CPS2 suicide?

JTVK

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So I pulled my XVSF board out of the closet last night, hooked up my supergun and played for a few hours. Was fun....

After that I went online and searched for some info about the hardware just because I started having a strange audio issue where the sound would get static for a few seconds.

Reseating the b-cart onto the a-board fixed that. BUT! while I was reading various articles I read about the CPS2 "suicide battery".

Now I realize that I am probably the last person to know about this (yes I lived under a rock, too!) but I am concerned that my already quite old game, may die for no other reason than a stupid battery.

Now the main source of info I have on this was from Wikipedia and CPS2Shock, but neither of them answered the questions I really want to know:

1) Is there any way to fix this for good somehow? I don't really feel comfortable replacing the battery myself. I'd probably end up damaging the game; and really it seems like a band-aid solution as the new battery will suffer the same fate.

2) If I keep the game powered via a regular power source, does it still Need the batery or is that just for when it is unplugged? I will dedicate a wall outlet to the game if I have to -- even when I'm not playing, just to keep it "alive."
 
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1) Is there any way to fix this for good somehow? I don't really feel comfortable replacing the battery myself. I'd probably end up damaging the game; and really it seems like a band-aid solution as the new battery will suffer the same fate.

2) If I keep the game powered via a regular power source, does it still Need the batery or is that just for when it is unplugged? I will dedicate a wall outlet to the game if I have to -- even when I'm not playing, just to keep it "alive."

1) Yes. You can get your board "phoenixed" for a fee. It will have Phoenixed roms, which depending on how much of a hard on you have for originality may be an issue.

2) If you don't go phoenixed, you still need the battery. The battery powers the security mechanism when the board is not powered up (in layman's terms...). Going so far as to try and find a way to constantly power the board is a lot more trouble than just getting the battery replaced. If you're not comfortable doing it (it's easy peasy), some people on here provide a battery replacement service. Once the board is dead you have no choice but to do option 1, which can be a tad more expensive IIRC.
 
If your game is not already dead, I suggest just replacing your battery. Once changed they should last about 5+ years.
 
1) Yes. You can get your board "phoenixed" for a fee. It will have Phoenixed roms, which depending on how much of a hard on you have for originality may be an issue.

2) If you don't go phoenixed, you still need the battery. The battery powers the security mechanism when the board is not powered up (in layman's terms...). Going so far as to try and find a way to constantly power the board is a lot more trouble than just getting the battery replaced. If you're not comfortable doing it (it's easy peasy), some people on here provide a battery replacement service. Once the board is dead you have no choice but to do option 1, which can be a tad more expensive IIRC.

Wow... never knew about the whole Phoenix thing. I Googled it. It "sounds" like what he's doing is just putting hacked MAME roms onto the chips. If that's what he's doing then I wouldn't be interested. But if not and he's just modifying the game to not need the battery, then that really seems like the best solution since it is a permanent fix.

Have you had this problem sosage? Which option did you chose? or which would you?


Replacing the battery to me seems like an ultimatley self-defeating strategy. For one, I am very technically inept with things such as this. And secondly, if say five years down the road I forget about the battery and it dies, I am in the same boat as I am now.


I guess what I am asking now is.... Is there any reason I would not want to do the Phoenix thing and prefer to replace the battery instead? What are the pros and cons of each?

(P.S.) Funny that the Op. manual doesn't mention a word about any of this! :rolleyes:
 
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Geeze, this isn't that big of a deal man. If your game isn't dead REPLACE THE BATTERY. If it is dead, GET IT PHOENIXED. This really isn't that big of a deal.

So you spend 8 bux on a computer clock battery every 6 years or so, big deal.

If you can type, write, have decent control of your fingers, you can replace the battery. Get the right size security torx, open the cart. Desolder the two battery leads one at a time and slowly pull the battery free. Use a cheap solder sucker pump to clear the holes. Put in your new battery, solder, then trim excess. The amount of soldering work should take you no more than a minute.

Just make sure the + and - are oriented correctly. Unlike CPS3, CPS2 games can have batteries changed without the need for the board to be powered. You have like 30 to 40 minutes once you pull the old one to put in the new one.

I for one can't understand someone who is in the arcade hobby but is deathly afraid of a solder iron. That's like a heart surgeon who's scared of blood.

Now would be a good time to learn.

The bottom line is if you want to keep the game code original, swap the battery. If the battery dies, the encryption stuff is gone. It doesn't come back. Phoenix roms are slightly modified versions of the game that remove the need for the encryption key (or something like that). There is no inbetween option. I for one have a phoenixed Progear, and it plays fine.
 
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Okay, so update: Radford119, was kind enough to offer his services in Phoenixing or replacing the battery depending on my needs... and he was also kind enough to share with me this video explaining it all.
Thanks!

After watching that video, it really has changed my mind about Phoenixing since the guy mentions that there are sometimes glitches introduced from the hack (!) Sounds like a battery replace is the better deal after-all! And that's why I seek out the advice of the pros before I do something I'd regret! :)

NoVArcade said:
If you can type, write, have decent control of your fingers, you can replace the battery. Get the right size security torx, open the cart. Desolder the two battery leads one at a time and slowly pull the battery free. Use a cheap solder sucker pump to clear the holes. Put in your new battery, solder, then trim excess. The amount of soldering work should take you no more than a minute.

I'm sure to a pro such as yourself it is an easy job...but believe it or not, I'm not a pro, in-fact this is the only game I own and I don't want to screw it up because I can't just go to the local market and buy a replacement game.

As for my fine motor control, it is not what you might consider "normal" or "decent" but that is for another topic...

NoVArcade said:
I for one can't understand someone who is in the arcade hobby but is deathly afraid of a solder iron. That's like a heart surgeon who's scared of blood.

I think a better analogy would be that of classic cars.
You might feel at home restoring your 1970 Mustang all yourself, but I do not; if I make a mess of things, I am left with a car that is no longer in working condition.

I would rather take my car to a professional restorer, and know that when I get it back it will be in top working order and I can drive and enjoy it for years to come.

Hope that helps.
 
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Oh come on. I bought my first machine in march (cps2 as well). I've learned morethan enough about soldering in one night to takle this, just do some basic education, tear up an old piece of crap tv or something and practice a little bit.

That said, I prefer the phoenixed boards. I dont want to write all over my games to remember when the batt was replaced and these things are already niche items. 6-12 years who knows if you can find them?

I havent noticed any glitches on mine. I have six different games phoenixed.

*edit* Even professionals can make mistakes.
 
lol, dude. It's really not hard at all. You are not going to ruin your board, unless you catch it on fire or something. Besides, if you have sausage fingers or something and can't get the battery in in time, you can then get it phoenixed.

I personally don't mind swapping the battery out. Phoenixing games cost extra $$ and time, plus the risk the game gets lost in shipping or something. I'd leave it for when a game actually dies. As far as writing on the games, I just print out a Ptouch label and slap it on the case.

And believe me, I'm far from a pro. The last CPS2 games I changed I used a 10 dollar radio shack iron. As far as glitches go, my understanding that's if you change the games region from original. (phoenix games have a menu option to change region on the fly)
 
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Come on, give the guy a break. He said he isn't comfortable doing it himself. No need to talk down to him over it. What some people might see as easy others may not feel up to tackling it, keep that in mind.
 
Oh come on. I bought my first machine in march (cps2 as well). I've learned morethan enough about soldering in one night to takle this, just do some basic education, tear up an old piece of crap tv or something and practice a little bit.

Okay there seems to be a misconception here.
I am not in the hobby to fix and repair games. I enjoy playing the games and reliving my old memories. Not everyone who enjoys classic games neeeds to be adept at fixing them; that would be like requiring everyone who enjoys rides at an amusement park to be able to fix them before boarding the ride! :lol:

That said, I prefer the phoenixed boards. I dont want to write all over my games to remember when the batt was replaced and these things are already niche items. 6-12 years who knows if you can find them?

That's a good point, but I am trusting that there are store-houses full of these things just like old cassette and VHS tapes.

*edit* Even professionals can make mistakes.

Yes, howver if *I* make a mistake, I am pretty much screwed. If a professional makes a mistake, they will fix it and say "Sorry, I made a mistake but here's what I did to fix it. Thank you come again!" :)

EDIT: And if you guys really want me to get good at it, send me your only boards to practice on! ;) You'll change your minds pretty quick I assure you!
 
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Okay there seems to be a misconception here.
I am not in the hobby to fix and repair games.

Alright, then be prepared to spend a ton of $$$ to keep your stuff running. This equipment is already 20+ years old. I hope you never get into pinball.

I would have probably spent 1000's in repair bills by now on my pins If I hadn't spent the little effort and learned basic trouble shooting and repair.

Sorry to sound harsh, but stop being lazy.

Edit: I see you want a Theatre of Magic pin. Do you have any idea how much maintenance pins require, wires break loose all the time and require basic soldering to reattach. Are you going to call a tech everytime a microswitch goes down?
 
Alright, then be prepared to spend a ton of $$$ to keep your stuff running. This equipment is already 20+ years old. I hope you never get into pinball.

I would have probably spent 1000's in repair bills by now on my pins If I hadn't spent the little effort and learned basic trouble shooting and repair.

Sorry to sound harsh, but stop being lazy.

Edit: I see you want a Theatre of Magic pin. Do you have any idea how much maintenance pins require, wires break loose all the time and require basic soldering to reattach. Are you going to call a tech everytime a microswitch goes down?

Not everyone who collects classic cars knows how to fix them. That's why they have shops like Kounts Kustoms.

Hey though I'll cheerfully admit that you are "less lazy" than me at fixing games.
I'll happily spend a few extra dollars to make sure my games work than to try and save some money and end up without a game.

As I mentioned before, send me your rare boards so I can practice. ;)
 
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Alright then, if you've got disposable income like that. Then more power to you.

If you really want to practice, radio sells cheap bread boards for electronics projects you can play with.
 
OP maybe try to find another member in your area thats comfortable with the repair and yall can do it together and you would get a better feel for making repairs yourself in the future. I can understand your being nervous and not wanting to ruin your board but once you get in there with someone who is experienced I think the intemidation factor would be greatly reduced.
 
Damn people. Quit crapping on the guy. So what is the big deal if he doesn't want to work on his games? Move on.

jeez...
 
Damn people. Quit crapping on the guy. So what is the big deal if he doesn't want to work on his games? Move on.

jeez...

I was just trying to give some helpful advice,not crap on the guy. The other newb seems to be doing that.
 
NoVArcade, wtf dude? You have like 12 total posts ever on this forum and more than a half of them are on this thread alone, being a total dbag. Stop being a troll and get off the guy's back.

+1 to bottlejunkie's solution. Hands on learning with an "expert" is not only a great learning experience, but oftentimes can lead to long-lasting friendships in this hobby.

JTVK, no need to defend yourself here. We all should be appreciative that you want to keep the game working and have sought help in making that happen. End of discussion.
 
Seesh, everyone's so sensitive. No where did I call the guy names or anything. All this is a simple battery change, there shouldn't even be a debate on performing it.
 
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