Battery swap complete--and she still works...

[bcsman]

Been wanting to do this for quite some time, swap the battery on my 920. Well we've had a couple power outages lately and the old girl has still rebooted successfully. But she must be close to 15 years old and really pushing my luck. So ordered the battery and followed the instructions on tvropro's website. Had to unsolder both sides of the old battery as the + side had a different looking adapter which I couldn't figure out how I was going to clip. Also good time to blow the dust and whatever else out while I had it apart. Put everything back together, minus the VC2 module and mount. Hooked up the actuator wiring and turned on, keeping my fingers crossed. I went to the sats page and all those I had loaded were still there. Also went to the main sats page and still had a boatload of them so guess it all went OK. Only problem was my clock was off and couldn't figure out how to set it as there is nothing on the options page. Found a DCII signal and left it there for a few minutes and BINGO, time was set.

So thanks for the info, was really pretty easy, but these 59 year old eyes don't see the little solder connections very well anymore...haha Hope the old girl lasts a few more years now....

 

[trinidex]

Been wanting to do this for quite some time, swap the battery on my 920. Well we've had a couple power outages lately and the old girl has still rebooted successfully. But she must be close to 15 years old and really pushing my luck. So ordered the battery and followed the instructions on tvropro's website. Had to unsolder both sides of the old battery as the + side had a different looking adapter which I couldn't figure out how I was going to clip. Also good time to blow the dust and whatever else out while I had it apart. Put everything back together, minus the VC2 module and mount. Hooked up the actuator wiring and turned on, keeping my fingers crossed. I went to the sats page and all those I had loaded were still there. Also went to the main sats page and still had a boatload of them so guess it all went OK. Only problem was my clock was off and couldn't figure out how to set it as there is nothing on the options page. Found a DCII signal and left it there for a few minutes and BINGO, time was set.

So thanks for the info, was really pretty easy, but these 59 year old eyes don't see the little solder connections very well anymore...haha Hope the old girl lasts a few more years now....

Well done!

You need to check the Unit Address under Check System Status with the the one printed on the back and make sure they are the same, this is what allows you to subscribe. When the battery dies and the power fails this will be reset to a random number and subbing is no longer possible.

 

[tvropro]

If the clock comes up 12:00 and Ch 1 is displayed its all over. If the clock is at a different time and you have all you programmed satellites and the like you should be good to go. Check your UID though like trindex said.

 

[bcsman]

Checked the UID today and it matches the number on the back of my 920. Also clock is back to the correct time so I guess all is well.

 

[tvropro]

You should be good to go.

 

[bcsman]

Just no X4 tile, but didn't have it before either. Have tried everything listed here and on other sites but no luck. Figured if I had to do a master reset I'd better get my battery done. At this time I only plan on using the 920 as a dish mover so no priority to get X4. Got W5 then right next to it R4, but no X4. Must be some really old maps. But ya never know so I'm good with backup power....

 

[tvropro]

If your not subbing you don't need X4, most everything on that bird needs a subscription. If you decide to subscribe you can do a MR and let H2H update that map or wait for Map Masters release and get X4 and all DC-2 in the sky mapped in.

 

[bobvick]

I have a question about replacing the battery in a 920. Is there any reason why, when you are putting the new one in, you can't just solder the new battery to the old leads (following the instructions) and then snip the old battery out?

 

[Asket]

I have a question about replacing the battery in a 920. Is there any reason why, when you are putting the new one in, you can't just solder the new battery to the old leads (following the instructions) and then snip the old battery out?

You can do that however there is a danger. If that old battery is seriously low it
may cause a drain on the new battery possibly ruining it and leading to an explosion.
Remember where your face will most likely be. You have to be really fast! Then you will note the new battery will be slightly below par for a few hours till it recovers.

 

[tvropro]

You have to get in quick and get out with connections. In short the least amount of time with both in line.

 

[bobvick]

Thank you, I will have to check the voltage on the battery when the receiver gets here. If it is ok, I will just leave it alone and watch it. If not I will replace it.

 

[bcsman]

bobvick,
Even if the old battery has around 3.6 VDC would still change it. From everything I've read the voltage stays steady until it's very near to it's end then drops quickly. Especially would be brought on by a power outage or unplugging it for awhile. Without knowing when and if the battery was swapped, for around $10 you would know.

Also trying to solder to the existing leads on the battery would be tough, at least on the positive side. Mine had a small piece of metal that the positive was soldered to and then was soldered into 2 pads. Would be hard to unsolder or cut the old one out as mine was setup. Much easier just to use the two pads pointed out in the pictures. Plus I just left mine plugged into power when I put it on just in case it was at that almost dead stage.....

 

[tvropro]

Lithium battery's die fast, if you loose your UID you won't be happy. Change the battery its not hard at all.

 

[Anony55]

Even if the old battery has around 3.6 VDC would still change it. From everything I've read the voltage stays steady until it's very near to it's end then drops quickly...

That's true. On top of that, they can drop & make you lose your UID... and then come back to normal voltage after the damage is already done.

My old 920 did this. It had died & lost its UID and wouldn't keep the sats that I programmed in after losing power. Then, by the time I got around to replacing the battery, it was back to working. All the sat maps it downloaded went back to surviving a power loss.

I went ahead & changed the battery anyway so that I could use it as a backup postioner. But I couldn't help but notice the behavior of dieing & coming back.

I definitely would not go by a voltage test to reassure myself that the battery was still ok.

Cheers

 

[tvropro]

When the battery voltage drops into the 2 volt range the UID is lost. When that happens the memory area in the XC chip looses its seed keys, personal UID and location set. If you replace the battery the XC chip generates a random new number. Since Motorola will not add it to there list of good ID's and send it a hit to set the location it ends up being useless. Best to keep that number alive and since the location cannot be set after failure it stays in a continuous searching for signal mode when it comes to DC-2.

 

[bobvick]

I got the 920 that I ordered today. It was (according to the serial #) made in 1999. It is in great shape, no scratches or dings or anything. The remote surprisingly looks nearly new. I hooked it up and checked, and the Unit ID showed up, and the receiver number matched that on the back of the receiver. I removed the VCII board and cage, and I have it ready to install the new battery this evening. I left it plugged up so it would not have to be any more drain on the battery. I have to unplug it to take it to put the battery in, so I have my fingers crossed it will work! Did you all just leave the VCII cage out, or did you put the cage back in so the back cover could be placed on and just leave the module out? I have a 922 that I got at a good deal off of E-Bay coming next week, so I will have to repeat the procedure again. I am looking forward to the MapMaster coming out! Thanks for all of your help and suggestions

 

[phlatwound]

.......Did you all just leave the VCII cage out, or did you put the cage back in so the back cover could be placed on and just leave the module out?......

It's a good idea just to leave the VCII module out, it has a battery that can spill crap in your receiver, will add additional heat.....and they serve no useful purpose since (for all practical purpose) VCII is gone anyway.

 

[bcsman]

Agreed, I too left the VCII module out and also the whole cage. Not only is this not used anymore and has a possibility of another battery going, I left it out to save from any extra heat generation. I have mine in an area that gets warm and any heat I can remove is a plus for me.

Let us know how the battery change goes bobvick....

 

[bobvick]

Agreed, I too left the VCII module out and also the whole cage. Not only is this not used anymore and has a possibility of another battery going, I left it out to save from any extra heat generation. I have mine in an area that gets warm and any heat I can remove is a plus for me.

Let us know how the battery change goes bobvick....

Did you just leave the cover off the back (the cover for where the vcii was? And have an open space? I don't guess it would hurt anything. I am going to have this unit in a entertainment console. I might just keep this one to tinker with if the 922 I have coming is good. I just have the module ready to throw away since VCII is gone. I don't really even know if the battery in it is good.

 

[tvropro]

I have the cages pulled from test IRD's for the MM project. Makes getting to the BDM jack easy.