Garmin blanked out

[Shakespeare]

This isn't so much of a rant or complaint as it is a heads up so that you guys can avoid the problems that I'm having.

Last night I was plugging some numbers in my Garmin 440S GPS Chart-plotter when the cable fell off the connector on the back of the unit. Evidently I had neglected to secure the connector by the last little 1/4 turn on the connector ring that firmly seats it in place. Anyway, she won't power up anymore. The fuse is good and there's power up to the unit but she just won't sing. *004*

I'm going to contact Garmin as soon as they open up the doors this morning but I don't hold my hopes high as I'll be needing my GPS this upcoming weekend and all next week. *008*

Oh well.... I've been wanting to upgrade. *001*

Moral of the story.... make sure those cables are secured tightly.

[Fillet1]

My experience with Garmin customer service has been nothing but excellent!

Good luck.

[Shakespeare]

Agreed Fillet1! *Cheers*

I called them and they were nothing less than courteous and as helpful as could be, Unfortunately the turn around time for a repair is 12 to 14 business days. The guy even offered to reduce the repair bill since the unit is just barely over a year old. You can't ask for anything more than that. I was hoping they could do a quick swap for a refurb unit but he explained that there was no way to make that happen.

This wouldn't be such a big deal if I wasn't getting ready to go on a 7 day fishing trip. I gots to have me a chartplotter for that extended period of time. I'd literally be dead in the water or stuck on some sandbar down at Shackleford Banks without one. I REALLY like the 440S but my tired old eyes could use a bigger display, soooooo..... it looks like I'll be picking up a 545S. I wasn't planning on doing this anytime soon but sometimes things get moved along in unexpected ways. I'll get the 440S repaired and probably list it in the Dock Sale.

Mike

[LakesRx1]

You have probably already tried this, but have you tried the re-set? I have had to do this a few times and seems to work fine afterwords...just a thought.
Good Luck!

[Shakespeare]

What reset? *006* The only mention of this in the user manual is a function available to reset the unit back to factory defaults. It's software driven and without the unit powering up, I can't get to it. I haven't cracked the case open to peak inside yet. What exactly did you do to "reset" the unit?

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

What reset? *006* The only mention of this in the user manual is a function available to reset the unit back to factory defaults. It's software driven and without the unit powering up, I can't get to it. I haven't cracked the case open to peak inside yet. What exactly did you do to "reset" the unit?

That would be also me next step. Call them back and ask them to guide you on a reset. You have to press two buttons together, but i don't remember which ones.
TIP: Those connections, after the last 1/4 click, the best thing to do is wrap it with electrical tape. I cought my XM power cable ready to come off and i know i have done the click thing. So i wrapped all the connections with 2-3 wraps of tape.(when wrapping the tape, wrap it in the same direction as you would screw it, clockwise)

[Shakespeare]

I called back and asked about this magic reset and they said to hold the up arrow button and then press the power on button for 7 seconds. I wonder why the first guy I talked to this morning didn't suggest that. *006*

As far as taping the connector... it sounds good in theory but would be a PITA in practice. I install/deinstall the GPS at least once, if not more, every boating day to keep it from getting stolen. I got enough to do getting launched without adding more to the list. This is clearly my fault for not securing (twisting) the connector properly. I'll see that it is done properly from here on out. One of these days I may flush mount the unit and if/when that happens I'll look at the taping option. Thanks for the suggestion though. *thumbsup*

I'll post more as events transpire.

[Redfish]

Sorry you're having an issue. I see you checked to see that power was getting up the cable to the unit. My cable came unplugged a while back when I did not securely twist the lock, but everything powered back up. I wonder how loosing power suddenly would have affected your unit. Good luck.

[Shakespeare]

I came home and plugged the unit up and tried the magic reset combination. With baited breath I heard the unit beep, saw the backlight on the buttons light up, then the Garmin logo appeared on the screen. I thought *Woot* I'm out of the woods. Ahhhhh but alas my fortune was not to be true. As soon as I let go of the buttons the unit died. I tried it again and I'm back to absolutely nothing happening. I'm sitting here scratching my head wondering what the heck is going on. *004*

I failed to mention that I was powering the unit off of a 4 amp 12vdc power supply. Just for grins and giggles I drug in my deep cycle battery off the boat and hooked up to that. Guess what? The unit fired right up like it hasn't missed a beat. Now that leaves me with more questions than answers. Why in tarnation (Southern talk) would the unit power up flawlessly last night off the power supply but not be able to do it again? *006*

None the less I'm back in business. I cancelled my order for the 545 which is a relief because that was money I wasn't planning on spending.

Another note about this power supply. This is not a cheapo unit here. It's a beefy regulated power supply that cost a lot of money... used it back in my CB radio days. I know Garmin sells those 120V AC adapter/converter things which is a heck of a lot less hardware than I have here. I dunno... but at least we know what won't work.

Mystery solved!

Mike

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

*yay**yay**yay**yay*

Glad it worked out for you Mike.

[Harry]

My connector where it twists into the back of the unit seems like it's stripped too .... *001*

However, It never cut out on me yet.*008**008*
Garmin 540s

[lakebiker]

I came home and plugged the unit up and tried the magic reset combination. With baited breath I heard the unit beep, saw the backlight on the buttons light up, then the Garmin logo appeared on the screen. I thought *Woot* I'm out of the woods. Ahhhhh but alas my fortune was not to be true. As soon as I let go of the buttons the unit died. I tried it again and I'm back to absolutely nothing happening. I'm sitting here scratching my head wondering what the heck is going on. *004*

I failed to mention that I was powering the unit off of a 4 amp 12vdc power supply. Just for grins and giggles I drug in my deep cycle battery off the boat and hooked up to that. Guess what? The unit fired right up like it hasn't missed a beat. Now that leaves me with more questions than answers. Why in tarnation (Southern talk) would the unit power up flawlessly last night off the power supply but not be able to do it again? *006*

None the less I'm back in business. I cancelled my order for the 545 which is a relief because that was money I wasn't planning on spending.

Another note about this power supply. This is not a cheapo unit here. It's a beefy regulated power supply that cost a lot of money... used it back in my CB radio days. I know Garmin sells those 120V AC adapter/converter things which is a heck of a lot less hardware than I have here. I dunno... but at least we know what won't work.

Mystery solved!

Mike


Got no answers as to why but I've waited for two days for you to find the "fix". Congrats on that. It had me bothered a bit too. *thumbsup**thumbsup*

[Redfish]

Don't know if this is a solution to why the difference in the power supply and the battery, but I am told that all GPS's need more power (that is, draw more current) when "searching" for a fix. I know that on my old hand-held I could kill a set of batteries quick if I let the unit stay on under the console where it could not fix. It would last for several trips, however, if I kept it out in the open where it could maintain it's lock on the satellites. Anyway, glad you got your unit up and running.*Woot*

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Don't know if this is a solution to why the difference in the power supply and the battery, but I am told that all GPS's need more power (that is, draw more current) when "searching" for a fix. I know that on my old hand-held I could kill a set of batteries quick if I let the unit stay on under the console where it could not fix. It would last for several trips, however, if I kept it out in the open where it could maintain it's lock on the satellites. Anyway, glad you got your unit up and running.*Woot*

What you are saying it makes sense, i had/have the same problem with a Garmin 176c i have, and didn't know why.

[Shakespeare]

The first thing I do when I'm messing with the unit "offline" is to set it to Demo Mode. This keeps the unit from actively seeking satellites yet allows you to manage the unit. enter waypoints, and so forth. In demo mode you can also "pretend" to follow a route based on speed settings and other criteria that you enter. It will also show "pretend" satellite strength while in demo mode.

The 4 amp power supply should be more than adequate to cover the GPS. The specs say 15 watts max @ 13.8vdc. This is 1.1 amps. The only thing I can think of is the power supply was too noisy.... meaning a bunch of ripple in the voltage. No way of knowing that without putting a scope on it. *006*

One thing is for sure... the user manual falls way short of being an in depth instruction. It seems to gloss over the highlights leaving the remainder up to you to figure out. The unit is pretty cool with lots of features but you really have to be an explorer to figure it all out.


*009* Correction: The correct name for the offline mode is Simulator not demo.

[LakesRx1]

Great news!!

[Harry]

so where did you get the cable & how much$$, to power up and work on settings,, etc out of the boat?

[Shakespeare]

You can buy an extra cable if you want but I wired my unit in with some snap plugs and receptacles (http://www.electricalbasics.com/acatalog/Snap_Plugs_Vinyl_Insulated_Butted_Seam.html). I can easily remove the wiring harness from the boat by disconnecting the transducer connector and popping the snap connectors loose and then I'm on my way.

I've got some snap plugs on another piece of cable that one end attaches to the battery (in the house) and snaps into the GPS harness.

[Dave]

so where did you get the cable & how much$$, to power up and work on settings,, etc out of the boat?

I found one for sale here - http://www.pricebreak.com/details/0-4174/010-10917-00.html?chid=1000&cid=5662

Shake's method is effective and considerably less expensive, well - it is if you don't buy the 100 pk ;D

Hard to believe what Garmin wants for a power cable!!! I have a Humiminbird plotter/ff and paid (like) 6 bucks for it, for the purpose of hooking it up indoors. No matter what you own, I'd highly recommend finding a way to power the unit up in the comfort of your home or work shop, so you can play with it, uninterrupted by the usual things that keep you from (really) working with it out on the water. In just a few hours, I bet you'll learn more about the unit than a season's worth of not messin' with it while you are out boating/fishing.

Dave