2 Nov
2005
2 Nov
'05
3:15 p.m.
Subject: Re: OT: Lowest-power small server solutions
From: Scott Stevens <chenmel at earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 18:01:50 -0500
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at
classiccmp.org>
On Wed, 02 Nov 2005 12:10:56 -0500
Allison <ajp166 at bellatlantic.net> wrote:
That's probably what I should do. I even have a number of scrap
motherboards with the 2032 size battery holder on them. That will superglue nicely on top
of the NVRAM module.
It's a bother reprogramming the NVRAM contents (you lose the MAC address, etc.) and I
want a quasi-permanent solution, which the bigger AAA batteries represents. But it gets
expensive putting a $5 pair of AAA lithium batteries in each machine when you have a lot
of Sparcs. (the NVRAM FAQ says "it's best just to spend the $20 on a new
NVRAM," but that's from an era when these Sun boxes were Big Bux and people
didn't have a pile of them to maintain. $20 multipies out to a big number here, and
just buying another 48c02 module sets me up for another $20 sooner than I'd want)
Backup batteries in general is a topic worth pondering with 'vintage' computer
hardware.
I've done the DS1287 replace the battery gig more than a few times on PCs.
A 2032 will outlast the original by many years. The real trick is having a
copy of the CMOS contents on other than the affected system just in case.
Allison
Subject: Re: OT: Lowest-power small server solutions
From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com>
Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 08:42:40 -0800
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
On 11/1/2005 at 8:38 PM Scott Stevens wrote:
Why not use a 2032 3V lithium coin cell? They are cheap and small too.
For that backup use they should last years.
Allison Any suggestions of a better battery (cheaper,
mostly) to 'strap on' to Sun
NVRAMs? I am going to use AAA lithiums on this machine, which should last
forever, but they're a bit pricey.
Why not just some plain old AA alkalines? You should get a couple of years
(i.e. shelf life)out of each set.
--Chuck