How Arcade High Scores Are Saved Without a Battery: Serial EEPROM Explained

By HighScoreSaves Technical Team

Reviewed and updated August 19, 2026

HighScoreSaves arcade upgrade kits can preserve high scores after the cabinet is powered off without relying on a backup battery.

The score data is stored in nonvolatile serial EEPROM memory on the upgrade hardware. Nonvolatile memory retains its stored information when power is removed, allowing supported games to keep high scores and related saved data between power cycles.

This guide explains what serial EEPROM is, how it differs from battery-backed memory and ordinary RAM, how HighScoreSaves kits use it, and why battery-free score storage is useful for preserving original classic arcade hardware.

Serial EEPROM High Score Saving at a Glance

EEPROM is nonvolatile memory, so stored data remains after power is removed.
HighScoreSaves kits use serial EEPROM for battery-free score storage on supported games.
Many HighScoreSaves designs use a 93C46 serial EEPROM.
The original arcade PCB still runs the game; the kit adds the score-saving function.
Stored scores survive normal cabinet power-off and power-on cycles.
No battery is required to maintain the saved data.
Saved-score behavior can vary by game and kit.
Some kits may also store settings or other game-specific information.
The product page and installation guide are the final authority for the exact kit.

Browse This Article

What Is EEPROM? Why Serial EEPROM? RAM vs. EEPROM Battery-Backed Memory How Scores Are Saved After Power-Off Settings and Data Original Hardware Wi-Fi Kits Game-Specific Limits Key Points Support

What Is EEPROM?

EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. It is a type of nonvolatile memory that can be written electrically and can retain stored information without continuous power.

In an arcade high score save kit, that characteristic is especially useful because the cabinet can be switched off normally while the stored score information remains available for the next power-up.

The EEPROM is not running the entire arcade game. It provides a small, persistent storage area that the upgrade circuitry can use for information that needs to survive power loss.

Why Use Serial EEPROM?

A serial EEPROM communicates over a small number of signal lines rather than requiring a large parallel data interface. That makes it practical for compact daughterboard designs where only a modest amount of persistent storage is needed.

Many HighScoreSaves kits use a 93C46 serial EEPROM. The amount of information involved in high score storage is small compared with modern computers, so a compact nonvolatile memory device is well suited to this purpose.

The exact memory device and implementation can vary by design, so the important point for the user is that the saved information does not depend on a battery remaining charged.

RAM and EEPROM Serve Different Purposes

The original arcade PCB uses RAM for information the game needs while it is running. Standard RAM is volatile, which means its contents are lost when power is removed unless another system is used to preserve the data.

EEPROM is different because it retains written information without continuous power. A high score save kit can therefore capture the score information that needs to persist and store it in nonvolatile memory.

At the next power-up, the kit can make the preserved score information available again in the way required by that game-specific design.

How Battery-Free Storage Differs from Battery-Backed Memory

Battery-backed memory keeps volatile memory powered after the main system is turned off. As long as the backup battery and supporting circuitry remain functional, the stored information can survive normal power loss.

Serial EEPROM does not need continuous backup power to retain its contents. Once the data has been written successfully, normal cabinet shutdown does not erase it.

For a classic arcade upgrade, eliminating the battery from the score-storage function removes one maintenance item and avoids depending on battery voltage to preserve saved scores.

How High Scores Are Saved

During gameplay, the original game logic continues to calculate scores and maintain the active high score table in the manner expected by the original software and hardware.

The HighScoreSaves upgrade circuitry adds the ability to preserve the required score information in serial EEPROM. The exact save timing and data handling are tailored to the specific game rather than using one generic method for every arcade title.

This game-specific approach is why a HighScoreSaves kit is designed for particular original PCBs and processor arrangements.

What Happens When the Arcade Cabinet Is Turned Off?

When cabinet power is removed, normal volatile memory on the game board no longer retains its live contents. The serial EEPROM, however, keeps the data that was written to it.

On the next power-up, the upgrade kit and game-specific software restore or make use of that saved information so the supported high score table can continue from the previous session instead of returning to the original factory behavior.

No separate save command is normally required from the cabinet operator unless the specific product instructions describe one.

High Scores Are Not Always the Only Saved Data

Depending on the game and kit, nonvolatile memory may also be used for selected kit settings or other game-specific information in addition to high scores.

Multigame kits may maintain separate score tables for different supported games when the product is designed to do so. Other kits may preserve configuration choices that would otherwise need to be selected again after power-up.

Because these behaviors are kit-specific, use the product page and installation guide for the exact list of saved features.

The Original Arcade PCB Still Runs the Game

Adding serial EEPROM score storage does not replace the original arcade PCB with an emulation system. The original board remains installed and continues to provide the game-specific video, audio, controls, timing, memory, custom logic, and other original hardware functions.

On many HighScoreSaves kits, the original CPU is moved from its socket to the kit daughterboard, and the daughterboard is installed into the original CPU socket. The upgrade works together with the original game hardware.

This is one reason exact PCB compatibility, CPU type, socket condition, and Pin 1 orientation are important before installation.

How Wi-Fi Leaderboard Uploads Relate to Local EEPROM Storage

On supported HighScoreSaves Wi-Fi kits, local score saving and online leaderboard uploading are related features but they are not the same thing.

The kit can preserve high scores locally using nonvolatile memory whether or not the cabinet is actively communicating with the online leaderboard. When Wi-Fi functionality is enabled and configured on a supported kit, score information can also be uploaded over a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connection after the required initials or score-entry process is completed.

Wi-Fi behavior, supported games, menu settings, and upload details vary by product, so follow the exact instructions for the Wi-Fi kit being used.

High Score Saving Is Game-Specific

Different arcade games store and manage score information in different ways. Memory locations, table sizes, initials, ranking rules, attract-mode behavior, and software revisions can all vary.

That means a high score save kit must be developed and tested for the specific game and supported original hardware. A serial EEPROM by itself does not automatically make an unsupported game save scores.

Always confirm the exact product, PCB revision, processor, and supported features before ordering or installing a kit.

Why Battery-Free Storage Is Useful in a Classic Arcade Cabinet

Classic arcade cabinets are often preserved and operated for decades. A score-saving method that does not require a backup battery avoids depending on a consumable battery to keep the saved table alive between sessions.

Nonvolatile EEPROM also fits well with the goal of keeping the original PCB in service while adding a modern convenience that many original games did not provide from the factory.

The result is persistent score storage while the cabinet continues to operate on its supported original game hardware.

Key Points About Serial EEPROM High Score Saving

EEPROM is nonvolatile memory.
Stored data remains after normal cabinet power-off.
A backup battery is not required for the saved score data.
Many HighScoreSaves kits use a 93C46 serial EEPROM.
The original arcade PCB continues to run the game.
The kit handles score preservation in a game-specific way.
Some kits can save additional settings or separate score tables.
Wi-Fi leaderboard uploading is separate from local nonvolatile score storage.
Exact behavior depends on the specific product and supported original PCB.

Product Pages and Installation Guides Are the Final Authority

High score table behavior, supported game versions, memory use, settings, Wi-Fi features, multigame score tables, and installation requirements vary by kit.

Always use the specific HighScoreSaves product page and game-specific installation guide for the exact kit being installed. Those instructions are the final authority for compatibility, features, and setup.

Technical Support

If you are unsure how a specific kit stores scores, which game versions are supported, or whether your original PCB is compatible, confirm the exact product before installation.

Email is the preferred support method. Contact sales@highscoresaves.com and include the game title, kit you are considering, and clear photos of the original PCB when compatibility is uncertain.

HighScoreSaves kits use nonvolatile memory to preserve high scores on supported original arcade hardware without requiring a backup battery for score retention. Exact saved features and installation requirements vary by game and kit.