I know I’m reviving an old thread here, but FWIW, I just swapped a 2430 battery on X-Men (SAM) with the power off. No loss of data. I did it quickly…maybe 30 seconds max. Not sure if that mattered. This was a game I got recently, so no really high scores yet to worry about. Figured it was a good time to try. The battery (Energizer) was corroded and leaking btw. Maybe original? Idk. My Wonka (JJP) however, has instructions which tell you to swap the battery using a piece of tape with the power on.

Where is (are) the battery(ies) on a stern spike system? I would have thought its obvious and maybe I am blind but I dont see any in the head cabinet. Mandalorian Premium. Thanks

Should be on its side here, I think

IMG_3173 (resized).jpeg

yep i missed it however looking at it straight on i didnt notice it and the manual says little to nothing about it. assuming its still recommended to swap out once a year?

Lithium coin cells should last at least 5 years.

Given all it does is keep time (which you don’t really need) why wouldn’t you swap it when it dies? 5 years? 7 years? Seems like unnecessary work and waste to do otherwise.

I've yet to change any coin battery in my games including my PotC that's from 2006.