Internal Clock only records time progression when powered on

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HeroProc
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Internal Clock only records time progression when powered on

Post by HeroProc » Mon Jan 07, 2019 2:22 am

Bit of a weird issue that I've run into: My USA DOL-001 Gamecube will retain all OS settings but only progresses the time when the system is powered up. Now before someone reads this and instantly suspects the internal battery please understand what I'm experiencing.

For example: I set the internal clock to 1/3/2019 @ 9:00AM. I then boot into any game and play for exactly an hour. I shut the gamecube off (it remains plugged in). I return three days later and boot into the GC calendar. The clock says 1/3/2019 @ 10:00AM. The GC's clock literally stopped when I turned off the GC and picked right back up when I powered it back on. So it's able to store clock settings but it's not progressing them between powered states. I've tested this with smaller power state sessions. I'll set the clock and power off for 5 min. Power it back on and the clock continues 5 minutes in the past. So it's not like a slow degradation. The time freezes immediately when powered off and unfreezes immediately when powered on.

My question: Has anyone ever experienced or heard of such a thing? In the past when the internal battery was weakening the clock settings would usually just clear and reset to default. This is very different. I found one thread on a separate forum from 2007 which sounded very similar but there was no solution found.

The only background on this specific hardware unit is that I installed a XenoGC last year but I can't say whether or not this clock issue existed before the mod. I dont remember the clock having this issue 10+ years ago though. So the only 3 things I can think of...

-Internal Battery
-XenoGC
-Gamecube native OS/Hardware malfunction
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emu_kidid
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Re: Internal Clock only records time progression when powered on

Post by emu_kidid » Mon Jan 07, 2019 2:30 am

Try booting the GC for 5 minutes just sitting in the GC bios, then power it off for 30 minutes. Go back into the clock screen in the bios, is it 30 minutes later?

If not, it sounds like the RTC portion of the MX IC that houses the IPL is dead.
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novenary
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Re: Internal Clock only records time progression when powered on

Post by novenary » Mon Jan 07, 2019 6:56 am

That's also what I'm thinking, but as far as I know, the SDK doesn't update the RTC unless you change the date in the IPL, but his clock doesn't roll back after a power cycle, so the problem sounds more complex than that.
I would inspect the mainboard for damage, especially around the MX chip and its crystal.
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HeroProc
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Re: Internal Clock only records time progression when powered on

Post by HeroProc » Mon Jan 07, 2019 9:03 pm

An update on this: Unless this is a freak coincidence it seems like this is somehow related to the XenoGC itself. I have two other GCs with Xenos (3 cubes total) and all of them are experiencing this same issue. All three store time but only move forward when powered. The only reason I noticed this was due to a recent replay of Animal Crossing when I repeatedly had to go in and reset the time.

I was considering dropping this into the Hardware modding section to see if anyone was having similar issues with their XenoGCs. I dont really understand how it could be the source of the issue. I know for a fact that one of the Cubes progressed time pre-mod.

The forum thread from 2007 I mentioned in the OP https://gbatemp.net/threads/gamecube-in ... elp.42155/
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emu_kidid
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Re: Internal Clock only records time progression when powered on

Post by emu_kidid » Tue Jan 08, 2019 11:38 am

How are you booting the games, just straight up disc from the original IPL or through a loader like Swiss?
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Papy.G
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Re: Internal Clock only records time progression when powered on

Post by Papy.G » Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:18 am

HeroProc wrote:
Mon Jan 07, 2019 2:22 am
My question: Has anyone ever experienced or heard of such a thing? In the past when the internal battery was weakening the clock settings would usually just clear and reset to default. This is very different. I found one thread on a separate forum from 2007 which sounded very similar but there was no solution found.
Problem adressed by this answer.

The batteries are fainting with years, you can't expect a battery to get over 10/15 years of life, especially when there's a RTC. I have seen batteries backing up srams for over 30 years, but this was an old design, with innovative very low power Srams for the days, no RTC, and the battery choice was a huge overkill.

To moderators, can you please merge both topics? Thanks.
DMG/MultiFreq OC/EDGB/EZF Jr, AGB/SC miniSD, NTR/NeoMK3, USG/flashme V8/SC miniSD
DOL001(EUR)/RGB/GCPlug/GBP/SD2SP2, RVL 001(EUR)/RGB/CMP/WiiSD

Zelda WW with Tingle Tuner in split screen was what the GC RF modulator was made for! (Video)
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