... Relying on super caps is not 100%.? I have found bad ones.
... It's better to be safe than always assume goodness.
I never assume goodness, hence my statement to always do a backup.
A backup should be done anyway as a matter of good care and feeding, even if not replacing the battery.
As long as I had a backup in hand, I would personally not worry about an external power connection.? It's more poking at the board with a soldering iron, now with wires in the way, and more time and opportunity for something to go wrong.
If the super-cap didn't hold, it should be replaced.? HP designed it onto the board for the sole purpose of easy battery replacement.
-mark
