HP-33C strange power / weak battery indicator problem

[btreguier]

Hi Tony, thanks for your suggestion and all the information provided.

So I was right about the 8-pin chip, it is the RAM indeed. I wasn't really sure.

What I don't understand is that I swapped the power board, including the ribbon cable attached to it, but it didn't change anything. I'll double check that though, and will try to measure the voltage on the power board itself, maybe by soldering 2 wires so that even when inserted in its plastic recess, it is still accessible.

I also wondered if the voltage drop could be due to a problem on the main printed board, the one on which the chips are "press-fitted". It is not an active component as such, but it participates in the power distribution, and that one hasn't been swapped as I have no spare part for it. :-(

Thanks again and best regards,

Bruno