Assistive Technology Team, Department of Medical Physics 01226-432159
Cameleon 2 uses a rechargeable Li cell for retention of BIOS settings in CMOS. These can lose capacity either through normal use, or if the Cam 2 is stored unused for several months discharging the cell to a state from which it cannot recover. The end result is an apparently ‘dead’ Cameleon due to the loss of the BIOS settings.
If the cell is replaced and recharged, the machine can become serviceable again….should you so wish.
The Li cell type employed is un-tagged and as only tagged cells could be sourced, we have replaced them with a 2016-style type from Farnell, carefully peeling the tags off before fitting.
Disassembly is tricky due to tight wiring, and access to the motherboard is needed.
1) Remove the 12 allen screws around the screen periphery and take off the screen bezel. 2) Unplug the LCD and remove it. 3) Remove the lcd insulator sheet, washers and aluminium backing plate (4 screws) 4) The Li cell is visible in the lower left corner of the MB, unclip and replace it, taking care with polarity. 5) Re-assemble in reverse order to the above! 6) Attach an external monitor to the VGA socket on the side of the Cam 2. 7) Connect the keyboard and mouse if used 8) Connect up and switch on the power and the monitor. 9) Watch the monitor and hit ‘DEL’ when requested, then press any key. 10) Skip to ’Auto detect hard disk’ and let it run – you may need to ESC this if it gets stuck trying to find a drive ‘D:’ 11) Step back to “standard CMOS settings” and ensure that
12) Step to “advanced CMOS setup” and set
13) Step to “inside utilities” setup and set
14) ESCape and select “write to CMOS and exit”, press ‘Y’ and ‘ENTER’
The system will re-boot, and the LCD should now display.
Leave the system connected to the power for 16 hours to fully charge the Li cell.
Note: If your machine has failed because it hasn’t been used for ages you could try leaving it plugged in for a day, then go from step 6 above, if it starts. Then turn the machine and mains off, then power-up and see if it goes through the boot sequence. If the cell won’t recover you will have lost the LCD setting, the screen will remain blank, and you will have to replace the cell – step 1 I’m afraid!
Graham Newiss, December 2007