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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: amiga2000 on December 31, 2003, 04:08:20 AM

Title: sign of a dying battery
Post by: amiga2000 on December 31, 2003, 04:08:20 AM
what happens when the clock battery starts dying in an Amiga? I have noticed in the past few months that from time to time, the clock has been wrong or reset... is it the kind of thing that dies suddenly, or does the clock start acting erratic?

it has been a long time since I replaced the battery (about 5-7 years), and it is not something I look forward to doing again.
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: Acill on December 31, 2003, 05:05:08 AM
Sounds like it could be going. How old is it? If you look at it and see a sort of fuzz on the ends thats a good signal to get it off ASAP!
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: ami500 on December 31, 2003, 07:59:05 AM
Yep, sounds like it's not holding a charge for long anymore.

Good excuse to do the li-ion battery upgrade to me. :)

All you need is the battery, battery socket and a diode in the way of parts.

And when you need to replace the battery again in about 10 years no soldering will be required, just pop the old one out and pop a new one in. :)

AND, you can store it without worrying about battery leak.
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: Jope on December 31, 2003, 08:47:05 AM
Ami500,

Are the coin cells lithium ion too? I thought Li-Ion is only a rechargeable battery chemistry?
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: ami500 on December 31, 2003, 09:22:12 AM
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: mikey2001 on December 31, 2003, 10:27:39 AM
Hmm, the battery in my A2000 is a bit erratic too, I had a feeling in would be something like this! I better get the case off quick!  :-o
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: sir_inferno on December 31, 2003, 10:56:36 AM
ummm, the whole POINT of have li-ion over ni-cd is that with ni-cd you have to deplete the battery completely b4 recharging it, if you don't then it'll have a shorter lifespan. Li-ion however has a different chemistry so that you can recharge it at whatever state of the battery you like and it'll have no ill effects.
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: PaSha on December 31, 2003, 01:05:44 PM
Quote

ami500 wrote:
Good excuse to do the li-ion battery upgrade to me. :)

Jope wrote:
Ami500,

Are the coin cells lithium ion too? I thought Li-Ion is only a rechargeable battery chemistry?


Correct, Li-Ion batteries are rechargeable batteries, commonly found in cellular phones, video cameras and such. As mentioned above, they don't require to be fully depleted before recharging, but can be charged at any time without noticable damage. (AFAIK)

Quote

Ami500 wrote:

The lithium ones are the button batteries. You typically find them on all new PC motherboards for example.

They arn't rechargeable, that's why the diode is required so you don't explode it.


Yup, the coin cells are Lithium, but only Lithium, not Lithium-Ion

-Paul
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: redrumloa on December 31, 2003, 02:22:13 PM
If you do decide on a regular battery, I have tons of them.

HERE (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2776962709&category=4598)
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: Stedy on December 31, 2003, 03:04:11 PM
What ever you do, do not put a rechargeable Lithium Ion cell in your Amiga, you could set it on fire!

Li Ion cells require close control when recharging, over do it and they explode! All current Li Ion charging systems including mobiles have dedicated charging chips.

You can get Lithium cell batteries that are coin shaped and have a long life. To use one of these you would need to remove the connection from the Amiga's charging circuit, typically a 1N914 diode.

You can safely replace a NiCad with a NiMh cell and leave the charging circuitry intact. NiMh cells do not have the corrosive 'goo' of NiCads.
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: ami500 on December 31, 2003, 03:37:25 PM
Quote

PaSha wrote:
Quote

ami500 wrote:
Good excuse to do the li-ion battery upgrade to me. :)

Jope wrote:
Ami500,

Are the coin cells lithium ion too? I thought Li-Ion is only a rechargeable battery chemistry?


Correct, Li-Ion batteries are rechargeable batteries, commonly found in cellular phones, video cameras and such. As mentioned above, they don't require to be fully depleted before recharging, but can be charged at any time without noticable damage. (AFAIK)

Quote

Ami500 wrote:

The lithium ones are the button batteries. You typically find them on all new PC motherboards for example.

They arn't rechargeable, that's why the diode is required so you don't explode it.


Yup, the coin cells are Lithium, but only Lithium, not Lithium-Ion

-Paul


Ah. That'll explain the difference. :)
Title: Re: sign of a dying battery
Post by: ami500 on December 31, 2003, 03:44:13 PM
Quote

Stedy wrote:
What ever you do, do not put a rechargeable Lithium Ion cell in your Amiga, you could set it on fire!

Li Ion cells require close control when recharging, over do it and they explode! All current Li Ion charging systems including mobiles have dedicated charging chips.

You can get Lithium cell batteries that are coin shaped and have a long life. To use one of these you would need to remove the connection from the Amiga's charging circuit, typically a 1N914 diode.

You can safely replace a NiCad with a NiMh cell and leave the charging circuitry intact. NiMh cells do not have the corrosive 'goo' of NiCads.


Yea that's the diode I used so the battery won't get a charge and explode due to the lack of a regulated charging circuit that you mentioned. :)  It is well worth the conversion as you'll never need to solder in another battery again. And the less soldering the better. :) And it's dead easy to do as the diode just sits on the positive side of the battery clip. No special mods to the machine are required.