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Super Nintendo Game Cartridge Battery Replacement

Device	Super Nintendo
Difficulty	Difficult
Time	15 minutes
Steps	5

This guide is by Mohamad Mohamad on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

This is a step by step guide on how to disassemble and replace a faulty battery on a Super Nintendo game cartridge circuit board. After a period of time, these game cartridge batteries fail and in many cases, prevent games from saving their states, rendering some games unplayable. So, the aim of this guide is to help you maintain the functionality of your game, instead of throwing out a perfectly good game.

Tools: Soldering Iron; Adjustable Circuit Board Holder; 3.8mm Gamebit; Desoldering Braid; Soldering Iron Holder

Step 1

• Remove the two 3.8mm security screws from the front panel of the game cartridge using a 3.8mm Gamebit screwdriver to reveal the circuit board.
• NOTE: It's good to have a white mat or bright sheet on your work surface to be able to see any small items like screws more easily and protect the surface from damage like hot solder dripping down.

Step 2

• Mount the circuit board on to the adjustable circuit board holder.
• Desolder the two soldering points on the back of the circuit board holding the battery in place to remove the battery.
• CAUTION: Use a soldering rest or holder to avoid damage to the surface when you need to put the soldering iron down.

Step 3

• Use the soldering iron and the de-soldering braid to remove any excess soldering adhesive.
• NOTE: Excess solder needs to be removed so that the new battery can be mounted properly.

Step 4

• Use the soldering iron with the soldering wire on the two soldering points to adhere the new battery to the circuit board.

Step 5

• Place the circuit board back into the cartridge and screw the front panel back in place with the 3.8mm security screws using a 3.8mm Gamebit screwdriver.
• NOTE: Optional: It would be advisable to clean the finished circuit board before mounting it back into the cartridge.

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