Sound Devices 633 Internal Battery Dead

[Scott Anderson]

 

It looks like the internal battery on my SD633 isn't holding a charge in that when I power down the unit within seconds the blue LED stops blinking and when powering back up timecode is lost and has to be re-jammed. Anyone change the internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery in a 633 before? I'd rather not send the unit into SD just to replace a battery.

 

 

[rich]

before you start sending it away, just check what timecode mode you are on. if its some of the external tc settings, then it wont hold timecode. i would expect ext/cont is the setting that would do that from memory.

[JoshuaT]

It’s a very simple fix. It’s a small circular watch battery. Pop the top off and replace. Maybe 5-10 minutes of work. You can find the battery at most stores. I think it’s a 2032.

[DanStewart]

https://www.sounddevices.com/tech-notes/replacing-the-633-real-time-clock-battery

[Constantin]

And it’s not the rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. That’s the buffer battery, and not easy to replace. 

The ToD batt is so simple to swap you can even do it without a manual. But safer with 

[Scott Anderson]

 

Very helpful info guys and appreciated. In particular, thanks for the link Dan and model number Josh. Will hope it's not the buffer battery, will see after swapping out the 2032 first.

 

 

[Nordynord]

   I had to send my 633 back to Sound Devices to have internal batteries replaced recently. I noticed that the PowerSafe feature was no longer counting down for 10 seconds when external power was lost, the unit did a full reboot each power cycle instead of QuickBoot, and I also lost timecode on each power cycle. My situation might have been a little odd in that there was a blown capacitor that was causing the front of the unit to get hot, but the batteries apparently do have a finite lifespan. I rented a 633 from a friend while mine was being serviced and noticed that one also wouldn't hold timecode after a power cycle, although it was able to do a safe shutdown.

   I understand that features like this require rechargeable internal batteries, but I was definitely caught off guard having to spend $350+ after only owning the machine since summer '15. Given the similar issue on my friend's 633, I wonder if there will be a lot more people with this problem in the next few years. I also now have a MixPre 10T, which also has an internal timecode battery that will presumably need replacing at some point. It would be wonderful if replacing these batteries was as simple as the TOD battery, but my understanding is that it's much more complicated.

   I try to remember now to hold down the menu button to reset the timecode clock if I know I won't be powering back up for 2 hours; hopefully that might extend the life of the new timecode battery.

[JonG]

Not every machine can be 100% perfect. All man made things are fallible. My 788T and 633 have both not need servicing or battery replacement since I’ve owned them, and I purchased both new. However I did have to change a TOD battery on my 702T, and that was pretty easy, especially with the instructions available on the SD web site. 

[mikewest]

Why is the 633 buffer battery not easy to replace please??

 

mike

[Nordynord]

I was told by the Sound Devices support staff that the timecode and PowerSafe batteries are deeper in the machines and require removing circuit boards. I'm relatively handy with simple solder jobs and whatnot, but it sounded daunting. I'm eager to hear if anyone has tried it!

[Constantin]

I think for the purpose of this discussion we need to be very clear about terminology: 

 

AFAIK there are two batteries actually inside the 633. a timecode battery (ToD battery) which is a CR2032 „watch“ battery. This one is extremely easy to replace. 

And a lithium ion battery (the buffer battery) for the PowerSafe feature (and possibly ithers). This latter is not at all easy to replace. And more importantly: replace with what? From what I could tell just by quickly looking at it, it’s a non-standard battery and I wouldn’t know where to get it from. 

[mlohninger]

I did this last year. It took me a lot of research, because I was overseas and couldn’t send in my 633 just for that. The battery is relatively easily replaced, just open the 633 and you’ll see it. Getting the exact part and the exact type of connector took a lot of research. It’s a long time ago so I don’t want to find all the specific specs again, but this was the battery I ordered and used. This is amazon japan but I’m sure you’ll find a fitting battery somewhere online with the same specs and most importantly the specific connector:

 

https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/aw/d/B01N9SXEYV/

 

good luck and hope this helps.