Pole Position II high score save?

Area69

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I've heard it mentioned that the high scores can be saved on PPII, after the acid leaking battery is removed of course. Is it a ROM swap or something more difficult? Who know?
 
I've heard it mentioned that the high scores can be saved on PPII, after the acid leaking battery is removed of course. Is it a ROM swap or something more difficult? Who know?

I can't remember the position off the top of my head... but it's just a RAM swap. You take off the old RAM and put an NVRAM in it's place. They have an internal battery and will save the scores just as if you had a battery on the board.
 
So a stop by radio shack and I've got a PPII that saves high scores. Last night I went this route and it seems to work perfectly:

Posted by Brick Top
"For those who havent done the simtek RAM swap, cant get a hold of the guy with the simteks, or cant get it to work for whatever reason....Bob Roberts sells a 3.6v nicad battery for 2.00. It looks like it came from a cordless phone or something.Anyhow,connect it to your board where the suicide battery used to be.
I cut the connector off the battery, extended the leads, and soldered it right to the board. Drilled 2 holes in the board and secured the battery with a zip tie.

If that is too invasive, you could find a connector that would match up to the battery and solder that with an extention to the board. Then mount the battery anywhere in the cabinet you like."

We have family coming in for the holidays and I just needed a quick fix for this. Still would like to get the NVRAM if it's ever for sale.
 
Pop a Dallas Ram in, easiest, cheapest way.
Works great in mine.
Replaces the socketed RAM about 3 spots from the battery on the CPU board...

Here is a seller I have bought about 5 chips from.
Excellent price and cheap shipping...

NEW DALLAS SEMICONDUCTOR NONVOLATILE SRAM DS 1220AD-200
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...180777&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_500wt_1156

BTW, these chips batteries don't become active until they are first installed, 10 year battery life starts then. Nice thing is that the "AD" version for sale by this guy is a better choice IMO as the operating voltage range is wider.
 

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BTW, these chips batteries don't become active until they are first installed, 10 year battery life starts then.

That's not really the case. The lifetime of these is governed primarily by the shelf-life of a lithium cell. Luckily, that has proven to be more like 20+ years. The date code on the chips that guy is selling says they are 18 years old.... You may get lucky and they'll work for several years. At that price ($2 each) I suppose it's worth a shot, but it is a gamble.
 
Bumping an old thread. This has to be the easiest high score save of them all. My PP2 boardset came with the battery removed, so this was a very simple upgrade.

Just replace 1 socketed ram with a new chip. I used the M48Z02, since I had one on hand.
 
No offence, but this is hardly a "high score save" mod. Don't get me wrong, it's good information, and I'm glad people are fixing their boards. However...

The game was designed and built from the factory to save the high scores. It later had this capability neutered; either do to battery leakage damage, or to prevent it. The described work is simply finishing the previously incomplete job of repairing the PCB back to its original capability.
 
No offence, but this is hardly a "high score save" mod. Don't get me wrong, it's good information, and I'm glad people are fixing their boards. However...

The game was designed and built from the factory to save the high scores. It later had this capability neutered; either do to battery leakage damage, or to prevent it. The described work is simply finishing the previously incomplete job of repairing the PCB back to its original capability.

Yeah, it's more of a High Score mod (or alternative), since the original PCB has a high score save feature.

Still, it's a nice alternative. My board already had the battery removed, so this seemed like the best choice.
 
That's not really the case. The lifetime of these is governed primarily by the shelf-life of a lithium cell. Luckily, that has proven to be more like 20+ years. The date code on the chips that guy is selling says they are 18 years old.... You may get lucky and they'll work for several years. At that price ($2 each) I suppose it's worth a shot, but it is a gamble.

For saving much grief over shelf life, wouldn't it be more advisable to spend $10 on the Simtek 25C48 or ZMD U63716? (as explained here). These nvSRAM chips give 100+ years of high score saving! :)
 
I love to see old threads revived! I replaced my getto nicad battery with one of the Dallas chips a long time ago. Since then it's been fine. Except for the game working when it wants.
 
I love to see old threads revived! I replaced my getto nicad battery with one of the Dallas chips a long time ago. Since then it's been fine. Except for the game working when it wants.

Old threads revive because some people actually use the "search" function to arrive at a thread of common interest. Why bother creating a brand new thread for something that has already been previously discussed?
 
For saving much grief over shelf life, wouldn't it be more advisable to spend $10 on the Simtek 25C48 or ZMD U63716? (as explained here). These nvSRAM chips give 100+ years of high score saving! :)

except they are no longer in production and haven't been in some time.
They are practically unobtanium. You just linked Matt to his own website....
Do you just post because you have nothing else to do?
 
except they are no longer in production and haven't been in some time.
They are practically unobtanium. You just linked Matt to his own website....
Do you just post because you have nothing else to do?

And you know you're responding to a 2+ month old post, right? :)

Getting back toward the topic...
There are now a couple of SMD ferroRAM-based products available that are designed to replace a DIP 2K x 8 device:
http://www.denikar.com/
http://www.pinitech.com/products/6116_adapter.php
 
except they are no longer in production and haven't been in some time.
They are practically unobtanium. You just linked Matt to his own website....
Do you just post because you have nothing else to do?

Yeah, I have to reach all the way into my desk drawer to obtain them... it's pretty harsh.
 
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