Whuh, you have to solder to replace batteries in old cartridges? Lol, I thought you only had to unscrew the back or something... Ah well. Too bad, that would've been easy to do, I recently found out the battery on one of my old NES LOZ's died.

Why did i just *know* this thread was going to be about EarthBound when i clicked on it?

:P

don't use electrical tape. It gets everything gunky, and when you go to replace the battery the next time it'll be a complete mess.

Anyways, the key to a good solder is heating up what you want it to stick too rather than the solder directly. However, if you heat just the metal you want it to stick to, you can overheat the components if they are too close. Do a tiny bit of preheating on the solder so you don't have to heat up the contact point for too long. Having a good iron is also really helpful. Find one with a nice point, rather than a blunt end as it makes it so much easier to get the heat where you want it.

other notes - for solder, you should probably use a 63/37 tin/lead solder as it has the lowest melting point (60/40 is pretty close) which should make it easier for you. Get one with a rosin flux as that is what is typically used for electronics.

Because I want it to last for years and years

And years

....I take it that you've done this before

I haven't replaced the battery on a cart before, but I use electrical tape and I solder quite a bit. My work badge has electrical tape on it (for the last year probably) and it is starting to come off and has lots of sticky glue left over. I've gotten good enough at soldering that it looks like a pro job. So, I have plenty of experience, just not with a cart specifically.

Also, I don't know if you missed my edit, but I put some other tips for ya.

this thread made me realise how little I actually know about soldering... Iv been thinking of replacing the battery in some of my games for a while but now it seems like I have much more to learn.

Practice soldering on the old, bad battery before you do ANY soldering with the good one.

If you're soldering wires to it, then get some small loose wire fr the practicing.

Also, hot glue works marvelously as an alternative to solder, and much moreso than tape.

rosin = resin yeah?..... and shouldn't he make sure to ventilate the room if he uses that, or is that normal solder. (I don't suppose it matters for such a small amount of soldering.... just don't directly breathe in any fumes)

rosin = solid form of resin. And yea, it's the normal electrical solder and no you don't want to breathe it, but a well ventilated room is good enough for a short job like that. In the European Union they no longer use lead based solder for electrical soldering, but I think it's still available in the US. Water pipe solder typically has an acid flux.