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Electronic Theatre Controls Inc

CMOS (BIOS) Battery Information

Overview

Consoles use a small internal CMOS battery (also called a BIOS battery) to store date and time information and BIOS settings while the console is powered off.

The battery used is a 3V lithium primary cell (not a lithium-ion battery). See below for specific battery variants used in each console type.

Airline restrictions may require the removal of this battery when consoles are transported by air. The battery may also become drained through normal use.

Effects of a Dead CMOS Battery

If this battery is removed or drained, functionality of the console will in general not be impacted. However, there are a few minor effects to be aware of:

  • The console will lose its date and time setting when powered off, and will revert to an earlier date and time when powered back on.
  • The console will lose its BIOS settings when powered off, and will revert to default BIOS settings when powered back on. All consoles use default BIOS settings already unless they have been specifically altered by the user.
  • The console may initialize three times before booting when powered on (see Console Initializes Three Times Before Booting). On a Puck, a warning screen reading "CMOS checksum bad" may be displayed prior to booting.
Important-Icon.png

A drained CMOS battery will not cause any loss of data from the Show File Archive. However, it is highly recommended to back up show data prior to transporting a console by air, in case of damage to the hard drive. 

CMOS Battery Replacement

The CMOS battery in any console is a CR2032 lithium cell. However, the exact form of the battery differs between console types.

Some consoles use a standard CR2032 coin cell with no extra hardware. These batteries are commonly available from many online and brick-and-mortar retailers (search for CR2032).

Other consoles use a CR2032 encased in a plastic housing with an integral 2-wire lead and connector. This entire assembly must be replaced; it is not possible to remove and replace only the battery. This "CR2032W" assembly is available in either standard polarity or reversed polarity, which refers to the position of the positive and negative wires in the connector. Both polarities have been used in ETC devices; be sure to get the correct polarity for your device.

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Accidentally installing a CMOS battery with the wrong polarity may permanently impair the console's ability to store time and date settings. However, this is very unlikely to cause further damage to the motherboard.

The table below shows each battery type and which devices they are used in.

Name ETC Part Image Description/Availability Used in
CR2032 BT130 cr2032_S.jpg Standard CR2032 coin cell without additional hardware.

Commonly available at many online and brick-and-mortar retailers.

Also available through any ETC dealer.
  • Eos Classic
  • Eos RPU (original)
  • Net3 RVI (original)
  • Ion Classic
  • Ion RPU
  • Element (original)
  • Gio
  • Eos Ti
  • RVI3 (units without USB-C ports)
  • RPU3 (units with DVI connectors)
  • Apex 5, 10, and 20
  • Apex Processor
     
  • Congo (original)
  • Congo Jr
  • Congo Kid
  • Cobalt 10 and 20
     
  • Rev. B Conductor, P-CCS, and P-TSI

see Conductor, P-CCS, and P-TSI Hardware Revisions

CR2032W BT161 cr2032w_S.jpg
exact appearance may differ
CR2032 cell encased in a plastic housing with an integral 2-wire lead ending in a connector.

When viewed with connector facing you, key upward: +3V (red) on the right, common (black) on the left.

2032w_S.jpg

Available at some online retailers (search for "CR2032W"). Verify connector polarity before purchasing.

Also available through any ETC dealer.
   
  • Ion Xe and Xe 20
  • Element 2
  • Gio @5
  • RVI3 (units with USB-C ports)
  • RPU3 (units with DisplayPort connectors)
  • Ion Xe RPU
  • Eos Remote Interface
     
  • Puck Gen 2
  • Puck Gen 3

see ETCnomad Puck Hardware Revisions

  • Rev. C Conductor, P-CCS, and P-TSI

see Conductor, P-CCS, and P-TSI Hardware Revisions

CR2032W (reversed polarity) none cr2032w-r_S.jpg
exact appearance may differ
Same as CR2032W, but with connector polarity reversed.

When viewed with connector facing you, key upward: +3V (red) on the left, common (black) on the right.

2032w-r_S.jpg

Available at some online retailers (search for "CR2032W"). Verify connector polarity before purchasing.
  • Puck  Gen 1
  • Puck Gen 4-6

see ETCnomad Puck Hardware Revisions

  • Rev. A Conductor, P-CCS, and P-TSI

see Conductor, P-CCS, and P-TSI Hardware Revisions

 

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