You'll end up paying about $15 for this whole procedure, which is what
Nintendo charges to do this before you have to pay for shipping and part with
your game for who knows how long. But the cost isn't as bad as it seems, since
the $3 you'll pay for a battery is the only part of the $15 that you won't be
able to re-use the next time you need to replace a battery.
You will need:
1. 3.88 mm security bit. You need this to unscrew the funky
hexagon-shaped bolts on SNES carts. I got mine at
www.i-mcm.com for $3.68, &
it was a very good investment, since this same tool also opens NES, GB/ GBC,
and N64 carts.
2. Watch battery size CR2032 You can probably get this anywhere
that fixes watches; I got mine at Radio Shack, & paid $3.
3. A basic soldering iron, nothing fancy. Look in the
automotive section of most regular discount stores, & don't pay more than $5 or
so.
4. An X-Acto knife, or some kind of scraping razor. It just
needs to be a VERY thin knife, & one you don't mind getting stained up.
5. Some duct tape, if you're bad at soldering.
5.2 SNES Procedure Walkthrough
A. With your SNES cart lying face-side up on a table, you'll see the two
hexagon bolts on the bottom two corners. Use your 3.88 mm security bit to
remove these bolts.
B. Lift the cart's front cover by pulling up & toward you. You'll see the
backside of the game's board. Lift the board out. Try not to touch anything
but the edges any more than you have to.
C. On the other side of the board, you'll see the battery on the top left
corner, a silver circle about the size of a nickel. The battery is soldered
onto connectors above and below, at two points on each connector. The next
step is to break these solder points (carefully!)
D. Plug in your soldering iron, & once it's heated up, set your razor against
it. Slide the hot razor between the battery & the top connector, & push it
against the first solder point. It may take a few moments, & maybe a
re-heating or two, but you WILL be able to cut the solder point without bending
the connector very much if at all. Repeat for the second top solder point as
well. You'll notice the razor getting stained by the heat of the soldering
iron--- this is why you didn't want to use something valuable for this job.
E. Now you need to use the same hot-razor process to cut the two solder points
on the bottom connector. You may want to bend the battery so it's sitting
perpendicular to the board before you do this, but obviously you want to limit
your connector-bending to what's absolutely necessary, since you don't want to
break it off!
F. Solder the new battery onto the bottom connector, then repeat for the top
connector. The battery should be positive side up. If you're bad at
soldering, or are concerned about being able to replace this battery someday,
you may just choose to duct tape the battery in place. Either way, you really
want to make sure you get a good connection, since you lose all your saved game
information if the connection ever slips for even a moment.
G. Turn the board back over (battery-side down) & replace it into the back
cover of the cart. The slots it fits into are arranged so you won't be able to
re-insert it upside down, so if you're having trouble putting it back in, turn
it over!
H. Place the front cover of the cart over this. Remember the hooks that slide
into the back cover? They make it so you have to angle the back cover down &
away from yourself. Replace the 2 hexagon bolts. If the board still rattles,
you might need to tighten the bolts down a bit more.
I. Pop the game into your SNES, & play long enough to save. Turn the machine
off & on again & check to see if your new battery successfully saved your game.
Viola! It should be good for another 10 years or so!
Googling is not that tough people.
