[PLUG] Not so portable time

[Galen Seitz]

> 
> Yep. We run into this at FREE GEEK all the time, especially on low end 
> pentiums. Look first for a silver colored "button" battery. If you find 
> it (and it's not soldered on), you're in luck. If you can't find one, 
> look for a rectangular boxy dark grey square that may of may no be 
> marked "ODIN" or "DALLAS". Example at:
> 
> http://dbserv.maxim-ic.com/images/timekeeping.jpg
> 
> Sometimes these can be replaced. Often not. (I saw one Sparc with a 
> Lithium button battery soldered on as a hardware kludge.)
> 

That was a very carefully constructed kludge!  I bought a replacement
RTC module.  After installing it, I discovered (by searching the net)
that the clock silicon had been revised slightly, such that the 
firmware in my Sparcstation 2 didn't like it.  Thus I decided to hack
in a new battery instead.

ST Microelectronics is another major manufacturer of battery-backed RTC
modules.  You can buy their parts from Mouser (www.mouser.com).

galen