Help me salvage my lovely 600x (BIOS parity error 110)

[muffieMSX]

https://i.redd.it/1b5drkq13ou51.jpg

I'm getting BIOS parity error 110. What have I already tried so far:

* Replaced CRC32 Bios Battery
* Removed replaceable Memory DIMMS (to try to see if the error was on one of the replaceable DIMMS)

Same behaviour so far.

I've read somewhere that it might be possible to disable internal memory using an hex editor embedded into BIOS. But, so far, I'm unable to reach it.

*PS* Here's a video of the Thinkpad in action just before the problem: https://youtu.be/2hTPicdlwo4

Thank you all in advance.
BR, HB.

FORUM warning:
picture(s) WAY too big, tags removed. Please read the Forum Rules, especially Section 5: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=14339

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

If what you're asking is the procedure to enter into the BIOS editor, then this should help:

viewtopic.php?p=272313#p272313

Basically hit CTRL-D when inside the BIOS and the hex editor should pop up. Change byte 2B from 80 to 81, save, exit. I would have a memory diagnostic program on hand to test the system's memory, both built-in and on modules.

[cadillacmike68]

MEMTEST86 can be put on a bootable FDD, CD or USB Good luck.

[muffieMSX]

Well, thank you all for the support, but the problem seems to persist.
During boot I got
173 and then 163.
Then, inside a GUI (green, white and black colors with the duck as a mouse cursor) shows me ERRORs 173 & 163 again.
When I click OK, I'm prompted to change the date. Which, by the way, surprisingly is correctly set to 2020.
After I click OK again, that's when I see:

110
?????

and it got stuck there.

I'm unable to boot to a full BIOS and CTRL+D does not work while I'm inside the GUI.

Is there something I can try on this situation?

All the Best,
HB.

[rkawakami]

The Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) for the 600X is here: https://thinkpads.com/support/hmm/hmm_pdf/09n8608.pdf (accessed via the HMM link at the top of each forum page).

Error 163 and 173 (page 19 of the HMM) usually means that the CMOS battery is dead or disconnected. That's the first thing to look at. Make sure that you are using the proper battery (FRU 02K6502) like in this photo: http://kawakami-ca.com/images/02k6572_0 ... 2k6715.jpg Verify that the polarity is correct as seen in the inset at the upper right of my photo. You should also verify that the voltage is correct (~3.0VDC). Verify that it's plugged in properly.

With a good backup battery, the 163 and 173 errors should go away. Let us know when you get to that point.

[SMA]

Just a guess.

In BIOS Setup (the duck screen) click on INITIALIZE .

[muffieMSX]

The Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) for the 600X is here: https://thinkpads.com/support/hmm/hmm_pdf/09n8608.pdf (accessed via the HMM link at the top of each forum page).

Error 163 and 173 (page 19 of the HMM) usually means that the CMOS battery is dead or disconnected. That's the first thing to look at. Make sure that you are using the proper battery (FRU 02K6502) like in this photo: http://kawakami-ca.com/images/02k6572_0 ... 2k6715.jpg Verify that the polarity is correct as seen in the inset at the upper right of my photo. You should also verify that the voltage is correct (~3.0VDC). Verify that it's plugged in properly.

With a good backup battery, the 163 and 173 errors should go away. Let us know when you get to that point.

Well, I don't have access to an original battery (hard to get around my area), but I have used the original connector and replaced the battery coin itself with some tape & pressure. I tested it with a multimeter and everything seems ok.
Fun fact is, even showing the CMOS errors (163 & 173), the date is also set correctly. Even leaving it outside charger for a long while.

I have also tried to invert the polarity, by manually changing the wires at the battery. Also retested it with a multimeter and it was ok. The behaviour (and errors) were the same. The only difference was that the date was not set correctly.

Those facts lead me to believe that the problem might be somewhere else. Unfortunately.

Do you see something else I might try before trying to find another battery?

All the Best,

[muffieMSX]

Just a guess.

In BIOS Setup (the duck screen) click on INITIALIZE .

Would love to try to get access to any other option during boot, but it seems like the only thing I can change is the date. There are absolutely no other options I can have access to. Is there any other keys I might need to press during boot or when inside the date change screen that I could try?

[kfzhu1229]

AFAIK while the battery on the 600 series is standard CR2032, the connector used on the 600 series is NOT the same as the connectors use on the likes of T2x and later.
Maybe you can try use alligator clips and clip on a brand new CR2032 on top of that aging CR2032 battery just to see if the error goes away.
Before this though, disconnect the BIOS battery and let the BIOS fully reset, and then plug the battery with that new CR2032 on top to see if those 2 errors go away.

[rkawakami]

@muffieMSX I'm going to have to pull out one of my own 600X systems tomorrow and see if I can duplicate your problem. It's been several years since I used one and several more years before that when I had a CMOS battery go dead.

[muffieMSX]

Well, thank you all for everything.
Yesterday I decided to take it entirely apart.
I have noticed absolutely nothing wrong, loose or dirty that could indicate something out of normal.
When reassembling, I decided to turn it on without (what it looks like) the modem. It worked fine, but I highly doubt it was the main cause.
I still need to reattach it (I took the time to play some old DOS games on it), but I suppose the problem might be way more complex than a faulty card. Probably some cold-solder on a memory DIMM, which came back working due to all my movement on the board.

Anyway, thank you guys so far. I'll keep you guys posted on my investigation.

BR,
HB.

[rkawakami]

I have seen a bad modem card in T21, T22 and T23 systems cause boot (power-on) problems but can't recall ever having operating problems with a 600X.

The 600X I pulled out gave me the 161/163 errors which is expected (bad CMOS battery). It's been several years since I played with it. I'll have to see if I can find a good 02K6502 battery around here...

[kfzhu1229]

If the BIOS battery with that propietrary connector is too hard to find, you can always find a more common place CR2032 battery welded for T2x and later, cut the wires and solder the wires onto the connector of the dead CMOS battery. Heat shrink that joint and it's all good. This is exactly what the previous owner of my 600 did as I found out when I had to replace the battery again.

[rkawakami]

If the BIOS battery with that propietrary connector is too hard to find, you can always find a more common place CR2032 battery welded for T2x and later, cut the wires and solder the wires onto the connector of the dead CMOS battery. Heat shrink that joint and it's all good. This is exactly what the previous owner of my 600 did as I found out when I had to replace the battery again.

Funny you should say that. Here's what I found when I opened up the 600X:



FRU 02K6572, the CMOS battery for the T2x system with the connector for the 600 system replacing the original one. This one does not use heat-shrink tubing but instead has a couple of small pieces of duct tape wrapped around the soldered connections. I vaguely remember doing this when I didn't have the proper 02K6502 battery on hand; maybe 5-6 years ago. I have a bag with 7 02K6502 batteries that's dated 1/2018 so I probably bought 10-12 of them from eBay and used a few already.

[kfzhu1229]

FRU 02K6572, the CMOS battery for the T2x system with the connector for the 600 system replacing the original one. This one does not use heat-shrink tubing but instead has a couple of small pieces of duct tape wrapped around the soldered connections. I vaguely remember doing this when I didn't have the proper 02K6502 battery on hand; maybe 5-6 years ago. I have a bag with 7 02K6502 batteries that's dated 1/2018 so I probably bought 10-12 of them from eBay and used a few already.

Well mine is sketchier than that. If you have a look at mine, I have just dewelded that replacement battery that's dead again, bought CR2032 battery, taped the weld together with foil tape, wrap it with heat shrink and electrical tape, and just shoved it in that corner. So I have the same soldered connections (it was originally only twisted together!) on top with that foil tape sketchy things. Well it works just fine so no complaints here, and only costs me 50 cents!
https://1drv.ms/u/s!At7-rt1KJ7WviPwqaEl ... Q?e=6kP6sw

[rkawakami]

Looked back through my old eBay emails. They were purchased 1/18/2018 in a group of 10 for $8.50 total (incl. shipping). So $0.85 apiece. A good deal since an single battery was probably going for at least double, maybe triple that, then. Current price for one on eBay starts at $6.15.

[Rob Mayercik]

When the OEM CMOS battery in my regular 600 died the first time, I peeled the wires of the cell and soldered them onto a generic CR2032 battery. Tricky to make them stick.

Did that a couple times, but started hearing stories about those button cells exploding from overheating during the solder process.

In looking for an alternative, a couple times I just used black electical tape to hold the wires to the battry, but then I discovered I had a couple rolls of 3M "copper foil tape" (basically a 1/4" strip of thick copper foil with adhesive on it, kinda like metal scotch tape) laying around, must have been something my Dad got from work once it "aged out", figuring it'd come in handy for his Amateur Radio projects, I guess). Couple little squares of that worked even better for "connecting" the wires, then a light layer of the electrical tape to insulate, works a treat.

[cadillacmike68]

Duct tape or electrical tape, whatever holds the connectors on to the battery sides. I would prefer a flash solder, but don't want to trash the battery right before installing it.

[kfzhu1229]

When the OEM CMOS battery in my regular 600 died the first time, I peeled the wires of the cell and soldered them onto a generic CR2032 battery. Tricky to make them stick.

Did that a couple times, but started hearing stories about those button cells exploding from overheating during the solder process.

In looking for an alternative, a couple times I just used black electical tape to hold the wires to the battry, but then I discovered I had a couple rolls of 3M "copper foil tape" (basically a 1/4" strip of thick copper foil with adhesive on it, kinda like metal scotch tape) laying around, must have been something my Dad got from work once it "aged out", figuring it'd come in handy for his Amateur Radio projects, I guess). Couple little squares of that worked even better for "connecting" the wires, then a light layer of the electrical tape to insulate, works a treat.

Well I have used foil tape instead. The adhesive is not electrically conductive so I have to work around that. I tape a strip of tape backwards horizontally across the welding pad, two strips on each side of the pad to hold that backwards tape down to make contact with the battery, and then I cover everything with a circle shaped foil tape. Heat shrinking everything together makes it all assembled together. It is not very durable if you pull on it though.
Later I replaced the strips of the tape with a drop of conductive ink from my circular scribe conductive pen. Works just about the same but is easier to apply.