Garmin eMap

[+snowstarz]

i'm having a problem with my Garmin eMap.. here's a little background information so you can fully understand the situation.

 

i purchased a NIB Garmin eMap for $40 in February of this year.

the gps was working perfectly fine and i was able to find almost 30 geocaches and even hide two of my own.

 

anyway.. one day my gps said low battery, so i switched the batteries for a set of fully recharged rechargeable batteries. it still said low battery and i thought maybe the rechargeable batteries were too old or that it was a problem with them even though they were only 6 months old and rarely used. i then bought a brand new package of regular batteries at a store and put them in the unit and it still continued to say low battery.

 

after about two or three minutes the gps automatically turns off because of this problem.

 

i've been very careful with my eMap ever since i got it.. using a screen protector, keeping it in a ziploc bag, and just generally being cautious with it.

 

my question is, what do you think caused this and can it be repaired?

 

i really like the eMap's large screen and ease of use, not to mention i just got it three months ago.

[+qlenfg]

Have you updated to the latest firmware? They fixed alot of issues on the eMap by the time the final units shipped.

[+snowstarz]

Have you updated to the latest firmware? They fixed alot of issues on the eMap by the time the final units shipped.

 

no, i haven't.. would i need to purchase the data cable for it?

[+qlenfg]

Unfortunately, yes. I forgot that the eMaps came 'naked' and everything was optional.

 

If I recall correctly, the early firmware did not properly work with rechargeable batteries and assumed a fully charged set was a weak set of alkalines. Not sure why yours failed to work with a new set of regular batteries, unless they were weak from sitting in the store a long time.

 

Also, the battery connections are very prone to vibration and get spring very easily, which causes the unit to randomly shut off. After a couple of years on a motorcycle mine required some cork shims behind the terminals to keep the battery connection tight.

[+snowstarz]

Unfortunately, yes. I forgot that the eMaps came 'naked' and everything was optional.

 

If I recall correctly, the early firmware did not properly work with rechargeable batteries and assumed a fully charged set was a weak set of alkalines. Not sure why yours failed to work with a new set of regular batteries, unless they were weak from sitting in the store a long time.

 

Also, the battery connections are very prone to vibration and get spring very easily, which causes the unit to randomly shut off. After a couple of years on a motorcycle mine required some cork shims behind the terminals to keep the battery connection tight.

 

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me.

 

I'm going to first try getting another pack of new batteries and see what happens.

 

If it still doesn't work, I'll look into purchasing the cable to update the firmware.

 

Just wondering, how did you fix the battery connection?

Did you do it yourself or send it out to a repair facility?

 

I'll update the post once I try a couple of the suggestions.

 

Thanks again,

Carolyn

[+qlenfg]

If you are using the unit in the car or as a handheld, you should have no battery issues and won't need to do a thing to keep the unit working. Mine vibrated around on a motorcycle for two years, first with the Garmin bicycle mount, then with a RAM mount. Much harder on a unit than normal use. Once I fixed it, it was fine until I replaced it with a newer GPS.

 

What happens is the batteries bounce around in the holder and eventually bend or break the battery terminals. I found some thin rubber / cork gasket material left over from something at work and slipped a thin strip behind each pair of battery connections to make the batteries fit tighter. I bought the unit in '99, and as of 6 months ago it still worked fine.