I like playing my old games on their original cartridges. I had the battery for my crystal version replaced last fall and checked that it would save when done. I just went to start a new game and discovered that the game will save, but the in game clock is not functioning when the game is off. The battery connection is solid, so I do not believe this is the issue and the battery is only a half year old, so I do not think it is dead or dying yet.
Basically, the game clock works when on, but will not move forward when off as it should. I woke up today and the game told me to reset the clock because it detected that it was not working.
Anyone else ever have this issue AFTER replacing a battery? I heard it could be a capacitor issue related to the clock specifically. I just want to avoid a corrupted save file down the road. It sucks to dump hours into a game and then lose it.
Anyone have experience playing with it in this condition successfully for a long period of time?
Are you playing it on a hand held versus another option like the Game Boy Player? First thing I would check is that the cart is authentic. If you are sure it is, another option (if available) would be to run it on the GameCube through a Game Boy Player and see how it functions. If it functions correctly, you know the problem is your handheld. In which case I’d replace the capacitors as step 1 which would stand a good chance of resolving the issue.
I would still look to the GBA itself if the cart is auth and battery is still good. Once you turn it back on, it starts communicating with the info on the cart and I’ve heard dried up capacitors can affect the normal functioning. Once you turn it back on, that process resumes so it can be the hardware and not the cart. Maybe try it in another GBA? Sorry I’m not being more helpful but I’ve not heard of this prob unless the battery is dead or the GBA needs servicing.
@gengaranimal,Still nothing even on another different system, but I think I have it figured out.
When my friend and I last did the battery fix it was with some cheap batteries because the recommended variety was not in stock. I recall they came in a loose baggy which set off some red flags originally. I tested my Gold version to find the battery was totally dead and my silver version is having time issues as well. This leaves me to believe the problem is with the batteries being very poor and not long lasting. Red, Blue and yellow version still work, but they use less energy I’m guessing and have a longer life.
We plan on doing another battery fix with more dependable brand name batteries and also plan to make a video of the experience for my channel.
@joer, thanks for reporting back, I think it would be a great idea to do the video—maybe even include if any of the Gen versions allow save states without a functioning battery since it sounds like RAM must have backed up the file if only the clock was not working. I have mine backed up externally and I’ve yet to replace the batteries—pretty amazing. And thankfully they don’t corrode easily but your post gives me a reminder it’s time to check them all and consider replacing!
Finally came out with the video. Did a pretty bang up job with my friend going through all the basics and things to avoid when doing the fix. Enjoy! I have another video specific for Red/Blue and Yellow, but this is the only one posted for now. We do mention the different battery options and which tabs to watch out for and use.
