PalmOS no more? :(

[Gordon JC Pearce]

Tony Duell wrote:
>>I just checked my Sharp PC-1211 (which is the same thing) and the  
>>battery is almost dead - the screen is hard to read but it still  
>>works. Given that I've had it for 20 years or so that's not too bad!
>>
>>I'll pick up a new battery later today (should last another 20 years!).
> 
> 
> I've been told (not checked it myself) that the original battery for the 
> PC1211/Radio Shack PC1 was 4 mercury cells in series, giving 5.4V or so. 
> 4 alkaline cells give 6V, and the machine doesn't work correctly at that 
> higher voltage (it doesn't do any damage though). On the other hand _3_ 
> alkaline cells are rumoured to work.

I do remember, in the dim distant mists of 1991 (probably caused by all 
the McEwens 80/- at RGIT student union bar prices) a whole run of 
Amstrad 2086 and similar models coming back to us (Amstrad dealer in 
Aberdeen where I whiled away the time I was supposed to be in classes I 
didn't like).  Eventually we discovered that if you put alkaline HP7 
batteries (AA size) in the battery compartment, the clock wouldn't work 
and the machine wouldn't boot.  Replacing them with el-cheapo 
zinc-carbon batteries brought the machine to life.

The only difference that I could find was that the alkalines had a cell 
voltage of around 1.65-1.7 volts, feeding the clock with something 
nearer to 7 volts.  I have no idea why this upset it, but the battery 
voltage circuit reported this as flat batteries.

Gordon.