Re: Saving //gs Control Panel Settings

[Bill Bach <bbach@cncdsl.com>]

Rubywand wrote:

> Bill Bach writes ...
> >
> > I am trying to get my //gs (ROM01) to save its settings in the control
> > panel -- e.g. Setting a slot to "Your Card" to enable a SuperSerial card
> > in it, or even changing the beep frequency or setting the system speed
> > (would be nice to play old games at normal speed).
> > A previous post indicated that I might need to replace the system
> > battery, which I now have done.  However, the only thing that I'm able
> > to set is the clock (which was working fine with the original battery),
> > but all other setting changes revert back to their defaults.  Any
> > suggestions now?
>  ....
>      Are you able to make Control Panel changes while the computer is turned ON? For
> example, can you change screen Text and border colors and have the changes 'stick'
> for as long as the computer is powered?

No.  Changes are not saving at all, even whilest powered on.  As soon as I exit the
control panel, which reboots the computer, all changes go away.

> > Is there a second battery that I need to find somewhere?
>      There is no other battery involved. What sort of battery did you install--
> mainly, what type (e.g. alkaline, lithium, etc.) and what is its Voltage rating?

I received the info on the battery from mattack@area.com.  It is a 3.6v Tadiron lithium
battery, 1/2AA. It is holding the time just fine (as was the original 3V battery), but
system settings still don't keep.  I was anxious about clipping the leads on the
original, since it was still keeping time correctly, but the install of the new one seems
OK.

> > Is it trying to write to a CMOS chip which perhaps has gone bad?
>      I guess that's possible; but, it does not seem likely. The 256 bytes of memory
> used for storing Control Panel settings are part of the same chip (often called the
> "BAT RAM") that keeps time.
>      What I'm wondering is whether your bat Voltage is too low. (It should be 3.6V.)
> Possibly, with a too-low bat Voltage, the clock might keep working when power is OFF
> but the 256-byte RAM might lose data.
>      Although it seems unlikely, the 1K resistor (R75) or the IN914 diode (CR2)
> coming from the battery may be defective.
>      Another possibility is that some data never gets sent to the BAT RAM. That could
> relate to a poorly socketed Video Graphics Controller IC-- a square IC located under
> the power supply. With everything OFF, prying up and resocketing the VGC chip may
> reestablish good connections and fix things. (You can pry up square IC's at the
> corners using a tiny screwdriver or large needle.)

I'll try reseating all chips, just to see if it helps....
 Goldstar Software Inc.
 Building on Btrieve(R) for the Future(SM)
 Bill Bach
 BillBach@compuserve.com
 http://www.goldstarsoftware.com
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