I keep reading about people cracking open those chips, and I always wonder why they bother. They're neither expensive nor difficult to find brand-new. Why would one find it worth the time to spend an afternoon performing surgery on that chip to replace the battery when you can get a new one on the way for about eight bucks? I thought the situation was that NOS chips were available, not new ones? Honestly, though, I might hack on even a new one: potting a battery with a limited life span is the dumbest thing since russian roulette with a pistol. De