[sdiy] Oberheim Matrix 6 ---- 3.6v Lithium battery replacement.. or not ?

[Michael E Caloroso]

#3) replace the PCB mounted 2032 with a 2430 plus battery holder that will
fit the 2430.  2430 supplies the same voltage as 2032, but has higher
milliamp-hour (mAh) rating which means longer life.  2450 has more than
double the mAh capacity.  20xx battery is a 20mm diameter format while 24xx
is 40.5mm diameter.  2032 and 2430 are both 3mm height, 2450 is 5mm height.

You CAN find battery holders that are reliable.  I use them in devices I
gig and have yet to have a failure.

I don't unsolder PCB mounted batteries, I clip the battery terminals then
unsolder the remnants.  Batteries do not like extreme heat, and I don't
want to be sprayed with toxic chemicals.

MC

On Sun, Aug 7, 2022 at 5:11 PM brianw <brianw at audiobanshee.com> wrote:

> I recommend:
>
> #1) leaving it alone until it fails. I've never seen a 2032 leak.
>
> #2) replacing with an identical BR2032 with the correctly-spaced legs for
> this PCB, assuming that you have plenty of experience with soldering
> vintage gear without damaging things like the pads. The worst thing is
> starting with a working synth and ending up with one that doesn't work, due
> to mysterious soldering issues.
>
> In particular, I recommend against modifying the Matrix 6 with either a
> battery holder or wire extensions. The single worst thing I've found when
> buying used synths is a battery flopping around and damaging other rare
> components because someone failed to replace the battery with the original
> configuration. These modifications are always worse than the original, or a
> replacement that's identical to the original.
>
> Note that if you're finding BR2032 battery cells that don't fit the Matrix
> 6, then you need to keep looking. Go to a manufacturer site like Panasonic,
> and search their product category. Once you have confirmed the measurements
> of the pin spacings, look for an exact match in their catalog. From there,
> you'll have a specific product number to search for.
>
> Case in point: I recently repaired an Ensoniq ESQ1. Searching the usual
> distributor sites, I couldn't quite find the right battery, or at least
> there didn't seem to be any guarantee about the pin spacings. After I
> looked in a battery manufacturer catalog and got an actual part number, it
> was really easy to find a distributor with parts in stock, cheap. This
> wasn't a 2032 battery, by the way, but the process of finding an
> appropriate part number works the same.
>
> Brian Willoughby
>
>
> On Aug 7, 2022, at 9:07 AM, John Speth wrote:
> > Regarding soldering, I've faced that problem in the past. I've had good
> luck with preparing a battery by soldering red/black pigtails to the
> battery, wrapping it in heat shrink tubing, then soldering the pigtails to
> the board after snipping (no heat) the old battery out. Then figure out
> some way to anchor the battery (tie-wraps, etc) if necessary. It also makes
> it easier to replace the battery again 30 years later :)
> >
> > I think the key when working on old fragile boards is to take every
> precaution to avoid heating the board due to soldering. The pigtails
> provide a measure of soldering heat isolation. Soldering the wires to the
> battery requires a hot iron and flux.
> >
> > JJS
> >
> > On 8/7/2022 7:33 AM, Jean-Pierre Desrochers wrote:
> >> Hi all,
> >> A friend of mine brought me a working Oberheim Matrix 6 keyboard
> >> that he was worried about the inner memory lithium battery (BR2032)
> >> being about to die.. and to replace it.
> >> Well after a quick check the battery was still in pretty good physical
> condition (no leakage)
> >> <image002.jpg>
> >>
> >> and was showing a strong 3.23v on its terminal (AC unconnected)
> >> So.. In this situation I’m wondering if this lithium cell should be
> replaced or not.
> >> I know this keyboard is at least 30-40 years old and many of the coin
> >> batteries of these vintage keyboards need to be replaced, but..
> >> And on replacement I thought about soldering a coin battery socket
> >> on the PCB pads BUT the battery placement on the PCB
> >> is very close to some IC’s as shown on the picture and
> >> would need the socket to be raised a little to avoid these IC’s.. I
> don’t like that.
> >> I could also buy a coin battery with PCB legs too like this one
> >> but again, replacement or not ?
> >> <image004.jpg>
> >> I don’t know the year of manufacture of this Matrix but here are
> >> the serial number and BIOS number.
> >> SN: 7622661
> >> BIOS: M6R 2.13
> >>
> >> Your opinions are very welcomed.
> >> Cheers !
> >> Jean-Pierre
>
>
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