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Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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#1
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when to replace system board battery?
hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the
instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks |
#2
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"jw 1111" wrote in message ... hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks Usually, what happens is that the settings in the system's CMOS (AKA the settings in the BIOS) will be lost and require reconfiguring. As many systems just run with the defaults anyway, these days it isn't much of an issue. I would expect the battery will be getting low. I've known them last a lot longer than 5 years, but I've also seen them last less than one year!. Generally, when you switch the PC on and you get the POST screen (the first thing you see when you power on, when it does the memory count) it will notify you if the battery is low with a message similar to 'CMOS battery low'. Most modern systems have a system monitor function in the BIOS, where you can find out things like power supply voltage, CPU temperature and CMOS battery voltage. To access the BIOS, consult your manual or watch for any onscreen instructions on power on, usually something like 'press DEL to enter BIOS'. If yours has a hardware BIOS monitor, check the CMOS battery voltage is not significantly below 3V, ie 2.9V or 2.8V should be OK. If your system does not have such a function, and it may not as it's getting on in years, you can pop the battery out and check it with a multimeter. Failing that, just replace it, they're cheap! Dave |
#3
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"Dave D" wrote in message
... "jw 1111" wrote in message ... hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks Usually, what happens is that the settings in the system's CMOS (AKA the settings in the BIOS) will be lost and require reconfiguring. As many systems just run with the defaults anyway, these days it isn't much of an issue. I would expect the battery will be getting low. I've known them last a lot longer than 5 years, but I've also seen them last less than one year!. Generally, when you switch the PC on and you get the POST screen (the first thing you see when you power on, when it does the memory count) it will notify you if the battery is low with a message similar to 'CMOS battery low'. Most modern systems have a system monitor function in the BIOS, where you can find out things like power supply voltage, CPU temperature and CMOS battery voltage. To access the BIOS, consult your manual or watch for any onscreen instructions on power on, usually something like 'press DEL to enter BIOS'. If yours has a hardware BIOS monitor, check the CMOS battery voltage is not significantly below 3V, ie 2.9V or 2.8V should be OK. If your system does not have such a function, and it may not as it's getting on in years, you can pop the battery out and check it with a multimeter. Failing that, just replace it, they're cheap! Dave I know on older computers when the battery was dead you would get the "non systems disk, please replace diska nd hit enter" message or messages asking for date and time. |
#4
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"jw 1111" wrote in message ... hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks The battery usually does 2 things. It keeps the internal clock running while the computer is off. It also holds the cmos settings such as what hard drive and if you have a floppy drive in the computer. The first thing that usually hapens is that if the time is nearly correct when you turn off the computer and then turn it back on the time is way off. Depending on the computer, if the battery is dead you will loose the settings in the CMOS. Then you will have several possiabilities. ONe is to hit F1 to continue. Another is you will go to the cmos and have to reenter the settings, or the computer may do an automatic default to some settings that may let your computer start up or atleast start in a very basic configuration. Some batteries last for a long time and some do not. Sometimes it depends on if the computer is turned on all the time or just used once a week. |
#5
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Is the battery dead or is it on the verge of dying? Just
another reason why good techs have a meter. Whereas lithium batteries are suppose to last 5 years, sometimes an IC has leakage problems causing the battery to only last 1 year or 1 week. How weak is the battery? Measure battery voltage with a digital meter. A 3 volt battery is ready for replacement when voltage drops below 2.8 volts. IOW as the battery approaches end of life, then the battery voltage starts to drop quickly. Some lithium batteries are 3 volts. Some were 6 volts. You must read its label for voltage. Any other answer would only be speculation. Obviously if the date/time clock does not maintain time when powered off overnight, then the battery is bad. Soon it will forget information about disk drives and other hardware configuration information. But if the clock still maintains time, that does not say a battery is good. Battery could be on the verge of failing and still maintain date/time overnight. Again, the only honest answer required a meter to read battery voltage. jw 1111 wrote: hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks |
#6
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"jw 1111" wrote in message ... hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks You replace the battery when the clock starts to lose time or the PC complains at boot that the CMOS settings are incorrect and when you correct them they're lost again when the computer is powered off. |
#7
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"Ralph Mowery" bravely wrote to "All" (14 Sep 05 22:38:15)
--- on the heady topic of " when to replace system board battery?" RM From: "Ralph Mowery" RM Xref: core-easynews sci.electronics.repair:342122 RM "jw 1111" wrote in message RM ... hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks RM The battery usually does 2 things. It keeps the internal clock RM running while the computer is off. It also holds the cmos settings RM such as what hard drive and if you have a floppy drive in the computer. RM The first thing that usually hapens is that if the time is nearly RM correct when you turn off the computer and then turn it back on the RM time is way off. Depending on the computer, if the battery is dead you RM will loose the settings in the CMOS. Then you will have several RM possiabilities. ONe is to hit F1 to continue. Another is you will go RM to the cmos and have to reenter the settings, or the computer may do an RM automatic default to some settings that may let your computer start up RM or atleast start in a very basic configuration. RM Some batteries last for a long time and some do not. Sometimes it RM depends on if the computer is turned on all the time or just used once RM a week. That clock/cmos battery is a racket because a tiny solar rechargable battery could be used for the clock and the bios settings could be stored in nonvolatile memory eeprom. In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up? Then too why should most programs need to access the internet making the pc vulnerable to any number of malwarez and snooping? Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre technology and nobody is complaining!!! A*s*i*m*o*v .... The current limits placed are based on resistance |
#8
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"Asimov" wrote in message ... "Ralph Mowery" bravely wrote to "All" (14 Sep 05 22:38:15) --- on the heady topic of " when to replace system board battery?" RM From: "Ralph Mowery" RM Xref: core-easynews sci.electronics.repair:342122 RM "jw 1111" wrote in message RM ... hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks RM The battery usually does 2 things. It keeps the internal clock RM running while the computer is off. It also holds the cmos settings RM such as what hard drive and if you have a floppy drive in the computer. RM The first thing that usually hapens is that if the time is nearly RM correct when you turn off the computer and then turn it back on the RM time is way off. Depending on the computer, if the battery is dead you RM will loose the settings in the CMOS. Then you will have several RM possiabilities. ONe is to hit F1 to continue. Another is you will go RM to the cmos and have to reenter the settings, or the computer may do an RM automatic default to some settings that may let your computer start up RM or atleast start in a very basic configuration. RM Some batteries last for a long time and some do not. Sometimes it RM depends on if the computer is turned on all the time or just used once RM a week. That clock/cmos battery is a racket because a tiny solar rechargable battery could be used for the clock and the bios settings could be stored in nonvolatile memory eeprom. In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up? Then too why should most programs need to access the internet making the pc vulnerable to any number of malwarez and snooping? Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre technology and nobody is complaining!!! A*s*i*m*o*v .... The current limits placed are based on resistance A solar cell wouldn't do much good in a lot of offices and here at home where my PC is tucked under a dark desk, and there'd be no point because there's standby power available in modern PC's that would keep it going most of the time. Rechargable battery would work but they tend to fail and leak after about the same 10 years lithium batteries are supposed to last. I suppose a memory backup capacitor might work though. PC's take time to boot up because we still don't have cheap gigabyte nonvolatile memory that's fast enough to be used as system RAM, a synthesizer is a single function device with a FAR less complex operating system. It's not just Windows, but *any* modern PC operating system needs to be shut down properly before turning it off, Windows is actually one of the more tolerant of them in that respect. |
#9
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"Asimov" wrote in message ... That clock/cmos battery is a racket because a tiny solar rechargable battery could be used for the clock and the bios settings could be stored in nonvolatile memory eeprom. They had rechargeable cells in mobos a few years back. They were a disaster- they would leak, often long before the mobo was obsolete, and the chemicals would eat through the traces of the mobo rendering it useless. Also, they were not user-replaceable. Lithium cells are a huge step forward IMO, they don't leak and are user-replaceable in seconds. I'm not sure why you feel they are a racket- they generally last the life of the mobo (in terms of obsolescence), and when they don't they are, at least in my country, extremely cheap to replace and widely available. Dave |
#10
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when to replace system board battery?
Jeff ha scritto:
"Dave D" wrote in message ... "jw 1111" wrote in message ... hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be replaced. how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c. just stop working? thanks Usually, what happens is that the settings in the system's CMOS (AKA the settings in the BIOS) will be lost and require reconfiguring. As many systems just run with the defaults anyway, these days it isn't much of an issue. I would expect the battery will be getting low. I've known them last a lot longer than 5 years, but I've also seen them last less than one year!. Generally, when you switch the PC on and you get the POST screen (the first thing you see when you power on, when it does the memory count) it will notify you if the battery is low with a message similar to 'CMOS battery low'. Most modern systems have a system monitor function in the BIOS, where you can find out things like power supply voltage, CPU temperature and CMOS battery voltage. To access the BIOS, consult your manual or watch for any onscreen instructions on power on, usually something like 'press DEL to enter BIOS'. If yours has a hardware BIOS monitor, check the CMOS battery voltage is not significantly below 3V, ie 2.9V or 2.8V should be OK. If your system does not have such a function, and it may not as it's getting on in years, you can pop the battery out and check it with a multimeter. Failing that, just replace it, they're cheap! Dave I know on older computers when the battery was dead you would get the "non systems disk, please replace diska nd hit enter" message or messages asking for date and time. The pc looses all the disk and boot infos and it will not recognize hard disks and floppy drives, and it will not boot. In very old pcs there are 1) DALLAS CHIPS : a RTC chip with a battery built in 2) 3,6V Lithium Batteryes 3) 3V small batteries, CR2032. I. -- I. |
#11
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when to replace system board battery?
"inti2" wrote in message ... The pc looses all the disk and boot infos and it will not recognize hard disks and floppy drives, and it will not boot. That hasn't been the case for many many years now. Most mobos will auto detect the HDD and assume a 1.44MB 3.5" floppy if they forget their settings, and self-configure into a usable state. They will generally display a warning though, and prompt to correct the settings or continue booting. In very old pcs there are 1) DALLAS CHIPS : a RTC chip with a battery built in 2) 3,6V Lithium Batteryes 3) 3V small batteries, CR2032. That's 3.6v nicad batteries, the CR3032 is lithium. Dave |
#12
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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when to replace system board battery?
"Asimov" wrote in message ... In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up? Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre technology and nobody is complaining!!! - Did you ever hear of suspend mode? It does what you want. Or better yet get XP and NEVER turn your PC off. |
#13
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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when to replace system board battery?
In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to
wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up? All operating systems take time to start up and shut down. Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid loading and and waiting business?! It does, it does! Suspend mode and hibernate mode. Suspend mode starts and stops almost instantly, but requires some electric power to the computer while suspended. Hibernate takes a few seconds to stop and start, but persists without power. |
#14
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when to replace system board battery?
Hello, mc!
You wrote on Sat, 31 Dec 2005 22:37:44 -0500: ?? In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to ?? wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up? m All operating systems take time to start up and shut down. ?? Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when ?? one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why ?? can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid ?? loading and and waiting business?! The reason all this stuff has to be loaded up every time is because of the versatility of computers, different motherboards-graphics cards-modems etc all need their own driver software. The music synth only does that one thing and so the relatively simple program required to do it can be kept on a hardwired flash chip. Makers are currently working on motherboards with enough flash ram to hold the OS. They should be available in a few years. With best regards, 3T39. E-mail: |
#16
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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when to replace system board battery?
I've seen some **** web pages and yours is in the top 5 of them.
"Dr. Anton T. Squeegee" wrote in message (Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR, www.bluefeathertech.com |
#17
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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when to replace system board battery?
Bob Kos wrote:
"Asimov" wrote in message ... In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up? Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre technology and nobody is complaining!!! - Did you ever hear of suspend mode? It does what you want. Or better yet get XP and NEVER turn your PC off. Use suspend mode an be prepared for system crash after having done that often enough. Windows software suffers from memory leakage,and realy rebooting on occasian ,solves that problem for the time beiing. |
#18
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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when to replace system board battery?
"Sjouke Burry" wrote in message ... Bob Kos wrote: "Asimov" wrote in message ... In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up? Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre technology and nobody is complaining!!! - Did you ever hear of suspend mode? It does what you want. Or better yet get XP and NEVER turn your PC off. Use suspend mode an be prepared for system crash after having done that often enough. Windows software suffers from memory leakage,and realy rebooting on occasian ,solves that problem for the time beiing. Please could you tell me how long would the 'cooling fan' motor last (roughly speaking) if the pc was left running all the time ? |
#19
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when to replace system board battery?
Please could you tell me how long would the 'cooling fan' motor last
(roughly speaking) if the pc was left running all the time ? Not sure but at work we have over 50 that have been for over 5 years, maybe longer. They go back to the 450 Mhz chips. |
#20
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when to replace system board battery?
Hi!
Please could you tell me how long would the 'cooling fan' motor last (roughly speaking) if the pc was left running all the time ? It should last a long, long time. I've got a number of IBM PS/2 computers that run around the clock. The newest of these was probably manufactured around 1994. Others range from the late 80s to 92 or 93. I've never had a fan quit in any of them...then again, IBM used decent quality fans in their equipment. The reality with many other computers is that their fans usually don't last as long. I've seen some quit as early as two years under 24/7 operation. So, if you do run a computer around the clock, keep an eye on the fans. Pay attention to any funny noises if the machine starts making them. With today's computers, loss of a fan can lead to serious damage in a short period of time. William |
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