New CMOS Battery for Asus S96J Laptop

[we3fan]

Hi guys, I noticed lately that every time the electricity goes off and comes back on again the laptop tries to start itself automatically and shows a screen that says:

"CMOS Settings Wrong | CMOS Date/Time Not Set" ... and I have to manually set the time and date every time it happens.

I think my Laptop CMOS Battery is used/dead and I need a new CMOS Battery.

I think to get to the CMOS Battery I will have to take apart almost the whole laptop, not sure if I will try this myself or I might take it to a laptop-repair professional.

I saw a few CMOS Battery replacements on other laptop models and on the CMOS Battery it says: CR 2032

Do all CMOS Batteries model CR 2032 have same dimensions and same diameter?

Last time we replaced the electric car key it used the same CMOS Battery model CR 2032, it has a diameter of 20 mm, and it also says on the battery: Lithium Cell 3V.

Will this same CMOS Battery model that we used for our electric car key will work for my Asus S96J Laptop? Or I will have to buy a special type of CMOS Battery specifically for my Laptop model?

Thanks for your time.

[RainyShadow]

 

The blue thing with red+black cable is the battery. Could be CR2032 or thinner ( CR2016? ) inside. To replace just the cell you need to use spot welding (точкова заварка) as if you try to solder it normally it will explode. Can also try with glue.

 

Barely visible blue thing under the right heatsink pipe on this pic.

[HarryTri]

2 hours ago, RainyShadow said:

To replace just the cell you need to use spot welding (точкова заварка) as if you try to solder it normally it will explode. Can also try with glue.

Can't you just export the old battery and import the new one? At least that's what I did with my previous laptop.

[RainyShadow]

35 minutes ago, HarryTri said:

Can't you just export the old battery and import the new one? At least that's what I did with my previous laptop.

Yes, that's best if you can find a compatible battery. There are several types of connectors used, also different cable lengths (new cable may be too short), not to mention the various cell sizes.

From the pictures i found it can't be seen how much free space is there for the battery in this model.

When i can't find a suitable battery, i do something similar to this video, but with a few differences. I don't cut the original packaging (heatshrink tube i get around is often too thick), but stretch it with pliers from inside, until the cell can be pulled out. Same for the ring piece. When i'm done replacing the cell, i put these back and with some heat they shrink to the previous size. I also use some conductive tape like in this video, and a drop of glue on top.

If there is a new battery, but with a different connector (or too short cable), cutting the connector and soldering the original one in its place works too (unless the cable has to go through tight channels).

[jaclaz]

I seems like that specific Asus model has a "standard" battery connector, but you need to check anyway before ordering it, basically there are both 2 pin and 3 pin connectors, the s96J seems like having a three pin one:
http://www.genuine-cmos-battery.com/asus-s96j-cmos-battery.html

but it could also have a 2 pin one:
https://www.bonanza.com/listings/Asus-G60-G60J-N55S-W7J-W5000-K50i-X70A-U47A-W2-Bios-Cmos-Rtc-Battery/845575237

but you can never trust these sources and must verify what you have on your hands.

For the record, besides the "normal" CR-2032 there is also a version with terminals pre-spot-welded that can be used in these cases:
https://uk.farnell.com/panasonic-electronic-components/cr-2032-hfn/battery-lithium-2pin-horiz-cr2032/dp/1298246

jaclaz

 

[we3fan]

Thanks guys.
Thanks to RainyShadow's great pics I know where the battery is located now.
Hi Reiny, I zoomed-in on the 1st pic and I am pretty sure it says: CR2032/2..... | 7 3 12
And great info from jaclaz for the 2-pin and 3-pin possibilities.
Well, now I feel a bit more confident to open it myself sometime and examine it.
When I get to the CMOS Battery, first I plan to remove the pin connector, then gently pull it up and see if it has some sort of glue that is maybe
holding it to the motherboard.
Are there any chances of me damaging the motherboard if I just try to pull it up?
It's not gonna be soldered or spot-welded to the motherboard, is it?
This disassembly video is the closest to my model I could find: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1AWXhoK9pI   (CMOS Battery seen at 12:43)

[jaclaz]

30 minutes ago, we3fan said:

Well, now I feel a bit more confident to open it myself sometime and examine it.
...

This disassembly video is the closest to my model I could find: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1AWXhoK9pI   (CMOS Battery seen at 12:43)

Usually there is some double sided sticky tape to hold the CMOS battery.

Get anyway the specific service manual:

http://tim.id.au/laptops/asus/s96j.pdf

each model may be slightly different.

jaclaz

Edited June 18, 2020 by jaclaz

[RainyShadow]

2 hours ago, we3fan said:

When I get to the CMOS Battery, first I plan to remove the pin connector, then gently pull it up and see if it has some sort of glue that is maybe
holding it to the motherboard.
Are there any chances of me damaging the motherboard if I just try to pull it up?

Not sure if i understood properly, but... Do not try to pull the motherboard side connector, you may break the traces leading to it (and do other damage too). Better to directly solder the cable to its pins. Or pull the pins out of the battery connector, wrap each in some isolation, and plug them in this way. Make notes of the polarity - connecting in reverse may fry the mobtherboard!

FYI 3-pin batteries have either one pin unused, or two of the pins shorted. You can just change the connector and use them.

If there is enough space, you can get a battery holder and connect that instead. Then you can easily change just the cell.

[we3fan]

I meant to unplug the plastic white pin connector (not sure if that is the right term) from the motherboard, the thing he does at 1:49 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzr7Mbm1L3k&t=98s

Using conductive tape to connect the wires to the battery is safer and prevents possible damage? Or it just ensures that there is a good contact between the wires and the battery?
I don't have conductive tape right now but I can ask around and buy if needed.
If for example I use a black insulation tape to connect the wires to the battery, would that be dangerous? Or it would just have poor contact between the wires and the battery?

Is the black wire always the negative?

Edited June 18, 2020 by we3fan

[RainyShadow]

6 hours ago, we3fan said:

I meant to unplug the plastic white pin connector (not sure if that is the right term) from the motherboard, the thing he does at 1:49 in this video: Mzr7Mbm1L3k

Yup, this is fine. If it seems stuck try to hold the motherboard side part in place, so you don't pull both connectors out.

6 hours ago, we3fan said:

Using conductive tape to connect the wires to the battery is safer and prevents possible damage? Or it just ensures that there is a good contact between the wires and the battery?

Just for better contact.

6 hours ago, we3fan said:

Is the black wire always the negative?

That's the standard, but you can never be 100% sure. I've seen many cables (not battery yet, though) with swapped colours. Check the old battery just in case.

 

[we3fan]

OK, I will check the old battery wires first to make sure which is + and -.

After I connect the wires, just to double-check if the positive wire is connected to the positive side of the battery, is there some tool I can use to check this, like VoltMeter?

About the heat-shrink sleeve, I will try your advice and stretch it from the inside. Will standard-size pliers work? Or I will have to use thin pliers with round edges to avoid accidentally cutting it?

I will try not to damage it, but if I have to buy another heat-shrink sleeve, can this be bought in most electronic shops locally?
Is the material (polyethylene, polypropylene) same for all battery sleeves?

And what thickness size should I get?

Edited June 19, 2020 by we3fan

[jaclaz]

Sure, *any* voltmeter/tester will do.

Heatshrink is heatshrink, you don't want to know the chemistry and the production process, basically it is *something* loosely midway beween plastic and gum, insulating/not conductive, shaped as a hose that shrinks with heat, thickness is whatever thickness you can find, size is the smallest size you can fit the battery+pins/wires in.

Personally I wouldn't re-use a mechanically de-shrinked piece of it and rather procure a few cm of new one (but then again I wouldn't event think of using conductive tape instead of proper soldering and wouldn't use electrical tape to pre-wrap the battery).

If you can fit "standard pliers" between the old battery and the heatshrink tube it means that it wasn't shrinked.

You will need to start with something more like ac couple tiny screwdriver or nails, and then use some very thin nose pliers.

Actually the "ideal" tool would be Seeger/circlip/retaining rings pliers, as they open the other way round, *like* example:
https://ftaelectronics.com/external-straight-retaining-ring-c-clip-circlip-removal-install-pliers.html

jaclaz

[RainyShadow]

@jaclaz

As i said before, the heatshrink we usually have around is much thicker, and often causes troubles with fitting in many laptops. The original one is 3-5 times thinner.

@we3fan

Just open that laptop already and check how much space is there.

If you can fit a battery holder inside, there won't be need to mess around with the cell itself. If the original place is too tight, check for another place away from the heating parts (CPU,GPU,RAM)

The pliers i use are thick (at the tips) as about 1-2 matches each side. You can start with a flat screwdriver or another similar tool - just pull outwards and try not to press much on the cell. When there is a wide enough opening, push the closed pliers inside and start to open them. Scissors may work too, just make sure the outer edges are not sharp.

For the inner plastic ring a screwdriver is enough - push it inside and rotate a bit, the same way we used to remove car tires in the past :P

[jaclaz]

47 minutes ago, RainyShadow said:

@jaclaz

As i said before, the heatshrink we usually have around is much thicker, and often causes troubles with fitting in many laptops. The original one is 3-5 times thinner.

I don't know, I am referring to the video you posted a link to.

In that one you have the added thickness:
1) of the conductive tape (2x)
2) of the wires placed on top of both sides of the battery
3) the pre-wrap with electrical tape
before and besides the shrinktube thickness

And the wires still bulge a lot, so at least in that case there was plenty of space.

But you are right , the original kind is very, very thin, (and is PVC) *like* this:

https://www.hilltop-products.co.uk/thin-wall-pvc-heat-shrink-hlat.html

around 0.10 mm or 0.20 mm for a tube diameter around 30 mm, but it can be found on e-bay (say) just fine.

The "more common" kind for electrical work we can find here (besides the battery specific one above), for a comparable size is more like 0.50 to 0.90 mm thick, so more like nine times thicker (and is polyolefine).

As a side note. here (in Italy) you can easily find at some mom and pop stores heatshrink caps (used for wine bottles) that are about the perfect size for this job, *like*:

https://www.ebay.it/itm/CAPSULE-PVC-31X55-GIALLO-VIVO-CF-DA-PZ-100-TERMORETRAIBILI-/301640567945?

if you ask politely they will give you a couple ones for free .

jaclaz

[we3fan]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
Now comes the most difficult part (for me), try not to damage any internal parts and try to put everything back together the way it was.
I have opened it before, taken out more than 15 screws and unplugged 2-3 things, but I have never reached the place where the CMOS Battery is located. It will be risky but I will try it.