3rd September 2019, 7:44 PM
Let me give you both a few tips for soldering. First, get a decent iron. No barn burners.
https://www.amazon.com/KSGER-Temperature...3420091698
This is a very high quality one for the money, with a dial for the temp. If you get it, a good temp to work with is 375 C if you do it quick (high temp, low time).
Now then, you'll want solder. .015 inch rosin core leaded solder should do fine. Yes, lead, so take precautions. It's just easier to work with then non-leaded. Use a face mask, or get a fume extractor. Either way, if you aren't soldering constantly the exposure is so minimal you don't really need to worry about it.
Get a "no clean" flux pen. That flux is going to save you a lot of frustration. A little dab will make the solder stick to metal far easier.
These irons usually come with a sponge. Get a wire sponge instead.
https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Wir...7999&psc=1
This one. I put a few big heavy washers in the bottom of mine to keep it from sliding around when I use it. Trust me, "water" sponges are awful, and no one really uses them. Dry metal sponges are far better.
Alright, when it comes time to remove the solder on the battery pins, first add solder. It's counterintuitive, but remember this is really old solder. It's oxidized a little, and the chemistry isn't quite the same as what you likely bought. So, mix in a little of your own. Once the solder on a pad melts into a little pool, just pull the battery up on that side nice and easy. Now do the other. Once it's dropped out, you'll lose the save pretty much instantly, but the new battery should last you another 30+ years so that's fine. Apply some flux to the battery tabs on the new battery, then melt the pool again and slide the first tab into the hole, then pull the iron away. The pool should cool down in about a second or two and then repeat on the other. There, you've got yourself a new replacement.
This is a good starter if all you want is to get a dead battery changed out. When you're ready for the next level, let me know and I'll describe the extra steps involved in adding a battery holder while keeping your old save file intact.
Oh, and the memory card in the N64 uses a battery too. That can be backed up easily enough with a Gameshark to hold it while you do the thing. It's pretty nice. There's also a trick to remove the SMD chip and replace it with a model of the chip that isn't volatile and holds the memory. That's pretty advanced though, involving either a "spade" style long soldering wedge, or a hot air station.
https://www.amazon.com/KSGER-Temperature...3420091698
This is a very high quality one for the money, with a dial for the temp. If you get it, a good temp to work with is 375 C if you do it quick (high temp, low time).
Now then, you'll want solder. .015 inch rosin core leaded solder should do fine. Yes, lead, so take precautions. It's just easier to work with then non-leaded. Use a face mask, or get a fume extractor. Either way, if you aren't soldering constantly the exposure is so minimal you don't really need to worry about it.
Get a "no clean" flux pen. That flux is going to save you a lot of frustration. A little dab will make the solder stick to metal far easier.
These irons usually come with a sponge. Get a wire sponge instead.
https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Wir...7999&psc=1
This one. I put a few big heavy washers in the bottom of mine to keep it from sliding around when I use it. Trust me, "water" sponges are awful, and no one really uses them. Dry metal sponges are far better.
Alright, when it comes time to remove the solder on the battery pins, first add solder. It's counterintuitive, but remember this is really old solder. It's oxidized a little, and the chemistry isn't quite the same as what you likely bought. So, mix in a little of your own. Once the solder on a pad melts into a little pool, just pull the battery up on that side nice and easy. Now do the other. Once it's dropped out, you'll lose the save pretty much instantly, but the new battery should last you another 30+ years so that's fine. Apply some flux to the battery tabs on the new battery, then melt the pool again and slide the first tab into the hole, then pull the iron away. The pool should cool down in about a second or two and then repeat on the other. There, you've got yourself a new replacement.
This is a good starter if all you want is to get a dead battery changed out. When you're ready for the next level, let me know and I'll describe the extra steps involved in adding a battery holder while keeping your old save file intact.
Oh, and the memory card in the N64 uses a battery too. That can be backed up easily enough with a Gameshark to hold it while you do the thing. It's pretty nice. There's also a trick to remove the SMD chip and replace it with a model of the chip that isn't volatile and holds the memory. That's pretty advanced though, involving either a "spade" style long soldering wedge, or a hot air station.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)