Replacing The CMOS Battery in 1100/1200ACS ("Johnstown" motherboard)

6/25/2020

This procedure applies to the original GLOBALCOM announcement controller motherboards, which were Intel mini-ITX boards with the part number D945GSEJT. These were based on the Johnstown architecture and had the Intel Atom N270 CPU.  These motherboards were only used in the 1100ACS/1200ACS and related products such as the 1100MSG and 1100TEL (black 1RU frames), not in the newer IP100 series products (blue boxes). Note, some 1100/1200ACS's could have the newer DN2800MT (Marshaltown) motherboards. These have the same CMOS batteries, but the BIOS setup procedure (attached to this article) would be different.

After 3-5 years the battery can go dead or below a Voltage threshold required to power the CMOS RAM and real-time clock. This will result in the loss of BIOS settings, including the setting to boot up when power is restored to the frame. So, if cycling power to a frame causes it to not boot up, it might simply be an issue with the CMOS battery rather than the hardware/motherboard. 

The CMOS battery itself is a CR2032 with a wire pigtail and white connector. These are available from AtlasIED or many online sources. It is accessed by removing the top from the 1100/1200ACS case. Ideally, one should wear a grounding wrist strap while opening the case to prevent any possible electrostatic damage to components inside. Replace the battery with one that has the same connector in the same orientation (red-black wires) as the one being removed.

Then, follow the procedure in the attached document for powering up the unit and making the correct settings in BIOS.

 

Support Files

Reconfiguring_a_Johnstown_Motherboard_After_Battery_Replacement.docx