Paul White at Electrongate supplies magnetic RAM storage for Oberheim DMX's and similar, which eliminates the battery totally. I'm surprised this technology hasn't been adopted/adapted for other vintage gear...(although I'm not a tech so there may be some reason it wouldn't work). Info here:
http://www.electrongate.com/dmxfiles/mram.html --- In Simmons_Drums@yahoogroups.com, jesper <jesper@...> wrote:
>
> vout@... skrev 2012-03-18 16:34:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Okay, now I'm confused and this is why I asked here seeking informed
> > opinion. I did some searching before asking this question and there
> > seems to be a lot of contradictory advice out there about suitable
> > replacements for ni-cads.
> >
> > The big problem for me is battery leakage, so from that standpoint NiMH
> > is not a good option as it seems they can leak just as badly. The
> > consensus seems to be that Lithium batteries are the least likely to
> > leak, though they can in very rare and extreme conditions.
> >
> > Lets be clear that I am talking about using a non-rechargeable and
> > fairly high capacity Lithium battery (AA size probably) and removing or
> > blocking the existing charging current in the way described by Jesper.
> > It works for him and I think it will be a good solution for me too. Also
> > I have seen people using Lithium CR2032 button cells to provide memory
> > back-up in TR-606's and TB-303's so it does seem to be a workable solution.
> >
> > Cheers, vout
>
> That was my train of thoughts too. One of my MTM's was quite messy and
> the SDS-7 not a pretty sight either. I took some scary shots when
> changing that one. Will make a "how to-page" one of these weeks/months.
> My main concern wasn't loosing memories. It was leakage in the future.
> 10 years passes so quickly... 20 too by the way. Also, I decided to go
> with AA-battery size and mount it far from the PCB. I've done the same
> in other gear and have another battery + holder here on my workbench
> that's intended for my OSCar soon, very soon.
> I'm against "drop-ins" due to their place on the PCB. I'm against NiMh
> due to the fact that they leak more easily. I prefer AA in a holder
> since it's easy to replace. I want to be able to do that while the unit
> is powered and don't mess with memory backup on external media.
>
> These are just my opinions. Gordon has his and if it works for him, all
> the better! We all use our gear in different ways. We are differently
> skilled in soldering and messing about inside. Some gear are annoying to
> program (SDS-7) and some a lot easier (MTM).
>
> Keep banging those hexaheads!
>
> --
> electronically yours, jesper
>
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>