How long should a DC battery last before it needs a recharge

[Mad_Hatter]

How long should a DC battery (in a DC that has been off) last before it needs to be recharged?

I don't play my DC as often. So every time after a few weeks I get back on the DC, and I have to reenter the date. Is this normal?

I bought a replacement board (the one that has the controller ports, battery, etc.) off eBay, that had a battery holder so I can just pop future batteries in. But now I'm wondering if this was modded wrong.

[Ziggy]

edit: Sorry, I typed this up in a hurry and didn't fully read the question. I just edited this to make more sense.

I seem to remember my DC being able to last months in between powering it on and the date/time would still be set.

I've had aggravation with having to set the date/time on my DC in the past because I don't turn it on all the time. Try leaving the console powered on for several hours and it might charge up a bit more. If it still dies too quickly then you'll have to replace it. Just be sure to replace it with the correct battery type. It's really important to note that you don't want to put a non-rechargeable battery in there because it could explode.

[Mad_Hatter]

Couple of months? I definitely don't get that much time between it being powered on/off.

I'm going to take another look at it. I remember having a ML2032 battery for it, which I believe is the standard. It should be fairly new. I bought it less than a year ago from here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-pc-MAXELL-ML ... 2749.l2649

[stickem]

i replaced mine with a battery holder and that same battery you listed. if i don't fire up my dreamcast within a few weeks it resets for me as well. i was thinking maybe i didn't solder the battery holder onto the board good enough but now i'm thinking the dam thing just doesn't charge powered off, even plugged up, which is stupid.

[Ziggy]

If you power it on, will the date/time hold if you leave it off for only a day or so? If not, definitely try and leave it powered on for several hours. The idea is that if the battery is dead (like 0v dead) then it might need to be powered on for a while to take a charge.

[Mad_Hatter]

If you power it on, will the date/time hold if you leave it off for only a day or so? If not, definitely try and leave it powered on for several hours. The idea is that if the battery is dead (like 0v dead) then it might need to be powered on for a while to take a charge.

I believe it holds for a day last I tested it. I keep saying I am going to test it for 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, etc,. But I always forget until I fire up my DC, lol

Like 6 months ago, I remember leaving it on for a few hours and tested it a week later and it saved the date/time.

I'm going to open the thing up and see if everything looks ago. Then do some testing.

i replaced mine with a battery holder and that same battery you listed. if i don't fire up my dreamcast within a few weeks it resets for me as well. i was thinking maybe i didn't solder the battery holder onto the board good enough but now i'm thinking the dam thing just doesn't charge powered off, even plugged up, which is stupid.

Agreed. It is stupid. I don't believe it charges at all if it is powered off.

I wish they just went the Sega Saturn approach for the battery. That usually lasts me a couple of years, and it's easy to replace the battery. I don't know what they were thinking with having a battery soldered onto the board. In no way is that a easy replacement for the common consumer.

[stickem]

i was going to ask about the saturn lol. Can you swap out that battery while its powered on and retain your saves?

[Mad_Hatter]

i was going to ask about the saturn lol. Can you swap out that battery while its powered on and retain your saves?

I'm not sure. I wonder if somebody else can answer this?

I just try to remember around the 1 year mark of the battery, to back up all my saves to the AR Cart, and just replace the battery while I am at it.

[Ziggy]

I believe it holds for a day last I tested it. I keep saying I am going to test it for 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, etc,. But I always forget until I fire up my DC, lol

Like 6 months ago, I remember leaving it on for a few hours and tested it a week later and it saved the date/time.

I'm going to open the thing up and see if everything looks ago. Then do some testing.

i was going to ask about the saturn lol. Can you swap out that battery while its powered on and retain your saves?

Probably, but it would be safer to move the saves to a cart first and swap the battery while the console is powered off.

Hmm, here's another thought. If someone put a battery holder in there, that could be the problem. A welded and soldered battery will never loose connection, but a battery holder might (even for a split second) loose contact if you bump the console or something.

[Mad_Hatter]

Here are some photos:

https://imgur.com/a/kIicmHR

What do you guys think of this? The parts look ok to me. But it looks like the holder has some corrosion. And the battery has some blemishes on one side as you can see. Is this normal or do you think that there is a problem?

Also, after I checked this my DC wouldn't work anymore, I am about to post a thread for help.

EDIT: I noticed most DC controller boards are green. My original one was green before I replaced it with this one. Is it possible I got the wrong version or something (I bought this from somebody in Europe).