How Is Your SNES Gaming Going?

[Hobie-wan]

you know its really easy to solder in new batteries, you can get a soldering iron at radio shack for like $10 and you can buy like 40 of the tabbed batteries for $26. http://www.ebay.com/itm/X40-NES-Super-N ... 27d88aab7b

Wow those are super cheap. Like suspiciously cheap.

[BoneSnapDeez]

hehe Bone didn't I sell you a phantasy star 4 cart I replaced the battery on ?

haha yes! So that's one I won't have to check later on.

[Ziggy]

you know its really easy to solder in new batteries, you can get a soldering iron at radio shack for like $10 and you can buy like 40 of the tabbed batteries for $26. http://www.ebay.com/itm/X40-NES-Super-N ... 27d88aab7b

I bought like 100 of them and in one weekend I sat and soldered in new batteries in my entire collection (of games that mattered, not putting new batteries in all the madden games..)

feels good knowing that my games will all save for at least another 15 years.

hehe Bone didn't I sell you a phantasy star 4 cart I replaced the battery on ?

You know, I hate to ruin that good feeling you have, but I'm with Hobie. Did you test the voltage on those batteries? I've gotten no-name CR2032s before that were below 3v IN THE PACKAGE. Also, an Energizer or Panasonic battery might last ~15 years, but will one of those no-name batteries last that long? It's just like a AA battery, do the cheap drug store brands last as long as Energizer or Duracell? The proof is in the pudding. Every game cart I've opened up that had a battery, the battery has always been a brand name like Energizer, Panasonic, Maxell, ect. I've never found a weird off brand before. And if you ever do, I bet it was not stock (replaced by previous owner)



And on the note of changing batteries, I find a lot of people don't know this: You can test the voltage of the battery with a multimeter to determine if it's good or bad. You can test the battery inside of carts, while still attached, or brand new batteries to make sure they're not NOS or something. CR2032s are 3v batteries, and they should measure a little over 3v when brand new (I've seen as high as 3.2 or 3.3v). For old batteries inside carts, I wouldn't bother changing them unless they're under 3v. Like, any thing under 3.01v and I'd just change it. And I would change it with a name brand battery. You might have to pay a couple bucks per battery, more if you need them tabbed, but the extra money is well spent IMO. Don't be surprised if your cheap no-name batteries die a lot sooner than the original batteries found in carts.

edit: You can get battery holders that fit inside the carts, but I've been too lazy to find ones that'll fit. So you wont have to pay a premium for tabbed brand name batteries. The holder will make it easier to replace next time, but that's not too much of a concern if you're using a good brand battery. You're looking at another 10-20 years.

[ninjainspandex]

I probably should invest in a voltage meter now that I bought my first CPS2 boards, you really don't want the batteries to do on those things. Any advice on a meter? price range?

[Ziggy]

I probably should invest in a voltage meter now that I bought my first CPS2 boards, you really don't want the batteries to do on those things. Any advice on a meter? price range?

Every retro gamer should own a multimeter. Most people thing it's something that only the tech savy can use, but it's actually something that EVERY can use, if they just only knew.

Here's the budget meter that I've used for years:

I've done a lot with that little guy. My favorite part of it is that it has an on/off button (where most meter use the function selector knob to select off). It only does AC/DC voltage and resistance, so it's very basic. Those are the essentials, at least. You can use one of the resistance settings to test continuity. You wont hear a beep, like the continuity setting on a meter would have, but you can test non the less. I've compared the readings this meter gives with the readings from my Fluke 87 iii, and it's very accurate. More so than I would have imagined.

If you want more functions, and still be in the "budget" realm, then there's this guy:

I've never used this one, but it's basically an upgraded model of the one I have. It's auto ranging, which is nice, has a backlit display, and also does diodes, continuity, and temperature. It also has a "battery" test, but that's mostly BS since you can test batteries with any voltage meter.

If you want a "big boy" meter, Amazon reviews have pointed me towards this:

I haven't used it, but from what I've read, that's the best Fluke when you consider price:features.

I have these links bookmarked because I've been meaning to right a guide to multimeters for the every day retro gamer. Every one should have a multimeter, they have a million uses. But if you ask me, $12 to take the guess work out of batteries pays for itself. Not just for game carts, but EVERY battery you ever come across. You'll know in two seconds if it's good, bad, or some where in the middle.

[ninjainspandex]

nice just ordered one, can't go wrong for $18! Would love to see you make a guide on how to use it. Thanks for looking out Zig!

[MrPopo]

Is there a resource (other than Wikipedia) out there that details the differences between a game ported to SNES and Megadrive/Genesis? In terms of content, not just graphics, artwork and sound. Examples: Shadowrun, Out of This World, the Earthworm Jim games

There are a few here too. http://www.sega-16.com/tag/side-by-side/

Shadowrun is a bit of a bad example, as it wasn't so much a game ported between different systems as two different games with the same name on two different systems. Like how there's Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog on PS3/360.

[Ziggy]

nice just ordered one, can't go wrong for $18! Would love to see you make a guide on how to use it. Thanks for looking out Zig!

Yeah, I've been wanting to make that guide for a while now. There's a bunch more write ups I've been wanting to do. Power adapters and flash carts are two that come to mind. I'm sure there was more that I've forgotten about.

I'm taking a vacation from work the first week of February, and I have a little mental list of things I've been wanting/needing to get done. Maybe I'll add completing a tutorial to the list. Hell, maybe I'll feel motivated one day and complete more than one!

[MrPopo]

nice just ordered one, can't go wrong for $18! Would love to see you make a guide on how to use it. Thanks for looking out Zig!

Yeah, I've been wanting to make that guide for a while now. There's a bunch more write ups I've been wanting to do. Power adapters and flash carts are two that come to mind. I'm sure there was more that I've forgotten about.

A guide for a voltmeter shouldn't be that difficult...

1. Turn on
2. Touch black lead to -
3. Touch red lead to +
4. Read

[Ziggy]

nice just ordered one, can't go wrong for $18! Would love to see you make a guide on how to use it. Thanks for looking out Zig!

Yeah, I've been wanting to make that guide for a while now. There's a bunch more write ups I've been wanting to do. Power adapters and flash carts are two that come to mind. I'm sure there was more that I've forgotten about.

A guide for a voltmeter shouldn't be that difficult...

1. Turn on
2. Touch black lead to -
3. Touch red lead to +
4. Read

You don't even need a guide... if you know what you're doing already.

I don't wanna make a guide on how to use a mutlimeter, I wanna make a general guide for the person that would look at a meter and assume it's only for some one that is very knowledgeable in electronics and electrical theory or whatever. It's not gonna be a "multimeter guide" per se, but using a meter will be a big part of it. A lot of people assume that since they have no knowledge of troubleshooting electronics that every task is something well above their head. There's a lot of SIMPLE troubleshooting that can be done most time, with a multimeter for example, that ANY one can do. Like checking a battery or a fuse.

I also wanted to have the guide coincide with my "guide" for power supplies. I big part of the power supply guide will just be specs, but I also want to include a lot of info on how to pick out power adapters and how to match tip sizes and polarity and all that. A multimeter is a must have for a lot of that stuff.