Hi all, figured I should join and post to this group rather than the Gemini-2 now:

My club has recently obtained a G11 with Gemini-1 board shown here:?

We noticed it is completely missing the battery holder (and obviously battery), and the on/off switch is bad. After checking the board for other obvious issues, we jumped the switch and applied power, where the Hand Controller came to life, causing a big sigh of relief.

I do not have a photo of the board at hand, so do not know if the battery mods mentioned here??have been performed, or are even still relevant?

1. Can anyone point me to a proper battery holder to repair the board with, and which battery is currently suggested for use?
2. Are the battery mods above still appropriate?
3. Any other mods/issues we should be aware of to bring this board back into service?
4. The firmware is Level 4.something (don't recall without the HC at hand). What is the latest/bestest revision that ca/should be applied here?
5. Can anyone think of a reason the battery holder would have been removed?

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide! I am posting separately on the Losmandy users forum r.e. G11 tuneups.

Dale Nelson

开云体育

Hi Dale. ?

the battery for that PCB is a SMD (Surface mount type) CR2032 battery and holder with side positive clip (positive is towards the top of the PCB. ?That’s if it’s defiantly that version PCB as in the Picture. ? ?It’s unusual to remove it. ?No idea why.?

Later Gemini1s used a CR2354 (thru hole ) battery and holder ?it is slightly bigger and has far greater capacity ? ?But this is a thru hole pins (with top of holder is a spring finger clip) ?for positive ?(+ve). ? You can modify your PCB and fit one of these to the earlier version (SMD Battery holder types). ?it will just fit but you need to drill holes and run leads to the original battery pads (and glue down the holder). ? But because of this top finger design I’d not recommend this holder. ?Why? ??

There is battery another ?similar dimensions to CR2354 called CR2450. ? They share the same thru hole pin spacing but the holder is slightly larger by 1mm. ? The CR2450 has greater battery capacity over the CR2354 and CR2932 ?

Oh I should say you cannot fit a larger SMD type holder (ie a CR2354 SMD Battery holder) as the pads are all wrong position ? ?So are thru hole battery holders. ?

But as said you can run small wires to the old pads ?

There is also another thru hole battery holder use on G2s called CR2450 and it to has side positive clip (like the SMD version) and is thru hole as well with same pin spacing as the CR2354.

I have modified old SMD G1 PCB like you have shown. ?You can just fit this type of holder CR2450, glue it down and run ?new pads to the older existing SMD pads ? ?It takes a little work but this battery will last close to 3 yrs on a G1 vs around 10months the to 1 yr for the CR2032 battery type ?

Why fit the CR2450 holder? ? It has a side positive clip so replacing batteries puts less stress on the holder if it’s glued down ? ?As said I do this to older SMD battery holders as it’s just sensible and give far more battery backup capacity ?

You can do it or send to your local repairer, . ? ?As for why the holder was removed? ?They do get damaged?

Don’t, fuss about the 39k resistor mod it’s only needed if the CMOS battery Idraw is 20micro amps or more I’ve only see one needed it ? This was a very early G1!

So either fit a new CR2302 SMD battery holder and battery ? ?Or modify using the holders and batteries I mentioned. ?But you need accurate work it’s a close fit and don’t drill thru any tracks or wrong place.?

Any more info needed fire away

cheers


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Brendan

There I go again fat finger typing. ? CR2032 is correct SMD type, not CR2302

sigh.?
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Brendan

And the original battery is difficult to obtain although I did buy two via Amazon.

-W.

开云体育

Many thanks to all who have responded! Things are indeed looking like we need some professional help, and Michael Herman is local-ish!

Will send a final update after we're operational!

Thanks!

Dale

On Fri, Feb 16, 2024 at 01:34 PM, DaleN wrote:

Many thanks to all who have responded! Things are indeed looking like we need some professional help, and Michael Herman is local-ish!

Will send a final update after we're operational!

Thanks!

Dale

?Dale,?

Mike is the best! I think he'll have you back up and running in a jiffy no problems. But a bit of.lick can't hurt!

Cheers/Chip?


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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?

? ?Astrospheric Weather for Imagers - Click on my sig!