Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!romp!auschs!awdprime!woan.austin.ibm.com!ron
From: ron@woan.austin.ibm.com (Ronald S. Woan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Replacing lithium batteries
Keywords: lithium, batteries, replacement better by lithium
Message-ID: <1155@awdprime.UUCP>
Date: 14 Dec 89 20:46:15 GMT
References: <4923@blake.acs.washington.edu>
Sender: news@awdprime.UUCP
Reply-To: @cs.utexas.edu:ibmchs!auschs!woan.austin.ibm.com!ron
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Distribution: na
Organization: IBM-Austin, AWD
Lines: 29

In article <4923@blake.acs.washington.edu>, djo7613@blake.acs.washin
(Dick O'Connor) writes:
> 
> As I watched a repairman cut out the old dead lithium battery from a
> Kaypro XT and solder in an inexpensive battery pack that takes 3 AA
> batteries and keeps the clock running just fine, I began to wonder 
> about similar surgery for 286 or 386 machines.
> 
> Lithium batteries are pretty expensive.  Is there any built-in
> capacity in 286/386 machines to replace them with cheaper, more
> common batteries with an equivalent power rating?  Is the price
> of lithium batteries so high because you have extended life and
> the convenience of not having to pop the top every few months?

You can always replace the lithium batteries with some simple
combination of standard batteries, but for most computers the lithium
batteries are still cost effective. The lithium batteries used in the
original IBM-AT and clones can be got for <$15 from RayOVac(sp?),
Duracell or Panasonic these days. They last 3 to 5 years as well. It
is only those that are soldered on the add-on boards that may be
better replaced with standard batteries.

						Ron

+-----All Views Expressed Are My Own And Are Not Necessarily Shared By------+
+------------------------------My Employer----------------------------------+
+ Ronald S. Woan  (IBM VNET)WOAN AT AUSTIN, (AUSTIN)ron@woan.austin.ibm.com +
+ outside of IBM       @cs.utexas.edu:ibmchs!auschs!woan.austin.ibm.com!ron +
+ last resort                                        woan@peyote.cactus.org +