Re: Rom 3 GS battery ram questions

[Delfs <eeastman@gmail.com>]

On Mar 4, 11:18 pm, "Jayson Smith"
<ihatespamratguynospample...@insightbb.spamsucks.com> wrote:

> How do you get the battery cover off?

The over comes off by pinching together the long sides of the batter
cover gently. This flexes the cover and the fingers on the top and
bottom to spread just enough so you can lift the top cover strait
off.  I have never successfully done this myself but Ive seen it done
many a time. :)

> 2. Does the battery, and/or any replacement I am likely to get, have
> different-feeling positive and negative terminals, like those on AA, AAA, C
> or D batteries? On a standard ROM 3 motherboard, which terminal is in front,
> and which one is in back?

Yes, the replacement battery has a nub on the top like most standard
AA type batteries that will indicate the positive side.  It is located
towards the back of the machine.


> 3. The big question... Where do I get a replacement battery?

A good reference to amazon was posted but I found a good number of
vendors by searching for "tadiran battery" using Google.  You want the
3.6V lithium 1/2 AA size. (It's pink and black for that brand, its
also know as a Mac battery as that's what shipped in the macs of that
era.)  I have seen them in stock at Radio Shack for 13.99, online you
will find a better deal.

> But why does the clock just power up at any old random time?

I have a theory on the last one.  There is not enough power to hold
the clock counter bits so they get scrambled.  And the firmware in the
IIGS does not preset them to any given value.  So every time you turn
it on you may get a new value because the counter is randomized.  Of
course combine that with the oscillator that may or may not be
oscillating to advance the counter, and you could be looking at a REAL
random number generator. :)

Thankx,
Ed