Checksum Error

[seekermeister]

I just installed a new battery, which I also checked with a DVM, so I know the battery is not the problem, but my secondary rig will only retain what I set in the BIOS until I turn off the power switch or unplug the computer. This seems to indicate that the battery isn't able to power whatever it is that retains the settings.

The one thing that I'm not sure of is the two little spring clips that are supposed to make contact with the positive side of the battery (outer side), mine are only making contact with the side of the battery. Is this okay, or do they have to reach to outer side?

 

[Uber Philf]

No, they only need to touch the sides but more towards the top.

Hope this helps.

 

[seekermeister]

It's dificult to see just how high they are reaching, but I have a feeing that it isn't high enough. I'll see if I can pry them a little higher. If this isn't the answer to the problem, then I guess the motherboard is shot, because I also installed a new BIOS chip, in case it had something to do with it.

 

[seekermeister]

I finally got it fixed, but I ended up having to bend the pins across the top of the battery, so as to make proper contact. Since I put in a new battery, hopefully it won't need replacing during the remaining lifetime of the motherboard. I wish the socket had been like the one in my other rig, because it just has a little spring clip to release the battery. That is what I thought this was at first, and is why I ended up bending them to remove the battery.

I still find it odd that SpeedFan could read the vbat, yet the battery wasn't actually usable.

 

[Dwarf]

SpeedFan doesn't actually read the voltage of the battery as such. The battery is there to preserve data in the CMOS (the BIOS settings) and to maintain the real-time clock. The battery is actually wired in series with a diode to prevent it from being damaged - when your system is in use, it is actually one of the 3v3 lines that is used to provide this voltage. This is also the reason why 3v lithium batteries (typically CR2032) are used. The diode is present to stop this current flowing into the battery (it is reverse-biased). When you power down your system, this current no longer exists, the diode is no longer reverse-biased and current is now able to flow from the battery. The only effective method of measuring the voltage of this battery under load is to use a digital multimeter set on D.C. voltage and to carefully probe the battery terminals.

 

[seekermeister]

Thanks. Here all along, I thought that vbat was giving me a means of monitoring the battery. Since SpeedFan is already giving a voltage for the 3.3 rail, is there any point in having it read the vbat also?