Hi, I have two of the above ICOM rigs and have been reading about the small internal button cell inside that keeps the internal time clock working. It only powers up the clock time that you see on the display screen. But if you use that time and are not connected to the Internet for NTP time, this clock may be important to you. The IC-9700 and IC-7610 can sync to NTP time as they both have Ethernet connections. However, if you don't care to have your rig repaired at ICOM or their certified repair sites this information hay help you avoid this. I suppose that many BVARC members have one of these very popular rigs, so I wanted to share this information. I travel and can be away from 3-15 weeks a year, so this was of concern to me. I now will ask a ham friend to come power my rigs on once a month, when we are away.
Be sure to power up/ON your rigs once a month for several hours or for 2 days every 3 months! You truly will not want to have to go through a repair or modification as shown in the video below. Video on how to replace them: https://youtu.be/c_mrhg4SXO0?si=W62pZBxKxjdtx-5R (https://youtu.be/c_mrhg4SXO0?si=W62pZBxKxjdtx-5R) ------------------------ Comments below are taken from the IC-7610 groups.io site, follow----------- >>>>>>Icom recommends applying power for 2 days every 3 months when the radio >>>>>>is not in use for an extended period. Your battery may not have failed >>>>>>after all; it may only be discharged.<<<<< --73, Adam VA7OJ/AB4OJ The RTC (Real-Time Clock) used in the IC-7610, IC-7300, IC-9700 and (to my knowledge) R8600 is a Seiko Epson RX-8803LC.Download data sheet (https://support.epson.biz/td/api/doc_check.php?dl=brief_rx-8803lc_en.pdf) The RX-8803LC current consumption at 3.3V is in the range 0.75 - 2.1 uA. The clock battery is a Seiko Instruments ML414H rechargeable lithium coin battery. Download on-line data sheet (https://www.sii.co.jp/en/me/datasheets/ms-rechargeable/ml414h/ Per the OEM: Lithium rechargeable batteries, developed by Seiko Instruments Inc., use silicon oxide as the anode and a lithium manganese composite oxide as the cathode. As a result, they offer long cycle life and highly stable over-discharge characteristics. (The ML414H is not a LiFePo battery.) The ML414H has nominal 1 mAh capacity; if we assume that the RX-8803LC draws 2 uA, the battery will be discharged to 10% of capacity after 450 hours, or ~ 18 days. These are approximate, worst-case figures. One might assume that the RTC IC will shut down when the battery voltage falls below its 1.6V minimum operating value, thus preventing complete discharge. The battery data sheet states the cycle life as 300 charge-discharge cycles down to 10% capacity. >>>>>>>>>This is very likely a minimum value. The expected battery life should >>>>>>>>>still be a good many years, and if the radio owner powers the radio up >>>>>>>>>for a few hours at least once per month (as recommended on p. 8-9 of >>>>>>>>>the Basic user manual) this will ensure that the battery stays charged >>>>>>>>>and the clock keeps time.<<<<<<<<< Surely this small due diligence is not too much to ask. My Icom contacts have informed me that they have received no reports of RTC battery failures in the IC-7610. In my own experience with the IC-7610 and IC-7300: given my infrequent operating habits the IC-7300 clock sometimes stops, but the battery takes a charge just fine when I power up. The IC-7610 clock has never stopped even after several weeks in a powered-down state. 73, Adam VA7OJ/AB4OJ ------------------------------------------------------------------Above from IC-7610groups.io site -------------------------------- Shared by -- Glen Jenkins, WB4KTF, Austin, TX ________________________________________________ Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club BVARC mailing list BVARC@bvarc.org http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org Publicly available archives are available here: https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
