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Atari Portfolio Memory Card Battery Replacement

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Atari Portfolio (photo)
An Atari Portfolio with a 32 KB Atari memory card beside it.

The Atari Portfolio stores files on credit-card-sized memory cards in its card slot, drive A:. Atari's RAM cards, of 32, 64 and 128 KB, are static RAM, and each has its own lithium back-up cell, which Atari says keeps the data on a card out of the machine for a year or more.[1] The cell is a CR2016 coin cell in a small crescent-shaped holder at the end of the card that stays outside the Portfolio.[2]

The cell can be changed without losing the card's contents, because a running Portfolio powers the card through the slot while the cell is out.[3][2]

Symptoms

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  • The card's contents are lost whenever it is taken out of the Portfolio.[1]
  • The card cannot be read.

See also the Atari Portfolio Troubleshooting Guide.

Safety

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A lithium coin cell can be damaged by a short circuit; do not let the cell or the tools touch the card's contacts. Change the cell only with the card in a running Portfolio: Best Electronics warns that changing it with the card out of the machine is very likely to lose all the data on it.[2]

Tools and parts

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  • A new CR2016 lithium coin cell.[2]
  • A multimeter.
  • Fresh cells in the Portfolio, or its mains adaptor, so that it does not shut down during the change.
Atari Portfolio RAM cards
Sizes Memory Back-up cell Cell life
32, 64 and 128 KB Static RAM CR2016 lithium coin cell About 1 year (FAQ); 1 to 3 years or more (Best Electronics); a year or more out of the machine (Atari)

Sources: Atari,[1] Best Electronics[2] and the Portfolio FAQ.[3]

Procedure

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  1. Insert the card fully into the Portfolio's card slot.[2]
  2. Switch the Portfolio on.[3]
  3. Check that the files on the card can be read, and copy any that matter to drive C: or another card.[2]
  4. If the battery holder has a small sliding locking tab on the end of the card, slide it to release the holder.[2]
  5. Pull the crescent-shaped holder out of the end of the card.[2]
  6. Take out the old CR2016, noting which way round it sits.
  7. Put the new CR2016 in the holder the same way round.
  8. Push the holder back into the card and lock the tab, if there is one.[2]
  9. Press a key every so often throughout, so that the Portfolio does not power down; the FAQ gives the time-out as about two minutes.[3] Atari puts it at 128 to 256 seconds.[4]
  10. Write the date of the change on the card's label.[3][2]

Testing

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  1. Check that the card's files can still be read.
  2. Take the card out, wait, refit it and check the files again.
  3. Measure the cell's voltage again 6 to 12 months later, to judge when the next change is due; Best Electronics advises not letting it fall below 2.50 V, below which data starts to be lost.[2]
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Atari Corporation, Atari Portfolio Technical Reference Guide, first edition, September 1989, section 2.3, "Memory Cards": 2.3.2, RAM cards, and 2.3.6, the card pin-out, with VBB, the card battery voltage, on pin 3 of RAM cards (pp. 2-6 to 2-7, PDF pp. 10–11). Hosted here: Atari Portfolio Technical Reference Guide (PDF).
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Best Electronics, "Portfolio", best-electronics-ca.com, "Atari Portfolio Ram Card Tech Tip": the CR2016 cell and its holder, the occasional sliding locking tab, a life of about 1 to 3 years or more, changing the cell only with the card in a running Portfolio, checking the voltage 6 to 12 months later, and not letting it fall below 2.50 V.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 BJ Gleason, Portfolio Frequently Asked Questions (PORT.FAQ), edition of 26 February 1992, questions 7 and 8: the card battery lasts about a year; write the replacement date on the card; replace the battery with the card in a running Portfolio and do not let the machine power down. blinkenlights.com.
  4. ↑ Atari Corporation, Atari Portfolio Technical Reference Guide, first edition, September 1989, section 3.8, power management: the keyboard time-out is always between 128 and 256 seconds (PDF p. 56). Hosted here: File:Atari Portfolio Technical Reference Guide.pdf.


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