Amigas and batteries

[DanDude]

from BoingBoss:

The Amiga does NOT need a battery...

WRONG!!  Every Amiga with a battery-operated clock and battery-backed settings DOES need a battery no matter what.  SCSI settings need to be saved after power is removed.

Just type in the correct time and date at bootup....Only lazy people need a battery in their Amiga computer, because they are too lazy to type in the correct time and date at bootup

OK, go ahead with yours.  But if I have to turn off and on my Amiga and have to set it, I think that's just a waste of time espcially when your Amiga locks up or fails to reboot via FASTROM.  I've been down that alley 734 times and didn't like one bit.  Don't you think?  Oh, wait...you can't think.

[orange]

I don't think removing motherboard and cutting legs is really necessary. Its good, but takes a lot of time. I removed battery from 4 Amiga 2000 without that. Its probably advisable but for those who dont wanna waste time, it can be avoided. Of course there is the risk of heat destroying motherboard, but it shouldn't be exaggerated. (OK, I know, you'll disagree..)

If you were going to made a full battery replacement manual, you could have mentioned connecting 3V Lithium coin battery holder and diode as a replacment. I would like to use that now, cause it lasts longer and doesn't need powering on Amiga. Is there any page with photos of that?
There are some very interesting solutions using GIANT capacitors like couple of Farads that work like battery.

I liked the tip about using 35mm film box, but is it necessary for battery that is completely sealed?

I used 100% isopropyl together with baking soda, could that have damaged something?(everything works fine, but I wonder if some residues could keep "eating" something)

[patrik]

@orange:

Here are two photos of a lithium battery mounted in my A2000:
Photo1
Photo2


/Patrik

[odin]

I just acquired an A4k from NJ_72 but unfortunately the battery was leaking on it. I've ripped the battery off now and am on the hunt for isopropyl alcohol. So far I haven't found the stuff in town yet.

Battery damage (warning 300k pic).

It looks to me as if some of those IC legs are almost gone.....:-/. However there is no acid damage on the backside of the board luckily.

I've also discovered some other weird thing:

Repaired IC? pic1
Repaired IC? pic2
Repaired IC? pic3 (300k each)

What do these pics suggest to you guys? Replaced IC or something?

[Framiga]

It is the Video DAC.

Looks like the previous owner, had soldered wires there . . . SD-FF?!?

Take a look here

http://www.amiga-stuff.com/hardware/adv7120.html

[Orjan]

@Odin

The battery damage looks nasty...  :-(

[odin]

It does, doesn't it.....

My hunt for isopropyl/isopropanol alcohol seems to be in vain.  Not a single chemist in town has heard of the stuff :-?. Any other alternative chemical I can use to clean the muck?

[orange]

Try hospitals and their laboratories.
But IMO best stuff would be Kontakt spray designed just for cleaning printed circuit boards. (Kontakt PCC ?)

[DanDude]

You need to modify the circuit so it doesn't charge the lithium battery or that battery will explode.  

I have a "memory capacitor" in my 4000.  But I need one that can handle 3.6VDC not 5VDC.  The clock only lasts a few days.  I could add another in parallel and see what happens.

With baking soda, you left a big mess.  Hope that baking soda didn't reach the connectors like the Zorro slots or RAM SIMMs on the 4000 or other sockets.  Most likely you will lose your continuity and cause problems like cards not recognized or crashing.  

Yes, unfortunately you will have to remove the motherboard to make a solid connection between the battery and the motherboard.  OR, instead of putting the battery on the motherboard, just hook up two wires and place the battery somewhere else in the case.

[DanDude]

Well done!  How long did your "coin" battery last?

[DanDude]

Your local drug store would carry isopropyl alcohol, if not your supermarket.

Get them cleaned ASAP.  Do NOT use baking soda.

Most likely that chip on the left side of the battery may need to get replaced.  Otherwise, if that other chip starts to give you trouble, have it replaced as well.

[DanDude]

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=73865&catid=46155&aid=336119&aparam=rite_aid_isopropyl_rubbin

Try there.

 :-)

[odin]

Er...yes...they don't ship to the Netherlands :-).

-edit-
For some reason nobody has isopropyl/isopropanol alcohol here in NL, I even rang a chemical wholesaler. Nada.....they suggested I'd look at windscreen wiper fluid, perhaps 'there was some isopropyl in that'.

:-?

[odin]

What about (pure) methanol?

[Morley]

odin wrote:
It does, doesn't it.....

My hunt for isopropyl/isopropanol alcohol seems to be in vain.  Not a single chemist in town has heard of the stuff :-?. Any other alternative chemical I can use to clean the muck?

Say what? Use windshield wiper fluid, it's usually full of alcohols like these. If not, try acetone, but be very careful...
Or buy a bottle of cheap vodka.

[odin]

Perhaps all the professional chemists/pharmacists are on holiday and I only managed to get hold of holiday labourers or something....dunno.