My Pokemon Gold cartridge is frozen in time.

[HailToApples]

Hello all.

I just got a copy of Pokemon Gold recently from eBay. It saves and has no issues, except for one that really, REALLY, annoys me.

Here's an example. I set the time. It's 1:18 in the afternoon. I set it, play the game for about two hours so that it's now 3:18 PM, then I turn it off.

It's nighttime, 8:40 PM, and I'm like, really bored. So what do I do? PLAY POKEMON GOLD! Except that the game still thinks it's 3:18 PM instead of 8:40 PM. I had a suspicion that the game battery may dry out soon, as I've heard before that the game not knowing what time it is being a warning sign your game battery will soon run dry. I'm a 13-year old, not a technician, and this bothers me since I've already got the first gym badge and caught a male Jigglypuff, a very rare Pokemon in the beginning of the game. I've seen this site before and I've gone here countless times for stuff, so I'm hoping one of you may have a solution.

I really wish you can help me. If you can, thanks.

[Boaradoor]

I'm not 100% positive but usually that is an indication of the cartridge battery going out/being dead. You can replace the battery.

[Hobie-wan]

Sounds like a nearly dead battery to me. Maybe enough juice to just hold the save, but not quite enough to run the clock properly. Myself or others could replace it for you, but it is likely that the save that's there would be lost.

[Ziggy]

I wonder if, since the battery on there likely has very low voltage, you'd be able to jump a new battery in parallel before removing the old battery. That way the save wouldn't be lost. I don't think the Gold PCB has alternate solder points like some carts do, so it'd be a little tricky, but I think it can be done.

There is a device called the Retrode that will (among other things) allow you to dump the save of a cart and write it back to a cart. It doesn't take GB carts directly, but it has a GB adapter IIRC. So you'd be able to copy the save file, take your time switching the battery, then write the save back to the cart. Of course, it's $100 plus what ever the adapter costs, otherwise I'd have one already. One day.

@ HailToApples: You said you beat the first gym, so you're not that far. I would suggest to stop playing until you get the problem taken care of. The battery will eventually die, and you'll have to start over. Better to start over now rather than if you made it close to the end of the game and then had the battery die. It might be possible to replace the battery without losing the save, but it's a risk.

[HailToApples]

Sounds like a nearly dead battery to me. Maybe enough juice to just hold the save, but not quite enough to run the clock properly. Myself or others could replace it for you, but it is likely that the save that's there would be lost.

I don't exactly know how you guys would replace it though. Like, would I mail it to one of you and then you'll fix it and then you'll mail it back to me? That would be cool considering that my dad isn't really experienced with fixing this kind of stuff, but when you said it may lose the save... I still think doing this option is a little risky.

I wonder if, since the battery on there likely has very low voltage, you'd be able to jump a new battery in parallel before removing the old battery. That way the save wouldn't be lost. I don't think the Gold PCB has alternate solder points like some carts do, so it'd be a little tricky, but I think it can be done.

I once heard about leaving the system on and then replacing the battery while that happens, that way you don't lose your save. I, being the honestly quite picky person I am, don't want to lose my save, though, but I'm still very riskful about trying that.

There is a device called the Retrode that will (among other things) allow you to dump the save of a cart and write it back to a cart. It doesn't take GB carts directly, but it has a GB adapter IIRC. So you'd be able to copy the save file, take your time switching the battery, then write the save back to the cart. Of course, it's $100 plus what ever the adapter costs, otherwise I'd have one already. One day.

Hey, that's pretty cool. Although there's just one thing here that will probably prevent me from getting this.

$100

Is the Retrode actually $100 dollars? Because if it is, I'll probably NEVER be able to get it. I never have that much money, and $100 dollars could probably buy me another copy of Pokemon Gold. In fact, it can buy me Gold, Silver, and maybe even Crystal in Very Good condition with only the cartridge.

@ HailToApples: You said you beat the first gym, so you're not that far. I would suggest to stop playing until you get the problem taken care of. The battery will eventually die, and you'll have to start over. Better to start over now rather than if you made it close to the end of the game and then had the battery die. It might be possible to replace the battery without losing the save, but it's a risk.

Thanks for the advice.

[Ziggy]

I don't exactly know how you guys would replace it though. Like, would I mail it to one of you and then you'll fix it and then you'll mail it back to me? That would be cool considering that my dad isn't really experienced with fixing this kind of stuff, but when you said it may lose the save... I still think doing this option is a little risky.

You're running the risk of losing your save regardless, so I'd say it's a gamble worth taking. You're not too far in the game where starting over, should you have to, would be a nightmare. So you're taking the risk now, or running the risk throughout the entire game.

I once heard about leaving the system on and then replacing the battery while that happens, that way you don't lose your save. I, being the honestly quite picky person I am, don't want to lose my save, though, but I'm still very riskful about trying that.

That's risky business, and not a bad idea, but wouldn't work for GB consoles. A SNES or Genesis, for example, has a cart slot with two rows of pins. When you insert a cart, the two rows hold it nice and tight. That being the case, you can insert the cart's PCB, without the cart shell, into the console. That would give you the chance to change the battery while it's powered by the system. The GB, however, has a cart slot with only one row of pins. There's no way you'd be able to do that trick.

I wonder if, since the battery on there likely has very low voltage, you'd be able to jump a new battery in parallel before removing the old battery. That way the save wouldn't be lost. I don't think the Gold PCB has alternate solder points like some carts do, so it'd be a little tricky, but I think it can be done.

This was 7:30AM, so cut me a break. Wiring two batteries in parallel will keep the same voltage. That being the case, I had an idea. Solder two wires to alternative points for the battery's positive and negative connections. Wire in a temp battery to the wires. Swap the old battery out for a new one. Remove the temp battery. The SRAM will have never lost battery power. In theory, this should work perfectly every time. Unless I'm overlooking something, but I don't see what.

Hey, that's pretty cool.

Yeah, the Retrode is a really cool little device. SRAM reading/writing isn't even its main function. It's basically a USB device that can allow you to interface with carts and also works as a controller adapter. The bare unit comes with a SNES and Genesis cart slot and SNES and Genesis controller ports. Then there's adapters available for various other consoles, GB being one of them.

Is the Retrode actually $100 dollars? Because if it is, I'll probably NEVER be able to get it. I never have that much money

Yeah, unfortunately, it's about $100. It's $90 from Stone Age Gamer, and IIRC about the same direct from the guy that produces them. The GB and N64 adapters are $35 each. But I hear ya, man, $100 isn't chump change. I've been wanting one for a while now, but since it's not at the top of my list of things I really want/need, I feel like I might never get one too. I'm hoping to find it used for a little cheaper, but it's not the most popular (or even well known) device. People who purchase one are likely to never wanna sell it.

$100 dollars could probably buy me another copy of Pokemon Gold. In fact, it can buy me Gold, Silver, and maybe even Crystal in Very Good condition with only the cartridge.

But you'd be in the same spot because they'd have dead or dying batteries as well. Even with a replaced battery, these carts seem to eat up batteries a lot quicker than other carts (probably due to the RTC) so you'd eventually be right back in the same spot.

I'm a 13-year old, not a technician

While I'm not suggestion to go ahead and attempt anything yourself right now, I was about that age when I first started soldering electronics. It's not an impossible feat by any means, it just takes knowledge and practice. If you're into retro gaming, it's a really good thing to know how to do. As time passes, you'll find more and more carts with dead batteries. It's inevitable. Knowing how to solder will open the door to other repairs as well as modifications, a lot of which are surprisingly simple once you have the know-how.

So, you might wanna consider trying your hand at it. For $20 or less, you can buy everything you need to start practicing soldering. There's some great YouTube videos available.

But anyways, if Hobie is offering, my suggestion is to send it to him to get the battery replaced. There's the risk of losing the save, but better now than later.


And also, welcome to the forums.

[HailToApples]

And also, welcome to the forums.

Thanks!

Anyways, I got a Tri-Wing screwdriver today to open up the cartridge. It's supposed to come on Wednesday and after I replace the battery I'll post a comment about how it was.

$100 dollars could probably buy me another copy of Pokemon Gold. In fact, it can buy me Gold, Silver, and maybe even Crystal in Very Good condition with only the cartridge.

But you'd be in the same spot because they'd have dead or dying batteries as well. Even with a replaced battery, these carts seem to eat up batteries a lot quicker than other carts (probably due to the RTC) so you'd eventually be right back in the same spot.

I know that, pretty much every 2nd gen Pokemon Main-Series game will have a dying battery the moment you get it. The time function is cool but it eats up power. Like, lots of it. I wasn't going to actually get all those games if I ever received $100, but what I said was simply a figurative of speech.

I forget which one though.

[Hobie-wan]

A tri-wing screwdriver will open up GBA carts. You'd need the smaller 'game bit' for GB and GBC carts like Pokemon Gold.

[HailToApples]

A tri-wing screwdriver will open up GBA carts. You'd need the smaller 'game bit' for GB and GBC carts like Pokemon Gold.

Really? It said It could be used for GBC too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRI-WING-SCREWD ... 4d0d8d5b5f

[Hobie-wan]

A tri-wing screwdriver will open up GBA carts. You'd need the smaller 'game bit' for GB and GBC carts like Pokemon Gold.

Really? It said It could be used for GBC too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRI-WING-SCREWD ... 4d0d8d5b5f

Not unless the GBC system itself uses tri-wing screws. I don't have one so I don't know. They're certainly full of keyword spam crap for putting GB and GC on there. There are no tri-wing screws on a Game Boy or a Gamecube.