Dreamcast advanced controller board - New rechargeable battery mod for Dreamcast

[VEGETA]

Hello,




Please see the video here for full tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6MgvUBDSU8

Product link: https://thundertronics.net/product/drea ... ler-board/

Basically, it is a small board to be soldered on top of the controller ports board which removes original battery completely and replaces it with new circuit with 18650 battery to keep time. Performance is perfect and one charge can last years.

It also replaces old components with new ones like capacitor and 13R resistor, but most importantly a new resettable fuse.

I've been testing it for about a year with perfect result. One charge for one hour gives about 90-110mV for the battery, this amount is enough for about 6-12 months or even more (depending on battery, current charge state, etc...) so basically this is a complete final solution to the problem. No hacks required.

Any questions please leave them below.

Best regards,

[VEGETA]

Hello

video is picking up awesome traffic on youtube! however for weird reason no sales this time.

anyway, i wanted to spread the news about this new mod, can you guys tell me how to do it? I only know this forum and facebook groups.

i appreciate if some big youtubers contact me for this.

[Lord of Pirates]

Hello

video is picking up awesome traffic on youtube! however for weird reason no sales this time.

anyway, i wanted to spread the news about this new mod, can you guys tell me how to do it? I only know this forum and facebook groups.

i appreciate if some big youtubers contact me for this.

You could try contacting relevant YT channels about it? If some covered your PSU replacement they might also be interested in this.

[bobrocks95]

Looks nice! I feel like I have a battery replacement that isn't rechargeable since it has a holder- either way I have to set the clock on every startup. Don't like the case trim, wonder if there's a slightly smaller battery option that would avoid it? I think anything you put there would be higher capacity than the original.

[VEGETA]

Looks nice! I feel like I have a battery replacement that isn't rechargeable since it has a holder- either way I have to set the clock on every startup. Don't like the case trim, wonder if there's a slightly smaller battery option that would avoid it? I think anything you put there would be higher capacity than the original.

Hello,

the case trim is internal, won't affect anything at all. literally.

you could for sure get any li-ion 3.7v battery including these small square ones then solder its terminals to battery terminals of the mod board. no worries. example battery: here. this will give you the same result without cutting the internal plastic.

so if you need one it is in stock.

[VEGETA]

Hello

video is picking up awesome traffic on youtube! however for weird reason no sales this time.

anyway, i wanted to spread the news about this new mod, can you guys tell me how to do it? I only know this forum and facebook groups.

i appreciate if some big youtubers contact me for this.

You could try contacting relevant YT channels about it? If some covered your PSU replacement they might also be interested in this.

I once contacted Macho Nacho for the PSU but didn't respond to me.

my PSU replacement was mere 5 units and I didn't announce it. will do shortly i hope.

[NoAffinity]

Ordered a battery mod. I like mods of all kinds, and minor functional improvements, especially ones that resolve an issue requiring regularly re-opening the console, is a-okay in my book. Will report back once I get it and install it.

I already own some rechargeable batteries. Dont use them often, have to dig them up, but are they likely to be the right type?

[VEGETA]

Ordered a battery mod. I like mods of all kinds, and minor functional improvements, especially ones that resolve an issue requiring regularly re-opening the console, is a-okay in my book. Will report back once I get it and install it.

I already own some rechargeable batteries. Dont use them often, have to dig them up, but are they likely to be the right type?

I fulfilled the order today, shipping company started it.

the batteries must be working, that is all. li-ion 3.7 batteries are supported, 18650 size or the smaller square shape ones. make sure the battery is not faulty, that is all. if it got its charge depleted then it would require long time to charge into a suitable voltage since the charging circuit was designed to be very little current so that it does not tax the power supply. therefore, measure battery voltage before you put it... if it is about 3.7 (maybe up to 3.4) then no problem... anything less it will require more time (provided it is not faulty).

[NoAffinity]

Ordered a battery mod. I like mods of all kinds, and minor functional improvements, especially ones that resolve an issue requiring regularly re-opening the console, is a-okay in my book. Will report back once I get it and install it.

I already own some rechargeable batteries. Dont use them often, have to dig them up, but are they likely to be the right type?

I fulfilled the order today, shipping company started it.

the batteries must be working, that is all. li-ion 3.7 batteries are supported, 18650 size or the smaller square shape ones. make sure the battery is not faulty, that is all. if it got its charge depleted then it would require long time to charge into a suitable voltage since the charging circuit was designed to be very little current so that it does not tax the power supply. therefore, measure battery voltage before you put it... if it is about 3.7 (maybe up to 3.4) then no problem... anything less it will require more time (provided it is not faulty).

Ah, I see 18650 are larger than AA. My largest rechargeable are AA,so looks like I'll need to order one. Although, looks like they are all sold in pairs on amazon. You should offer the single battery too.

Thanks for shipping quickly!

[VEGETA]

Ordered a battery mod. I like mods of all kinds, and minor functional improvements, especially ones that resolve an issue requiring regularly re-opening the console, is a-okay in my book. Will report back once I get it and install it.

I already own some rechargeable batteries. Dont use them often, have to dig them up, but are they likely to be the right type?

I fulfilled the order today, shipping company started it.

the batteries must be working, that is all. li-ion 3.7 batteries are supported, 18650 size or the smaller square shape ones. make sure the battery is not faulty, that is all. if it got its charge depleted then it would require long time to charge into a suitable voltage since the charging circuit was designed to be very little current so that it does not tax the power supply. therefore, measure battery voltage before you put it... if it is about 3.7 (maybe up to 3.4) then no problem... anything less it will require more time (provided it is not faulty).

Ah, I see 18650 are larger than AA. My largest rechargeable are AA,so looks like I'll need to order one. Although, looks like they are all sold in pairs on amazon. You should offer the single battery too.

Thanks for shipping quickly!

hello,

your rechargeable AA are of different chemistry and should not be used with this board. they are NiMH, this board requires Li-ion 3.7v so you can get these from anywhere.

in my video i showed that even the best battery of Panasonic brand has a price of 4$ which is insane how cheap these stuff got!

if you are in US then you could use: https://www.18650batterystore.com/colle ... -batteries

[ldeveraux]

Ordered a battery mod. I like mods of all kinds, and minor functional improvements, especially ones that resolve an issue requiring regularly re-opening the console, is a-okay in my book. Will report back once I get it and install it.

I already own some rechargeable batteries. Dont use them often, have to dig them up, but are they likely to be the right type?

I fulfilled the order today, shipping company started it.

the batteries must be working, that is all. li-ion 3.7 batteries are supported, 18650 size or the smaller square shape ones. make sure the battery is not faulty, that is all. if it got its charge depleted then it would require long time to charge into a suitable voltage since the charging circuit was designed to be very little current so that it does not tax the power supply. therefore, measure battery voltage before you put it... if it is about 3.7 (maybe up to 3.4) then no problem... anything less it will require more time (provided it is not faulty).

Why in the world would you make this mod accept only non standard batteries, then not even include the battery with the product?

[BuckoA51]

Supplying and shipping batteries is difficult, especially for smaller sellers, due to courier restrictions and electronics recycling laws in many countries. Better to just buy the battery you need from a specialist supplier.

[ldeveraux]

Supplying and shipping batteries is difficult, especially for smaller sellers, due to courier restrictions and electronics recycling laws in many countries. Better to just buy the battery you need from a specialist supplier.

So not only does it use some nonstandard battery I've never heard of, I'd have to buy it myself. Where would I find a single battery? Amazon sells them in packs...

The point is moot, I don't need this. I just question the 'whys'...

[BuckoA51]

I thought I just explained why

You didn't say where you were, a quick Google search turned up at least two stores stocking them in Ireland, which isn't the biggest country, so I'm sure you could find them fairly easily.

[VEGETA]

Supplying and shipping batteries is difficult, especially for smaller sellers, due to courier restrictions and electronics recycling laws in many countries. Better to just buy the battery you need from a specialist supplier.

So not only does it use some nonstandard battery I've never heard of, I'd have to buy it myself. Where would I find a single battery? Amazon sells them in packs...

The point is moot, I don't need this. I just question the 'whys'...

well, 18650 battery is literally the most famous lithium battery ever. and i am very sure you can get it in any place. kindly tell me where are you living so i can help, usually batteries are not sold well in places like amazon... just go to any hardware or electronics local store and you will find them there.

Why in the world would you make this mod accept only non standard batteries, then not even include the battery with the product?

18650 is a standard battery, i think you misunderstood something. please refer back to either the video or explanation.

Supplying and shipping batteries is difficult, especially for smaller sellers, due to courier restrictions and electronics recycling laws in many countries. Better to just buy the battery you need from a specialist supplier.

supplying batteries in products is mostly forbidden, and really pointless as one can just get it from any local store.

[ldeveraux]

Supplying and shipping batteries is difficult, especially for smaller sellers, due to courier restrictions and electronics recycling laws in many countries. Better to just buy the battery you need from a specialist supplier.

So not only does it use some nonstandard battery I've never heard of, I'd have to buy it myself. Where would I find a single battery? Amazon sells them in packs...

The point is moot, I don't need this. I just question the 'whys'...

well, 18650 battery is literally the most famous lithium battery ever. and i am very sure you can get it in any place. kindly tell me where are you living so i can help, usually batteries are not sold well in places like amazon... just go to any hardware or electronics local store and you will find them there.

Why in the world would you make this mod accept only non standard batteries, then not even include the battery with the product?

18650 is a standard battery, i think you misunderstood something. please refer back to either the video or explanation.

Supplying and shipping batteries is difficult, especially for smaller sellers, due to courier restrictions and electronics recycling laws in many countries. Better to just buy the battery you need from a specialist supplier.

supplying batteries in products is mostly forbidden, and really pointless as one can just get it from any local store.

I guess I read into it the wrong way. I was thinking regular rechargeable batteries for controllers, remotes, etc. I kinda bypassed the use case for this, that's my bad!

[VEGETA]

So not only does it use some nonstandard battery I've never heard of, I'd have to buy it myself. Where would I find a single battery? Amazon sells them in packs...

The point is moot, I don't need this. I just question the 'whys'...

well, 18650 battery is literally the most famous lithium battery ever. and i am very sure you can get it in any place. kindly tell me where are you living so i can help, usually batteries are not sold well in places like amazon... just go to any hardware or electronics local store and you will find them there.

Why in the world would you make this mod accept only non standard batteries, then not even include the battery with the product?

18650 is a standard battery, i think you misunderstood something. please refer back to either the video or explanation.

Supplying and shipping batteries is difficult, especially for smaller sellers, due to courier restrictions and electronics recycling laws in many countries. Better to just buy the battery you need from a specialist supplier.

supplying batteries in products is mostly forbidden, and really pointless as one can just get it from any local store.

I guess I read into it the wrong way. I was thinking regular rechargeable batteries for controllers, remotes, etc. I kinda bypassed the use case for this, that's my bad!

aha no problem man, i hope that you now get the purpose and use of this mod board.

if there is any question please state so.

[VEGETA]

I still have around 15 in stock now.

Plus I want those who bought it to report back to me when they are done... just so I know, nothing special.

if anyone knows how can i promote it more, please tell me. anyone has a shop or store to sell stuff please contact me.

regards

[NoAffinity]

Have you gotten a mention on Retro RGB? That's one of the best places to gain awareness. I don't know how Bob handles requests or decides what tech to highlight on his weekly show, but it might be worth messaging him.

I will of course report back once I get mine and get it installed.

[VEGETA]

Have you gotten a mention on Retro RGB? That's one of the best places to gain awareness. I don't know how Bob handles requests or decides what tech to highlight on his weekly show, but it might be worth messaging him.

I will of course report back once I get mine and get it installed.

I hope he notices this post since he visits this site as I expect.

[ldeveraux]

aha no problem man, i hope that you now get the purpose and use of this mod board.

if there is any question please state so.

So I'm on the fence here because I bought another solution years ago and the battery is still dead on every boot. How long will the battery hold charge? How often do you need to power on the DC and for how long do you need to leave the DC on until the battery is charged?

[NoAffinity]

aha no problem man, i hope that you now get the purpose and use of this mod board.

if there is any question please state so.

So I'm on the fence here because I bought another solution years ago and the battery is still dead on every boot. How long will the battery hold charge? How often do you need to power on the DC and for how long do you need to leave the DC on until the battery is charged?

Haha, yeah I just replaced my dc battery a couple months ago based on another thread on here about the LIR batteries regularly recommended being unsuitable for the charging circuit. Replaced it with the "better" recommendation. Let it run for hours to make sure the battery was good and charged. Turned it on temporarily once a week for the following weeks, and it was good every time. It's been a couple months now, and I turned it on this weekend, and greeted with the clock set screen.

I believe Vegeta provided good explanation that this solutions battery should last for years, but I would like to see the full answers to your questions.

[bobrocks95]

aha no problem man, i hope that you now get the purpose and use of this mod board.

if there is any question please state so.

So I'm on the fence here because I bought another solution years ago and the battery is still dead on every boot. How long will the battery hold charge? How often do you need to power on the DC and for how long do you need to leave the DC on until the battery is charged?

Haha, yeah I just replaced my dc battery a couple months ago based on another thread on here about the LIR batteries regularly recommended being unsuitable for the charging circuit. Replaced it with the "better" recommendation. Let it run for hours to make sure the battery was good and charged. Turned it on temporarily once a week for the following weeks, and it was good every time. It's been a couple months now, and I turned it on this weekend, and greeted with the clock set screen.

I believe Vegeta provided good explanation that this solutions battery should last for years, but I would like to see the full answers to your questions.

Not to hijack, but just curious, have you tried the non-rechargeable battery replacements as well, or have any idea how long they last by any chance?

[VEGETA]

aha no problem man, i hope that you now get the purpose and use of this mod board.

if there is any question please state so.

So I'm on the fence here because I bought another solution years ago and the battery is still dead on every boot. How long will the battery hold charge? How often do you need to power on the DC and for how long do you need to leave the DC on until the battery is charged?

The battery will hold the charge for a very long time, it is hard to estimate it due to the huge size of the battery and the very tiny amount of current draw.

However, my test showed that if I put the battery and run the DC for about an hour, it will give it around 70-100mv of charge... and by recording the discharge of the mod while installed it showed that after almost 300 days battery voltage dropped from 4.18v to about 4v.

this drop is actually due to the battery's own chemistry and nature since once it is fully charged (4.2v ~4.18v) it will lose this kind of voltage in a very short time, after that it rests on a certain voltage. At this stage it is about current draw from the application and battery's internal self discharge.

it loses about 1mv each 7-10 days of idling, so assume one hour gaming is 100mV, then it will be enough for 100 weeks = 1.9 years. >> don't take this as a fact but rather estimation based on actual real life measurement.

so basically, set it up and forget it.

^
all above requires a healthy battery, not necessary a good one since I did all that with a very crappy +5 years old Chinese no-name brand battery. Some batteries are faulty, meaning they don't hold charge at all, no device can accept these. but if you get your battery new and verifies (like it should) then just set it and forget it.

typical battery voltage is 3.7v which is the one you will be getting, but if it is under that then it needs more time to charge... that is all.

[ldeveraux]

The battery will hold the charge for a very long time, it is hard to estimate it due to the huge size of the battery and the very tiny amount of current draw.

However, my test showed that if I put the battery and run the DC for about an hour, it will give it around 70-100mv of charge... and by recording the discharge of the mod while installed it showed that after almost 300 days battery voltage dropped from 4.18v to about 4v.

this drop is actually due to the battery's own chemistry and nature since once it is fully charged (4.2v ~4.18v) it will lose this kind of voltage in a very short time, after that it rests on a certain voltage. At this stage it is about current draw from the application and battery's internal self discharge.

it loses about 1mv each 7-10 days of idling, so assume one hour gaming is 100mV, then it will be enough for 100 weeks = 1.9 years. >> don't take this as a fact but rather estimation based on actual real life measurement.

so basically, set it up and forget it.

^
all above requires a healthy battery, not necessary a good one since I did all that with a very crappy +5 years old Chinese no-name brand battery. Some batteries are faulty, meaning they don't hold charge at all, no device can accept these. but if you get your battery new and verifies (like it should) then just set it and forget it.

typical battery voltage is 3.7v which is the one you will be getting, but if it is under that then it needs more time to charge... that is all.

OK you convinced me to purchase one. As for the battery, should I get 3.7V or 4.2V? I don't see an 18650 that claims 4.2V

[VEGETA]

The battery will hold the charge for a very long time, it is hard to estimate it due to the huge size of the battery and the very tiny amount of current draw.

However, my test showed that if I put the battery and run the DC for about an hour, it will give it around 70-100mv of charge... and by recording the discharge of the mod while installed it showed that after almost 300 days battery voltage dropped from 4.18v to about 4v.

this drop is actually due to the battery's own chemistry and nature since once it is fully charged (4.2v ~4.18v) it will lose this kind of voltage in a very short time, after that it rests on a certain voltage. At this stage it is about current draw from the application and battery's internal self discharge.

it loses about 1mv each 7-10 days of idling, so assume one hour gaming is 100mV, then it will be enough for 100 weeks = 1.9 years. >> don't take this as a fact but rather estimation based on actual real life measurement.

so basically, set it up and forget it.

^
all above requires a healthy battery, not necessary a good one since I did all that with a very crappy +5 years old Chinese no-name brand battery. Some batteries are faulty, meaning they don't hold charge at all, no device can accept these. but if you get your battery new and verifies (like it should) then just set it and forget it.

typical battery voltage is 3.7v which is the one you will be getting, but if it is under that then it needs more time to charge... that is all.

OK you convinced me to purchase one. As for the battery, should I get 3.7V or 4.2V? I don't see an 18650 that claims 4.2V

all 18650 batteries have nominal voltage of 3.7v and max voltage of 4.2v. so get any good one you see.

also it can work with any 3.7v li-ion battery including those small square and rectangular shaped ones.

[NoAffinity]

Got my rechargeable mod board in, and got it installed. Don't know if it's working well yet or not, because my battery showed up with 3.5V charge, and I didn't buy a charger with it. The charger has now been ordered, and should be here tonight. I'm assuming the lower-than-3.7v charge is the reason settings aren't being retained (to confirm - they are not being retained currently with the mod in place an Li-Ion batter installed).

As to the install, I'd say it's a medium level soldering job. The pins are not exactly easy to solder to the original controller board. Even using helping hands, it was a bit awkward holding the pin in place with tweezers or other tool, and getting them to sit flat and perpendicular while not applying heat for too long (cuz the plastic on the pin will heat up and the pin will start sliding through it). And of course you can't just hold the pins with your bare hands because they do get very hot. Despite my best efforts, I ended up with 3 lifted pads on my original controller board. Not ideal, given that the connections also create the structural integrity supporting the mod board. But, the 3 non-lifted pads seem to be holding everything together fine.

Soldering the mod board to the pins isn't too bad, but because of the oversized holes, it takes a lot of solder, which then requires heat to be applied for longer. I couldn't see the plastic on the pin at this point because it's sandwiched between the original controller board and mod board, but I guess out of sight, out of mind.

The routing of the ribbon cable that connects controller board to motherboard, through the mod board, is a bit awkward too. Had to use some small hobby pliers to apply enough force to get it reseated in the controller board connector. The ribbon cable is now creased...but seems to still work fine.

I did run it for a couple hours after initial install, hoping it would charge the battery to an acceptable level, but it's now only measuring at 3.51V. At that rate, it would take a couple days to get up to the 3.7V range, so as mentioned, I just went ahead and bought a $6 charger off amazon. I'll report back once the batter is charged and the mod is working as intended.

[VEGETA]

Got my rechargeable mod board in, and got it installed. Don't know if it's working well yet or not, because my battery showed up with 3.5V charge, and I didn't buy a charger with it. The charger has now been ordered, and should be here tonight. I'm assuming the lower-than-3.7v charge is the reason settings aren't being retained (to confirm - they are not being retained currently with the mod in place an Li-Ion batter installed).

As to the install, I'd say it's a medium level soldering job. The pins are not exactly easy to solder to the original controller board. Even using helping hands, it was a bit awkward holding the pin in place with tweezers or other tool, and getting them to sit flat and perpendicular while not applying heat for too long (cuz the plastic on the pin will heat up and the pin will start sliding through it). And of course you can't just hold the pins with your bare hands because they do get very hot. Despite my best efforts, I ended up with 3 lifted pads on my original controller board. Not ideal, given that the connections also create the structural integrity supporting the mod board. But, the 3 non-lifted pads seem to be holding everything together fine.

Soldering the mod board to the pins isn't too bad, but because of the oversized holes, it takes a lot of solder, which then requires heat to be applied for longer. I couldn't see the plastic on the pin at this point because it's sandwiched between the original controller board and mod board, but I guess out of sight, out of mind.

The routing of the ribbon cable that connects controller board to motherboard, through the mod board, is a bit awkward too. Had to use some small hobby pliers to apply enough force to get it reseated in the controller board connector. The ribbon cable is now creased...but seems to still work fine.

I did run it for a couple hours after initial install, hoping it would charge the battery to an acceptable level, but it's now only measuring at 3.51V. At that rate, it would take a couple days to get up to the 3.7V range, so as mentioned, I just went ahead and bought a $6 charger off amazon. I'll report back once the batter is charged and the mod is working as intended.

you could do some easy tests to verify if your install worked fine, despite it being charged a bit a clear indication that it did.

see the 2 points near the middle of the battery? those are before and after 13 ohms charging resistor... measure voltage at any of them (with reference to ground) after you turn on then off the console. it should give about 3.0 to say 3.1v, if it did then it works as intended and it will retain the charge.

i would check the soldering points + the ribbon connection to make sure all fits perfectly fine and connects well.

but before all that please lets see images of your install + battery to check. i hoped it could be a bit easier than you said... i mean the pads which got bad, this should not happen and didn't happen with me and one customer. still no problem since it works.

charging current is mere 200mA or less, so do not expect fast charge by any means. my current battery at 3.7v and retains well... still think 3.5 is enough but for sure 3.7v is optimal.


you may leave it charging and continue to monitor it, but if you do the voltage measurement i told you above it would be clear what is the situation.

[NoAffinity]

Spoiler

Got my rechargeable mod board in, and got it installed. Don't know if it's working well yet or not, because my battery showed up with 3.5V charge, and I didn't buy a charger with it. The charger has now been ordered, and should be here tonight. I'm assuming the lower-than-3.7v charge is the reason settings aren't being retained (to confirm - they are not being retained currently with the mod in place an Li-Ion batter installed).

As to the install, I'd say it's a medium level soldering job. The pins are not exactly easy to solder to the original controller board. Even using helping hands, it was a bit awkward holding the pin in place with tweezers or other tool, and getting them to sit flat and perpendicular while not applying heat for too long (cuz the plastic on the pin will heat up and the pin will start sliding through it). And of course you can't just hold the pins with your bare hands because they do get very hot. Despite my best efforts, I ended up with 3 lifted pads on my original controller board. Not ideal, given that the connections also create the structural integrity supporting the mod board. But, the 3 non-lifted pads seem to be holding everything together fine.

Soldering the mod board to the pins isn't too bad, but because of the oversized holes, it takes a lot of solder, which then requires heat to be applied for longer. I couldn't see the plastic on the pin at this point because it's sandwiched between the original controller board and mod board, but I guess out of sight, out of mind.

The routing of the ribbon cable that connects controller board to motherboard, through the mod board, is a bit awkward too. Had to use some small hobby pliers to apply enough force to get it reseated in the controller board connector. The ribbon cable is now creased...but seems to still work fine.

I did run it for a couple hours after initial install, hoping it would charge the battery to an acceptable level, but it's now only measuring at 3.51V. At that rate, it would take a couple days to get up to the 3.7V range, so as mentioned, I just went ahead and bought a $6 charger off amazon. I'll report back once the batter is charged and the mod is working as intended.

you could do some easy tests to verify if your install worked fine, despite it being charged a bit a clear indication that it did.

see the 2 points near the middle of the battery? those are before and after 13 ohms charging resistor... measure voltage at any of them (with reference to ground) after you turn on then off the console. it should give about 3.0 to say 3.1v, if it did then it works as intended and it will retain the charge.

i would check the soldering points + the ribbon connection to make sure all fits perfectly fine and connects well.

but before all that please lets see images of your install + battery to check. i hoped it could be a bit easier than you said... i mean the pads which got bad, this should not happen and didn't happen with me and one customer. still no problem since it works.

charging current is mere 200mA or less, so do not expect fast charge by any means. my current battery at 3.7v and retains well... still think 3.5 is enough but for sure 3.7v is optimal.


you may leave it charging and continue to monitor it, but if you do the voltage measurement i told you above it would be clear what is the situation.

I found one of the lifted traces actually not making good connection. I corrected that, and all seems to be working as expected now! I had charged the battery to just above 3.7V, but putting it back in the charger now to take it to max before installing for good and buttoning things up. Good product Vegeta. Maybe a note included in the package with where the tutorial video can be found and/or some step-by-step instructions would be helpful. But all around, I'm excited to never have to deal with the stupid coin battery and losing settings ever again.

[VEGETA]

Spoiler

Got my rechargeable mod board in, and got it installed. Don't know if it's working well yet or not, because my battery showed up with 3.5V charge, and I didn't buy a charger with it. The charger has now been ordered, and should be here tonight. I'm assuming the lower-than-3.7v charge is the reason settings aren't being retained (to confirm - they are not being retained currently with the mod in place an Li-Ion batter installed).

As to the install, I'd say it's a medium level soldering job. The pins are not exactly easy to solder to the original controller board. Even using helping hands, it was a bit awkward holding the pin in place with tweezers or other tool, and getting them to sit flat and perpendicular while not applying heat for too long (cuz the plastic on the pin will heat up and the pin will start sliding through it). And of course you can't just hold the pins with your bare hands because they do get very hot. Despite my best efforts, I ended up with 3 lifted pads on my original controller board. Not ideal, given that the connections also create the structural integrity supporting the mod board. But, the 3 non-lifted pads seem to be holding everything together fine.

Soldering the mod board to the pins isn't too bad, but because of the oversized holes, it takes a lot of solder, which then requires heat to be applied for longer. I couldn't see the plastic on the pin at this point because it's sandwiched between the original controller board and mod board, but I guess out of sight, out of mind.

The routing of the ribbon cable that connects controller board to motherboard, through the mod board, is a bit awkward too. Had to use some small hobby pliers to apply enough force to get it reseated in the controller board connector. The ribbon cable is now creased...but seems to still work fine.

I did run it for a couple hours after initial install, hoping it would charge the battery to an acceptable level, but it's now only measuring at 3.51V. At that rate, it would take a couple days to get up to the 3.7V range, so as mentioned, I just went ahead and bought a $6 charger off amazon. I'll report back once the batter is charged and the mod is working as intended.

you could do some easy tests to verify if your install worked fine, despite it being charged a bit a clear indication that it did.

see the 2 points near the middle of the battery? those are before and after 13 ohms charging resistor... measure voltage at any of them (with reference to ground) after you turn on then off the console. it should give about 3.0 to say 3.1v, if it did then it works as intended and it will retain the charge.

i would check the soldering points + the ribbon connection to make sure all fits perfectly fine and connects well.

but before all that please lets see images of your install + battery to check. i hoped it could be a bit easier than you said... i mean the pads which got bad, this should not happen and didn't happen with me and one customer. still no problem since it works.

charging current is mere 200mA or less, so do not expect fast charge by any means. my current battery at 3.7v and retains well... still think 3.5 is enough but for sure 3.7v is optimal.


you may leave it charging and continue to monitor it, but if you do the voltage measurement i told you above it would be clear what is the situation.

I found one of the lifted traces actually not making good connection. I corrected that, and all seems to be working as expected now! I had charged the battery to just above 3.7V, but putting it back in the charger now to take it to max before installing for good and buttoning things up. Good product Vegeta. Maybe a note included in the package with where the tutorial video can be found and/or some step-by-step instructions would be helpful. But all around, I'm excited to never have to deal with the stupid coin battery and losing settings ever again.

I am happy to read this. i suspected that something was not connected properly.

i know the mod is kinda hard to do, and what i am gonna do about it is to make v2 of it.. v2 will be a complete board replacement which you will only be required to desolder the controller connector and solder it. will take some time.
it will add rgb led + ability to use all types of available batteries like cr2032, ml2032, 18650, lir2032, and other li ion 3.7v batteries.