What would cause the ICH RTC to not advance, not work, or lose time?
First, please reference application note AP-728, Intel® ICH Family Real Time Clock (RTC) Accuracy and Considerations under Test Conditions. This document contains a lot of tips and techniques on troubleshooting the ICH RTC. One of the most important considerations of the ICH is that it is very susceptible to moisture. If the component is exposed to the environment for more than 72 hours before being mounted (soldered) to a board, then enough moisture has been absorbed to potentially cause RTC problems. Any exposure more than one week will definitely cause RTC problems. Even longer exposure, such as one month, will cause the RTC to completely fail. Review your manufacturing process to see if the ICH is being exposed to the environment for any such periods of time. One common method of exposure is opening the sealed bag for initial component inspection and then leaving the components to sit on a shelf for some time. If moisture is the problem, the resolution is simple. Exposed components
