replace CMOS battery in cabled vinyl sleeve

My XPS M1330 has a CMOS battery consisting of
a "coin" battery gripped by a vinyl sleeve and
connected to 3 wires which terminate in a small
plug. Dell no longer stocks the item (part no. NX131),
and all the retail outlets only have the "coin" - a
lithium battery designated CR-2032. Before I go the
eBay route, I'd like to know if the vinyl sleeve can be
cut so that the old "coin" can be slipped out and a
new "coin" slipped in and the vinyl sleeve resealed.
Does anybody know of some cute technique to do
this?

*TimDaniels*

On 8/29/2013 4:07 PM, Timothy Daniels wrote:
My XPS M1330 has a CMOS battery consisting of
a "coin" battery gripped by a vinyl sleeve and
connected to 3 wires which terminate in a small
plug. Dell no longer stocks the item (part no. NX131),
and all the retail outlets only have the "coin" - a
lithium battery designated CR-2032. Before I go the
eBay route, I'd like to know if the vinyl sleeve can be
cut so that the old "coin" can be slipped out and a
new "coin" slipped in and the vinyl sleeve resealed.
Does anybody know of some cute technique to do
this?

However those leads are attached to the battery, you will have to tear
something up to get the coin battery out. Just eBay it.

Timothy Daniels wrote:
My XPS M1330 has a CMOS battery consisting of
a "coin" battery gripped by a vinyl sleeve and
connected to 3 wires which terminate in a small
plug. Dell no longer stocks the item (part no. NX131),
and all the retail outlets only have the "coin" - a
lithium battery designated CR-2032. Before I go the
eBay route, I'd like to know if the vinyl sleeve can be
cut so that the old "coin" can be slipped out and a
new "coin" slipped in and the vinyl sleeve resealed.
Does anybody know of some cute technique to do
this?

*TimDaniels*

Some general rules:

1) There are two kinds of CMOS batteries for laptops
(or for things like digital cameras). The CR2032
is a non-rechargeable battery. But there is also
another kind LR2032, which are not to be mixed or
confused with CR2032. A laptop using an LR2032, pumps
current into it as long as power is available. A
laptop with a CR2032, does not. If you pump current into
a CR2032, it can burst. So sticking a CR2032 in a
LR2032 application, can be dangerous. Usually, the
LR2032 is in a weird looking assembly which is soldered
right to the motherboard. Pigtails are more likely
to be CR2032 inside.

The LR2032 has a much lower amp-hour rating than
a CR2032, but it has the advantage of being
rechargeable over and over again. In a laptop manual
I was looking at the other day, the LR2032 has a
30 day discharge time constant. (With main laptop
battery removed, that's how long the laptop clock would
keep time.)

http://www.monstermarketplace.com/ba...pid-4613-0-024

2) There are a couple ways of making contact with a battery cell.
A socket with spring loaded contacts. Or, using spot welded
adapter plates, affixed to the ends of the cell. A spot welded
plate, uses a "cold" spot weld, which does less damage to a
CR2032, than dribbling hot solder all over it would do. The metal
used to make a CR2032 (to prevent corrosion), is not particularly
suited to soldering. Regular solder would not wet the metal.
Silver solder might work, but it has a higher melting point.

3) Once a cell has welded plates on the end, they still solder
to the smaller ends on the plates. The metal on the plates
is likely to have a tin or tin-lead finish, intended for
soldering.

4) With the welded plates in place, a pair of wires can be soldered
to the contacts on the end of the plates. This allows a pigtail,
with a two pin connector on the end, to be fitted. The job is
completed, by fitting an insulating sleeve around the battery.
The ones on Ebay, look to be molded vinyl, a process you won't
likely be duplicating at home. Hobbyists use "polyolefin tubing"
or "heat shrink tubing" for insulation purposes, but that still
requires elevating the temperature of the tubing. A polyolefin
tube shrinks to 50% of the initial diameter, if you apply enough
heat to it.

If I was doing it, I would go to my electronics store, then
purchase tubing which formed an interference fit around the
battery assembly. There is no requirement to shrink it necessarily.
Just fit the tubing over the battery, and select a tube which
gives a fit where the sleeve won't slide off. You could shrink
just the end of the tube a bit, keeping the heat away from the
CR2032.

The diameters in this kit, are too small for the job.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2102875

One of the companies that makes the tubing for RadioShack
(and for my "good" electronics company), is here.

http://www.nteinc.com/hs_tubing/pdf/Thin_Wall.pdf

47-21206-XX 3 pieces 6" long, with 2" diameter.
XX is the color code, and CL is clear tubing

So your options for an interference fit, would be
1", 1.5", or 2" diameter. My "good" electronics store
carries the large stuff, whereas Radio Shack has
no reason to carry it. I sometimes use the large
stuff, for packaging small electronics assemblies
(like a few diodes soldered in series). At the good
electronics store, the tubing is hanging from a
rack, and you can hold your pigtailed assemble up
next to it, to identify just the right tubing
for the job.

While electrical tape works, it makes a mess when
it gets warm. Which is why I don't use it for
jobs like this. Polyolefin is much more stable,
and isn't sticky.

HTH,
Paul

"Timothy Daniels" wrote in message
m...
My XPS M1330 has a CMOS battery consisting of
a "coin" battery gripped by a vinyl sleeve and
connected to 3 wires which terminate in a small
plug. Dell no longer stocks the item (part no. NX131),
and all the retail outlets only have the "coin" - a
lithium battery designated CR-2032. Before I go the
eBay route, I'd like to know if the vinyl sleeve can be
cut so that the old "coin" can be slipped out and a
new "coin" slipped in and the vinyl sleeve resealed.
Does anybody know of some cute technique to do
this?

*TimDaniels*

I used some rear window defogger strip glue and a new 2032 to replace a
similar item in a *really* old NEC laptop I had (I had a tube of it around
from working on my car):

http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-21351-Window-Defogger-Adhesive/dp/B005TKM8YC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1377826572&sr=8-4&keywords=loctite+rear+window+defogger+tab+adhesi ve

Just wrap some electrical tape around it after the glue has set to insulate
it from surrounding components.
--
SC Tom

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:07:47 -0700, "Timothy Daniels"
wrote:

My XPS M1330 has a CMOS battery consisting of
a "coin" battery gripped by a vinyl sleeve and
connected to 3 wires which terminate in a small
plug. Dell no longer stocks the item (part no. NX131),
and all the retail outlets only have the "coin" - a
lithium battery designated CR-2032. Before I go the
eBay route, I'd like to know if the vinyl sleeve can be
cut so that the old "coin" can be slipped out and a
new "coin" slipped in and the vinyl sleeve resealed.
Does anybody know of some cute technique to do
this?

*TimDaniels*

Sounds like you'll have to cut the sleeve to get into the compartment
to see where all three wires are connected. Positive and negative to
a battery, or where that third wire is hooked up to and what type of
battery. Battery should be stamped with its part number for a search
and direct replacement unless you're doing a suitable substitute, also
searchable, also probable. Cute technique could well be what exactly
is required. Of course, a nice soldering station and appropriate
accessories is nice to have around for when getting cute.