Obsession II ISA960 Failure and CMOS
NOTE: On the diagnostic screen, the errors "Bad CMOS File Exists!" and "CMOS is Still Bad!" are not valid errors. These errors show up in every version of software, and is related to Y2K problems. This will not impact the function of the console whatsoever.
Dead CMOS battery
The most common cause of ISA960 failures is a dead CMOS battery which causes the console to lose proper settings for the ISA card. This will appear in the message log as "ISA960 failure", the console will lose it's time and date settings, and the facepanel will no longer communicate. You can replace the CMOS battery with a CR2032, but this will not fix the issue without correcting the BIOS/CMOS settings. Replacement should only be done by a qualified technician.
Low voltages
The second most common cause of ISA960 failures is low DC voltages. There is a very good chance that voltage is dropping over an internal DC connection. The biggest killer of almost all electronics is corroded low voltage DC connections, which makes the ISA960 card the first thing to go. Replacing the main DC power harness is a very common repair for equipment of this age.
If your processor hasn't seen repair in a while, it would be a good idea to send it in, and our repair technicians will inspect the entire unit and return it with all necessary updates and common issues addressed.