Repair & Schematics
Sega Saturn

FRAM Upgrade (Sega Saturn)

1min

If you want to swap out your SRAM and coin cell battery that holds game saves for a permanent FRAM solution requiring no battery and never losing saves, you can purchase our FRAM chip.

Use an FM18W08 FRAM chip.

The FRAM chip requires two basic changes:

  • Lift VCC (pin 28) and connect it to the system 5V rail, instead of the coin cell battery rail.
  • Lift !OE (pin 22) and ground it. This is because the SRAM is active high, and FRAM is active low.

So, in order to install the FRAM do the following:

  • Remove the old battery, and SRAM chip marked either UPD43257B, UM62257AM , UM62257M or SRM20257LL10.
  • Solder in the new FRAM chip
  • Lift pin 22 (!OE) and solder the leg of the IC to ground.
  • Lift pin 28 (VCC) and solder the leg of the IC to 5V.

ocate the SRAM chip. It should be marked with one of the following markings. Depending on the motherboard revision, the chip may be on the top or bottom of the motherboard. See Figure A1 for an example of what this looks like.