameboy battery" and you should see some with the legs on them.

  • I just bought an SNES game from Play N Trade, Power Rangers Zeo Battle Racers, and it will NOT turn on, yet the board is completely clean. It has a battery like the earth bound in your video, so I'm wondering if it's the battery that won't turn the game on at all or maybe it's something else?

  • @AOXepisodes The battery is not used at all when the game is plugged in. The game gets the power from the Super Nintendo.

    This issue you are having is NOT a battery issue.

  • Oh, then what could be the problem I wonder? All of my other games work fine on my snes, it's a very clean system. I don't get it because the Zeo Racer game is in mint condition. I'm just stumpt at this point.

  • @AOXepisodes Sorry, I don't know what it would be if everything looks clean. Maybe the circuit board got messed up some how. It might look good but it actually was ruined.

  • It's weird because the board doesn't look burned out or anything. Probably a current killed the chip or something, who knows. I can't find any info about this on google, I searched, and got your vid. I enjoyed it also!

    Thanks bro, I appreciate your help!

  • The battery's only purpose is to keep game saves. If the game does not start it's either the game or your system

  • It's def not my system, as all my games work fine, except for that 1 title.

  • then it might be the game unfortunately. Have you tried cleaning the cartridge contacts?

  • The game is BRAND NEW, the contacts are 100% sparkly clean, which is why I don't understand why it doesn't work. Maybe the circuit board shorted out or something, but no spots on the board look burnt. Just very odd.

  • OK, at the start of the video it says the battery you need is a BR2032, do you by any chance mean CR2032? I've not heard of a BR2032 before.

  • @Lachlant1984 Both batteries should work. CR2032 should last longer and I think is just the more recent version of BR2032.

  • Mu Super Mario Allstars cart will delete all my saved data if i remove it from the SNES. But if it stays in the system the data keeps. Bad battery?

  • @addicted2bass87 Yes that is a sign of a bad battery. The system is supplying power to the cartridge when it is plugged in so the save data will be saved, but once you remove it the game uses the battery to supply power.

    If you lose the data at this point than the battery needs to be replaced.

  • And I recommend installing a battery holder. It makes replacing the battery easier and makes your cartridge look less ghetto.

  • If you save your game (Assuming your battery isn't dead) just prior to replacing it, you can save all your game files from getting deleted. Unless it takes you more than an hour to replace a battery. SRAM takes tiny amounts of power from the battery every hour or so. and whenever you save your game, extra battery power is not used. It takes power from the system itself.

  • i just opened up my earthbound cartridge and the board is much smaller than the one you are working on in this video, i have just started playing it and all seems well so far. i wonder why the boards looks o different

  • Got a question too, can this battery also being used for the N64? Or is that a different battery?

  • It should work from what I researched. I'm planning on using it for Ocarina Of Time soon.

  • thanks a lot for the tutorial, especially since i am a collector

  • Will this technique work for NES games as well?? Thanks.

  • Yes, this will work on NES games too.  Only some NES games have batteries though.

  • like zelda and metroid right?

  • Yes. They have batteries

  • Worked great on most of my games, but FFII was a pain. Battery connectors were horizontal so it was awkward to grip the battery (other components got in the way that don't when vertical), and then the connectors were bent down AND soldered. Took me thirty minutes to get the sucker out.

  • thank you for the help i done it to super metriod now it works perfect then before.

  • Glad that worked so well for you. Enjoy Super Metroid. It's a great game.

  • i also got another qeastion since you and i are gamers what game your looking foward what you saw at E3 this year of 2009

  • Hands down it is Scribblenauts. The game was awesome and very fun. So creative and funny and original all at the same time.

  • I totally agree! Cant wait for that its gonna rock!

  • Couple questions:

    1) When you place the new battery into the slots do you have to fold in the tabs on the other side of the circuit board (for better contact and to kinda hold it in place), or do you leave the tabs straight and let the solder do everything?

    2) Is there any risk of having poor contact between the new battery and the circuit board (i.e. no power) or are the slots pretty snug?

  • You don't have to bend the tabs. The solder will make the contact.

    The slots are pretty snug, but the solder is what completes the contact. As long as you put the solder on the piece it will fill in any crack and make a full connection.

  • is there some chance that, someday, no more batteries can be produced? that would be sad

  • Probably not. The batteries are used for other things as well so there will probably be a supply for them for a long time to come.

  • Very good tutorial, really helped me to save  my old cartridges (because I wouldn't pay R$50 for some guy to do it).

    But I'm having some difficulty on finding this BR2032 battery. Have you tested it with CR2032? This is the only one I've found. It's a battery commonly used in motherboards. 3V, looks pretty alike the battery in your video.

    Do you think it would work fine?

  • I think CR2032 would work, but I have never tested it myself.

  • Allright. I'll test it and let you know if it works.

  • BR is just a manufacturer code, its the same exact shit, as long as it says "2032" and "3V" and is in the shape of a coin cell, that's what you want. You can also get one from Newark()com for about $2 a piece, and those are actually CR2032. I've used them before for Game Boy games and they worked great (even though GB uses a 2025 from the factory, a 2032 also works, I think Nintendo was just being cheap TBH as they're both 3V batteries).

  • I was hoping this was a joke video where you accidentally ruin a rare valuable game and freak out ;-)

  • MUST HAVE EARTHBOUND GAME!!!!!!

  • It looks like you can slide the battery out without using the soldering iron and slide a new one in... have you try that before?

  • The Battery is held in place every where by solder. The connector you see on the top is permanently attached. You have to remove the solder connection if you want to remove the battery.

  • Ultimately it would be cheaper to replace the entire game than to buy a new battery and soddering iron.

  • It depends on the game and how often you will be doing this. Earthbound costs $60-70 to buy so the parts are much cheaper, probably around $15 total.

    The first game costs $15 to fix because you have to buy the soldering iron, but after that each game costs $1.73. There aren't many SNES games that cost less than that.

  • actually, you're both wrong. Its $15 for one, then $7.50 each if you do 2, then $5 each if you do 3, $3.75 if you do 4, etc. You gotta look at the total per unit cost to assess the value. Even if a replacement game is cheaper, the replacement game battery will die eventually as well. In another 10 years, probably all factory SNES game save batteries will be dead. At that point, it'll be a choice of replace it yourself or pay someone else to do it, not to buy another copy or not.

  • I wish I could just get some kind of button battery caddy that could be soldered in instead, so that the battery itself could then be replaced without soldering (or using electrical tape, etc.).

    Heck, maybe I can; I just haven't looked into it.

  • "can be used on Nintendo, Super Nintendo and Gameboy Color games".

    Does this battery also work for Nintendo 64 and Old Gameboy games?

  • Looks like some N64 games use batteries (I don't know if they are the same ones), but others use flash memory instead of a battery.

    Original Gameboy games DO use the same batteries. I replaced the battery on Pokemon Silver just the other day.

  • I've never tried this on a Super Famicom, so I can't say if it would work on those or not. Sorry.

    I don't think you need to clean the contact pads on the board. Replacing the battery should be enough.

  • Sweet, I just ordered 10. =)

    I'm glad you found a website that has the contacts on the batteries. Why is it that simply taping them on doesn't seem to work?

  • how do you do this on a NES Cartridge

  • ah earthbound mest up but cool you fix it

  • I tried to replace a battery once but it didd't work. Why did stupid Zelda Ocarina of time had to use a battery.

  • where do you get the screwdrivers to open the cartridge

  • As you can see in the video. You don't need a screwdriver. Use needle-nose pliers to remove the screws. The video shows you how.

  • im wondering the batteries that you got with the battery holders where can i find them

  • The video tells you where to buy the battery. It is at 0:14 in the video. Order that part number and it will have everything you need battery wise.

  • alright man thanks for the help

  • although this method is crude but does work.....

    i bought the actual bit on ebay......

    but i am a collector...

    so it was worth the investment for me....

  • Not really. The battery is pretty far away from the other cartridge components. The soldering iron should never even get close to them. It can touch the green part of the board and anything on the back side with no ramifications. Just don't touch any other components.

  • Yes it is quite easy. The first time only took a bit longer than it does now. I think this method is by far the easiest way I have seen to replace the battery.

  • hey i was wondering if the nes had batterys to because they need to save. i only have super mario bros/duck hunt and my highscore never saves. so i opened up the game and there was NO BATTERY!!!! ahhhh! i dont know what to do all it is is a small rectangular chip about 1/4 the size of the actual cartridge. what should i do?

  • I don't know about Mario/Duck Hunt but other NES games I have fixed DO have batteries. It is a small circular shape like a watch battery. If the game is going to save data it would need a power source like a battery. There is a chance the game doesn't really save high scores, but I don't know for sure.

  • wow i'm not gonna lie it would be a few years before i attempt that on earthbound. two things this video doesn't mention that may cause trouble to a novice in electrons is firstly the original battery clip is glued or something to the battery secondly the clips are bent even tho they're sodered into the board. why who knows lastly you got to be pretty careful with that sodering it seems. currently removed the battery on a cheap game the game plays a little more glitchy.