Game Boy Game Battery Retainer by HDR (updated)

[@theskipster]

This is awesome! All the mods I've seen with a holder for the battery to easily swap it either don't fit or can only hold a CR1616, which lasts way less time than a CR2025. Great mod!

[@kyle88l]

I want this gameboy advance SP shell so bad! It's beautiful!

[@peterj2415]

I would wager tabbed batteries are not as commonly used as non-tabbed, so there is maybe some benefit to the longevity of the cart to switch to the retainer and use coin cells that probably aren't going away

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

Well, you can't just go to the store and just get them is the real benefit. Don't see them really outside older stuff like this. Also a benefit for those who aren't proficient at soldering or are uneasy about it.

[@makho]

Perhaps, but how often are you replacing batteries on the same cart? Spending a bit more upfront and doing more soldering upfront to save a few seconds and few cents every decade or two might not be the most efficient. I see this more as something one might set up if they plan on gifting the cart, especially to someone who doesn't/can't solder in a new battery.

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

@@makho I agree. Just the games with a RTC that really chew through the battery. Just more of a benefit for the types who feel uneasy about soldering. There is enough space to solder in a CR2032, so I'd rather opt for that one.

[@makho]

@@ZyferWarriorPrime any GBA cart that I've seen with a battery retainer has to use such a small battery that the capacity is very significantly reduced. There is no good work around for this form factor that I'm aware of.

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

@@makho I mean, it is possible to design a custom solution, but it wouldn't look like that. Would have to be more similar to tabbed batteries. There is enough clearance to get a CR2025 in there, but it is a really tight fit.

[@Ductape667]

Solid video, I think this is something I would do if I were working over a cart for someone else to make it easy in the future for someone who doesn't have soldering skill. Also you mentioned a Digikey part number for the tabbed batteries you recommend?

[@makho]

both are linked in the wiki gameboy.github.io/consoles/#games

[@Ductape667]

@@makho Awesome, thank you. I would rather get them from Digikey than other sources.

[@Ice-ed7qk]

I actually don’t mind replacing tabbed batteries but the issue comes to the voltage hold qualities of those tabs. They can’t even hold a charge for more than a month and the things die. Better settle for higher quality but longer installation batteries with retainer than cheap short life but easy to install tabbed batteries.

[@makho]

You know you can just buy tabbed panasonic batteries from digikey, right?

[@Stewmat]

​@@makho The tabbed panasonic batteries are difficult to get ahold of outside of the US. I guess due to battery shipping restrictions, neither digikey nor mouser will ship them internationally, at least not to Canada. This battery retainer is looking like a nice alternative.

[@makho]

@DrennSpeedruns I'm sure there's a local warehouse or reseller that has the batteries. I'm not familiar with Canadian retailers though.

[@luizeduardosouza2633]

i want one of these for gba carts (pokemon ones), they have so tiny space

[@Pandidand]

Really thanks for the video and also the link to the assembly. For me in the EU it would be painful to order the PCBs separately.

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

To be fair, you can buy the coin batteries online. I like Panasonic ones.

[@makho]

I'd prefer to just buy tabbed panasonics and be done with it. It's nice to have options though.

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

@@makho I do as well. But for other things I will get those as well. They have always been reliable for me. Duracell, not so much.

[@BigJoker]

That game boy is goooooold!

[@makho]

brass, actually

[@BigJoker]

@@makho But I don't have an Austin Powers impression for brass

[@moo4983]

Hey there Makho, is there a PCB solution out there for making an MBC3 flashcart and reusing the SRAM chip from an original cart (a Sharp LH52256CN-10LL)? I botched a removal of the ROM chip on a cart the first time around so the PCB was hosed, but I recently got the MBC3 and everything else off with hot air. HDRs boards are great but they swap it out for an FRAM chip and some additional hardware. Can those be made compatible or am I forced to ditch the SRAM and get the FM18W08?

[@makho]

if you're using HDR's boards, you will not be able to use SRAM. If you want to continue using SRAM, just use jrodrigo's adapters and swap out only the MROM.

[@moo4983]

@@makho Since the MROM's pads on the OEM board are torn to shreds I guess I'll need to go with HDR's board if I want to get any use out of it. Thankyou for the quick response! :o

[@Jamessheffield11]

It has been like four or five videos and I have now forgotten whom my auntie is....Bill?...Brandon?....

[@makho]

perhaps one day auntie will come back from the corner store and we can find out together

[@Jamessheffield11]

@@makho aunti…always out buying a pack of smokes and some milk

[@BlazingKhioneus]

is there a possibility there will ever be those top-loading battery slots for this? like the ones you find in keyboards for the settings and stuff? or will this bulgy one be all we get?

[@makho]

not going to happen for carts without going full custom. It's doable but not cheap and not easy.

[@MrStompingshadow]

I just noticed I can’t do this on my yellow because the battery is smaller and they don’t sell these tabs oh well

[@guitaristtom]

That Crystal Clear cart looks really neat. I'm guessing it was a custom build?

[@makho]

yes

[@whisper13941]

will this work on GBA carts? eg: for Metroid Fusion

[@Gameboygenius]

I'd say no, at least not well. It needs a flat surface for the battery to rest on for good contact, but the battery is installed on top of a chip in GBA carts due to space constraints.

[@makho]

no but for metroid fusion specifically, you can always do a FRAM mod so you don't even need a battery.

[@makho]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYayZ6Kej8eEmLc

[@pushingdasies1]

How does this compare for a GBA? Since that is over a chip and a tighter fit, I've seen people struggle finding a "replaceable" solution for those cartridges.

[@makho]

This doesn't fit in a GBA cart.

[@ethanwalsh9162]

Solid redesign.

[@npenplz]

I opted to replace all of my games with the retainers because the pre-tabbed yellow batteries were dying on me *way* too quick, in the span of about a year and a half i had a few die. Being able to use Panasonic or other name brand batteries is the real benefit, especially since they're really cheap on places like digikey

[@makho]

You know that digikey sells panasonic batteries that are pre-tabbed, right? www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/panasonic-bsg/CR-2032-F2N/2404062

[@dooglive922]

So it works with the GB, GBC, and GBA?

[@a-st1co]

Can I buy a repro shell for the GBxCart somewhere that has the USB-c hole already cut?

[@makho]

I'm not aware of anyone selling that. There are 3D printable shells like that though and I've offered up a 3D printable jig for modifying shells for this.

[@wefdsagfb]

Is the cartR/W you are using handmade? It is very small and good.

[@makho]

no it is a gbxcart rw retrogamerepairshop.com/products/gbxcart-rw-gameboy-gbc-gba-cart-reader-writer-flasher

[@wefdsagfb]

@@makho Thank you. I'll buy that.

[@pedrocaricchio]

Thanks again for another greatly helpful video! Glad I waited a bit and this version of the retainer came out, definitely going to get these for the 2 original games I have. So, just to be clear, it does hold a CR2032, right? But would the case close properly with it? I'm thinking about Pokémon Crystal and Mario Tennis (GBC) og cartridges.

[@makho]

probably depends on the specific cart and shell. I don't recommend using CR2032s with these holders though

[@pedrocaricchio]

@@makho Cool, I'll probably stick to CR2025s with this one since it's practical enough to replace them already

[@gutonator6857]

Hello Makho, thanks for the vid. I watched the past vid of the HDR pcb, I ended up buying it, apparently they are selling a different design version than your past vid, and after I installed it, it was way too thick.( talking about just pcb without the battery holder) This one tho is alot more expensive, does this one confirm to fit in Pokemon games? Afraid of having same issue of before

[@makho]

It's supposed to be a flex PCB. If you ordered via oshpark, you didn't select the flex option on check out. Only flex PCBs are thin enough to fit inside the shell.

[@gutonator6857]

Thanks for the info, indeed I didnt choose any flex option, will buy again using that option and maybe use the ones I have for snes cartridge or something

[@dsteeezy8]

Can you do this mod for gba games that require battery replacement?

[@makho]

this particular mod won't fit as the batteries are offset to straddle the MROM chip. Similar mods might work but for anything other than RTC carts, a FRAM mod is probably the better option.

[@DarkBowser64]

Ah, excellent. I should like to install retainers in all my cartridges simply as a matter of preventative maintenance. Changing out the battery in the future will be easier, as name-brand, quality batteries that are not tabbed are easier to find, AND it won't run the risk of a beginner to soldering destroying the cartridge PCB . Which, if all the posts I've seen of Gen 3 (and some 1 and 2) Pokémon carts being destroyed due to people trying to replace the battery on it are any indication, happens far too often. Cartridges change hands all the time and the less killed the better.

[@makho]

well this won't work on gen 3 pokemon carts. At least not with this implementation.

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

I don't really know how people do that short of just tossing a bunch of solder on there.

[@xXhikashiXx]

It's not about the convince of replacing but let's say if you make a mistake while soldering and break the whole thing if you don't have to solder the less chances of you breaking it

[@makho]

This requires soldering too. If you can install this, you can install a battery.

[@El-ng7mb]

If I have pokemon blue or red, can I use cr2025 or cr2032 when I install this bracket ?

[@makho]

CR2032 might bulge the shell, I recommend CR2025

[@DarkHope25]

I don't understand why your save is still there after taking out the battery, is that a particular cartridge?

[@makho]

08:08

[@DarkHope25]

Oh I completely missed that part! Thank you very very much man!

[@Flafex]

Hi, great video, but I didn't understand what you meant by using adhesive tape to fix the 'flexy.' Do you think it isn't safe as it is?

[@makho]

it can deform a bit when inserting a battery and adhering the flex down can minimize the deformation.

[@thundrwaffle]

hi new to this can you explain why you have red wires leading to other chips?

[@makho]

flash mod so I can flash custom games to the cart.

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

Do they have ones for CR2032? Just curious as that is what I have in my Pokemon games.

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

Guess I should have waited further. Looks like the little extra height from the battery with these are just a tad bit much.

[@BlazingKhioneus]

since it's the same board between gen 1 and 2, i would wager you could use CR2025 on either

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

@@BlazingKhioneus I posted it as I was watching before I saw him try. I was wondering if there was enough clearance for CR2032 and there was not. You can fit a tabbed version in there, but the retainer adds too much height.

[@KitV91]

is there much point to these? you could just replace the battery now and deal with again in 20 years.

[@makho]

Indeed you can. Though with RTC based carts (like second generation Pokemon games), you might get closer to five years out of a good cell instead of 20.

[@Scresho202]

Great video! Does this also work for GBA? I would really like to have a solution for these :(

[@makho]

no

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

There is barely enough space to get a CR2025 on those. They are a tough fit at that. Not enough space for a retainer.

[@handheldnintendofan]

Very few GBA games have batteries anyway they're mostly flash memory

[@ZyferWarriorPrime]

@@handheldnintendofan I am aware of about 30 games that use a battery. Some of which have batteries or flash memory. The Pokemon ones use it exclusively for the Real-Time clock.

[@handheldnintendofan]

@@ZyferWarriorPrime I know Pokemon games use them but I was just saying the vast majority of GBA games are flash memory only have 2 GBA games in my collection with a battery Kirby Nightmare in Dream Land and Wario Land 4

[@JayrosModShop]

Where did you get that custom purple GBC cartridge shell?

[@makho]

kitsch-bent. I'd link directly but their store is down yet again.

[@makho]

store.kitsch-bent.com/collections/cartridges-programmers/products/cartridge-shells

[@FurNaxxYT]

You think theres any plans for a GBA version? I'd love to fix my pokemon sapphire with a hot swappable

[@makho]

it's not possible with this implementation. So, no, that's not planned.

[@toasthax2494]

whats the other mod on the cart with the wires?

[@crownsuponcorpses]

It's a jrodrigo (or similar) adaptor board to allow you to replace the stock maskrom with 2MB flashable rom

[@makho]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGK4hHl5n96Nq7M

[@SoundToxin]

Would this work in a GBA cart as well or is there another battery holder for GBA carts? edit: I see in other comments you said it won't work in GBA carts. RGRS sells something that'll hold CR1616s and says GBA is supported, though none of the pics show a GBA cartridge. Is that one worth getting or is there a better one?

[@makho]

This does not fit inside a GBA cart. I'd recommend just using high quality tabbed cells.

[@sleeksm4]

What flasher are u using?

[@makho]

retrogamerepairshop.com/products/gbxcart-rw-gameboy-gbc-gba-cart-reader-writer-flasher

[@Starcat128]

What Flasher is that

[@makho]

gbxcart rw retrogamerepairshop.com/products/gbxcart-rw-gameboy-gbc-gba-cart-reader-writer-flasher

[@BlazingKhioneus]

YES! YESYESYES! FINALLY THESE EXIST!

[@VideoGameJNPoop]

2:05 - Face revealed on the Game Boy reflection.

[@CockroachMunchingKrabbyPatty]

first makho video? his face is reflected in pretty much every video he puts out, it's not some crazy secret lmao

[@cljoe35]

Don’t look into the eyes you might become petrified

[@VanguardRaven]

Makho used Face Reveal. First time viewer became confused! First time viewer hurt itself in its confusion!

[@mydude3254]

That is 9 dollars?.... hahaha... sticking to Panasonic tabbed batteries from Digikey! They are the best ones that I know of and cost barely over a dollar. Should last just as long or longer than the originals.

[@datswissguy5387]

More beard please.