The Basic Essentials of Soldering when it Comes to Gaming Systems and Video Game Save batteries.

Soldering can be scary for a lot of people at first. My first SNES save battery took me at least 50 minutes! Vegas Stakes! Now, it usually takes me 5 minutes. I wasn’t using the right equipment and obviously people tend to get better with practice. These are some easy and simple suggestions for setting yourself up to solder as a beginner! So, we are not going to discuss micro-soldering or the reflow process repairing an Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death.

My main recommendation when learning a new skillset of any kind. Don't only reference one article, one blog, etc. We have our way and we try new products still of course, but there are some people who may recommend a different solder station or technique. So go browse the beautiful World Wide Web and learn different styles.

"The day you know everything is the day you know nothing at all" ~ Lauren Abosamra. (I think I'm a Philosopher sometimes because I Aced that course in college like a boss!!)

Buy a nice solder station. (Usually, will come with a roll of solder roll).
Here is a link for an X-Tronic under $70 on Amazon - X-Tronic 3020 Soldering Station
Use the appropriate solder. (some elements work better with electronics than others) We recommend a 60 percent amount of tin and 40 percent lead.
Use copper desoldering wick/braid with flux. (We recommend 2.4mm in width) MG Chemicals brand is my preference, but they come in different sizes, so you'll find which ones suit you best for what project you are working on.
Have flux handy! (No-clean flux preferred) I personally prefer MG Chemicals brand for this one too.
Isopropyl alcohol. (preferred percentage minimum of 90%)
Q-tips. Not the Dollar Store ones... you have to go OEM with this one!

Let’s start with something simple:

Power on your soldering station to approximately 600 to 650 Fahrenheit (You can use lower temperatures). Sometimes with a few things, I go a little higher.
Place your no clean flux on the old solder you want to remove.
Cut a piece of copper wick braid to use for desoldering (cut a few, they fill up fast!)
Copper conducts electricity, so be prepared for the braid to become hot. Ouch! You will burn yourself... a little here and there.
Once your soldering iron is at the correct temperature place it over the old solder and hold it into place until you see the old solder slowly slide up the copper braid.
Depending on the amount of solder, you may need to move the copper braid to other locations
Sometimes all the old solder is removed and the fuse/battery/capacitor/etc. will not come off, in this case you may need to reapply a little bit of new solder and desolder it while wiggling your iron over the tabs/etc. to help loosen it up
Clean the area with a Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol to remove excess flux and dirt

Okay! We have desoldered what we need to and now we want to resolder in a new battery or fuse.

Place the new item you are soldering in and get it nice and tight into place (with some small pieces, you may need to use tweezers to hold one side into place when soldering tabs, such as a save battery on a GB cart).
Use a little flux before you place the solder (less is more) and use place the tip of your soldering iron to the tip of the solder wire and apply until the item is soldered nice in place.

Remember it is okay if you fail the first, second, third time! It takes time and a lot of blog posts and videos to find out how to properly solder. We recommend you start small with something such as a save battery for an older retro video game.

Check out our video on YouTube on soldering in a battery for Pokémon Crystal.