New phenomena on my OT MkI

[Noisebuddy]

What could this be? This happens since new year … sometimes i have to re-enter the date and time after booting - but only when some days between a session, but i don’t lost any data on my card

is this a battery-issue?

[Rusty]

is this a battery-issue?

Yes

[Noisebuddy]

omg … well then i have to open it up, never done this before

[hereiamhere75]

hi rusty,
do you have any idea if battery life is influenced by usage behaviour ?
or is it independent of that ? (i mean is there a difference for the battery if i don´t use the OT at all or if i use it all the time?)
my OT is very old and i wonder sometimes that i never had any technical issue ?
i use it a lot !
i could google that topic but as you seem to be that OT/ tech guru i thought i just ask you

[Noisebuddy]

hopefully this isnt an adventure

but if anyone is in the same boat here are the links on this forum:

Battery LOW

A lot of people know this shitty message . . . Since 3 months now i use the "Save project" and "Save Part" function excessively!!! And i love it. Makes you remember that saving is important!! But are there some Videos or pictures of how i could replace the Battery on my own? Some people in the old forum slapped their OT or cleaned the contact of the Battery socked! So any hints on this , , , , , , , THX

Battery fail on Octatrack

Replacing the batteries (there are two of the same type stacked, CR2450 iirc) isn't very difficult; I did it on mine an age ago after getting the "Battery Low" message on start. There's a few threads on here that detail the process; https://www.elektronauts.com/t/battery-low/3560 for example.

seems to be the CR2450

[Open_Mike]

The manual states the battery should last at least 6 years…

[Open_Mike]

[Noisebuddy]

i bought mine on the 29.11.2011

now we have 2018, this could be case right now

holy s#%t … this was my first Elektron-gear, now more than 6 years ago, time is passing by

[Open_Mike]

I felt like I graduated when my warranty expired…
You just finished grad school!

[Open_Mike]

They weren’t kidding about 6 years either, your just 3 months over…

[Noisebuddy]

this will be gear-pornography

what about the knobs and the fader-cap, can they be removed without hesitation?

[Open_Mike]

You don’t even need to, looks like you just need to unscrew the top, remove the ribbon cable connections, take the top off, and you’ll see the battery…

Here’s a video that should help, the battery is shown at about 3:20, you won’t need to remove the crossfader.

This was made by @turbiville, who seems like a good one to ask if more help is needed…

[turbiville]

thanks @Open_Mike … the OTMK1 is pretty simple to open, you just have to unscrew the top plate by the 6 hex screws and remove the knobs and fader cap. The only tricky part is tilting the faceplate back from the front and reaching in and pulling the buss cables from the board. Small hands and strong fingers should get it done. Once that’s pulled is really simple to change the battery. I wouldnt mess with sending it in, as its really simple.

[knobgoblin]

Agree. I had to do this recently. Had some anxiety about it, but it was totally unwarranted. Super easy to do, I think it was like 30 minutes to go to the hardware store pick up the hex wrench and battery and get back and perform the surgery. Really easy to do.

[ebnts]

Get to it; likely easier than you expect

[Supercolor_T-120]

I’m always surprised how quickly the OT drains its battery, I’ve got plenty of stuff from the mid 80s that still had working original CR2032 batteries when I got it (usually 25-30 years after it was made), I’ve only ever had one die and that was after about 15 years. I just replace them on principle when I get an old piece of gear but they pretty much always work. The OT must be pretty power hungry.

Anyhow, with a few exceptions (Yamaha synths and some Alesis stuff) replacing the battery is easier than, changing a string on a guitar.