[Date Prev][Date Next] [Chronological] [Thread] [Top]

# RE: Internal Clock Chips in Accu-Vote

- To: <support@gesn.com>
- Subject: RE: Internal Clock Chips in Accu-Vote
- From: "Ian S. Piper" <ian@gesn.com>
- Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 18:12:04 -0500
- Importance: Normal
- In-reply-to: <NFBBIBBCFKIGOCGDAHBHOEIDCDAA.jhglobal@earthlink.net>

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-support@gesn.com [mailto:owner-support@gesn.com]On Behalf Of Jeff Hintz
> Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 5:07 PM
> To: Support Team
> Subject: Internal Clock Chips in Accu-Vote
> Does the Internal Clock Chip have a battery???
> [Ian S. Piper] Yes. A 3V lithium.
> If so, how long does it last,
> [Ian S. Piper] The manufacturer doesn't have a value listed in their specification for the ROM version chip that we use. I'll contact the manufacturer to get that information. Typically they last about five years. Other support staff in the field might be able to give you more info based on their typical experience.
> and is there a way to check how much power is left in the battery???
> [Ian S. Piper] There is no capacity check. If the clock chip has failed or its battery is used up, the only indications of the problem is that the "SET TIME/DATE" function does not appear in the diagnostic mode or that no time/date stamp appears on any of the printouts.
> At the time the diagnostics were written, the clock chip was optional. Since I've not known of any one wanting a unit without that option, perhaps the non-existence of the clock chip data should be a flag to the AV-OS unit that the clock chip needs replacement. That could be written into a future version of the firmware. Submit it as an RCR if you'd like.
> Also another feature of the clock chip that the oscillator bit can be turned off conserving the clock chip's battery power. A diagnostic routine could be written to command the clock chip to power down, say after the election is officially over and after the unit's main battery is charged up. You'd lose the time and date and have to set it the next time you turn the unit on, but usually elections require the time to be changed due to daylight savings. It would be more inconvenient to have to set the date during the same routine you'd normally just set the time forward or back an hour, but customers could make that decision for themselves. Currently, the clock chip battery is being run down while the unit is just sitting on the shelf between elections. This clock power down function could also be an RCR. Submit it if you find enough interest.
> One of our customers is asking this question, and I did not see it anywhere in the Accu-Vote Hardware Guide.
> [Ian S. Piper] This information should be included in the documentation. It's already listed as a consumable, but I'll CC Tracy Treat on the info, when I get it, so that she can add it to the manuals.
> Thanks,
> Jeff Hintz
> Diebold Election Systems
> 405 N. 115th Street
> Omaha, NE 68154
> (402) 697-7171 office
> (402) 697-7166 fax
> (402) 871-3346 cell

- Follow-Ups:
  - RE: Internal Clock Chips in Accu-Vote
    - From: "Mark S Earley" <marke@gesn.com>

- References:
  - Internal Clock Chips in Accu-Vote
    - From: "Jeff Hintz" <jhglobal@earthlink.net>

- Prev by Date: Internal Clock Chips in Accu-Vote
- Next by Date: Re: Troubleshooting Info for TS
- Index(es):
  - Chronological
  - Thread