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Thread: can you swap a snes/n64 game battery and still retain the save?

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    Default can you swap a snes/n64 game battery and still retain the save?

    I have two majoras mask carts for n64 and I want to sell one. The problem is that the one I want to sell has my 50 hour saved game on it. Would it be possible to just switch the carts batteries and have my end game save on the other better looking cart i wanna keep?

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    Cherry (Level 1) Jack_Burton_BYOAC's Avatar
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    You can't do what you're thinking.

    The battery doesn't hold the save. It only provides power to a small bit of SRAM that holds it. Once you remove the battery, that's it. Saves erased.

    There are ways out there of backing up N64 saves to your computer, but I'm not sure you'd want to go to the trouble.

    Play through the game again. Majora's Mask deserves it

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jack_Burton_BYOAC View Post
    You can't do what you're thinking.

    The battery doesn't hold the save. It only provides power to a small bit of SRAM that holds it. Once you remove the battery, that's it. Saves erased.
    But does the save really vanish instantly? Doesn't the save persist for the short amount of time it takes to change the battery? That's how it works with CPS2 boards, at least:
    http://archive.is/JgoF
    "There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)

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    There are a handful of N64 games that use a battery, but to replace it without losing your save data you'd need a means by which to rip the save file and then reload it after the battery swap.

    It's a snap on the SNES (which uses battery backup exclusively). I actually offer it as a service. It only requires a Retrode, which allows you to move save files to and from the cart via your computer. It costs about 100 bucks, so it's not always worth it for someone who just needs to hangs a battery or two, hence why I offer a service

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jorpho View Post
    But does the save really vanish instantly? Doesn't the save persist for the short amount of time it takes to change the battery? That's how it works with CPS2 boards, at least:
    http://archive.is/JgoF
    It's possible that capacitors in the circuit could keep the RAM powered for a short time. Not sure if that's the case for carts or not but in theory it could happen.


    Quote Originally Posted by thegamezmaster View Post
    Can't he just put another battery in parallel at the same contact points as original battery? Then with that in place swap out the bad battery?
    Quote Originally Posted by FoxNtd View Post
    I was going to post exactly this.
    Heh...me too.

    Either way, this is all a moot point if the game does indeed use flash.
    "Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...

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    Default Two points

    1. A Dex Drive costs wayyyyyy less than $100 and will hook you up if you need to back up 64 saves on the cheap.

    2. My copy of Dragon Quest Monsters Joker probably has over 10,000 saves on it, ...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Crystalian View Post
    1. A Dex Drive costs wayyyyyy less than $100 and will hook you up if you need to back up 64 saves on the cheap.
    But that only works with memory cards and not with carts that have internal saving, right?
    "There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jorpho View Post
    But does the save really vanish instantly? Doesn't the save persist for the short amount of time it takes to change the battery? That's how it works with CPS2 boards, at least:
    http://archive.is/JgoF
    From what I've read, SNES games don't have the capacitors that give you the amount of leeway the CPS2 allows. When you remove the battery, *poof*. That's it. I don't know about N64 games, but it is likely the same story.

    Using two batteries might be possible, but I would be worried that the extra current would corrupt the save file.

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    Great Puma (Level 12) jb143's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jack_Burton_BYOAC View Post
    Using two batteries might be possible, but I would be worried that the extra current would corrupt the save file.
    The maximum possible current would increase but the actual current flow through the circuit is determined by the circuit itself...which isn't going to change in this case. As long as you're not using something like a car battery you should be fine.
    "Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...

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    Once you remove the battery your save will be gone,just do a simply pcb swap.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pikkon View Post
    Once you remove the battery your save will be gone,just do a simply pcb swap.
    This is pretty much it, unless there were like weird revision of MM or something I think this a PCB swap would be the easiest solution to your problem. I will tell you though, eventually that save battery is going to fail no matter what...

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    Actually, Majora's Mask uses flash RAM for save files.
    Mario says "... if you do drugs, you go to hell before you die."

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    Quote Originally Posted by RP2A03 View Post
    Actually, Majora's Mask uses flash RAM for save files.
    So, no battery? Like a USB flash drive?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jack_Burton_BYOAC View Post
    So, no battery? Like a USB flash drive?
    Yes.


    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    If that's true then the other non-saving cartridge is practically garbage as it can't be easily repaired. Good luck finding replacement flash chips to replace the defective one now that they're so old, I have a Sonic 3 cart like this.

    And in time, you can have this experience with eighty different N64 games, over half of all GBA games, and every DS game.
    Mario says "... if you do drugs, you go to hell before you die."

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    Quote Originally Posted by RP2A03 View Post
    Actually, Majora's Mask uses flash RAM for save files.
    If that's true then the other non-saving cartridge is practically garbage as it can't be easily repaired. Good luck finding replacement flash chips to replace the defective one now that they're so old, I have a Sonic 3 cart like this.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    If that's true then the other non-saving cartridge is practically garbage as it can't be easily repaired. Good luck finding replacement flash chips to replace the defective one now that they're so old, I have a Sonic 3 cart like this.
    Quote Originally Posted by RP2A03 View Post
    And in time, you can have this experience with eighty different N64 games, over half of all GBA games, and every DS game.
    Wait.. how does this happen? Did someone literally save their Sonic 3 file over 10,000 times or something? Or does old age take its toll much like how capacitors will go bad even sitting unused? Bit rot?? Is this different from a Playstation memory card?

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