Posted on May 24, 2019 by admin

Ash (298)

Total time: 20 minutes

Updated: May 24th, 2019

It’s never too late to replay your favorite Super Nintendo games. But it has been a while since these games were new. You may find your save file isn’t working and new save files aren’t saving on the SNES cartridge. This is likely due to an old battery. Failing batteries won’t necessarily affect the gameplay—but they will affect save data.

In this guide, we’ll go over how to replace old Super Nintendo batteries so you can continue saving your progress into the future.

Removing the existing battery will eliminate all current save data. Proceed with caution.

Which SNES games use a battery?

Not every SNES game uses a battery. The cartridges that have them use the power to store save data and unlockable content. You can find a complete list of SNES games that use a battery on DKoldies.

Here’s everything you’ll need to complete this guide:

Security screwdriver, 3.8mm	×	1
SNES cartridge	×	1
Soldering Iron	×	1
Solder sucker	×	1
CR2032 with pre-soldered tabs	×	1
Solder	×	1
Flux	×	1

Use a 3.8mm SNES security bit screwdriver to remove the screws from the cartridge. The cartridge shell should easily separate. There are two screws used during this step.

There are no tabs holding the board in place, it rests inside the cartridge. Lift the board from the shell.

Flip the board over so the battery is facing down.

Use a soldering iron to heat the old solder that holds the current battery in place. Remove the melted solder with a solder sucker. When enough has been removed, the battery can be wiggled loose.

Fit the new battery inside the SNES battery slot.

You’ll need a this CR2032 battery with pre-soldered tabs for this step. Be sure to line up the positive and negative ends properly. Use the images in this guide for reference.

Things used here

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I’m using a CR2025, which will technically work, except that it has slightly different tabs that will need to be clipped. We had some left over after replacing a Game Boy cartridge battery.

Flip over the board and solder the new battery into place. I always recommend using a bit of flux when soldering.

Using the 3.8mm SNES security bit, screw the cartridge shell back together. There are two screws used during this step.

Who’s up for some NBA Live ’97?

It’s time to test your progress. Load up your SNES game and play enough to warrant a save. Our goal is to create new save data on the cartridge. After you save the game, restart the SNES and see if it loads.

Congratulations! You’ve added a few more years to the life of your SNES game.

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Posted on May 24, 2019 by admin

Build your own Raspberry Pi car computer, or “carputer”, with AutoPi

Bring your car into the future!

by Zach (159)
Time to complete: 1 hour 15 minutes

Have you ever wanted to add an entertainment system to your car, only to find that most units are expensive, come with a lackluster feature set, and feature a terrible interface?

Well, now you can build your own Raspberry Pi-powered car computer with AutoPi! Monitor your car’s vitals, watch movies, play retro games wiith RetroPie, use open source mapping tools, browse Spotify, and more — not while driving, of course.

What is AutoPi?

AutoPi is a complete IoT platform for your car, allowing you to quickly and easily build your own extensible car computer using a Raspberry Pi.

Thanks to a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign, AutoPi allows you to build a Raspberry Pi car computer complete with touchscreen — and add it to any vehicle using an ODB-II port.

Will this work on my car?

Nearly* any vehicle built in 1996 or later uses a standardized ODB-II port to allow communication with the car’s computer. This is the same port used to diagnose issues when your “Check Engine” light turns on. If you look beneath your dash, you’ll see this port!

* A small number of vehicles built in or after 1996, including certain electric vehicles, are exempt from the ODB-II port requirement. Thanks to howchooer sh4un for pointing this out!

Legal note: Be sure to check the laws in your state/country before building your own AutoPi. Some locales forbid “entertainment” systems from being visible to the driver.

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The final setup

Because the AutoPi connects to your car’s ODB-II port, it can monitor your car’s vitals and alert you to issues.

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Assemble the case

Rather than requiring custom hardware or a 3D-printed case, the AutoPi utilizes the SmartPi Touch case. See the following video for detailed instructions on assembling the case:

Install the AutoPi adapter

Fully assembled AutoPi adapter — Photo: MagPi Magazine

The AutoPi adapter is made up of two parts: a board that connects to the Raspberry Pi 3 itself, and a dongle that connects to your car’s ODB-II data port.

Install the AutoPi SD card image

The AutoPi library itself is available as a pre-made SD card image. Use a tool such as Etcher to burn the SD card image directly onto your Pi’s SD card.

Mount the AutoPi

Using GoPro mounts, the AutoPi can mount anywhere. If you want to get fancy, you can integrate it directly into your dashboard. Otherwise, just mount it to your dashboard or windshield.

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Connect the dongle

The ODB-II port where the AutoPi dongle connects — Photo: MagPi Magazine

Connect the AutoPi dongle to your car’s ODB-II port. This port can be found beneath the steering wheel, somewhere on the driver’s side.

There are several versions of the AutoPi dongle available. A few of them come with a Raspberry Pi Zero preinstalled, but there’s also a cheaper version where you “bring your own Pi”. The DIY version should be enough, especially if you want to use the larger, more powerful Raspberry Pi 3.

Create your AutoPi account

Visit AutoPi.io to create your AutoPi account. You’ll need to connect to your Raspberry Pi and run the following command to generate your unique ID:

grains.get id

Install and configure the AutoPi GUI

By default, the AutoPi has no graphical user interface. We’ll need to install one.

Install the interface

The graphical interface is technically a website that needs to run in Chromium’s Kiosk mode. You can learn how to install the interface using this guide.

Configure the interface

Once you’ve installed the interface and logged in, you’ll be able to configure it.

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Further customizations

AutoPi parking sensor — Photo: MagPi Magazine

You can add tons of other customizations to your Raspberry Pi car computer, including:

A dash cam using the official Raspberry Pi camera
Parking sensors
Voice control, similar to building a Raspberry Pi Echo
Auto-lock/unlock functionality
In-car mobile hotspot
And more! See AutoPi.io’s use cases section for more ideas.

Learn more

AutoPi completed and installed on dashboard

For more details on installing, configuring, and using the AutoPi, visit AutoPi.io. Be sure to also check MagPi Magazine’s excellent coverage of the AutoPi!

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