[Cialug] bios fubar?

[Matthew Nuzum]

On 1/11/08, neal daringer <admin at c0wzftp.com> wrote:
>
> josh, i'm 99% sure this is the case that i have. while the machine is
> powered on, i can use it like normal, reinserting the battery while it
> is powered on, it is added as a new device(battery), but it has strange
> characters for its make/model. too bad this dinosaur of a laptop still
> has pricey batteries (~$100-150).
>

You may be able to rebuild the battery yourself. The cells are often $1.5 -
$4 each and there are usually 4 - 9 cells per battery. NiMH and NiCd can be
done. The round lithium cells should not be soldered to by mere mortals
though (for health/safety reasons), but tabbed Li cells can be soldered. The
Lithium batteries usually have some extra circuitry inside that add
challenges.

The hardest part is cracking the battery open. Patience and a straight edge
can get the job done. If worse comes to worse, you can crack the battery
case open and use packing tape to hold it together once done. :-)

If the battery is toast, it may be worth it to crack it open and see what's
inside.

Also note that I see CPi batteries on ebay for < $50 shipping included.
Though even that may be more expense than is desired for an ancient machine.

-- 
Matthew Nuzum
newz2000 on freenode
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