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SNES Battery Backup

Posted: 12th October 2010 00:50

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So I realize I am resurrecting an old thread but my query seemed to fit pretty well here. I opted to buy Chrono Trigger for SNES instead of PSX (never played it before) and wondered if anyone had any input on whether I should change the save battery right off since the game is so old to avoid losing all data halfway through... I suppose I could look for signs of wear to get an idea of whether it was played enough to have killed the battery but even then the CR2032's expire as well- I assume even if it would have still had a charge... Its a gamble if I just hope for the best... Its not all that tough to change the battery and I did so successfully with another cheaper game but would hate for something to go wrong... Ideas?

Moderator Edit
Moved to the CT section - it's not really a CT question, I guess, but it's not a FF6 question, for sure. smile.gif -R51


This post has been edited by MisterCombo on 12th October 2010 02:26
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Posted: 12th October 2010 02:11

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Hm, well I've have my copy of Chrono Trigger since 1995 and the battery still works fine on it, so I haven't had any similar problems. However, my copy of Yoshi's Island, which I got around the same time, has had a dead battery for years. Don't know if this helps at all, but that's my experience with the game, anyway.

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Posted: 12th October 2010 02:29

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thanks for the input... I've heard many people say that batteries on their platformers and action games have gone bad and many who say there RPGs are still alive and kicking.. maybe thats because typically other games are played more than an RPG? if someone had this since they bought it, i doubt they played through it more than a few times... but then you have the expiration date.... im the type where if I put 20 hours on CT and lose my saves it'll be tough to start from scratch...
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Posted: 12th October 2010 16:23

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Glad somebody made a topic on this actually, I was considering doing it myself but wasn't sure if anybody else would be interested. I'm not sure if you should replace the battery yet since these batteries are supposed to last a long time. At the same time, many of them are coming to the end of their life span though. Regardless, you should probably prepare for the eventuality now since all batteries, rechargable or not, lose the ability to hold a charge. I think this should be of concern to everybody who plays their games in cartridge format because old game save files are stored in volitile memory, which is much like the RAM on our computers: Power goes off, data's gone. The internal battery is the only thing keeping you and your pink tails and other such nonsense together.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

If you remove the battery before backing up the save, you'll lose your save data right away. I'm not sure if this'll work but I got one of these hoping that I could utilize it for the purpose. I'll P.M. you about another device that might work better.

Notes: I'm not sure it'll actually restore the save to the game but at the same time, I'm not sure why it wouldn't if you could find a save point of some sort to save the game regularly. Also try not to rely on these themselves as a solution because I've heard they have the potential to ruin your cartridges in and of themselves. I don't remember exactly how but I have heard that somewhere.

You'll also want 3.8mm SNES security bits so you can properly unscrew the cartridges.

Otherwise watch this video and if this is your first time doing this or are inexperienced with soldering, practice on some common as heck game first like Super Mario World first. Losing a pricey game like Chrono Trigger would definitely bite. Very simple sounding procedure though and they have some specialized batteries made for the purpose linked in the description.

Warning: Keep in mind that working with batteries is somewhat dangerous. You'll want to desolder the battery from the contact points on the Printed Circut Board, behind the actual battery. If you try to touch the battery with the soldering iron directly it could leak or explode. If this happens the battery acid could start to eat away at your flesh, circuitry and anything else it touches. So please, be careful.

Also I think regular playing might actually be good for the batteries, as I have heard at least once that they are meant to be rechargable. This means when they're in a powered on system, they get more power. However do keep in mind what I said above though: rechargable batteries do eventually lose their ability to hold a charge after so much time or so many recharges.

At any rate, I hope this helps.

This post has been edited by Tonepoet on 12th October 2010 17:12

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Posted: 13th October 2010 00:54

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Thanks.. I actually got home from vacation and CT arrived and I decided to switch the battery since I have no saves yet... I have not seen one of the backups yet but in any case I got the old battery out pretty easily using a few tips i found on the interwebs...Heating up a razor blade with a soldering iron and slowly sawing at the contact points touching the battery took a while but it came off well. At least now I know I'm definitely good for about ten years... Maybe Ill look into the game saver in the future...
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Posted: 13th October 2010 09:03

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Quote (Tonepoet @ 12th October 2010 17:23)
I think this should be of concern to everybody who plays their games in cartridge format because old game save files are stored in volitile memory, which is much like the RAM on our computers: Power goes off, data's gone. The internal battery is the only thing keeping you and your pink tails and other such nonsense together.

Not strictly true - some games use alternatives such as EEPROM, FeRAM or the now ubiquitous Flash memory which aren't attached to a battery whatsoever. That's not to say they can't break down, but they tend to have a longer lifespan. However, most stuff from the 16-bit era does indeed use battery-backed SRAM, including CT.

You might also consider looking into a Retrode. These not only let you play genuine cartridges through an emulator, but you can back up and restore save games through it too - a good bet if you want to keep something through a battery change.
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Posted: 16th October 2010 01:21

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What sort of storage are mem cards for PS1, GC, and other more recent systems? Flash memory? I'm pretty sure they aren't battery-backed memory.

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