HiNote Ultra Battery Service

Battery status window of a HiNote Ultra, from the archived copy of Digital's REVIVE.COM utility

The HiNote Ultra runs from a lithium-ion battery pack that latches on to the back of the case, and keeps its clock and Setup settings on a separate coin cell. DEC documented both in its Digital HiNote Ultra User's Guide (ER-P70WW-UA.A01), and in 1997 issued a utility and notes for reviving over-discharged packs.

The main battery pack

Lithium-ion battery pack (DEC user's guide, p. A-4)

Item	Specification
Voltage	7.2 V nominal
Capacity	3300 mAh
Size	279 × 39.4 × 21.5 mm
Weight	300 g
Operating temperature	0 to 40 °C
Storage temperature	−20 to 60 °C; long-term storage −20 to 45 °C
Shelf life	30 days

Digital's part number for the pack is FR-PCP8H-AB. DEC rated a full charge for about 3½ hours at full power, and a fully drained pack takes about two hours to charge in the optional external charger. The amber light shows that the pack is charging when the AC adapter is connected.

DEC's warning: there is a danger of explosion if the pack is replaced incorrectly; use the same or an equivalent type, and dispose of the old pack as local rules require.

Pack not recognised after storage

Digital's 1997 note for the HiNote Ultra and Ultra II describes the commonest battery fault. If a pack is left on the computer for a long time, or the computer is left in suspend until the pack drains completely, a protection circuit inside the pack trips. The computer then does not see the pack: with the AC adapter connected the charge light does not come on and the battery gauge never lights.

Early packs could not be recovered from this state. Digital later added circuitry that lets its REVIVE.COM utility reset them. These later packs carry the revision "36-44194-01 B01" on their label; the part number FR-PCP8H-AB did not change.

Digital's revive procedure:

1. Fit the pack that the computer does not detect.
2. Connect the AC adapter and boot to a DOS command prompt (not Windows), because the machine will need to be reset.
3. Run revive. The charge light comes on briefly, goes off, and a few seconds later comes on again as charging starts. Run it only once; if charging has not started a few seconds later, try once or twice more. If it still does not charge, the pack is faulty or lacks the revive circuitry.
4. Press the reset button, in a recess on the underside beside the Floppy Dock thumbwheel. The computer switches off.
5. Leave it off for several minutes so the pack charges to a safe level.
6. Charge the pack fully.

The utility and its notes are preserved on archive.org. A pack without the 36-44194-01 B01 revision, or one that will not revive, needs new cells; see Battery Refurbishment.

Clock battery

The clock and Setup settings are kept by a CR1220 lithium coin cell. The guide's warning reads: "Replace with Sanyo (Part Number: CR1220 only). Use of another battery might risk fire or explosion," and cautions that the cell may explode if mistreated and must not be recharged, taken apart or burnt. After changing it, run Setup ([Fn] + [F3]) to set the date, time and configuration.

Suspend and reset

Suspend keeps memory alive from the main pack for up to two weeks from a full charge. Pressing the reset button while the computer is in suspend loses everything held in memory. A machine left in suspend drains its pack, which is the condition that trips the protection circuit; shut it down fully before storing it.

Related pages

• HiNote Ultra
• HiNote Ultra General Maintenance
• HiNote Ultra Troubleshooting Guide
• Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage
• Battery Refurbishment