GPSr shutting off

[revrnd]

Has anyone had this problem:

 

In February during our snowmobile trip I had my Legend Cx just shut down while riding. It wasn't during the coldest days or on rough trails. When it happened, I was travelling @ a "higher" speed on fairly flat trails. All of a sudden the screen would just go blank. I'd stop the sled, turn the GPS back on & proceed. Sometimes it would shut off again, then I'd turn it back on, only to have it shut off again. A few minutes later I could turn it & it would stay on.

 

The Loss of External Power message never came on. I use the Garmin power cord to power the GPSr.

 

Is this being caused by vibrations? Any ideas?

 

This actually happened 3 times in 2 days in an area about 5 miles apart.

 

I had some replies about power cords, SD cards etc.

 

Then this happened a week later:

 

I ran the unit yesterday w/o the adapter & after 20 odd miles, the GPS shut off. I turned it back on & after about 30 seconds of riding, it shut off. I did this about 3 times, then switched batteries that were recharged that morning. Still the same result. I put the GPS in my pocket for about 10 minutes & continued riding. I then put it back on my mount. It never turned off for the rest of the ride another 40 miles. Temps were just below the freezing mark.

 

One final note, the low battery power warning has never come up before the unit shuts off.

 

I've heard in the past that some units are prone to the batteries shaking loose? But if this was the case, it shouldn't affect the operation of the unit when using the adapter one would think.

 

Then I got this reply on a snowmobiling website:

 

I had a similar problem with my 60csx shutting off on the trail. I started to get suspecious when it started to shut off at generally the same place in the trail each time. I am running the Topo software and as it turns out, I was moving from one map segment to the next, the gps had trouble processing this, and shut down. Happened a week later on another trail. Sure enough, travelling from one map sheet to another once again.

 

I have yet to contact Garmin however.

 

My reply:

 

Toyotajoe, you hit the nail on the head. I checked my tracks & sure enough both days that I had problems (w/ & w/o the power cord) the unit was shutting down near where I was crossing from 1 map sheet to the next. I was using the TopoCanada software as well. I'll call Garmin tomorrow to mention this to them.

 

His most recent reply:

 

Glad I could help! I spent an afternoon out riding just to try and resolve this problem. Tried zooming out of the map page, having the GPS on another page, and a bunch of other things. Nothing seemed to work. I had my map detail set to "most" and changed it to "normal". GPS didn't shut down the last time I went.

 

I had my GPSr set to MOST detail as well. The 2 places where this occurred are several hundred miles apart & has never happened before. Has anyone else had this happen to them?

Edited March 6, 2007 by revrnd

[+Renegade Knight]

You should let Garmin know about this issue. Good sleuthing work. Normally shutting off in a Garmin is caused by poor battery contact. A "bounce" can cause a brief laps in the springs contacting the batteries and you lose power. The GPS of course shuts off.

 

This is another animal.

[+Sputnik 57]

Neo Geo has been documenting a similar problem in this thread.

[zr700]

I have a 60csx that did the same thing on a snowmobile. I have been watching the other thread also. I have Topo and City-Nav. The map segment I crossed was in City-Nav, not Topo. I wonder if the speeds are a factor? I cross the same map segment everyday leaving my house by car or sled, never any problems. When it shut down I was 12 miles north on same map segment. It shut off in both directions on the same trail at well over 100 mph When I look at the tracks in Mapsource They just stop at the map edges I will be Geocaching the same area when the snow melts, I wonder if it will shut down @ 3 mph.

[Hertzog]

Neo Geo has been documenting a similar problem in this thread.

This is an interesting development; first time I've seen a report of this problem with something other than a 60Cx/CSx

[revrnd]

I wonder if the speeds are a factor?

 

I don't think so, because the day it happened when I was running on batteries, I was just putt putting along.

[revrnd]

I contacted Garmin & got nowhere. The person I spoke to said it was probably a vibration issue since I was snowmobiling. I told her I had read on the internet where people (not sledders) also using 60Csx units & different software were having their units shut off when they crossed from 1 map to the next.

 

If you are having this problem, contact Garmin.

 

Maybe if they see that a number of people are having the same problem they'll do something about it.

[Neo_Geo]

I contacted Garmin & got nowhere. The person I spoke to said it was probably a vibration issue since I was snowmobiling. I told her I had read on the internet where people (not sledders) also using 60Csx units & different software were having their units shut off when they crossed from 1 map to the next.

 

If you are having this problem, contact Garmin.

 

Maybe if they see that a number of people are having the same problem they'll do something about it.

New firmware and chipset updates have been released for the C(S)x series. I've already upgraded my unit but I haven't had a chance to test it for this problem yet - hopefully this weekend... I will still report the problem to Garmin though.

 

I would suggest emailing the problem to Garmin using the following link on their Web site:

http://www.garmin.com/contactUs/techSupport.jsp

This will create an official paper trail whereas phone calls can be documented however the technician sees fit (dismissed as a vibration issue).

[revrnd]

I've emailed Garmin outlining my issue. I'll post their reply.

[revrnd]

I never heard back from them on this issue. I've since gotten a warranty replacement Legend Cx due to the rubber band coming off.

 

Any more info on the shutting off issue?

[+simplyred]

My 60csx has done the same thing with topocanada, now when nearing a known area (where my GPS shuts down), i'll go into map settings and hide topo, not the greatest fix, but a workaround. I've got2 definite spots it shut's down and seen a few more which I never verified.

[+Mach2003]

I have both Topo Canada amd Metro Canada loaded. Three different places my Legend CX self powers off. None of the three places are on either map boundary, none are effected by speed, and all three repeat every time I cross them.

 

Computer tech in me says "divide by zero" type of crash causes system to shut down.

[revrnd]

I never heard back from them on this issue. I've since gotten a warranty replacement Legend Cx due to the rubber band coming off.

 

I was back in the area near Hearst Ontario 2 weeks ago where the initial problems occurred. GPSr didn't miss a beat other than the odd time when the power cord vibrated out of the 12V outlet on the dash of my snowmobile.