[sdiy] Roland Cr-78 troubleshoot/repair

[J Brave]

Hi, 

1. I have a Roland CR-78 with original battery which has not yet leaked. I would like to replace it with a new NiCad rechargeable rather than attempt the job I see most have done disabling the charging circuit. Any reason not to do this? Any idea what exactly would be a good replacement rechargeable NiCad battery?

2. When I attempt using various means to program custom rhythms, including a FutureRetro Swynx, instead of a single drumbeat I get a bunch of semi-random garbage rhythms with the selected instrument. Is this a typical sign of the dead battery or something else?

Joel