Octatrack MK1 OS 1.25H Freezing Issue Solved

Hello,
I just wanted to share some information that may or may not assist anyone with an Octatrack MK1 freezing. I could be late to the party and it is entirely possible that this has already been remedied in a later firmware release. I have OS 1.25H, but it is possible that this issue applies to other versions of the OS.

Symptom:
While powering up the unit, the screen will freeze and become unresponsive at various points in time and will not operate for more than 3-5 minutes. Additionally, any running function (patterns, scenes…etc.) stops.

Test:
So, I tested this a bit and here is what I discovered:
If I let the unit sit for a bit, it would take a longer period of time before it would freeze. If I tested it repeatedly within a very short period of time, I would finally end up with a pulsing all white screen.

Solution:
I pulled the CR 2450 Li-Mn 3V battery and this fixed the problem. The unit bitches about the battery being low and the date and time not being set, but once these are completed, the unit will work as designed. I also have to assume that a new battery will alleviate the freezing issue, but I have not tested this yet.

Theory:
The battery is very low/nearing death and pulling the battery prevents it from dying during use.
If the battery is left in the unit, when the battery dies, the unit freezes and becomes nonfunctional. Maybe this is due to the fact that the Octatrack saves each change in resident memory or requires the battery for part or all of this process, I do not know. I never got a battery low indication when the battery was in the unit and made it past the boot process, which seems a little strange. I do get a battery low warning when the battery is not in the unit.

Thanks,
-Tom