Task: Remove and Replace Batteries from Retro Computers to Prevent Damage to the Circuit Board
Needed: New battery
Time: 10-15 minutes
Instructions
A number of later retro computers included batteries on the circuit board to preserve the Parameter Random Access Memory (PRAM) that stored settings for the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, for example. This became important in the era of graphical operating systems such as that used on the Macintosh. Unfortunately, these old Lithium batteries tend to leak over time and can create a lot of damage on circuit boards. It is good practice to inspect and remove these old batteries and leave the battery holder empty or install newly made batteries if you use the system often and want to preserve the PRAM. Below is a photo of a new battery I installed in my Macintosh Classic II. Fortunately, none of my classic Macs had leaking batteries and I was able to replace all of them with new models.
Instructions
The classic Macintoshes take a 3.6V lithium barrel battery like the one shown above. These are readily available on Amazon and from other electronics suppliers. I bought this set of four for less than $20. Other computer models likely have different battery requirements.
Note that some batteries might be soldered in.
Comments
I made a note for a year from now to check on the batteries for leakage. These should last a good long time though.