Compaq SLT 386 and DS1287 clock battery
Compaq SLT 386 and DS1287 clock battery
Frozenfire,
You're in luck! (Sort of). I also have a Compaq SLT 386 "laptop" (the kind with the handle), and I actually just fixed the clock battery problem. Be forewarned, it is a little involved, however. These models use a Dallas DS1287 real time clock, battery, and crystal combination 20-pin DIP. This means that you can't just open it up and pop in a new coin battery. What you can do, however, is actually cut into the chip, and solder a new battery into it. I know it sounds crazy, but there are detailed instructions available here:
http://www.mcamafia.de/mcapage0/dsrework.htm
I followed them and didn't have any issues; used a Dremel to cut into the chip at pins 16 and 20, and soldered two wires, which I then ran out into the battery compartment, and then soldered a Radio Shack 2xAA battery back. You could also try a coin-holder and CR2032, if you wanted.
PS; if you do this and succeed, let Peter at mcamafia know, he will appreciate it. Also, the battery is kind of important; seems to be more than just the clock at issue. I wasn't able to boot from the hard drive until I fixed the battery, I guess the BIOS needs to know the hard drive type in advance or something.
Speaking of BIOS, you will need the Compaq "Diagnostics Disk" to access it. I found it here:
http://members.driverguide.com/driver/detail.php?driverid=73221
I had to extract it onto a 720K DD floppy, but you might be able to convert the image to a 1.44 MB floppy or something.
Best of luck, and let me know how it works out! The SLT 386 is a great laptop, very sturdy, and easy to disassemble. Another option would be to buy a new Dallas chip and replace the dead one, but I think it would be difficult to get the old one out, and it's hard to find truly new ones (and they may be a little pricey).
Gabe
I attached a few pictures from when I did this project...