Sharp fax machine - changing the lithium battery (yes, I know)

[Peabody]

I know this is a long shot, but someone may know. I have a Sharp model UX-
D1200SE fax machine which actually works well. But I only need it a couple
times a year, so I don't leave it plugged in. It has a lithium battery that
keeps time and the settings, but the manual says it must be replaced by an
authorized service center. I called Sharp, and they repeated that
requirement, but said they have no service center where I live, so I would
have to send in the machine to them to get the battery changed. They refused
to tell me how to replace the battery. Right.

I've looked over the machine carefully, and don't see any likely entry for
this. And I can't find anything about this through Google.

Any info or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Phil Allison]

** Many Lithium cells are mounted on the main PCB, held by solder links that are attached to the cells.

For example;

http://www.henlimax.com/imageRepository/239b1aa8-4668-45f2-95db-1f1af80ef215.gif

They normally last anywhere from 10 to 20 years.

So, you have to open the machine, find the cell and then get one like it.

Remove the old one and fit the new one with a soldering operation.


... Phil

[William Sommerwerck]

The lithium battery is usually a coin cell, so-called because it's about the
size and shape of a coin. It's almost universal in personal computers, to
retain the BIOS settings when the machine is unplugged. My JVC and Yamaha hall
synthesizers also have them to retain user settings.

It's sometimes installed in a socket, but most-often is directly soldered into
the board. It should be plainly visible.

If you're handy with a soldering iron, you should have no trouble replacing
it. You might want to purchase and solder in a socket, so you won't have to
unsolder anything again.

[John Robertson]

If you don't want to lose the settings or the machine has one of those
battery suicide software (when the battery dies the CMOS loses serial
number or some such and you can't revive the device) - look up Capcom
Suicide Battery as an example.

The best way to replace the battery is with the power on, or a second
power supply providing power to the CMOS device while you replace the
battery. As others have said a socket isn't a bad idea here, however get
a good quality one that has plenty of grip on the battery.

Unsoldering a battery while the power is on requires an ISOLATED tip
iron. A Butane soldering tool works well for example. You don't want the
tip grounded or you will short out the battery while soldering it in. If
your tip retains heat well you can try soldering a second battery across
the solder tabs of the original by unplugging the soldering iron just
before you try to solder the wires. Turning it off won't break the
ground connection to the tip, you MUST unplug it!

I much prefer the Butane soldering tool for this sort of job though.

John :-#)#

--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
(604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."