I agree that this almost certainly is a dead battery issue. The user's manual for the PowerCenter mini-tower identifies it as a 3.6-volt lithium battery (1/2 AA cell).
I'm told they're available at Radio Shack and other outlets for just a few dollars. Pulls your out and run it down to the battery store. Insist on 3.6 volt lithium. Sharp-eyed Power Computing enthusiasts often report on battery bargains. Go to: http://mail.maclaunch.com/lists/powercomputing/List.html and run a search for "battery" (w/o quots). As for summoning up courage and "finding the time to take the beast apart," I think you'll find that the PowerCenter minitower (like my PowerTower minitower) is one of the most user-friendly computers for servicing. Required tools: One medium size straight-blade screwderiver. One medium-sized Phillips head screwdriver. One small bowl for keeping track of screws. One large table or countertop for work space. 1. Unplug everything (though some users suggest leaving the A/C cord plugged in for grounding purposes). 2. Remove the four thumbscrews on the back of the minitower and lift off the case (you have to kind of finesse it a little, pulling backward and upward and spreading the case a bit at the bottom). 3. GENTLY lay the creature on its side, with the motherboard facing upward, and remove the four screws to remove the bottom plate for ease of access to the innards. You are now ready to perform practically any upgrade necessary. Elapsed time: 5 minutes. You'll find the battery on the RAM end of the motherboard, behind the RAM DIMMs and the Cache DIMM. I believe it just plugs in (i.e., no soldering). Personally, I would take the opportunity to add as much RAM as you can (it's sooooooo cheap right now) and clean the inside a bit. One of the minitower's dust traps is inside the front bezel, where the intake is situated beneath the speaker. You could pry off the front bezel. However, I find that wrapping a few inches of Scotch tape backwards (sticky-side out) around a thin wooden stick (like a kabob stick; be careful with the sharp end!) serves as a neat tool for nabbing and pulling out big dust wads. Fear not; this is less treacherous (and considerably cleaner) than removing your lawnmower blade for sharpening! --Chuck on 5/24/02 9:52 PM, Macstar at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Hi.. > > It seems the battery on my Powercenter 150 mini-tower has given up the ghost. > I suspect this because everytime I turn the computer on, the date defaults to > August something 1956. It is a drag having to reset the clock all the time. > > Anyway, what type of internal battery does this machine use? Also how > difficult is it to install? My only other experience in installing a > Macintosh battery has been in a Mac Plus and a Mac IIsi. Someone told me the > Powercenter uses the same battery as the Mac IIsi. Is this true? If not can > someone tell me what kind of battery to buy? > > I also plan to clean and upgrade this Powercenter when I get couragous enough > and find the time to take the beast apart. > > MEL -- Power Computing is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 123Inkjets.com <http://lowendmac.com/ad/123inkjets.html> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Power Computing list info: <http://lowendmac.com/power/list.html> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powercomputing%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com>
