I replaced the battery in my ensoniq esq-1 the message for low battery still shows even after pressing the record and the top left button to get the message yes or no to reinitialize. the battery message still comes back even after the filter calibration the new battery holder with the micro zipties is working great. the battery is a new Panasonic br 2/3 3 volt still waiting for the 16 capacitors for my ensoniq sd-1 and esq-1 they are both 30 years plus old. the old esq-1 battery didn’t leak that’s good i have a souvenir dated 10 1987 , i saw what capacitors do to circuit boards when they leak it makes battery acid look like a joke. so i digress any suggestions to get rid of the low battery message. it has 3.5 os too
So you pulled a number of capacitors out of the unit, changed the battery and then turned it on?
Read page 9 of the service manual
http://www.synthmanuals.com/manuals/ensoniq/esq-1/service_manual/esq-1_esq-m_service_manual.pdf
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sounds like you put in the wrong battery should be a cr2032 coin type battery and holder, plus its possbile you got the polarity backwards?? might be just stating the obvious,but…
I thank you for your response the esq-1 had a Panasonic br 2/3 3 volt battery I replaced the original factory battery that i marked the circuit board positive in the same configuration the old one was in. maybe i’m missing a step i pressed record button and the soft button on the top left corner of the display, then run a filter test with the test good. is there another step i’m missing? the newer synth used the cr2032 coin battery the sd- and the older synthesizers used the Panasonic battery
I just go through doing the same thing on my SQ80 which has very similar hardware. I cut out the old battery and installed a coin battery holder with 2032. Is it possible the replacement OEM battery you got was bad? Honestly I would go the route of updating to coin battery holder with 2032. I’ve done this with many synths. If you can solder in the OEM battery, you can handle the coin battery update. Good luck!
i saw a gentleman on you tube change to the cr2032 battery holder and it worked i simply used a cr 123 battery holder so like the coin holder no more soldering batteries to replace and with a micro ziptie it won’t fall out of the board is marked positive for the battery and silver on the battery holder with a marker. voltage is good showing 3.3 volts on the multi tester this machine has 3.5 os and all the sounds when reinitialized. could it be that this machine has been sitting for 20 years since it was last turned on. i brought it brand new 1988 but i last played in 1998. it didn’t show the message then. maybe after the reinitialize and the filter test i am missing another step?
Maybe stupid question questions: Did “ERASE ALL MEMORY AND RE-INITIALIZE” appear on the display then?
If yes, did you confirm that pressing the button below “YES”?
yes to confirn and the low battery message reappears after the filter test
I’m having the same issue. Replaced the battery with one I bought from Syntaur, did a factory reset and I’m still getting the low battery message. Patches saved are gone once the ESQ-1 is turned on again.
I didn’t measure the new battery’s voltage as I assumed it would have charge…
I would measure that battery while in-circuit just to be sure it isn’t low. A bad solder junction could also present a voltage drop, so you might want to check/reflow those connections.
I just checked the voltage and it’s measuring above 3 volts. I’m trying to reflow it a bit but may have to take it all apart to do so. If it is a bad joint, would that show when taking a reading?
The voltage could be dropped across a bad solder junction. The battery could be good, but just not reaching the circuit.
Ideally, you would measure the battery voltage across the RAM chip and ground. That is the voltage that the ESQ-1 is looking at.
Okay, I’m just now looking at the service manual posted above. Page 9 (13) outlines procedures for a battery low message. No schematics included, but there is a step for measuring the voltage at the RAM chip (either U14, pin 18, or U19, pin 20, depending on the ESQ-1 being metal or plastic)
Voltage from the power supply should also measure +12v and -12v.