The backs do have a battery that saves the settings. But when connected to the camera, it gets its juice from the main body.
I shot another roll of film in the 'bad' back with no issues today. Then when I tried to load another roll, it didn't register that there was a roll in it, so it didn't load. I had cleaned all the contacts with isopropyl alcohol.
I took my spare back and loaded that, no issues.
But.. going back to the battery issue - on the main body the battery life showed the last segment remaining. In the manual it states that when the message 'low battery' appears, that is when things stop working.
It seems that that may not be the case. I'm thinking that the batteries (in the camera body) need to be changed at that point.
So thanks for bringing up batteries, I'm hoping this is an obvious fix. And Sirius, thanks for recommending Samys in case I need to make a visit. It's been a while since I've stopped by.