920 battery voltage OK, replace anyway???

[Das Hammer]

I just picked up a 920 as part of my seemingly ongoing collection 8). First thing was to tear it apart and check battery voltage.

It was reading 3.62V :up (and yes, the receiver was unplugged).

So, since it is reading this voltage, should I go ahead and replace the battery anyway, or would I be safe to just check the voltage every couple months? Do they typically read less and less voltage over time, or is it more likely that it would just fail without warning???

 

[chefwan]

i would go ahead and replace the battery there is no telling how old it is...plus i'd leave it pluged in untill u changed the battery or buy a power supply battery backup incase the power goes out and the 920 dies. if it dies its toast im sure u know that lol . but i got my battery from Mouser Electronics website is Mouser Electronics - Electronic Component Distributor and the part # is
PN: 667-TL2100P good luck

 

[john green]

Seems like I read on here somewhere that type of battery does not fade it just goes dead when it's reached the end of it's life.

 

[gpat]

true no warning it just drops like a rock.
You may want to put some type of battery holder in that parallels
2 batteries so the next replacement will go seamless.
I hear that you have about 30 seconds for the caps to run down but
why take a chance.
I had a 920 die that I had just bought and it was $200 to fix.
Also a word of caution Ive also heard of these batterys exploding when removed.

 

[Covack]

I would check out the reciever before I changed the battery, make sure
the ITC digitals are coming in , that would be alot of work for nothing if for some reason the unit ID was bad, of course it doesn't sound
like it, with Your meter reading voltage. Good collection (#8)

 

[Das Hammer]

Sounds like a good project to do over Christmas then.

 

[gpat]

Sounds like a good project to do over Christmas then.

Make sure you keep it alive and powered up until then.
And have everything ready to go before you power down.
You might even want to do this in stages so its not down too long.
Kinda like a heart transplant without a back up machine.

 

[BabaLouie]

If you're nervous about changing your battery, as I was (didn't want to lose
authorization for DMX Music channels), you can have ATS Electronics do it for you. I would recommend them for fast, good service. Google will take you to their website.

 

[Das Hammer]

Make sure you keep it alive and powered up until then.
And have everything ready to go before you power down.
You might even want to do this in stages so its not down too long.
Kinda like a heart transplant without a back up machine.

It was shipped to me last week and spent at least a week in transit. Hopefully, it still has a couple hours of down time left in it!

Battery is being delivered today. Wish me luck and Godspeed.

 

[Davage]

I bought a 920 receiver off of ebay just 2 months ago. The previous owner tells me that the battery had been replaced just 1 year ago. Is there any way to confirm that the battery has in fact been replaced?

 

[Das Hammer]

The only way I know of is to take off the outside cover, remove the VC module (if there is one) and take a look. You may also be able to see through the side of the unit after taking the outside cover off, I can't remember right now if the rectangular opening in the side is close enough to take a peak at the battery or not.

Regardless, it should be pretty obvious if it has been replaced.

Take a look at this guide for some pics of before and after. :up

 

[Davage]

Thank you for the link - that's perfect! I've already taken out the VC module because it was acting up, which may coincidentally may have been caused by a weak battery in the VC module.

 

[Das Hammer]

Thanks for all of the encouragement, fellas. Replaced the battery and all is still well with the 920. Got a couple more lined up to do now for Dad.

I should add one precautionary measure that I took when replacing the battery. The axial leads on the new battery were pretty long and I wasn't planning on keeping heat on them very long due to the risks of working with these kinds of batteries, but just to be safe I took another step. I clamped an "alligator clamp" to the axial lead to act as a heat sink. It's an old trick my dad taught me.

 

[Anole]

very clever solution

Not having a receiver, I have always wondered how to change the battery.

That fellow really shows a fool-proof technique.
And a trick that's good enough to give to folks, and have them succeed.
I've seen all too many help sites where the author uses some dangerous approach that only a seasoned professional should consider.

One thing I often do, is put a date sticker on certain equipment.
...and inside remote controls when I change the cells.
It would be a wise addition for anyone changing this battery.

Oh, and the alligator-clip heatsink is an old trick I learned back around the dawn of transistors, from my Dad, too!

 

[JBOND]

DSR 920 is DEAD

Hi everyone, only to asking something. I got a 920 and accidentally it was disconnected from the electrical supply and after some time it was connected again. All the guide channel were lost and I don't have the DC light "ON". It is any way that I could get back my system to normal operations?