What a pain in the ass it will be one day when you turn your machine on and see the battery has died. There is a lot more hassle getting it up and running compared to how super simple it is to just change the batteries early. I just changed all mine, and even on the old ones (woz and hobbit), getting to the batteries was surprisingly simple and took little to no time to change.

I debated on changing mine for months. My Woz had the original in it, for crying out loud.

For those wondering, all you must do is press down on the tab on the side of the battery with a little screw driver, and just pull it out with your fingers. What I did is press down on one side of the battery and lift up on the other. Came right out.

So don't be scared, gentlemen. Do it and they should last many years to come!

#2 3 years ago

Chopper36

Pinside+ Frequent

Lewes, DE

3y 50,800 196 9 10

OP
Quoted from Doctor6:
What a pain in the ass it will be one day when you turn your machine on and see the battery has died. There is a lot more hassle getting it up and running compared to how super simple it is to just change the batteries early. I just changed all mine, and even on the old ones (woz and hobbit), getting to the batteries was surprisingly simple and took little to no time to change.
I debated on changing mine for months. My Woz had the original in it, for crying out loud.
For those wondering, all you must do is press down on the tab on the side of the battery with a little screw driver, and just pull it out with your fingers. What I did is press down on one side of the battery and lift up on the other. Came right out.
So don't be scared, gentlemen. Do it and they should last many years to come!

Great advice, where are they located and do you know the battery type?

#3 3 years ago

TRO

Antron77

Pinside member

Land O Lakes, FL

4y 52,800 154 6

Quoted from Chopper36:
Great advice, where are they located and do you know the battery type?

They are located on the motherboard and is a CR2032 battery.

#4 3 years ago

BGW

bgwilly31

Pinside member

Cincinnati, OH

7y 49,300 432 12 11

why is it harder once they do go out?

#5 3 years ago

MAT

branlon8

Pinside member

Köln

9y 54,800 954 15

Quoted from bgwilly31:
why is it harder once they do go out?

I think it’s because you have to change settings in the bios if the battery dies.

#6 3 years ago

Chopper36

Pinside+ Frequent

Lewes, DE

3y 50,800 196 9 10

Quoted from Antron77:
They are located on the motherboard and is a CR2032 battery.

Thanks I will get one for my WOZ, power is off for this I am assuming?

#7 3 years ago

ZZZ

Wickerman2

Pinside member

9y 105K 6,825

Quoted from Chopper36:
off

On I think right? Battery saves bios settings when game is off correct?

#8 3 years ago

Shredso

Pinside+ Frequent

12y 88,800 3,035 7

I think this is documented somewhere in the Dialed In thread. Power on, a couple people mentioned getting bit by a fan that is close by.

#9 3 years ago

TRO

Antron77

Pinside member

Land O Lakes, FL

4y 52,800 154 6

Quoted from Wickerman2:
On I think right? Battery saves bios settings when game is off correct?

Correct power needs to be on. Battery does save BIOS settings when game is off.

#10 3 years ago

LTG

Pinside member

Hopkins, MN

12y 191K 56,966 24 7

Instructions are in the "E" section of Dialed In, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Willy Wonka manuals.

You can download them from the website. jerseyjackpinball.com - under Support - under Downloads.

LTG : )

#11 3 years ago

boustrophedonic

Pinside+ Frequent

Grafton, WI

10y 85,800 601

I don't think lithium cell batteries have been used to store BIOS settings on PC motherboards for quite a number of years. My guess is that it only runs the RTC when power is off. Maybe LTG can chime in?

#12 3 years ago

LTG

Pinside member

Hopkins, MN

12y 191K 56,966 24 7

Quoted from boustrophedonic:
My guess is that it only runs the RTC when power is off. Maybe LTG can chime in?

That is my understanding.

LTG : )

#13 3 years ago

Chopper36

Pinside+ Frequent

Lewes, DE

3y 50,800 196 9 10

So the CPU is in the backbox of WOZ also?

#14 3 years ago

LTG

Pinside member

Hopkins, MN

12y 191K 56,966 24 7

Quoted from Chopper36:
So the CPU is in the backbox of WOZ also?

If you have a huge metal box on the floor of your game, no. It's in the metal box.

Yellow Brick Road might be in the backbox.

LTG : )

3 months later

#15 3 years ago

???

mtp78

Pinside member

Bucks County, PA

13y 57,550 713 7

So trying to change the batteries on my game , is there a trick to this ?
I cant get the battery loose. Its really tight in that area and your afraid to hit anything. I am trying to change on a DI

#16 3 years ago

???

mtp78

Pinside member

Bucks County, PA

13y 57,550 713 7

Can you use like a small plastic dental pick ?

#17 3 years ago

ROB

Rdoyle1978

Pinside member

7y 117K 18,141 14 6

Quoted from mtp78:
Can you use like a small plastic dental pick ?

There is a small metal arm that holds the battery down. You will need to push it back into the wall of the battery holder, and the battery itself will pop up on one side

#18 3 years ago

BAD

BC_Gambit

PinMod Industries

Unknown

11y 70,550 3,532

Quoted from boustrophedonic:
I don't think lithium cell batteries have been used to store BIOS settings on PC motherboards for quite a number of years. My guess is that it only runs the RTC when power is off. Maybe LTG can chime in?

As far as I am aware, if you take the battery out of a JJP game you lose your BIOS settings. So make of that what you will. I have heard of it happening to people, and it is in the manual.

And it would have made changing my DI battery way easier. With the benefit of hindsight I would have just pulled the graphics card out and done it with the game on, and hoped it reverted once I put the graphics card back. Instead I got a 2-3 hour lesson in how to dig into the BIOS settings, and what priority what graphics output has when the game is in different states of screwed (took me a while to realize the phone screen becomes the default display screen at some point, at least on my game...).

#19 3 years ago

ROB

Rdoyle1978

Pinside member

7y 117K 18,141 14 6

Quoted from BC_Gambit:
As far as I am aware, if you take the battery out of a JJP game you lose your BIOS settings. So make of that what you will. I have heard of it happening to people, and it is in the manual.
And it would have made changing my DI battery way easier. With the benefit of hindsight I would have just pulled the graphics card out and done it with the game on, and hoped it reverted once I put the graphics card back. Instead I got a 2-3 hour lesson in how to dig into the BIOS settings, and what priority what graphics output has when the game is in different states of screwed (took me a while to realize the phone screen becomes the default display screen at some point, at least on my game...).

You have to do it with the game on; same as a computer battery (indeed it IS a computer battery!). If the battery is removed with the game off, there's nothing to keep the BIOS settings saved. If the game is on, it is saved in memory. Then when the new battery is inserted, that memory is retained by way of the battery itself.

7 months later

#20 2 years ago

JPM

addams40

Pinside member

Brooklyn, NY

5y 20,800 49 5 13

How many years before you should change the battery ?

#21 2 years ago

STV

Doctor6

Pinside member

Roscoe, IL

15y 116K 4,418 6 58

Quoted from addams40:
How many years before you should change the battery ?

Why risk it. The answer varies. You could probably get upwards of 20 years, but for five minutes and 2 dollars, don't risk it.

#22 2 years ago

LTG

Pinside member

Hopkins, MN

12y 191K 56,966 24 7

Quoted from addams40:
How many years before you should change the battery ?

Life of a battery on a motherboard is five years. So I'd change it before then.

LTG : )

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