Replacing the save batteries in NES and SNES games

GregN

aka The Grinch
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2000
Posts
17,570
I have no idea how to do it. Does it involve soldering wizardy? If so, I'm otta luck.
 

ChuChu Flamingo

We have purposely, trained him wrong, ...as a joke
10 Year Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2010
Posts
2,756
If you have a decent soldering iron and good lead rosin core solder its easy. Just practice on shit boards desoldering and soldering through hole stuff to get a feel for how solder flows. Your solder joints should look shiny/smooth and have a dome like shape.
 
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greedostick

Obsessed Neo-Fan
15 Year Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Posts
4,473
I've done hundreds of these.

Just learn to install SLIM SMD Battery Holders. This will allow you to use regular name brand CR2032 batteries, instead of the shitty Chinese ones with tabs. Then you only have to hit your board once with an iron. I've fit these in NES, SNES, GENESIS, MASTER SYSTEM, AND N64. Take note though that even though they always fit snes perfect, genesis is a tight fit, and for nes you will likely have to pull off a small plastic pillar inside the cartridge shell.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HQ-SMD-CR2...854726?hash=item58d3855d06:g:MggAAOSw~otWg32G

Get a desoldering pump, the braids suck.

A Panvise Mini will serve you well.
https://www.amazon.com/PanaVise-Mod...&qid=1510903366&sr=8-1&keywords=panavise+mini

As far as other tools.

A super small screwdriver to pry the contact out of the bottom of the battery holder, so it fits in the pcb.

Something like needle nose pliers, to bend the other piece on the battery holder.

Paper tape is great, helps hold the battery holder in place while you solder it in.

Something to clean the PCB while you're in there, cause sometime they are kind of crusty near the battery tabs. I just use q-tips and alcohol, but probably not the best idea. Also, sometimes after soldering in a battery/battery holder you will want to clean around the solder points.

The main thing with installing battery holders, is that it takes a little practice to not break the holder. If you look at that linked auction, you will see the gold contacts. That bottom one can pop out, or you can bend them to far, and the gold part snaps off. Order extras. Once you get it down though it's easy. The hard part is getting the battery out (sometimes), and actually getting the holder in (sometimes). That really depends on how clean the battery tab slots on the PCB are after you desolder it. One tip I learned on getting the batteries out that are troublesome, is while you have the iron on the solder joint, use the needle nose pliers to pull the battery out at the same time. Sometimes they can be a pain in the ass.

In the case when you remove the battery, and the holder tabs don't fit in the pcb slots, throw a little more solder on there (after the battery is out), and use the pump and try and get all the solder out at once. It's kind of hard to explain, but sometimes the solder just fills the holes on the PCB you need to battery holder tabs to fit in, and it's a major pain in the ass (at least for me cause i'm not a professional), this is when you need to add solder, or else when you try to use the pump to suck it out, you won't make any progress.

It's also important to remember the solder rule. This may be slightly off, but I believe you only leave the iron on the board 3 seconds at most, and don't try again until you've waited 10 seconds. You don't want to overheat your board.

I'm sure some people will give you better tips, but this method has worked for me for years.
 

greedostick

Obsessed Neo-Fan
15 Year Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Posts
4,473
oh, and don't get a shitty battery soldering iron, you will be lucky if it actually heats the solder enough to melt it. Basically it will make it impossible to get the battery out. Just spend $20-$30 on a decent one you plug in.
 

Geekman1222

Kula's Candy
Joined
Jun 26, 2017
Posts
290
Im pretty good with an iron. Get some good leaded solder too. 60/40 solder or something around there it makes solder so much easier and with cheaper irons especially. If you have any broken components or electronics you can practice on, I advise doing that a few times first. That is if its your first time just to get used to how the solder heats up and such. Flux is also not a terrible thing to have but you probably wont needed it for a battery removal on a GB. Do watch the heat especially if your using an iron 45Watts or higher you want to make quick and even jobs, you will be working with SMD pads so you want to make sure they dont get to hot and lift off the board.

when your soldering the main idea is to kinda heat the components lead/pad and then add the solder it should just flow right on to your battery terminal and pad then when your done just take away the solder and the iron at the same time there about.

When you finish your solder job take a look at the solder welds under a light, they should be fairly shiny. If you get a frosted looking finish on the weld it was not a clean job and it can cause problems down the road. When its all done clean the area up a little bit with Rubbing Alcohol

Just take it slow be mindful of what your doing and how long your holding your tip to the pads, make the iron do the work for you. Remember most mistakes can be fixed, so dont panic if you mess up or you will end up making a bigger mess.

Good Luck should be a really easy job :D
 
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zaneiken

Zero's Tailor
10 Year Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2013
Posts
568
I've never bothered with battery holders in my carts because once I install a new battery, they won't need replacing for a very long time. As for the batteries themselves, I only ever buy tabbed Panasonic batteries.
 
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