Sonic 3 battery

[Cyantist]

What kind of battery does it use i assume 123a id take it apart but some scum (cough exfriend) has stolen my security screw driver :DOH:

[Segafreak_NL]

Didn't most of the battery-backup games have a single CR2032?

[Cyantist]

thanks. ill get onto ordering one and a security screwdriver. is it just any CR2032 or do i have to get a special kind?

[Segafreak_NL]

CR2032 is just a single type. Think the Saturn/DC vmu battery.

[Calpis]

It uses FRAM, no battery.

[Segafreak_NL]

There's definitely battery backed Megadrive games, but I think you're saying Sonic 3 uses FRAM?

[Tongara]

It uses FRAM, no battery.

You mean SRAM, right?

[Calpis]

There's definitely battery backed Megadrive games, but I think you're saying Sonic 3 uses FRAM?

Yes, that's what I said. So does S&K, Knuckles Chaotix and probably a few others.

You mean SRAM, right?

No, I mean FRAM. FRAM is functionally similar to SRAM but has finite access cycles.

[Tongara]

Yes, that's what I said. So does S&K, Knuckles Chaotix and probably a few others.


No, I mean FRAM. FRAM is functionally similar to SRAM but has finite access cycles.

No, sorry. Sonic 3 and Sonic And Knuckles use SRAM.
http://info.sonicretro.org/SRAM
http://www.emulationzone.org/projects/s&k/thesis.htm

[Calpis]

*sigh* Please don't argue if you don't know what you're talking about.
http://www.randomsonicnet.org/worksh...insidepins.jpg
http://www.datasheetarchive.com/pdf-.../DSAP00159.pdf

FRAM works like non-volatile SRAM, but the memory is nothing like the 6T SRAM cell. On the MD/GEN it's bankswitched and decoded exactly the same as SRAM (apart from mirroring from partial decoding) so it's easy for people to assume, but its physical implementation is FRAM. You can't even buy 512 x 8 SRAM.

[Barc0de]

don't fuck with Calpis, he's got a black belt in electronics.

[Tongara]

*sigh* Please don't argue if you don't know what you're talking about.
http://www.randomsonicnet.org/worksh...insidepins.jpg
http://www.datasheetarchive.com/pdf-.../DSAP00159.pdf

FRAM works like non-volatile SRAM, but the memory is nothing like the 6T SRAM cell. On the MD/GEN it's bankswitched and decoded exactly the same as SRAM (apart from mirroring from partial decoding) so it's easy for people to assume, but its physical implementation is FRAM. You can't even buy 512 x 8 SRAM.

So I've been lead down the wrong path by the community who hack these games for a living for years. Thank you for clearing that up!

[Cyantist]

Ok... is there any way i can make it or S+K able to save games again

[Calpis]

Yeah, you could either buy another FRAM or build a NVSRAM circuit.

[Yakumo]

So I've been lead down the wrong path by the community who hack these games for a living for years. Thank you for clearing that up!

Ｉｔ’ｓ　ｐｏｓｓｉｂｌｅ．　　Ｋｎｏｗｉｎｇ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｈａｃｋ　ａ　ｇａｍｅ　ｄｏｅｓｎ’ｔ 　ｍｅａｎ　ｙｏｕ　ｋｎｏｗ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｎｉｃｓ. Calpis does know his stuff. He's the God of this forum when it comes to electronics :nod: He knows shit that we couldn't even make up in our heads.

Yakumo

[link83]

Sorry to slightly bump this thread, but is there any way to erase FRAM?

I only ask as my Sonic 3 cart was bought second hand and on the time trials mode someone has somehow managed to get a time of 0:00 seconds. Obviously they cheated somehow, but the problem is there does not appear to be a way to erase the time trials results :shrug:

[randyrandall]

Sorry to slightly bump this thread, but is there any way to erase FRAM?

I only ask as my Sonic 3 cart was bought second hand and on the time trials mode someone has somehow managed to get a time of 0:00 seconds. Obviously they cheated somehow, but the problem is there does not appear to be a way to erase the time trials results :shrug:

A time of 0.00 sounds like a challenge to me

[Kushami]

I just wanted to say that recently I found my copy of Sonic 3 & Knuckles and that when I dropped it into my Mega Drive the other day, I was amazed to find that the savegames I had from when the games first came out are still there on the carts.

Apparently when I was a teenager I had so much time that I cleared both games across the board with all the emeralds and racking up 99 continues on some of them.

I'm actually curious though; What is the stability/life of FRAM? How easy is it for it die/erase, etc.? I've been wondering why this has lasted so long.

[raylyd]

it has a ram chip as battery if it goes you can replace it but costs more than the game

[TmEE]

Sonic3 uses a FeRAM chip... if your cart does not save and cleaning the contacts does not help, you got to replace the chip. Knuckles Chaotix uses a FeRAM chip also, and Japanese Virtua Racing too.

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10037