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5:00 pm
March 13, 2022
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Hello!
So…recently I dug out my SNES that had been resting in my garage for almost 20 years. After some dust cleaning, I powered it on and hold and behold, the thing still works perfectly. However, as expected, my Super Mario World cartridge was not saving data. After some Internet research, I found out how easy it is to replace the battery on the cartridge so that’s what I did. After some soldering and voltimeter measurement, I could verify that the new battery was providing solid 3V. So I played a little and after the first save point I saved the game to slot A. Then I reset the console to check if the game data was there but it wasn’t. Notice that that battery didn’t played any part so far (because I just reset the console, no power off/on). That’s when things start to get interesting. I tried the same process on SLOT B and SLOT C and on those SLOTs game saves perfectly. I can play a little, save on checkpoint, power off console, wait a few days, power back on and the save data on SLOTs B and C are always there. The issue seems to happen only for SLOT A. It never saves data. Does anyone had a similar problem? Any tips on how to fix it?
Thins I have tried so far:
1)Measuring the capacitors and resistors on the cartridge. Everything looks fine.
2) Cleaning the entire cartridge board with isopropilic alchool.
3) Testing other games. I have other games and they save perfectly on every SLOT. Donkey Kong Country is an example (This eliminates any issue with the console I guess).
Any help is apreciated. Thanks!
10:14 pm
Site Contributor
Site Contributor
March 14, 2012
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Super Mario World and many SNES Games have a checksum for each save file. If the checksum fails, that single save file will be erased and replaced with a blank one. This could conceivably happen if the pins were dirty, which could cause the data to be written incorrectly to the save file. Try thoroughly cleaning the pins and then saving.
Exploring the New World on Nintendo Switch. Currently Playing: Zelda BOTW, Octopath Traveler, Sonic Mania, Yoku's Island Express, Mega Man 11. Currently Watching: Marble Hornets, Luther, Black Mirror, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5. Currently Reading: Influence by Robert Cialdini.
3:53 pm
March 13, 2022
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Hello, Mongunzoo! Thanks for the reply.
I have tried clearing the pins multiple times with isopropilic alchool 100%. My procedure consists in using a Q-tip and brushing the PINs with isopropilic alchool until the Q-tip comes out clean. Is there any specific method you suggest to clean the PINs even further?
I have attached pictures of the cartridge (front and back). The PINs do seem relatively worned out comparing to other games I have. Maybe this cartridge is a lost case (let’s hope it isn’t lol)?
Thanks again in advance.
6:31 pm
Site Contributor
Site Contributor
March 14, 2012
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There’s the issue. Look at how scratched an nicked those contacts are. Metal Polish like Brasso will probably be required. Here’s a great article on the process.
Exploring the New World on Nintendo Switch. Currently Playing: Zelda BOTW, Octopath Traveler, Sonic Mania, Yoku's Island Express, Mega Man 11. Currently Watching: Marble Hornets, Luther, Black Mirror, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5. Currently Reading: Influence by Robert Cialdini.
2:41 pm
March 13, 2022
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Hello, Mongunzoo. Thaks for replying again.
I tried using Brasso to polish the pins but unfortunately that didn’t help 🙁
The contacts indeed became cleaner and shinier, but the issue on saving to SLOT A remained.
So after some investigation, I came to the conclusion that the problem could only be in chip LH5116-10P.
I searched online and was able to get a copy of the chip from China (I live in São Paulo, Brazil, and eletronics like that are extremely hard to get here). They sent me an LH5116-10 (it does not have the P in the end, I don’t know if ot makes any difference or not) from a different manufacturer, Sony. The one originally on the board is from a manufacturer called MOSEL.
After removing the old chip using a solder belt remover, I welded the new chip in place and…success! Game started to save on every SLOT again.
I have attached a picture of the board with the new chip in place, along with a picture of the old defective chip.
I hope it helps people with similar issues.
Thanks again.
2:57 pm
June 12, 2025
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3:03 pm
February 13, 2025
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