Replaced Sega Saturn battery and still having issues

[Contagion13]

I do live in a dry area in alaska so static is common but if it was a static issue it probably would of occurred with the last owner of the sega saturn.

[pakopako]

Nice to hear you solved your problem, wish we knew what it was (for future reference).

The issue was with part of the memory in the Sega Saturn not holding the time and language but it would hold game saves. After doing countless hours of research on the internet I found that no one else has ever had this issue with there Saturn. So the cause of the memory issue is still unknown at this time and the only solution was to swap the motherboard which fixes my problem.

Pardon the weird question, but how long did it save your X4 save?
I know I leave dead CR2032's in my Saturn just so I can save to system memory (and move to a PAR when I'm done). Depending on how long I was playing on the Saturn, the save lasts for 30-60 minutes after unplugging the system, but I always have to reset the clock. I always thought the clock required more voltage than the drained battery could hold.

(Also, memory cards are fairly cheap on eBay. Saw one go last month for maybe US$10 shipped.)

[Contagion13]

Nice to hear you solved your problem, wish we knew what it was (for future reference).

The issue was with part of the memory in the Sega Saturn not holding the time and language but it would hold game saves. After doing countless hours of research on the internet I found that no one else has ever had this issue with there Saturn. So the cause of the memory issue is still unknown at this time and the only solution was to swap the motherboard which fixes my problem.

Pardon the weird question, but how long did it save your X4 save?
I know I leave dead CR2032's in my Saturn just so I can save to system memory (and move to a PAR when I'm done). Depending on how long I was playing on the Saturn, the save lasts for 30-60 minutes after unplugging the system, but I always have to reset the clock. I always thought the clock required more voltage than the drained battery could hold.

(Also, memory cards are fairly cheap on eBay. Saw one go last month for maybe US$10 shipped.)

It never dropped my save file at all, it just would always ask me to reset the time and language.

[pakopako]

It never dropped my save file at all, it just would always ask me to reset the time and language.

Hm. If this were a DC, I've seen DC units with dead CMOS batteries that did that... but the Saturn only uses one internal battery, the one we all replace every now and again.

...

Sorry, I'm throwing up my hands and saying there's a capacitor leak or a short by the clock crystal. In either case, it was a good thing that you replaced the motherboard.

[Ziggy]

Yeah, but the DC battery only savs the date and time. Right? His Saturn doesn't hold the date and time, but will hold a game save. Both of which use the same battery.

[yalla]

Sorry to bump such a old thread, I have only seen this problem on two forums. I had the same problem with my Saturn I purchased off eBay. Even new batteries at ~3.2V will keep save data intact but will ask for language, time, date every time the console is turned off for more than ~2 seconds. My problem turned out to be caused by IC35 and replacing it from a dead board solved my issue.


I also replaced RA3 resistor package with 8 0603 package 10k resistors as one of them measured at 15k when they were supposed to be at 20k.


While I was at it I also changed the bios to a region free one.


Sorry about the cellphone pictures. Good luck to anyone else who has this problem.

[Hobie-wan]

Sorry to bump such a old thread.

More information is always useful.

What model is your machine and does it have the blue reset button next to the battery? That information would be helpful as your fix might only apply to that particular model.

[yalla]

Blue button is present. Not sure how to tell which VA number is. It’s a “model 1, 20pin drive assembly”
The marking of IC35 doesn’t seem to be very useful marked as (DL 4N and A6 2A).
Here are some blurry pictures of the mobo:

IC35
Pin 1 - Vout
Pin 2 - Vin
Pin 3 - GND

Pin 2 is connected to D3 which connects to 5v and [D6 which connects] to battery
Pin 1 connects to Pin 16 of the 315-5744 controller and should measure near the voltage of the battery, or 5V when powered on. Mine did not output any voltage when the system was off.

[toto99303]

Sorry for bringing this topic again, but I want to share my experience with this problem, too. I fixed my console using the guidelines from yalla's previous posts. Thanks man! Everything he said is true. It turnes out IC35 is a high precision voltage detector:





I replaced it with MCP111T-240E/TT voltage detector for 2,4 V. Original IC was for 2,3 V but I couldn't find one with the same level of detection. Since the IC I bought is SMD and not the same socket I was forced to mount it externally with wires:





My Saturn now is back to normal without the annoying time and language reset
I would suggest everyone with this problem to put a new battery first. Then measure voltage on pin 1 on IC35 when the console is turned off. Should be anywhere near the battery voltage (2,5V - 3.0 V). If nothing comes out your IC35 is dead and should be replaced. One more thing, you can replace it with any voltage detector circuit for 2,3 V or 2,4 V level detection, and it needs to be "Open drain".

I hope this will clear the topic, because there's no other info on the subject.