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CMOS Timer Error with old laptop : DECpc 425 SLC

B

beltrixx

Flightless Bird
Hi,

I was given a very old laptop by a workmate, a DECpc 425 SLC (also
known as Olivetti Philos 48) because I recently started collecting old
laptops.

This pc refuses to boot and displays the message :

CMOS Timer Error
Unrecoverable Power-Up Error

I thought it was a problem of the batteries and replaced the 7.2V 60
mAh with a new pack I made from two 3.6V 60mAh batteries but the error
remains the same.

My hardware knowledge is limited (I'm a programmer) so I would
appreciate any ideas on how to proceed with this error if anyone
thinks that there is a chance to fix this old treasure ;)

Thanks in advance,

Manel (beltrixx)
 
S

Sjouke Burry

Flightless Bird
beltrixx wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I was given a very old laptop by a workmate, a DECpc 425 SLC (also
> known as Olivetti Philos 48) because I recently started collecting old
> laptops.
>
> This pc refuses to boot and displays the message :
>
> CMOS Timer Error
> Unrecoverable Power-Up Error
>
> I thought it was a problem of the batteries and replaced the 7.2V 60
> mAh with a new pack I made from two 3.6V 60mAh batteries but the error
> remains the same.
>
> My hardware knowledge is limited (I'm a programmer) so I would
> appreciate any ideas on how to proceed with this error if anyone
> thinks that there is a chance to fix this old treasure ;)
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Manel (beltrixx)

Take the batteries out(including the power batteries), wait a few hours,
put all the batteries back in, and hopefully cmos settings are back at
factory default.
 
B

Barry Watzman

Flightless Bird
It is a battery problem, but were messing with the WRONG BATTERY.

The battery causing this problem is an internal battery on or connected
to the motherboard. Disassembly is probably required to even get to it
(it could be on the bottom of the motherboard; motherboard removal may
be required). The battery may be soldered to the motherboard, and it
may be proprietary and no longer available, although a technician should
be able to configure a working substitute. WARNING: DO NOT try to
solder directly to a lithium battery. The resulting fire and explosion
could be extremely hazardous (it's amazing how much damage the
"shrapnel" from an exploding coin cell battery can do ... for example,
to your eyesight).


beltrixx wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I was given a very old laptop by a workmate, a DECpc 425 SLC (also
> known as Olivetti Philos 48) because I recently started collecting old
> laptops.
>
> This pc refuses to boot and displays the message :
>
> CMOS Timer Error
> Unrecoverable Power-Up Error
>
> I thought it was a problem of the batteries and replaced the 7.2V 60
> mAh with a new pack I made from two 3.6V 60mAh batteries but the error
> remains the same.
>
> My hardware knowledge is limited (I'm a programmer) so I would
> appreciate any ideas on how to proceed with this error if anyone
> thinks that there is a chance to fix this old treasure ;)
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Manel (beltrixx)
 
B

beltrixx

Flightless Bird
On 2 mayo, 00:53, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@neo.rr.com> wrote:
> It is a battery problem, but were messing with the WRONG BATTERY.
>
> The battery causing this problem is an internal battery on or connected
> to the motherboard.  Disassembly is probably required to even get to it
> (it could be on the bottom of the motherboard; motherboard removal may
> be required).  The battery may be soldered to the motherboard, and it
> may be proprietary and no longer available, although a technician should
> be able to configure a working substitute.  WARNING:  DO NOT try to
> solder directly to a lithium battery.  The resulting fire and explosion
> could be extremely hazardous (it's amazing how much damage the
> "shrapnel" from an exploding coin cell battery can do ... for example,
> to your eyesight).
>
>
>
> beltrixx wrote:
> > Hi,

>
> > I was given a very old laptop by a workmate, a DECpc 425 SLC (also
> > known as Olivetti Philos 48) because I recently started collecting old
> > laptops.

>
> > This pc refuses to boot and displays the message :

>
> > CMOS Timer Error
> > Unrecoverable Power-Up Error

>
> > I thought it was a problem of the batteries and replaced the 7.2V 60
> > mAh with a new pack I made from two 3.6V 60mAh batteries but the error
> > remains the same.

>
> > My hardware knowledge is limited (I'm a programmer) so I would
> > appreciate any ideas on how to proceed with this error if anyone
> > thinks that there is a chance to fix this old treasure ;)

>
> > Thanks in advance,

>
> > Manel (beltrixx)- Ocultar texto de la cita -

>
> - Mostrar texto de la cita -


Thank you Barry,

I had noticed another battery, a VL3032 Rechargeable Lithium, but I
though it had nothing to do with the power-up error. I'll follow your
advice and try to buy a replacement one.

I'll let you know if finally I get this old marvel working.

Thank you very much.
 
B

Barry Watzman

Flightless Bird
Why do you assume that this is a rechargeable battery? Most of these
are one-time lithium batteries that are supposed to last 6 to 10 years
in that application. Are you certain that it's not a 2032 instead of a
3032?

[For these batteries, the first number is the diameter in mm (2032 =
20mm across), the second number is the thickness in TENTHS of
millimeters (so either 2032 or 3032 is a 3.2mm thick battery). I'm not
aware that there is a 3032; 2032's are very common. The question is, is
it socketed or soldered with spot welded tabs?]


beltrixx wrote:
>
> Thank you Barry,
>
> I had noticed another battery, a VL3032 Rechargeable Lithium, but I
> though it had nothing to do with the power-up error. I'll follow your
> advice and try to buy a replacement one.
>
> I'll let you know if finally I get this old marvel working.
>
> Thank you very much.
 
B

beltrixx

Flightless Bird
On 2 mayo, 18:27, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@neo.rr.com> wrote:
> Why do you assume that this is a rechargeable battery?  Most of these
> are one-time lithium batteries that are supposed to last 6 to 10 years
> in that application.  Are you certain that it's not a 2032 instead of a
> 3032?
>
> [For these batteries, the first number is the diameter in mm (2032 =
> 20mm across), the second number is the thickness in TENTHS of
> millimeters (so either 2032 or 3032 is a 3.2mm thick battery).  I'm not
> aware that there is a 3032; 2032's are very common.  The question is, is
> it socketed or soldered with spot welded tabs?]
>
>
>
> beltrixx wrote:
>
> > Thank you Barry,

>
> > I had noticed another battery, a VL3032 Rechargeable Lithium, but I
> > though it had nothing to do with the power-up error. I'll follow your
> > advice and try to buy a replacement one.

>
> > I'll let you know if finally I get this old marvel working.

>
> > Thank you very much.- Ocultar texto de la cita -

>
> - Mostrar texto de la cita -


Hi,

Yes I'm certain that it is a VL3032 one. Googling for "VL3032" I have
found references to Lithium-Vanadium rechargeable batteries but I
don't know for sure if the one in my laptop is rechargeable or not.

The problem is that the laptop is rather old (17 years) so it is
almost impossible to find technical docs or info regarding such a
specific issue like this and I don't know if this battery can be
replaced by a standard CR2032.

Please, have a look at these pics of the battery :

http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-Detail..jpg
http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-Overview.jpg

Do you think it can be replaced by a standard CR2032 or CR3032?

Regards,

Manel (beltrixx)
 
B

Barry Watzman

Flightless Bird
Well, the nice thing about this is that you have wire leads to a plug,
so you can cut off those leads and deal with the replacement in whatever
manner works best. You don't need an exact mechanical replacement.

what are the dimensions of the BATTERY (I'd cut off the shrink wrap to
measure this as accurately as possible). Normally, the 3032 number
would suggest 30mm x 3.2 mm.

The next issue is, is this a "one-time" battery or a rechargeable?
Another reason to cut off the shrinkwrap is to see if there are any
numbers on the battery itself.

BIG DANGER HERE: If you replace a rechargeable with a one-time, it may
explode when the laptop tries to charge it.

Cut off the wires, insert the plug into the socket, and see if there is
any voltage coming out of the ends of the wires (that would go into the
battery).

Several sources suggest that it IS a rechargeable battery:

http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=8840030


beltrixx wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Yes I'm certain that it is a VL3032 one. Googling for "VL3032" I have
> found references to Lithium-Vanadium rechargeable batteries but I
> don't know for sure if the one in my laptop is rechargeable or not.
>
> The problem is that the laptop is rather old (17 years) so it is
> almost impossible to find technical docs or info regarding such a
> specific issue like this and I don't know if this battery can be
> replaced by a standard CR2032.
>
> Please, have a look at these pics of the battery :
>
> http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-Detail.jpg
> http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-Overview.jpg
>
> Do you think it can be replaced by a standard CR2032 or CR3032?
>
> Regards,
>
> Manel (beltrixx)
 
B

beltrixx

Flightless Bird
On 2 mayo, 21:26, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@neo.rr.com> wrote:
> Well, the nice thing about this is that you have wire leads to a plug,
> so you can cut off those leads and deal with the replacement in whatever
> manner works best.  You don't need an exact mechanical replacement.
>
> what are the dimensions of the BATTERY (I'd cut off the shrink wrap to
> measure this as accurately as possible).  Normally, the 3032 number
> would suggest 30mm x 3.2 mm.
>
> The next issue is, is this a "one-time" battery or a rechargeable?
> Another reason to cut off the shrinkwrap is to see if there are any
> numbers on the battery itself.
>
> BIG DANGER HERE:  If you replace a rechargeable with a one-time, it may
> explode when the laptop tries to charge it.
>
> Cut off the wires, insert the plug into the socket, and see if there is
> any voltage coming out of the ends of the wires (that would go into the
> battery).
>
> Several sources suggest that it IS a rechargeable battery:
>
> http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=8840030
>
>
>
> beltrixx wrote:
>
> > Hi,

>
> > Yes I'm certain that it is a VL3032 one. Googling for "VL3032" I have
> > found references to Lithium-Vanadium rechargeable batteries but I
> > don't know for sure if the one in my laptop is rechargeable or not.

>
> > The problem is that the laptop is rather old (17 years) so it is
> > almost impossible to find technical docs or info regarding such a
> > specific issue like this and I don't know if this battery can be
> > replaced by a standard CR2032.

>
> > Please, have a look at these pics of the battery :

>
> >http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-...
> >http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-...

>
> > Do you think it can be replaced by a standard CR2032 or CR3032?

>
> > Regards,

>
> > Manel (beltrixx)- Ocultar texto de la cita -

>
> - Mostrar texto de la cita -


Good advice!

I'll cut off the wires and will use a multimeter to measure the
voltage between them. It seems the best way not to make a mistake
buying the wrong battery type.

Thanks a lot,

Manel (beltrixx)
 
B

beltrixx

Flightless Bird
On 2 mayo, 21:26, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@neo.rr.com> wrote:
> Well, the nice thing about this is that you have wire leads to a plug,
> so you can cut off those leads and deal with the replacement in whatever
> manner works best.  You don't need an exact mechanical replacement.
>
> what are the dimensions of the BATTERY (I'd cut off the shrink wrap to
> measure this as accurately as possible).  Normally, the 3032 number
> would suggest 30mm x 3.2 mm.
>
> The next issue is, is this a "one-time" battery or a rechargeable?
> Another reason to cut off the shrinkwrap is to see if there are any
> numbers on the battery itself.
>
> BIG DANGER HERE:  If you replace a rechargeable with a one-time, it may
> explode when the laptop tries to charge it.
>
> Cut off the wires, insert the plug into the socket, and see if there is
> any voltage coming out of the ends of the wires (that would go into the
> battery).
>
> Several sources suggest that it IS a rechargeable battery:
>
> http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=8840030
>
>
>
> beltrixx wrote:
>
> > Hi,

>
> > Yes I'm certain that it is a VL3032 one. Googling for "VL3032" I have
> > found references to Lithium-Vanadium rechargeable batteries but I
> > don't know for sure if the one in my laptop is rechargeable or not.

>
> > The problem is that the laptop is rather old (17 years) so it is
> > almost impossible to find technical docs or info regarding such a
> > specific issue like this and I don't know if this battery can be
> > replaced by a standard CR2032.

>
> > Please, have a look at these pics of the battery :

>
> >http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-...
> >http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-...

>
> > Do you think it can be replaced by a standard CR2032 or CR3032?

>
> > Regards,

>
> > Manel (beltrixx)- Ocultar texto de la cita -

>
> - Mostrar texto de la cita -


Hi,

I've checked that the voltage between the wires (without the battery)
is about 3V so the battery must be rechargeable. Also, every time I
placed the tester tips on the wires a reset happened. Is that normal?

I'll look for an appropiate battery and try to leave the laptop
charging an entire day once I have installed it, if nothing else is
damaged it should work perfectly.

regards,

Beltrixx.
 
B

beltrixx

Flightless Bird
On May 3, 8:09 pm, beltrixx <beltr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2 mayo, 21:26, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@neo.rr.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Well, the nice thing about this is that you have wire leads to a plug,
> > so you can cut off those leads and deal with the replacement in whatever
> > manner works best.  You don't need an exact mechanical replacement.

>
> > what are the dimensions of the BATTERY (I'd cut off the shrink wrap to
> > measure this as accurately as possible).  Normally, the 3032 number
> > would suggest 30mm x 3.2 mm.

>
> > The next issue is, is this a "one-time" battery or a rechargeable?
> > Another reason to cut off the shrinkwrap is to see if there are any
> > numbers on the battery itself.

>
> > BIG DANGER HERE:  If you replace a rechargeable with a one-time, it may
> > explode when the laptop tries to charge it.

>
> > Cut off the wires, insert the plug into the socket, and see if there is
> > any voltage coming out of the ends of the wires (that would go into the
> > battery).

>
> > Several sources suggest that it IS a rechargeable battery:

>
> >http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=8840030

>
> > beltrixx wrote:

>
> > > Hi,

>
> > > Yes I'm certain that it is a VL3032 one. Googling for "VL3032" I have
> > > found references to Lithium-Vanadium rechargeable batteries but I
> > > don't know for sure if the one in my laptop is rechargeable or not.

>
> > > The problem is that the laptop is rather old (17 years) so it is
> > > almost impossible to find technical docs or info regarding such a
> > > specific issue like this and I don't know if this battery can be
> > > replaced by a standard CR2032.

>
> > > Please, have a look at these pics of the battery :

>
> > >http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-....
> > >http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-....

>
> > > Do you think it can be replaced by a standard CR2032 or CR3032?

>
> > > Regards,

>
> > > Manel (beltrixx)- Ocultar texto de la cita -

>
> > - Mostrar texto de la cita -

>
> Hi,
>
> I've checked that the voltage between the wires (without the battery)
> is about 3V so the battery must be rechargeable. Also, every time I
> placed the tester tips on the wires a reset happened. Is that normal?
>
> I'll look for an appropiate battery and try to leave the laptop
> charging an entire day once I have installed it, if nothing else is
> damaged it should work perfectly.
>
> regards,
>
> Beltrixx.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -


I'm starting to think the problem has nothing to do with the
batteries. I tested the voltage of the Lithium VL3032 battery and it
was about 2V (the battery holds a charge and seems able to be
charged); I also left the computer without any battery and the error
displayed was the same.

The laptop was unable to power on and I thought it was a problem
related to the resume function but maybe the problem is related to the
motherboard. Neither the power button nor the sleep button (the one
that is clicked by the screen when you close it) work, so to start the
laptop, I must click the reset hole and after a few seconds is when
the CMOS Timer Error displays. This can be a clue for some motherboard
related error, isn't it?

I'll put back all the batteries but there's little more I can do with
my hardware knowledge ...

Anyway, thanks everybody for helping me with this old computer.

Kind Regards,

Manel (beltrixx).
 
P

Pen

Flightless Bird
On 5/4/2010 12:00 AM, beltrixx wrote:
> On May 3, 8:09 pm, beltrixx <beltr...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 2 mayo, 21:26, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@neo.rr.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> Well, the nice thing about this is that you have wire leads to a plug,
>>> so you can cut off those leads and deal with the replacement in whatever
>>> manner works best. You don't need an exact mechanical replacement.

>>
>>> what are the dimensions of the BATTERY (I'd cut off the shrink wrap to
>>> measure this as accurately as possible). Normally, the 3032 number
>>> would suggest 30mm x 3.2 mm.

>>
>>> The next issue is, is this a "one-time" battery or a rechargeable?
>>> Another reason to cut off the shrinkwrap is to see if there are any
>>> numbers on the battery itself.

>>
>>> BIG DANGER HERE: If you replace a rechargeable with a one-time, it may
>>> explode when the laptop tries to charge it.

>>
>>> Cut off the wires, insert the plug into the socket, and see if there is
>>> any voltage coming out of the ends of the wires (that would go into the
>>> battery).

>>
>>> Several sources suggest that it IS a rechargeable battery:

>>
>>> http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=8840030

>>
>>> beltrixx wrote:

>>
>>>> Hi,

>>
>>>> Yes I'm certain that it is a VL3032 one. Googling for "VL3032" I have
>>>> found references to Lithium-Vanadium rechargeable batteries but I
>>>> don't know for sure if the one in my laptop is rechargeable or not.

>>
>>>> The problem is that the laptop is rather old (17 years) so it is
>>>> almost impossible to find technical docs or info regarding such a
>>>> specific issue like this and I don't know if this battery can be
>>>> replaced by a standard CR2032.

>>
>>>> Please, have a look at these pics of the battery :

>>
>>>> http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-...
>>>> http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-...

>>
>>>> Do you think it can be replaced by a standard CR2032 or CR3032?

>>
>>>> Regards,

>>
>>>> Manel (beltrixx)- Ocultar texto de la cita -

>>
>>> - Mostrar texto de la cita -

>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I've checked that the voltage between the wires (without the battery)
>> is about 3V so the battery must be rechargeable. Also, every time I
>> placed the tester tips on the wires a reset happened. Is that normal?
>>
>> I'll look for an appropiate battery and try to leave the laptop
>> charging an entire day once I have installed it, if nothing else is
>> damaged it should work perfectly.
>>
>> regards,
>>
>> Beltrixx.- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -

>
> I'm starting to think the problem has nothing to do with the
> batteries. I tested the voltage of the Lithium VL3032 battery and it
> was about 2V (the battery holds a charge and seems able to be
> charged); I also left the computer without any battery and the error
> displayed was the same.
>
> The laptop was unable to power on and I thought it was a problem
> related to the resume function but maybe the problem is related to the
> motherboard. Neither the power button nor the sleep button (the one
> that is clicked by the screen when you close it) work, so to start the
> laptop, I must click the reset hole and after a few seconds is when
> the CMOS Timer Error displays. This can be a clue for some motherboard
> related error, isn't it?
>
> I'll put back all the batteries but there's little more I can do with
> my hardware knowledge ...
>
> Anyway, thanks everybody for helping me with this old computer.
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> Manel (beltrixx).

Compaq/HP has some Docs for this, but they need to be
expanded onto a floppy, which I don't have access to at this
time. Therefore, I don't know how helpful they may be, but
here's a link.
http://www.compaq.com/legacysupport/digital/epid68.html
 
B

beltrixx

Flightless Bird
On 4 mayo, 18:54, Pen <nos...@nospam.net> wrote:
> On 5/4/2010 12:00 AM, beltrixx wrote:
>
>
>
> > On May 3, 8:09 pm, beltrixx <beltr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> On 2 mayo, 21:26, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@neo.rr.com> wrote:

>
> >>> Well, the nice thing about this is that you have wire leads to a plug,
> >>> so you can cut off those leads and deal with the replacement in whatever
> >>> manner works best.  You don't need an exact mechanical replacement.

>
> >>> what are the dimensions of the BATTERY (I'd cut off the shrink wrap to
> >>> measure this as accurately as possible).  Normally, the 3032 number
> >>> would suggest 30mm x 3.2 mm.

>
> >>> The next issue is, is this a "one-time" battery or a rechargeable?
> >>> Another reason to cut off the shrinkwrap is to see if there are any
> >>> numbers on the battery itself.

>
> >>> BIG DANGER HERE:  If you replace a rechargeable with a one-time, itmay
> >>> explode when the laptop tries to charge it.

>
> >>> Cut off the wires, insert the plug into the socket, and see if there is
> >>> any voltage coming out of the ends of the wires (that would go into the
> >>> battery).

>
> >>> Several sources suggest that it IS a rechargeable battery:

>
> >>>http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=8840030

>
> >>> beltrixx wrote:

>
> >>>> Hi,

>
> >>>> Yes I'm certain that it is a VL3032 one. Googling for "VL3032" I have
> >>>> found references to Lithium-Vanadium rechargeable batteries but I
> >>>> don't know for sure if the one in my laptop is rechargeable or not.

>
> >>>> The problem is that the laptop is rather old (17 years) so it is
> >>>> almost impossible to find technical docs or info regarding such a
> >>>> specific issue like this and I don't know if this battery can be
> >>>> replaced by a standard CR2032.

>
> >>>> Please, have a look at these pics of the battery :

>
> >>>>http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-....
> >>>>http://sites.google.com/site/beltrixx/images_blog/decpc425slc/VL3032-....

>
> >>>> Do you think it can be replaced by a standard CR2032 or CR3032?

>
> >>>> Regards,

>
> >>>> Manel (beltrixx)- Ocultar texto de la cita -

>
> >>> - Mostrar texto de la cita -

>
> >> Hi,

>
> >> I've checked that the voltage between the wires (without the battery)
> >> is about 3V so the battery must be rechargeable. Also, every time I
> >> placed the tester tips on the wires a reset happened. Is that normal?

>
> >> I'll look for an appropiate battery and try to leave the laptop
> >> charging an entire day once I have installed it, if nothing else is
> >> damaged it should work perfectly.

>
> >> regards,

>
> >> Beltrixx.- Hide quoted text -

>
> >> - Show quoted text -

>
> > I'm starting to think the problem has nothing to do with the
> > batteries. I tested the voltage of the Lithium VL3032 battery and it
> > was about 2V (the battery holds a charge and seems able to be
> > charged); I also left the computer without any battery and the error
> > displayed was the same.

>
> > The laptop was unable to power on and I thought it was a problem
> > related to the resume function but maybe the problem is related to the
> > motherboard. Neither the power button nor the sleep button (the one
> > that is clicked by the screen when you close it) work, so to start the
> > laptop, I must click the reset hole and after a few seconds is when
> > the CMOS Timer Error displays. This can be a clue for some motherboard
> > related error, isn't it?

>
> > I'll put back all the batteries but there's little more I can do with
> > my hardware knowledge ...

>
> > Anyway, thanks everybody for helping me with this old computer.

>
> > Kind Regards,

>
> > Manel (beltrixx).

>
> Compaq/HP has some Docs for this, but they need to be
> expanded onto a floppy, which I don't have access to at this
> time. Therefore, I don't know how helpful they may be, but
> here's a link.http://www.compaq.com/legacysupport/digital/epid68.html- Ocultar texto de la cita -
>
> - Mostrar texto de la cita -


Thank you Pen, but I did know about this download page and I used it
to download the drivers some time ago. The docs are in fact, for the
386 version of the same computer and do not provide information on the
problems you can encounter so they are useless.

This problem is related to a POST error code, so the technical
background involved would make it very difficult to be covered on an
end-user manual such as the one linked.

I haven't had the chance to use any of these drivers because of the
nature of the error on my laptop, which prevents it to boot and start
the OS normally and I'm starting to think there are little chances to
fix it up unfortunately.

Thanks anyway for helping ;)
 
B

Barry Watzman

Flightless Bird
Some laptops will not POST without a CMOS battery; this not as common
now as it used to be, but this is an older laptop.

Check and see in the BIOS (if you can get into it) if the laptop is set
to take some action ("resume") on power up OTHER THAN "boot".

2 volts is a very low voltage for a lithium battery. I don't conclude
that the existing CMOS battery is good.


beltrixx wrote:
>
> I'm starting to think the problem has nothing to do with the
> batteries. I tested the voltage of the Lithium VL3032 battery and it
> was about 2V (the battery holds a charge and seems able to be
> charged); I also left the computer without any battery and the error
> displayed was the same.
>
> The laptop was unable to power on and I thought it was a problem
> related to the resume function but maybe the problem is related to the
> motherboard. Neither the power button nor the sleep button (the one
> that is clicked by the screen when you close it) work, so to start the
> laptop, I must click the reset hole and after a few seconds is when
> the CMOS Timer Error displays. This can be a clue for some motherboard
> related error, isn't it?
>
> I'll put back all the batteries but there's little more I can do with
> my hardware knowledge ...
>
> Anyway, thanks everybody for helping me with this old computer.
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> Manel (beltrixx).
 
B

beltrixx

Flightless Bird
On May 4, 10:12 pm, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@neo.rr.com> wrote:
> Some laptops will not POST without a CMOS battery; this not as common
> now as it used to be, but this is an older laptop.
>
> Check and see in the BIOS (if you can get into it) if the laptop is set
> to take some action ("resume") on power up OTHER THAN "boot".
>
> 2 volts is a very low voltage for a lithium battery.  I don't conclude
> that the existing CMOS battery is good.
>
>
>
> beltrixx wrote:
>
> > I'm starting to think the problem has nothing to do with the
> > batteries. I tested the voltage of the Lithium VL3032 battery and it
> > was about 2V (the battery holds a charge and seems able to be
> > charged); I also left the computer without any battery and the error
> > displayed was the same.

>
> > The laptop was unable to power on and I thought it was a problem
> > related to the resume function but maybe the problem is related to the
> > motherboard. Neither the power button nor the sleep button (the one
> > that is clicked by the screen when you close it) work, so to start the
> > laptop, I must click the reset hole and after a few seconds is when
> > the CMOS Timer Error displays. This can be a clue for some motherboard
> > related error, isn't it?

>
> > I'll put back all the batteries but there's little more I can do with
> > my hardware knowledge ...

>
> > Anyway, thanks everybody for helping me with this old computer.

>
> > Kind Regards,

>
> > Manel (beltrixx).- Hide quoted text -

>
> - Show quoted text -


Hi,

I know is a very low voltage but when the computer is powered through
the AC adaptor, the Lithium battery voltage is about 3 V. It should
power up, isn't it? there is no way to get into the BIOS although I
have tried all possible key combinations (Fn+F1, Fn+F2, Fn+Esc, Ctr+Alt
+Del, Ctr+Alt+F1 and so on) and the fact that neither the power button
nor the sleep button is working makes me think of a motherboard
failure.

Assuming you are right about the fact that this laptop maybe refusing
to power up due to a defective CMOS battery, how long would it last a
brand new replacement? I have read that VL3032 batteries can be
recharged 1000 times aproximately and probably I cannot rely on the
main battery of the laptop (Ni-Mh) due to its age, so it would become
necessary to have the laptop always plugged using the AC Adaptor and
this would imply using one recharge cycle of the Lithium battery every
time the Ac adaptor is used.

A workmate has been testing and recharging the batteries and these are
the results :

1) 7.2 V 60 mAh battery pack : can be charged but if the laptop is not
plugged, charge is lost very fast.
2) 3V VL3032 Lithium battery : is dead. Voltage is about 2 V (end of
service life according to its leaflet) although it shows 3V if
measured while connected to the mobo. My friend has not been able to
charge it because this type of battery is not compatible with his
charger.

I'll look if I can simulate #2 using two standard 1,5V rechargeable AA
batteries for a while. The recharge current (from the board to the
batteries) would be so low that it would make it impossible to damage
the batteries but I first would need to check whether the current
originated from the batteries would damage any chip on the mobo.

In my opinion this laptop isn't well designed at all and is far from
being flawless. The mere presence of three batteries inside it make it
a matter of science fiction powering it up but this won't make me give
up so fast, I need it to power it up and boot into the OS !

Thanks everybody for your help ;)

Regards,

Manel (beltrixx).
 
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