PGM doesn't save high scores

[shmupsrocks]

My PGM motherboard doesn't seem to be saving my high scores. It's a v3 with the coin cell battery so should replacing the battery be good enough to get it working?

[yosai]

What game are you referring to? If it's one of the cave conversion carts then you need to enable dip switch 8.

[shmupsrocks]

It's the Bee Storm cartridge and as far as I know not a conversion.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

On the single layer PGM board with DDP-DOJ BL, both high scores and high score initials are saved for posterity via a upgraded eprom hack by using the on-board Varta battery. Nice option to have in going this particular route.

Strange things happen if the coin type lithium battery (i.e. CR 2032 type batteries and the like) fails to supply the minimum voltage for RTC (real Time Clock) purposes and whatnot on arcade PCBs. So yes, it's recommended to replace those batteries from time to time to ensure that the pcb itself up and running at 100% upon initial boot up. On some arcade motherboards with a backup battery installed, it'd be a matter of going into the arcade operator's menu settings and configuring the correct time and calendar date for time keeping/book-keeping purposes (or when arcade operators used to do just exactly that to see if said installed game pcb was earning it's fair share at a local arcade or a street location type of stint back in the 1980s and into the 1990s).

Some of those old Atari Games jamma pcbs like Klax (circa 1990) save both arcade operator game settings + both high scores and high score initials without the need for a backup battery whatsoever via NVRAM. How cool is that?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[shmupsrocks]

Ok, will replace the battery for the PCB's sake. I need a hacked EEPROM image in order for it to save high scores?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

If you have a plain vanilla Cave DoDonpachi Dai Ou Jou single layer pcb setup (that combines a PGM motherboard and the DDP-DOJ roms on-board) and replace it with said hacked eeprom (the one that allows for saving of both high scores and high score initials), then saving them is doable/possible. If you have a dedicated PGM motherboard and it uses the PGM cartridge type of setup, the above info doesn't pertain to that particular dedicated PGM motherboard setup. My apologies if my first post caused confusion in that regard.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[shmupsrocks]

No problem at all, I appreciate the info. So I'm sure I understand, PGM games are not designed to save scores after switching off? I haven't been paying attention to this behavior from other boards but assumed they would all save scores.

[Shepardus]

Dunno why PC Engine Fan X is talking about Daioujou; Daioujou does not save scores, but I believe Bee Storm does.