Battery Change

quark

Experienced
Had my Axe Fx II for awhile now and thought maybe it might be a good idea to change out the battery thinking better safe than sorry. Getting the battery out was not a problem but all my presets were lost (as expected and not a problem).

The problem though was that even though most presets showed <EMPTY> there were a few that had corrupted names ( and I guess corrupted data ) and whenever I tried to clean out these presets or move past them the system would totally bork and seize up. Loading my saved presets also failed whenever the presets tried to load into the corrupted slots.

The solution that worked for me was to go to the front panel and load the stored factory presets from there. This worked like a charm, cleared out the corrupt presets and from there I was able to re-load my saved presets.

Just putting this out there in case anyone else runs into this issue. I was not able to find anything in the forum or wiki that addressed this.
 
Good information! Never changed a battery in my FAS units, but it's bound to come sooner or later. I think they are generally good about 10 years if I recall. Sounds like starting from reinstalling the factory setup first is the ticket.
 
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Would leaving it plugged in while changing the battery prevent this problem?
 
Good information! Never changed a battery in my FAS units, but it's bound to come sooner or later. I think they are generally good about years if I recall. Sounds like starting from reinstalling the factory setup first is the ticket.

Not sure if this would solve the problem. I had no corrupt presets before the battery was removed, so my guess is that the act of removing the battery caused some of the presets ( maybe 4 out of 384 ) to have corrupt data in them. Trying to write over the corrupt presets from disk didn't work nor did trying to delete the corrupt preset ( all Axe-Edit operations ) but loading backup factory presets from the front panel did work. Might be other ways to clear them out as well.

To Luke, personally I would never open up the box with power on, let alone trying to remove the battery - might be personally dangerous as well as super easy to short out/damage delicate electronics - I think Mr. nobody would concur :)
 
Would leaving it plugged in while changing the battery prevent this problem?
You really don't want to be inside any piece of electrical or electronic equipment that has a power source. Furthermore, after unplugging it you should be wearing a ESD bracelet connected properly as soon as you even think about removing the lid and touching what's inside.
 
You really don't want to be inside any piece of electrical or electronic equipment that has a power source. Furthermore, after unplugging it you should be wearing a ESD bracelet connected properly as soon as you even think about removing the lid and touching what's inside.

My friend who is an amp and keyboard repair guy never does either and is 60 years old.
 
The unit only runs on battery when it's not used.....of corse, batteries have a limited life span but if you have your device since 2012 or so, I wouldn't really worry about it. If you're in europe, call G66, their support is outstanding and they will give you valid information asap!

best of luck
 
The unit only runs on battery when it's not used.....of corse, batteries have a limited life span but if you have your device since 2012 or so, I wouldn't really worry about it. If you're in europe, call G66, their support is outstanding and they will give you valid information asap!

best of luck

I'm in Jersey, the New one.
 
The Axe-Fx II Mark I and II use a battery, expected to last over 10 years. When the battery dies, presets will get corrupt and disappear. Install a fresh CR2450 Lithium battery.

Fractal Audio:

  • "Replacing the battery does not void the warranty". source
  • "The XL and XL+ have a battery. It's a CR2032 IIRC." source
 
My friend who is an amp and keyboard repair guy never does either and is 60 years old.
Good for him? He can have the $$$ to not care or no one ever told him or whatever. That doesn't make it good practice. As an instrument rated pilot, under Part 91 I can legally file a flight plan and take off in zero visibility. Doesn't necessarily make it a good idea. Any electrician, ET or avionics guy in the world worth his salt will tell you the same thing. It's as much about safety as it is inadvertently shorting out and ruining expensive gear.
 
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