Bought all the gear for this to do as my Dreamcast had the clock issue and kept resetting so thought I'd fix both at the same time. While waiting for the bits to arrive I opened her up and cleaned/slightly bent the pins for the power anyway, this fixed the resetting issue but at the same time my battery seems to be working again!
Man, thanks much for the vid! Been looking for a way to get that battery replaced and you can't get any better than this. I'll buy both holder and battery and give it a shot. Thanks again for taking the time to do this!
i wanna say a big thanks bud. its sad it took nearly 14 years to get a proper video. I've tried watching other ones on youtube and the people do such a ghetto job that i never wanted to risk messing with my dreamcast, but this video is great. i didn't even know they sold a case holder for the batter like that. will make it super easy to replace when it happens again! thanks a lot man. make more videos if you have more knowledge on the system :-)
Thank you for this brilliant video, sir! Why the hell Sega didn't use this method originally is beyond me. From here on out, it will be a "swap" trick like the Sega Saturn is. Now I just need to get my brother to bring his soldering equipment over to replace the batteries in both my Dreamcast systems. Thanks again for sharing!
never soldered anything in my life before, bought a cheaper soldering iron, a cheap $1 soldering suction, bought a good maxwell rechargeable battery, did this and it was fine, so scared i accidentally burn the board, but it worked out great
Thanks a ton for the video man! This has been the best battery replacement tutorial i've seen yet; which does lead me to ask something - is this a procedure that's recommended for beginners? i've never soldered anything before but i'd really like to replace the battery in the Dreamcast i've got before it starts leaking and since you're method makes it possible to swap batteries from this point forward, it makes the most sense. Luckily all the parts are cheap - but I still wanted to ask since I don't want to wreck this thing either.
Paperfiasco If you are new to the whole soldering scene this isn't the toughest of mods, personally I would recommend trying to solder and desoldering on a junk board first, just to get the feel down and confidence. I'm sure you can do it, just take your time and be careful. The only way to learn is to make mistakes, so don't sweat it, we were all newbies at one point.
Hey Syp, great tutorial. Quick question, you replaced the 3V ML2020 with a better battery which is 3.6V. Is this completely safe to do and won't risk damaging the console over time? I know it's not a huge difference, I just want to make sure..
Quality Video! I am going to do the exact same mod but I wanted to ask you. Did you encounter any problems using a 3.6v battery? I was under the impression, you needed a 3v battery for this. Thanks
I considered doing this until I heard the word solder. I had enough trouble getting the potentiometer correctly aligned. Now that I can finally play my games for the first time in ~10 years, I can deal with a clock prompt every time I lose power.
this is honestly one of the easier things to solder. a lot of people are intimidated by the idea of soldering. just takes a little time to get the hang of it. and once you do, youll start wanting to do all kinds of things that you used to think we too difficult or not worth the risk
Not that hard. I'm pretty sure I'm retarded and I was able to solder this as well as changing the controller port fuse with a polyswitch 400mah resettable fuse. The port fuse blew after I connected an mc cthulhu fight stick, which I built myself even tho im retarded. Point is: you can do it bro.
When my time and date comes up at boot, I’m not able to change the date and time. It’s like the console is not recognizing anything from the controller. Is that normal, or should I at least be able to set the time and date and have it stay until I reboot? I can’t do anything at all. I bought it at a garage sale with 30 games for $20.
Timothy Sweeney The consoles have a fairly common issue where the fuse for the controllers will blow. I would first check that the controller ports aren't dirty by giving them a good cleaning with 90+ % isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush. As well as clean the end on the controller and make sure the controller is actually working on a console that does work.
Sypthv8 thanks. I was thinking my controller was bad so I just bought one today from a reputable shop that was tested. Still no good. Is the fuse inside the console and is it replaceable?
Timothy Sweeney Yes it is on the same board where I replace the battery in the video. Here is a link: www.ifixit.com/Guide/Sega+Dreamcast+Controller+Port+Replacement/1562
jason houle I prefer 60/40, I haven't really used lead free a whole lot since most of the things I'm working with call for it. Best rule of thumb is to not mix solders and use what the board already has on it, but lead free requires more heat and usually flows less easily from my experience.
Hi i have never soldered before but i need to replace the battery can you please list the stuff I need like the exact names or link me on Amazon or eBay please refering to the solder iron and pump?
damarlboromans Here you go: ANBES Soldering Iron Kit Electronics, 60W Adjustable Temperature Welding Tool, 5pcs Soldering Tips, Desoldering Pump, Soldering Iron Stand, Tweezers www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZ31W3M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_y4I1AbXJ1P7QV
Hi man, I finally did it and the issue was solved but now I got different issues. When I turn the Dreamcast on the logo animation and sound are gone. My backup CD's are not longer working, they load, the I do get the sound and Dreamcast logo animation but after 30 seconds it gets back to the menu. Any idea what could it be?
Weird, my honest answer would be to pull the battery, leave it out for a bit, and restart it, and see if memory got corrupted for some reason when installing the battery.
In fact, I tried that already. I was concerned it was not behaving the way it was supposed to and I've opened it twice after the initial change and took the battery out for around 2-5 minutes but it just the same.
+Michael Vega Hm, in the settings do you have it set to auto load the disc? The problem might be the laser is starting to go, and when it's trying to auto load the game as soon as you turn it on, all you see is a black screen and then it kicks you to the menu. Did you try cleaning the laser lens?
Howdy, The best info that I have seen was on Volt daddy (just google it) I bet its the most detailed info on batteries and this kinda that i have found.
Way too much work for a battery. I don't understand why Sega didn't just use a similar setup to the Saturns battery, where you could just pop a new one in by removing a small panel on the back. Very stupid design decision by Sega.
Bought all the gear for this to do as my Dreamcast had the clock issue and kept resetting so thought I'd fix both at the same time. While waiting for the bits to arrive I opened her up and cleaned/slightly bent the pins for the power anyway, this fixed the resetting issue but at the same time my battery seems to be working again!
Man, thanks much for the vid! Been looking for a way to get that battery replaced and you can't get any better than this. I'll buy both holder and battery and give it a shot. Thanks again for taking the time to do this!
No problem! Glad it could help you out.
i wanna say a big thanks bud. its sad it took nearly 14 years to get a proper video. I've tried watching other ones on youtube and the people do such a ghetto job that i never wanted to risk messing with my dreamcast, but this video is great. i didn't even know they sold a case holder for the batter like that. will make it super easy to replace when it happens again! thanks a lot man. make more videos if you have more knowledge on the system :-)
Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you like it. Will upload more videos when I can think of other things worth uploading!
thanks for the video, I was not 100% sure if a normal CR2032 would have worked for this.
You would have to disable the charging circuit, which from my knowledge, no one has done yet.
Thanks for this! I was able to do this pretty quickly and now my Dreamcast saves the date/time.
Awesome! Glad it worked out.
great video, about time a proper one got uploaded, !
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
You are way better at desoldering then I am
Thank you for this brilliant video, sir! Why the hell Sega didn't use this method originally is beyond me. From here on out, it will be a "swap" trick like the Sega Saturn is. Now I just need to get my brother to bring his soldering equipment over to replace the batteries in both my Dreamcast systems. Thanks again for sharing!
No problem! I think they opted out of it for expense reasons, but who knows.
Great tutorial on the battery replacement, i just perform it myself following your video. Thanks mate.
Awesome. Glad it helped out.
Thanks a million. I needed to see this in action.
No problem, glad it helped you out.
Thanks for this tip. I too wish Sega had kept the design from the Saturn, but this doesn't seem too involved either.
never soldered anything in my life before, bought a cheaper soldering iron, a cheap $1 soldering suction, bought a good maxwell rechargeable battery, did this and it was fine, so scared i accidentally burn the board, but it worked out great
I'm about to test this next week. any tips?
Great video. Straight to the point... Thanks!
Thanks! Appreciate it.
Followed this and now my DC has the date & time again without that annoying pop-up message. Thanks
Awesome! Glad it worked out well.
Thanks for replying. I have ordered the items needed and I will stick a 3.6v battery in there now I know it's OK.
Thanks a ton for the video man! This has been the best battery replacement tutorial i've seen yet; which does lead me to ask something - is this a procedure that's recommended for beginners? i've never soldered anything before but i'd really like to replace the battery in the Dreamcast i've got before it starts leaking and since you're method makes it possible to swap batteries from this point forward, it makes the most sense. Luckily all the parts are cheap - but I still wanted to ask since I don't want to wreck this thing either.
Paperfiasco If you are new to the whole soldering scene this isn't the toughest of mods, personally I would recommend trying to solder and desoldering on a junk board first, just to get the feel down and confidence. I'm sure you can do it, just take your time and be careful. The only way to learn is to make mistakes, so don't sweat it, we were all newbies at one point.
***** Thanks man! I'll be giving it a go as soon as all the gear I ordered comes in! Greatly appreciate ya' taking the time to answer :)
No problem! :D
Thanks a ton, this will be great reference for when I get my parts in!
i think i was more amazed by the solder sucker, just bought one on amazon XD
got this done successfully, thanx!
No problem, glad it worked out well.
I love this console so much! Thanks for the video! I know someone who can do it for me and i'll show him your solution ;)
Hey Syp, great tutorial. Quick question, you replaced the 3V ML2020 with a better battery which is 3.6V. Is this completely safe to do and won't risk damaging the console over time? I know it's not a huge difference, I just want to make sure..
LankyLayout Yes, especially since the 3.6V battery will never charge that high.
Quality Video! I am going to do the exact same mod but I wanted to ask you. Did you encounter any problems using a 3.6v battery? I was under the impression, you needed a 3v battery for this. Thanks
The original is a 3V, but this battery hasn't given me any problems yet.
Thanks for the video! I can find the battery LIR2032 on ebay, but I'm strugling to find a holder that looks like yours. Any tips?
Thanks always glad to help out. Also, try and paste this into eBay's search bar- 120837294039
***** Thanks!
Great video bro !
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
I considered doing this until I heard the word solder.
I had enough trouble getting the potentiometer correctly aligned. Now that I can finally play my games for the first time in ~10 years, I can deal with a clock prompt every time I lose power.
this is honestly one of the easier things to solder. a lot of people are intimidated by the idea of soldering. just takes a little time to get the hang of it. and once you do, youll start wanting to do all kinds of things that you used to think we too difficult or not worth the risk
Not that hard. I'm pretty sure I'm retarded and I was able to solder this as well as changing the controller port fuse with a polyswitch 400mah resettable fuse. The port fuse blew after I connected an mc cthulhu fight stick, which I built myself even tho im retarded. Point is: you can do it bro.
perfect tutorial, thanks!
I was wondering as to where you get the battery holster.
EBay, I got a link in a post below.
My Dreamcast is getting that slow startup problem, anything to do with batteries?
I've never heard of that, unless it's trying to read a disc and the laser is struggling?
Thanks! I followed your tutorial and that annoying message is finally gone! Been bugging me for years...
Awesome! Glad it worked out for you.
"Literally shaped almost exactly"...?
When my time and date comes up at boot, I’m not able to change the date and time. It’s like the console is not recognizing anything from the controller. Is that normal, or should I at least be able to set the time and date and have it stay until I reboot? I can’t do anything at all. I bought it at a garage sale with 30 games for $20.
Timothy Sweeney The consoles have a fairly common issue where the fuse for the controllers will blow. I would first check that the controller ports aren't dirty by giving them a good cleaning with 90+ % isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush. As well as clean the end on the controller and make sure the controller is actually working on a console that does work.
Sypthv8 thanks. I was thinking my controller was bad so I just bought one today from a reputable shop that was tested. Still no good. Is the fuse inside the console and is it replaceable?
Timothy Sweeney Yes it is on the same board where I replace the battery in the video. Here is a link:
www.ifixit.com/Guide/Sega+Dreamcast+Controller+Port+Replacement/1562
do you use rosin core solder or lead free-silver? Does it make a difference?
From what i understand the silver solder has better contact, more "sticky".
jason houle I prefer 60/40, I haven't really used lead free a whole lot since most of the things I'm working with call for it. Best rule of thumb is to not mix solders and use what the board already has on it, but lead free requires more heat and usually flows less easily from my experience.
what is the part number on the battery holder and battery
+al ga an LIR2032 (Or any 2032 size rechargeable lithium battery), and a 2032 holder.
Hi i have never soldered before but i need to replace the battery can you please list the stuff I need like the exact names or link me on Amazon or eBay please refering to the solder iron and pump?
damarlboromans Here you go:
ANBES Soldering Iron Kit Electronics, 60W Adjustable Temperature Welding Tool, 5pcs Soldering Tips, Desoldering Pump, Soldering Iron Stand, Tweezers www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZ31W3M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_y4I1AbXJ1P7QV
Thank you very much for the help just ordered it :) Now I just hope I do not mess it up.
Hi man, I finally did it and the issue was solved but now I got different issues. When I turn the Dreamcast on the logo animation and sound are gone. My backup CD's are not longer working, they load, the I do get the sound and Dreamcast logo animation but after 30 seconds it gets back to the menu. Any idea what could it be?
Weird, my honest answer would be to pull the battery, leave it out for a bit, and restart it, and see if memory got corrupted for some reason when installing the battery.
In fact, I tried that already. I was concerned it was not behaving the way it was supposed to and I've opened it twice after the initial change and took the battery out for around 2-5 minutes but it just the same.
+Michael Vega To me that sounds like almost like a bios corruption. Will it work with an actual licensed CD?
Yeah. I have Test Drive Le Mans I bought on ebay and it works just fine.
+Michael Vega Hm, in the settings do you have it set to auto load the disc? The problem might be the laser is starting to go, and when it's trying to auto load the game as soon as you turn it on, all you see is a black screen and then it kicks you to the menu. Did you try cleaning the laser lens?
Thanks a lot.
You betcha.
what's the purpose of the battery? can you do without?
You can do without it. It just keeps/saves the time so that each time you turn on/off your Dreamcast you don't have to reenter it.
*****
thanks ;)
Howdy, The best info that I have seen was on Volt daddy (just google it) I bet its the most detailed info on batteries and this kinda that i have found.
Do u fix these for people and how much?
Sorry, I just provide the how-tos!
Way too much work for a battery. I don't understand why Sega didn't just use a similar setup to the Saturns battery, where you could just pop a new one in by removing a small panel on the back. Very stupid design decision by Sega.
because sega wants people to send in the dreamcast to repair this. Not stupid, just corrupt.
its really not that much work... took this guy less than 15 mins and he was taking time to explain the whole thing...
The Gamecube is similar, so it isn't just the dreamcast
theirs real reasons for this :L