Hardware help with m3 lite

[zerolinks]

Do I changed the battery on my m3 lite perfect. Unfortunately, whenever I start up my gameboy the splash plays but the 'nintendo' logo that should be under it isn't there.
I have a micro sd that is formatted and has games and works with a different m3 lite perfect.

Can anyone help me?

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

Your gonna need to learn to solder.

 

[zerolinks]

I was able to pry away the battery bought the correct replacement battery but the ol tape trick isn't working like the sticky guide shows

 

[zerolinks]

So this is what it looks like,

I'm not entirely sure what the problem is =\

 

[zerolinks]

Anyone know how to fix that problem?
I cleaned the cartridge and it still does the same thing.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

Replace the battery, it is most likely dead by now. Hence the last comment "Your gonna need to learn to solder."

 

[zerolinks]

ive already done that. The contacts are still soldered to the card.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

Did you put the loader back on the cart?

 

[zerolinks]

I tried putting a memory card that is already formatted loaded with the firmware and has games loaded through the m3 loader and I still got that screen as shown in the picture.
I thought I might have put the battery in the wrong way so I flipped it to negative side up and still nothing. Positive side up doesn't work either.

 

[WigWrm]

Regardless of the battery you should still be able to use the card. Sounds like your having a contact problem. You said you've already cleaned the contacts but you might have to place a thin piece of cardboard or thick paper behind the cart pcb in the shell case to ensure a proper connection.

 

[zerolinks]

Yeah I cleaned the contacts the other night.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean by cart pcb. So I dunno where to put the piece of paper

Edit: I went ahead and stuck a folded piece of paper under the pins and it was the same result. This was with both memory cards that I have.

 

[WigWrm]

There is nothing to load on your cart for the m3 to work. The firmware itself is flashed onto a chip on the pcb. You would only need to place the firmware on the sd card if you were trying to update to a newer version.

It is starting to sound like your cart is malfunctioning. If you are not getting past the GBA splash screen then your gba micro isn't reading anything off of the m3 cartridge. This situation is no different than turning your gba on without a game cart.

This behavior suggests contact failure. You would have to dissamble the M3 cart, lift the pcb off the cart, insert a peice of paper/cardboard, reinsert the pcb and put the M3 cart back together. This method pushes the PCB out a little bit so that the contacts are also extruded. This would ensure that the contacts on the cart are making 'contact' with the gba slot reader. It would also help to clean the cart's contacts with isopropyl alcohol using a cotton swab.

If this does not solve anything, trying using various widths of paper placed behind the pcb. It may also be the case as per howdoidothat's instruction that you must solder the battery back onto it's original contacts. Also the extreme unlikelyhood exists that the program memory on the pcb has somehow become corrupted.."would only happen if you used the incorrect fw update for your card".

 

[zerolinks]

I see, I had experimented with the different width of paper as well as cleaned the contacts and it still hasn't read the card. the battery contacts are holding the batter and making contact with it.

Would there be a way to clear the memory so I could update with a proper firmware. I dont think that happend. but then again it's not entirely impossible.


Thanks for your help by the way I appreciate it.

 

[WigWrm]

In all honesty the ability to reflash the firmware goes beyond normal consumer means. We would have to identify the asic or microprocessor and then find a suitable hardware programmer. Typically one would have to have a programmer in conjunction with an external power supply. The pin layout of the ASIC is also needed in order to flash the card properly.

For whatever reason your card is being unresponsive and my only advice left is to try to return for a replacement if it all possible.
Also try the cart out on other gba consoles to determine if the problem is really the card itself.

 

[zerolinks]

ive been trying this on an sp and a micro. both have yeilded the same results.
I figured reflashing would be a bit of a chore, i might just end up getting an ez flash IV from DX. This unit was supposed to be for my little brother.

This is for my working m3 model
How long should an auto back up save stay on the card? i remember having some backup after having the console off for about a day, now they dont last more than an hour

 

[WigWrm]

Well as long as the save is written to your sd card I wouldn't worry about it. However I'm decently sure that means your battery is going low. If your willing to replace the battery be careful. Soldering is the proper way to disconnect/reconnect the battery in the m3. It really is an effortless process compared to tedious electrical taping.

 

[zerolinks]

Lol, yeah. I'm just not sure what type of solder i would need to use. i would imagine it would be something that i would like to be able to remove later in the event of another battery change.

 

[WigWrm]

Well all solder is removable no matter what brand or gauge you get. You apply heat to it and it becomes an instant pool of liquid. You would have to use solder wick or some kind of manual vacuum device to take it off a pin/board.