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How to replace the battery in a Game Boy Advance cartridge
One of the biggest problems with Game Boy Advance cartridges was the batteries, which could not be replaced. While this wasn't a big issue for original cartridges (since the batteries were used for RTC - real-time clock, meaning in-game events would stop), for pirated cartridges, the battery was crucial for saving games, which was extremely frustrating as the cartridge would essentially become unusable.
There are three ways to solve this problem:
1. DIY the battery (remove the old one and tape a new one in its place).
Pros: if you don't accidentally break the contact, no soldering is needed.
Cons: it looks very messy and doesn't hold well.
2. Buy a pre-assembled battery with contacts and solder it in place of the old one.
Pros: it looks neat and holds well.
Cons: you need to solder, and if the battery dies, you need to solder again.
3. Install a battery holder on the cartridge.
Pros: it looks very neat, holds well, and you can replace the battery if it dies.
Cons: you need to solder.
We would like to talk about the third option.
Here's how it will look on an original cartridge:
What do we need to buy?
If you just want to replace the battery:
Replacing the battery
Step 1.
Flip the cartridge over and unscrew it.
Step 2.
Flip the cartridge again and slightly open it by lowering the front part of the cartridge down.
You will see the battery there.
Step 3.
Determine where the positive and negative are. You can use a multimeter or just look at the battery to see where the positive is. Usually, the battery in the cartridge is placed positive side down.
Step 4.
Desolder the battery.
Use tweezers to hold the contact, heat the contact pad, and when the solder melts, lift the contact. Repeat on the other side.
Step 5.
Place the battery holder on the cartridge and check if the holder's contacts touch the contact pads on the cartridge. If they don't, slightly bend them down (carefully and slowly to avoid breaking them).
Step 6.
Solder the holder to the cartridge.
Step 7.
Insert the battery.
Step 8.
Assemble the cartridge.
