CPS II "Suicide Battery"

[Flip_Willie]

Hey,

    So, I just bought a Street Fighter Alpha cabinet today.  Anyway, it is CPS 2 machine, so I assume it is prone to "death by Suicide Battery".  It works fine now, but I have no clue if the battery has been replaced recently. I assume I should go ahead and replace it now, right?

    Also, I found this battery replacement kit on the internet: http://www.jammaboards.com/store/cleaning-maintenance/cps-2-battery-replacement-kit/prod_65.html
This should work fine, right?

    Another thing, do I "need" to have a de-soldering wick or pump, or can I do it with just a soldering iron?

    Lastly, do any of you have any tips for me? I am a novice at soldering, but I think I could get the battery out and replace it in less than twenty minutes.  Is there anything else I should know?  I already read a tutorial on the internet, but any advice will be appreciated.

    Sorry to ask so many questions.  Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Just as it is,
Flip Willie

[leapinlew]

good luck....

this whole "suicide battery" thing is BS if you ask me. Seems like a bone head move for them to do that.

[Flip_Willie]

this whole "suicide battery" thing is BS if you ask me. Seems like a bone head move for them to do that.

    Hey, I agree with you 100%!  

    I will probably mame it sometime in the near future, but I would like it to work till then at least.  $12.00 seems like a pretty cheap fix though (Even if it is just a postponement).  I think only the "B" cartridge goes bad after the battery loses power, so I could potentially buy a new one if I wanted to.

    Anyway, still open to comments/advice, Thanks!

Just as it is,
Flip Willie

[Crowquill]

What I've never understood is why everyone solders in a new battery instead of a battery holder. I'm not sure what the exact specs are on the holder, but they were commonly used in old Macintoshes and ITI "crystal" door sensors (for security systems). To see the security system sensors see this auction IIRC they're made by AMP, so they should be available through digikey or mouser.

I have a Darkstalkers that's still working perfectly fine. I plan on replacing the battery soon, though.

[Flip_Willie]

What I've never understood is why everyone solders in a new battery instead of a battery holder. I'm not sure what the exact specs are on the holder, but they were commonly used in old Macintoshes and ITI "crystal" door sensors (for security systems). To see the security system sensors see this auction IIRC they're made by AMP, so they should be available through digikey or mouser.

I have a Darkstalkers that's still working perfectly fine. I plan on replacing the battery soon, though.

   Yeah, I found a previous thread where you told someone to do this.  It sounds like a really cool idea, but I don't know if I care to go to trouble.  I am a novice solderer anyway, and am already semi-concerned about getting it to work as it is.  Drilling on the PCB sounds like it could take a while, and with my luck, I would brake it.  If you can convince me that it is just as easy, then I might do it this way. 

   Thanks for the suggestion Crowquill, I appreciate it.

   On another note, I found some CPS 2 "B" cartridge games on eBay that stated they didn't have a suicide battery.  (They were green instead of blue).  If this is true, I could just buy one of these if I did mess up mine.  They were a little pricey though.

   Thanks again!

Just as it is,
Flip Willie

   

[Kevin Mullins]

You have read through this right ??
(just thought I'd ask)

http://www.arcadecollecting.com/dead/dead.html

CPS2 specific: http://cps2shock.retrogames.com/suicide.html

[Flip_Willie]

You have read through this right ??
(just thought I'd ask)

http://www.arcadecollecting.com/dead/dead.html

CPS2 specific: http://cps2shock.retrogames.com/suicide.html

  Yeah, I have read it before.  (It has been a while though).  I found a link to this last night, in some other thread, but it wouldn't work.  Thanks though!

  Well, I guess I am going to go ahead and purchase that kit.  I am not the best solderer, but I am pretty sure I can get a battery off an on.  If I fail, I suppose it isn't the greatest loss...

Just as it is,
Flip Willie

[Crowquill]

On another note, I found some CPS 2 "B" cartridge games on eBay that stated they didn't have a suicide battery.  (They were green instead of blue).  If this is true, I could just buy one of these if I did mess up mine.  They were a little pricey though.

The color of the board is determined by region. Blue boards (N America/Europe) and Green boards (Japan) are interchangeable between their A boards. If switched they will still be in there respective languages. Grey (Asia) and Orange (S America) require their specific A board. A few games have versions that are all-black with A & B combined.

IIRC all CPS-2 games have a suicide battery. What are sold a lot on eBay are "Phoenix edition" boards. Basically it's using modified ROMs so that the battery is not necessary. See the CPS-2-shock page for more info on this. Pretty much everything I know about CPS-2 is on the CPS2shock page. The guy that runs it has made giant strides in both CPS-2 and Neo-Geo hardware modification.

Instead of cutting the circuit board I was thinking I would just use wire and run the battery holder outside of the case or cut a hole in the case and mount the battery where I can access it without hunting for security bits to disassemble the cart. The security bits are the thing that's holding me up (besides procrastination). I have a couple spare door sensors from my ADT installer days, so I have the battery holder covered.

[Flip_Willie]

The color of the board is determined by region. Blue boards (N America/Europe) and Green boards (Japan) are interchangeable between their A boards. If switched they will still be in there respective languages. Grey (Asia) and Orange (S America) require their specific A board. A few games have versions that are all-black with A & B combined.

   Ah, OK, thanks for the info.

IIRC all CPS-2 games have a suicide battery. What are sold a lot on eBay are "Phoenix edition" boards. Basically it's using modified ROMs so that the battery is not necessary. See the CPS-2-shock page for more info on this. Pretty much everything I know about CPS-2 is on the CPS2shock page. The guy that runs it has made giant strides in both CPS-2 and Neo-Geo hardware modification.

   OK, I see...  I assume it isn't that simple to modify it to run without the battery?

Instead of cutting the circuit board I was thinking I would just use wire and run the battery holder outside of the case or cut a hole in the case and mount the battery where I can access it without hunting for security bits to disassemble the cart. The security bits are the thing that's holding me up (besides procrastination). I have a couple spare door sensors from my ADT installer days, so I have the battery holder covered.

    Well, my dad already had some of the security bits, so I have already opened it up and looked at it.  I actually changed my mind and was going to use your suggestion (Battery holder); however, the only place that I could find the battery would have cost me $50 to ship!  I am sure I could have found a cheaper site to buy from, but I just figured I would simplify things and buy it all in one kit.  I might have to replace it in a couple of years, but I doubt I will still be playing it then.  Mame emulates Street fighter Alpha perfectly, so I don't see why I would want it after I Mamed it.

   Thanks again!

Just as it is,
Flip Willie

[tristan]

You can pick up replacement batteries on the web for $10.18 shipped (to Dallas, you show to be in Texas). The resale value of the board would be worth that.

www.jammaboards.com

(not my site, but I had good luck with them)

[Flip_Willie]

You can pick up replacement batteries on the web for $10.18 shipped (to Dallas, you show to be in Texas). The resale value of the board would be worth that.

www.jammaboards.com

(not my site, but I had good luck with them)

  Yeah, that is where I bought it from. (I actually bought the whole kit, though I probably don't need it).  Actually, I think I would have needed a different type of battery if I did the "battery holder" idea.

   Anyway, thanks.

Just as it is,
Flip Willie

[Crowquill]

  Yeah, that is where I bought it from. (I actually bought the whole kit, though I probably don't need it).  Actually, I think I would have needed a different type of battery if I did the "battery holder" idea.

Both Macs and the security system door sensors use the 1/2AA 3.6V lithium battery holders. I wish I could find it for sale as a seperate part. That kit's not a bad price, though, and the leads to the board are already attached to the battery. That's the part I worry about soldering to. Last time I checked, RadioShack was up to about $14 for those batteries. You can usually find them on eBay for about $3ea.

[Otraotaku]

Im not sure it was mentioned on this thread but you can rewrite the PROMs and cut the battery off the B-board if you want, at least thats what i did to all mine. i actually sent them to a man in Europe, which i forget his name -.- but i am about to send another set of PROMs to his way if he still does them. ^.^

[Spaz Monkey]

Nobody stateside that can do the job?

[Flip_Willie]

I'm not sure it was mentioned on this thread but you can rewrite the PROMs and cut the battery off the B-board if you want, at least thats what i did to all mine. i actually sent them to a man in Europe, which i forget his name -.- but i am about to send another set of PROMs to his way if he still does them. ^.^

  Yeah, I had read that the guy would reprogram your PROMs for you, I just didn't want to go to the trouble.  I actually bought all the stuff to replace the battery, but I have had too much to do recently so I haven't actually changed it.  Also, I already converted the cabinet to Mame, so I really don't need to fix it.

   Thanks for mentioning though.

Just as it is,
Flip Willie

[tommy]

I had a X-men VS Street fighter cps2 setup that lasted me 4 years before i sold it and that's not counting from the time it was made till then (probably about 8 years). I sold the pcb's and they are still going strong.

[Malacus]

Do the batteries recharge at all when the board is powered on?

-mal

[knave]

I don't think they recharge but I would think that there is no draw from them.  Thus they can last years and years.  If this is true the more a cab is left on the longer the battery can last.