Zuluop Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 Just bought this (see attachments) SNES cart off eBay. However opening the cartridge revealed a stained backside of the PCB. Any idea if this is normal or have you seen this before? as you can see the front side of the PCB looks good. Thanks ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonGrafx-16 Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 (edited) If it works fine I wouldn't worry about it. Though I would change the battery. Edited September 8, 2021 by DragonGrafx-16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 Probably flux residue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuluop Posted September 9, 2021 Author Share Posted September 9, 2021 15 hours ago, DragonGrafx-16 said: If it works fine I wouldn't worry about it. Though I would change the battery. Yeah I would like to change the battery (on several SNES games) but it has been 30 years since I used a soldering iron. So what would i need to buy aside from the correct battery of course? Links to specific items would be great. (Note: The plan is to practice soldering first before doing it on the actual SNES PCBs) Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuluop Posted September 9, 2021 Author Share Posted September 9, 2021 14 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said: Probably flux residue. Yeah you are probably right - should I remove it with 99% isopropyl alcohol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 13 minutes ago, Zuluop said: Yeah you are probably right - should I remove it with 99% isopropyl alcohol? I don't know. I've never dealt with it. I just know that it exists, my SuperGrafx's motherboard is covered in it, and that's probably what it is. Not sure if that's a bad thing or not, but I should probably clean my SuperGrafx motherboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derSammler Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 It did not cause any issues during the last 26 years that cartridge is old. Just leave it as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jettgogaming Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 I agree to leave it as is. I've had plenty of PCB boards (including Genesis boards, SNES, and TG16) boards that have had that residue on it as well. I tried cleaning the Genesis board with alcohol and it caused a permanet white residue to show up and it made it look even worse. I use a rather cheap soldering iron for replacing CMOS batteries and it works great. Here is a link to it. https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=sr_1_29?dchild=1&keywords=soldering+iron&qid=1631207349&refinements=p_72%3A1248909011&rnid=1248907011&s=hi&sr=1-29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuluop Posted September 9, 2021 Author Share Posted September 9, 2021 28 minutes ago, Jettgogaming said: I agree to leave it as is. I've had plenty of PCB boards (including Genesis boards, SNES, and TG16) boards that have had that residue on it as well. I tried cleaning the Genesis board with alcohol and it caused a permanet white residue to show up and it made it look even worse. I use a rather cheap soldering iron for replacing CMOS batteries and it works great. Here is a link to it. https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=sr_1_29?dchild=1&keywords=soldering+iron&qid=1631207349&refinements=p_72%3A1248909011&rnid=1248907011&s=hi&sr=1-29 Great thanks - what else is needed aside from the battery pack? What kind of tin is needed and if anything else? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonGrafx-16 Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 I never bother with battery holders in my cartridge games. When would you even change the battery next? In 25 years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuluop Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 13 hours ago, DragonGrafx-16 said: I never bother with battery holders in my cartridge games. When would you even change the battery next? In 25 years? Nah I came to the same conclusion Would rather re-solder in 25 years if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonGrafx-16 Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Yeah and with a battery holder there is a chance the battery would come loose and you lose your save data. 47 minutes ago, Zuluop said: Nah I came to the same conclusion Would rather re-solder in 25 years if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuluop Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 30 minutes ago, DragonGrafx-16 said: Yeah and with a battery holder there is a chance the battery would come loose and you lose your save data. Would you solder with lead or without lead in the tin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonGrafx-16 Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Either should work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuluop Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 19 minutes ago, DragonGrafx-16 said: Either should work. Hehe ok, since it has been 25 years since I last did it I might as well use lead free tin even though it may be more difficult Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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