Dead Batteries again

[Castellen]

Yes, if the battery shows any sign of corrosion, or has not been replaced recently, then replace it immediately.

All the information you need is here:
http://amiga.serveftp.net

Look in the battery replacement section.


The greyed out save option means the system cannot see the real time clock.  Refer to the RTC repair section (linked off the battery replacement page).

[Castellen]

Yes, the save will still be ghosted regardless if the battery is there or not.
The system checks to see if it can read from the RTC, and if it can't (probably due to corroded tracks) then it ghosts the save button.

When it's working, you can still save to the RTC even if no battery is fitted.  The RTC will store the time and date until the computer is physically powered off.
In other words, with no battery fitted but the RTC is working, you can save the time, reset the computer, and the time will be kept.

[Castellen]

Thanks, I'd hope I was correct, it's my job to know :-P

As mentioned before, the battery is only required to make the RTC store the date/time information when the power is off.  If the system is turned on, the RTC is powered from the power supply, and the battery charges up at the same time.

Even if the PCB tracks appear to look clean, it's still possible one could be open circuit due to corrosion.  This usually happens in or right beside vias (the holes joining tracks between PCB layers).

It's also common for corrosion to damage U177, the RTC data latch.

My website, mentioned before, has all the information you need to fix the RTC, look in the RTC repair section and follow it through step by step.