🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <john-1801981520550001@mabuhay.demon.co.uk>,
john@mabuhay.demon.co.Zuk (John) wrote:

>Are there any precautions I should bear in mind when replacing the
>battery?  If it is as easy to do as it looks why do Apple say only Apple
>Centres should change it? 

It is quite as easy to do as it looks. I've changed three of the things now
(none of them on my machines) and I got the batteries from Mac dealers
because it was simpler that way; the cost wasn't that horrific either. I
don't think that there's anything special about the batteries provided the
voltage is right. The dealers didn't even suggest that they should do the
swap rather than  me... I think Apple are covering their arses just in
case.

-- 
Peter

John <john@mabuhay.demon.co.Zuk> wrote:

> When fitting SIMMS last year I remember thinking the Pram Battery looks
> quite accessable and wondering why it costs so much to have changed at an
> Apple Centre.
> 
> Well, my battery is now dead. It is a Sonnenschein inorganic lithium,
> number SL-150
> 
> I've seen a 3.6 volt in the Farnell catalogue which looks similar. Would
> this one do?  It's a 1/2 AA size with a 1.1 Ah capacity,  number SL235L/S
> 
> 
> As long as the voltage is correct and the connecters fit properly are
> there any other specifications that I need to worry about (amps per hour
> rating etc. etc.)
> 
> 
> Are there any precautions I should bear in mind when replacing the
> battery?  If it is as easy to do as it looks why do Apple say only Apple
> Centres should change it?  
> 
> 
> Thanks,  John

Changing the battery IS as easy as it looks. You don't even need to
worry too much about the voltage - 10% low or perhaps even a bit more
will still work without problems. There are some Duracell camera
batteries available in Boots that work fine.

Getting the 'approved' battery from an Apple Dealer depends a lot on the
dealer and how well you know them. I tried a couple and they point blank
refused to sell a battery. They wanted �25 for me to take the Mac to
them and have it changed. Other Apple dealers might be more
accomadating.

Quite why Apple do this is a bit of a mystery to me. I guess it is
partly to try to cover themsevles in case the user screws it up but I
would have thought it was a lot easier to cause problems changing
SIMMs/DIMMs. Apple seem to have a similar policy with memory but can't
hope to enforce it because the memory is widely available. By using an
odd battery, they are in a slightly better position.

There is also the issue regarding headline pricing versus hidden prices.
A lot of industries try to push headline prices down and make up for it
elsewhere. Basically, once you have an Apple Mac, then approved Apple
dealers are, in theory, the safest place to get then fixed and there is
less competition. Just like buying a car - having got your nice new
motor with the 3 year warranty, you're very reluctant to have it
serviced any where other than an approved main dealer.

I think Apple (perhaps just Apple UK?) are being very silly. I don't see
that they would have any problems sell the batteries openly. Not selling
them openly can only upset users who have already gone out on a bit of
limb buying Apple in the first place. Seems some genuine concern for
users it what is required.

-- 
Larry Stoter
17, Rocks Park Road, Uckfield, E. Sussex, TN22 2AT, UK
email: LPS@teknesis.demon.co.uk
Phone/Fax: +44 (0)1825 767967

John <john@mabuhay.demon.co.Zuk> wrote:

> When fitting SIMMS last year I remember thinking the Pram Battery looks
> quite accessable and wondering why it costs so much to have changed at an
> Apple Centre.

'cos it's a bleedin' rip-off, that's why.

> Well, my battery is now dead. It is a Sonnenschein inorganic lithium,
> number SL-150
> 
> I've seen a 3.6 volt in the Farnell catalogue which looks similar. Would
> this one do?  It's a 1/2 AA size with a 1.1 Ah capacity,  number SL235L/S

I don't know for sure - if the voltage and fitting is correct, it's
fine.

> As long as the voltage is correct and the connecters fit properly are
> there any other specifications that I need to worry about (amps per hour
> rating etc. etc.)

It's amp-hours (amps times hours); a measure of how many electrons you
can get out of the beastie.  That is, a 4 Amp-hour battery can
(supposedly, and roughly) supply 4 A for 1 hr, or 0.4 A for 10 hrs, etc.

But just so long as the voltage and connectors are correct, there's
nothing else to consider.  A greater capacity than spec will mean it
lasts longer; less capacity than spec means it'll last less time.
Neither case will cause any damage.  These lithium batteries are
non-rechargable (with a vengeance - they can't take more than a handful
of microamps charging current), so you don't have to worry about
anything to do with charging.

> Are there any precautions I should bear in mind when replacing the
> battery?  If it is as easy to do as it looks why do Apple say only Apple
> Centres should change it?  

It's conceiveable that you might run the risk of damaging some circuitry
with static, so you might like to take precautions to discharge any
static electricity you might be carrying around with you.  What I do is
ensure that my Mac is switched off (at the back of the Mac *and* at the
mains socket) but plugged in.  Then I touch the metal case of the PSU
firmly to discharge any static I'm carrying to ground, and do the job in
hand (fitting a SIMM, or whatever).

I recall hearing about some of these batteries being a bit fiddly to
replace on account of a strange fitment locking them in place.  I seem
to recall coming across a Mac PRAM battery site somewhere - you might
try a Web search to see if you can track it down.

Rowland.

-- 
Remove the animal for my email address:   rebecca@astrid.dog.u-net.com
Sorry - the spam got to me.          
PGP pub key A680B89D; fingerprint: F5605EAE F56F2C0B 818F3319 5227767F
                                   What?  Don't ask me - I don't know.

Larry Stoter <LPS@teknesis.demon.co.uk> wrote:

[snip]
> elsewhere. Basically, once you have an Apple Mac, then approved Apple
> dealers are, in theory, the safest place to get then fixed and there is
> less competition. Just like buying a car - having got your nice new
> motor with the 3 year warranty, you're very reluctant to have it
> serviced any where other than an approved main dealer.
[snip]

For myself, I'd be very nervous about having an `approved main dealer'
or, indeed, anyone except me, doing any work on any motor vehicle I own.
This concern goes double for computer equipment.  I've heard too many
tales direct from the mechanics about what goes on in commercial
workshops to trust them.

Rowland.

-- 
Remove the animal for my email address:   rebecca@astrid.dog.u-net.com
Sorry - the spam got to me.          
PGP pub key A680B89D; fingerprint: F5605EAE F56F2C0B 818F3319 5227767F
                                   What?  Don't ask me - I don't know.

In article <19980119074801141149@teknesis.demon.co.uk>,
LPS@teknesis.demon.co.uk (Larry Stoter) wrote:

>I think Apple (perhaps just Apple UK?) are being very silly. I don't see
>that they would have any problems sell the batteries openly. Not selling
>them openly can only upset users who have already gone out on a bit of
>limb buying Apple in the first place. Seems some genuine concern for
>users it what is required.

The three batteries I changed were all (by some odd coincidence) in
Switzerland- I think I probably know more people with *old* Macs there...
Swiss Mac dealers appear to have no problems at all about selling batteries
to lusers. Maybe it's different here? But I got my Mac from Trams in
Victoria and they have never caused me any hassles of that kind. Mind you,
after the intial set-up I've never   had any problems with my Mac beyond
inserting and unplugging memory, so I've not seen them in the past two
years...

Believe me this is a wildly different experience from the PCs I owned
previously, where from constant practice I became an expert in fishing
about inside. With this 7500, I forget from one time to the next how to
open and unfold the thing...

I guess you pay more and get better quality... My daughter has an LCII that
was recycled 12 months ago, after being used continuously for two years on
"People's Century", and it still works perfectly.

By the way, Rowland is right; the plastic battery clip which fits over the
top is a tiny bit fiddly but with the machine open in front of you, I seem
to remember that it's pretty obvious what to do.

-- 
Peter

John <john@mabuhay.demon.co.Zuk> wrote:

> When fitting SIMMS last year I remember thinking the Pram Battery looks
> quite accessable and wondering why it costs so much to have changed at an
> Apple Centre.
> 
> Well, my battery is now dead. It is a Sonnenschein inorganic lithium,
> number SL-150
> 
> I've seen a 3.6 volt in the Farnell catalogue which looks similar. Would
> this one do?  It's a 1/2 AA size with a 1.1 Ah capacity,  number SL235L/S
> 
> 
> As long as the voltage is correct and the connecters fit properly are
> there any other specifications that I need to worry about (amps per hour
> rating etc. etc.)
> 
> 
> Are there any precautions I should bear in mind when replacing the
> battery?  If it is as easy to do as it looks why do Apple say only Apple
> Centres should change it?  
> 
> 
> Thanks,  John


It sounds as if that battery will do just fine.

Apple have this peculiar idea that their machines need speciallist
salesmen and speciallist maintainers.  The truth is that only PCs need
these!

You will need a fine-bladed screwdriver to ease the cover off and then
the battery just lifts out.  NOTE WHICH WAY ROUND IT GOES.

Drop the new battery in and push the cover back into place.  Put the lid
back in the machine and restart.  It is as simple as that!

Note that if they are not already doing funny things due to low battery
voltage a few settings might get lost when the battery is disconnected.
These include: Date and time; selected desktop pattern; file sharing
on/off; port selection for appletalk; selected startup drive if not main
internal one.

-- 
Vernon Quaintance

vernon@dircon.co.uk

Many thanks for the advice. I ordered a battery from the Farnell
catalogue's 24 hour number at 8:30 pm and it arrived 36 hours later. Cost
was UK P4.76 (post free/no minimum order) - an excellent service!

Fitting was done in about 5.5 minutes - the biggest problem was untangling
the wires so I could move the monitor out of the way!



John

-- 
If replying by email, please remove the Z.

In article <19980119074801141149@teknesis.demon.co.uk>,
LPS@teknesis.demon.co.uk (Larry Stoter) wrote:

>I think Apple (perhaps just Apple UK?) are being very silly. I don't see
>that they would have any problems sell the batteries openly.

I know this is late, but I went away for ten days and when I came back my
7500/100 wouldn't start. You know the thing; bong! rattle of drive, then
nothing. Classic PRAM battery death. Frankly, it had only lasted two years
and I was just a bit ticked off, but there it is...

The point is that the dealer Apple dealer who had sold me that machine
(Trams in Victoria- hugely friendly, good price, they do Compaq as well so
they will survive...) was very helpful and sold me a battery without
trouble. However... They needed to know that it was me and they asked me if
I'd bought the machine there. Maybe it was just for marketing information.
I forgot to ask if they would have sold the battery to a complete stranger
(heavens! The very thought...) I suspect they would.

-- 
Peter

In article <B0FBDDF9966815152@cara.demon.co.uk>,
peter@cara.demon.co.uk (Peter Ceresole) wrote:

>Subject: Re: Changing the Pram Battery on an LCIII
>From: Peter Ceresole
>Organization: none
>Date: Mon, 02 Feb 1998 20:32:57 +0000
>Newsgroups: demon.tech.mac
>
>In article <19980119074801141149@teknesis.demon.co.uk>,
>LPS@teknesis.demon.co.uk (Larry Stoter) wrote:
>
>>I think Apple (perhaps just Apple UK?) are being very silly. I don't see
>>that they would have any problems sell the batteries openly.
>
>I know this is late, but I went away for ten days and when I came back my
>7500/100 wouldn't start. You know the thing; bong! rattle of drive, then
>nothing. Classic PRAM battery death. Frankly, it had only lasted two years
>and I was just a bit ticked off, but there it is...
>
>The point is that the dealer Apple dealer who had sold me that machine
>(Trams in Victoria- hugely friendly, good price, they do Compaq as well so
>they will survive...) was very helpful and sold me a battery without
>trouble. However... They needed to know that it was me and they asked me if
>I'd bought the machine there. Maybe it was just for marketing information.
>I forgot to ask if they would have sold the battery to a complete stranger
>(heavens! The very thought...) I suspect they would.

My 7500's battery died in the Summer, I got one by first class post from
Scotsys, the Apple dealer in Glasgow, cost a reasonable fiver including
posting and no questions asked. Apart from which battery I wanted!

Gordon


One of these days I'm going to think of a decent sig line