Allen R-311 Replace Clock Module

[ctthayer]

Hello, and apologies if this should be posted elsewhere on the forum.

When I turned on the R-311 today I got "Warning: Replace Clock Module" in the Console Controller window. Is this anything I can do, or must I call in the good folk$$$ from Allen? I was able to set the clock correctly after that, but I am guessing this is not the clock to which the message refers. Thanks!

Chris

[toodles]

I'm not sure, but I think this organ might have a back-up battery. Does the owner's manual say anything?

The yahoo Allen Owner's group might have some info on it, and you might not have to join to search their posts.

[ctthayer]

Thanks, toodles, it has the standard 2032 "coin" battery that maintains the piston memory. I neglected to say that I was also getting the battery replacement message at power-on. I replaced that one and set the clock afterward. I no longer get the battery message, but still get the clock module message. The owner's manual says to call the Allen rep if you get either message.

I'll also check the Yahoo group. Interestingly (and worryingly), there is a square lithium battery soldered on the same board as the capture memory 2032 battery. I remember reading about earlier (ADC?) models where the lithium batteries leaked, ruining the boards.

[ctthayer]

Problem solved. Thanks again, toodles, for reminding me about the Yahoo group. There was a thread on the issue about a 18 months ago. According to a poster there who is an Allen rep, if you don't care that the time on the Console Controller is incorrect, you don't have to do anything. He said almost every organ he visits shows the time as 12:00:00 am, so he concludes that most organists don't care about it.

There is a commonly-available clock chip on an unspecified board someplace(!), (perhaps a Dallas 1287 clock chip -- the organ at issue in the Yahoo thread was an MDS model) that should says what it is and have a graphic of a clock face on it. Replacement is supposedly a matter of swapping out the old for a new one. Sounds like the chip is in a mount from which it can be removed.

The correct time isn't an issue with me, and this old guy has already hauled the beast away from the wall and put it back once today, so I think I'll wait until Some Fine Day in the near future to do it again for that chip. Thanks again for the reply and suggestion.

[toodles]

Glad to hear the suggestion got you the info you needed. The Yahoo Group has a bunch of really techy folks, so they often have info that's a bit harder to come by elsewhere.