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The perfect Game Boy display: BlackBerry IPS LCD for your Color console
by Martin Jud
Game Boy memory function: How to change the battery
16.1.2019
Translation: machine translated
When childhood memories need to be revived, they are there to help: the good old Game Boy games. But what do you do when the battery for your saves is gone? I'll show you how to get your old Game Boy games up and running again.
Preparation: What you need to replace the battery
The old modules of the first Game Boy generation and Game Boy Colour games have a special screw. Thanks to tricks from the internet, it should be possible to remove it without a screwdriver. I think that's good, as I don't have the patience to wait for the special screwdriver I ordered. It should be possible to unscrew the screw with nail scissors or small pliers. But unfortunately I fail miserably - I can't get hold of the screw.
I read elsewhere that you can heat the tip of an old biros with a lighter to melt the plastic. Then you press the pen onto the screw and you get a homemade screwdriver. A great idea at first glance, but even after the third melted biros, the plastic is not strong enough to turn the screw.
That's why the special screwdriver is needed. You will also need the following tools to replace the battery:
Here we go: 1. unscrew the screw
I actually wanted to be finished long ago, but good things take time and so I have to be patient for a few days until the correct 3.8 mm security bit screwdriver arrives in the post from China (sorry, this item is unfortunately still missing from our shop range).
Once the screw is out, you can slide the front of the game module down slightly and remove it.
2. desolder the dead battery
The circuit board is loose in the module housing. It is best to take it out for desoldering, then you can get better access to the two solder joints.
If you like, you can also desolder using a solder extraction pump. However, there is a risk of scattering tin crumbs if this is done incorrectly. That's why I opted for the braid method.
To desolder, place the stranded wire on the corresponding soldering point. Press the hot soldering iron tip onto it. The stranded wire now absorbs the liquid tin like a sponge. Then cut off the tin-soaked piece of stranded wire and repeat the process until the solder joint has disappeared.
To definitely remove the two solder tags, I carefully help myself with a cutter. Solder tags are the two small plates that connect the battery to the circuit board.
The solder tags can be reused if necessary (for another project). To remove them from the battery, it is best to use small pliers.
3. choosing the right replacement battery
Depending on the Game Boy module, a 3 V button cell battery CR1616 or CR2025 is installed. These differ only in terms of size and the number of milliampere hours. The CR1616 has 55 mAh and the CR2025 has 165 mAh. Alternatively, a CR2032 with 220 mAh could also fit into game cartridges that have a CR2025 installed. The larger the battery, the longer the memory function will be available.
To make replacing the battery easy and safe, you should get a button cell battery that is already fitted with solder tabs.
3.5 Unnecessarily dangerous: soldering solder tabs to a new button cell battery
You can skip this point. I only did the following out of impatience because I couldn't wait for the button cells and solder tabs that I had ordered.
Attention: Batteries don't like heat at all. If you don't solder quickly enough, the battery can mutate into an uncontrolled firework, i.e. explode. After each soldering point, wait long enough for the battery to cool down again. If you solder old solder tags directly to the new battery, you do so at your own risk. So it's best not to do it.
If you want to fit a larger battery than previously installed, it is advisable to insulate it at the edge. This will prevent it from coming into contact with other contacts on the circuit board.
If you have purchased a replacement battery without solder tabs, you must first attach the old solder tabs. Pay close attention to how the old battery was attached to the circuit board and position the solder tags accordingly on the new battery. The positive terminal must be facing downwards when attaching. If you are unsure, the positive and negative terminals are also labelled on the circuit board itself.
4. solder the new button cell battery to the circuit board
A new battery including solder tags is in front of you. All that remains is to solder it back onto the circuit board correctly. Make sure the positive and negative terminals are positioned correctly: The positive terminal must face downwards when attached. The negative pole upwards.
I received the button cell with flag shown above two days after carrying out point 3.5. As I realised when desoldering and soldering again, it is not only less dangerous to repair the memory function with it. Also, even as a soldering beginner, you are done in a few minutes.
Once everything is done, you don't need to be embarrassed about funny-looking solder joints. Not even if you have work colleagues like me who laugh at you. Because you can now close the module housing again and nobody will be asking what exactly happened there for the next 10 to 30 years. And I can finally play "Super Mario Land 2" again and save as often as I like.
Have fun tinkering and gaming!
Martin Jud
Senior Editor
martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.chI find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
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