sick Explorist 500

October 15, 2008

In the last month my Explorist will no longer download any caches from Geocache manager, and also the battery says it is on external power when it is not. When I turn the unit on, it says it is in USB mode and I have to switch to Power only mode just to get it unstuck. This unit is acting very sick. Any suggestions? I'm about to throw this unit under a bus, which is only 1 1/2 years old..

October 15, 2008

Wow, your busses are much newer than ours . . . ;^)

Not getting into a 'Magellan bash session', that's a much more viable solution

than some might think. Another option would be to call Magellan and negotiate

a trade for the new and "improved" Triton, such as it is/will be. It got a rocky start,

followed by a bumpy ride, the high points seem to be getting smoothed out, at the

expense of customers soft underbellies. I have some hard feelings that are softening

with time, but will NEVER buy another Magellan product, PERIOD.

Norm

4.3k · October 16, 2008

Not really meaning to derail the Magellan bashing train, here are some suggestions:

- Pull the SD card out, then do a full factory reset.

- If you have access to another computer and/or USB cable for the eXplorist, see if they work any better.

Those are generic suggestions that tend to clear up a lot of different problems. But the truth is I don't know what's ailing your eXplorist.

If that common voodoo doesn't help, you can almost certainly finagle a Triton out of the current Magellan. You'll almost certainly hate the Triton, but you could sell it on eBay or Craigslist. Probably not on the Garage Sale here though, because we're all too smart to fall for that. Still, you'll pocket a little cash from the deal.

And then -- use that cash towards a new (or used) GPS.

What to buy? If you already have a significant Magellan investment (e.g., maps, accessories like mounting brackets, spare rechargeable batteries, familiarity with the platform, etc), the obvious choice is used Explorist 500 or maybe a 600 on eBay or Craigslist. Probably not on the Garage Sale here though, because most of the stuff here is overpriced and you're too smart to fall for that. After selling a NEW Triton, you might even come out a few bucks ahead on a used one.

If you have no such investment (and no remaining love for Magellan products), there are hundreds of users here that will tell you why what they use is the best and why you should buy one just like theirs. I'll leave that exercise to others...

October 16, 2008

Not really meaning to derail the Magellan bashing train, . . . <snip>

Ya picked a switch and creased a couple o' ties, but she popped back on and all's right in the world.

Norm

October 16, 2008

The reset hasn't helped, and I have tried to sync with every computer in the house. (3 of them) . The thing that baffles me is that the battery shows I'm hooked on external power when clearly I'm not. I'm not sure if I would get anywhere with Magellan with an 18 month old unit that I had never registered.

October 16, 2008

The reset hasn't helped, and I have tried to sync with every computer in the house. (3 of them) . The thing that baffles me is that the battery shows I'm hooked on external power when clearly I'm not. I'm not sure if I would get anywhere with Magellan with an 18 month old unit that I had never registered.

October 16, 2008

What you described seems consistent with a broken cable. The Explorist can get power from either the USB port or the external power. If the wires are broken, the USB power can accidentally be connected to the external power line too. Don't despair, most Explorist cables dies around 1 1/2 years. One can buy a replacement easily on ebay. Actually, my suggestion would be to buy one which uses USB power only, i.e., USB power is also used as the external power. You can have the Explorist on, and charge the battery at the same time, without the external power. I haven't used the power adapter since I bought this "improved" 3rd party cable.

As for downloading caches to the Explorist, an alternate way is to write the .gs file directly onto the SD card, if you have a separate SD card reader. I know it is possible with MapSend Lite, and very likely also possible with Geocache manager. However, having to remove the battery to take the SD card out is very inconvenient.

In the last month my Explorist will no longer download any caches from Geocache manager, and also the battery says it is on external power when it is not. When I turn the unit on, it says it is in USB mode and I have to switch to Power only mode just to get it unstuck. This unit is acting very sick. Any suggestions? I'm about to throw this unit under a bus, which is only 1 1/2 years old..

4.3k · October 16, 2008

...seems consistent with a broken cable...

I thought that too on first reading, problems downloading, etc. But on second reading it seems he's also having problems when the cable isn't plugged in (thinks its on external power or connected to USB when it isn't). Bad/shorted connections inside the case, maybe?

As for getting service out of M for a device a year and a half old...

I'm not saying one should LIE -- but ... the "Hello, english is my second (or third) language, how may I help you by reading from a script" telephone support team may never ask how old the device is. And if they do ask, you might well misunderstand them, and give a confusing answer.

October 17, 2008

there are hidden service functions in the explorist. take a look at this web page, i did a reset on my unit to get it to stop acting stupid.

http://rhamphorinkx.newmail.ru/sf.htm

October 17, 2008

Be aware that there are some options on that site that can be just as effective as the bus scenario, albeit less violent and cathartic!

Norm

October 17, 2008

...

- Pull the SD card out, then do a full factory reset.

...

Let me voice a warning here that might be wise to note... If you GPSr will not be recognized by any computer you have, it might not be wise to perform any "hidden" reset functions. You may render your GPSr totally unusable. Some of the hidden functions require that you connect the GPSr to your computer to complete the process. I have an eXplorist 600 sitting here that I can't do much with because I did one of those full resets, but it is now missing its internal base map, and it won't recognize the USB port.

From previous experience, the problem you have the GPSr's internal connections have gotten damaged (aka "fried"). This happens most commonly if you attempt to connect or remove the USB cable which is already connected to the computer, and the GPSr is turned on. My wife has now done this to 2 or 3 different eXplorist 600 units...

4.3k · October 17, 2008

... it might not be wise to perform any "hidden" reset functions.

True. But I didn't suggest any "hidden" reset functions. The normal reset sequence

Menu -> Preferences -> Clear Memory -> All

Is all that I would suggest. This will not delete the basemap. It WILL clear any user settings and saved data, and re-initialize the GPS to factory defaults. This often does help resolve problems (although the OP description really does sound like a hardware problem).

Using with "hidden" menus without knowing what they do is a bit daft - there's a reason they're hidden.

Edited October 17, 2008 by lee_rimar

October 17, 2008

What you described seems consistent with a broken cable. The Explorist can get power from either the USB port or the external power. If the wires are broken, the USB power can accidentally be connected to the external power line too. Don't despair, most Explorist cables dies around 1 1/2 years. One can buy a replacement easily on ebay. Actually, my suggestion would be to buy one which uses USB power only, i.e., USB power is also used as the external power. You can have the Explorist on, and charge the battery at the same time, without the external power. I haven't used the power adapter since I bought this "improved" 3rd party cable.

We'll vote for the "broken cable" possibility. We have an eXplorist 210, and we have had to replace the cable twice. The first time the cable broke, it was obviously a broken tab that was somehow preventing it from making contact correctly. The second time, the cause was less clear - we just suddenly couldn't screw it on to the base.

October 18, 2008

You can have the Explorist on, and charge the battery at the same time, without the external power. I haven't used the power adapter since I bought this "improved" 3rd party cable.

Where can I find these third party cables. These problems all sound similar to my explorist 400. Here is my thread:

My explorist 400 has mysteriously stopped going into file transfer mode. :lol: I can still charge the battery via the usb cable but will not connect to my computer. I have turned it off and back on after a period of time, unplugged completly and plugged back in, drained the battery and recharged, reset to factory defaults, basically everything I can think of. Anyone else with an explorist experience a similar problem or just any other suggestions that I haven't thought of

Edited October 18, 2008 by stlredrocker

October 18, 2008

You can have the Explorist on, and charge the battery at the same time, without the external power. I haven't used the power adapter since I bought this "improved" 3rd party cable.

Where can I find these third party cables. These problems all sound similar to my explorist 400. Here is my thread:

My explorist 400 has mysteriously stopped going into file transfer mode. I can still charge the battery via the usb cable but will not connect to my computer. I have turned it off and back on after a period of time, unplugged completly and plugged back in, drained the battery and recharged, reset to factory defaults, basically everything I can think of. Anyone else with an explorist experience a similar problem or just any other suggestions that I haven't thought of

Try an online shop called Overdrive Electronics. They have a goog price on the cable, excellent customer service, and fast shipping.

We like our eXplorist 210, but we have reached the conclusion that the cable is a serious design flaw. The cable has too many moving parts, when it really doesn't need any.

October 18, 2008

For giggles go to an office supply store and buy a typewriter eraser. If they tell you it is extinct then try an electronics store. It's a pencil with eraser material in place of the lead and a brush in place of the eraser. Use it to shine up the contacts on your battery,sd card,usb connection and all the contacts they connect to. Be careful some of these connectors are delicate. That gets rid of a lot of the bugs in my 600. Particularly if I'm not getting a usb connection to my pc. SD card and the contacts in the sd slot are usually the culprits since I have direct soldered my own usb connector to the unit in place of the crappy connection Magellan provides. The battery has a smart chip in it also which has to communicate with the unit. When the contacts get dirty the gps sometimes get whacky.

October 19, 2008

You can have the Explorist on, and charge the battery at the same time, without the external power. I haven't used the power adapter since I bought this "improved" 3rd party cable.

Where can I find these third party cables. These problems all sound similar to my explorist 400. Here is my thread:

<snipped>

Try an online shop called Overdrive Electronics. They have a goog price on the cable, excellent customer service, and fast shipping.

<snipped>

I bought my third party cable from ebay. I just checked, and there are still several "buy-it-now" listings for about $10. The key phrase in the description is something like: "Unlike original cable comes with unit you need a separate wall power adapter to power up the unit." It does not have the middle connector where the external power supply plugs in. It takes all its power from the USB port.

I also looked at Overdrive Electronics. They seem to carry only the Magellan's original version. I would avoid it. The connection for the external power adapter creates a weak point in the cable, and that is why it does not last.

BTW, if you are adventurous, you may be able to fix the cable. I have actually cut-off this middle connector from my broken original cable, and reconnect the wires so that the wire intended for the external power is now also connected to the USB power. The internal wires are very thin, and one has to be very carefully while stripping off the insulating plastic. I put it back together with black tapes. It is ugly, but it works. Now, I have a spare.

4.3k · October 20, 2008

Look here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=206259

This is what I was talking about when I suggested just buying another (used) Explorist. This is a VERY good deal for a replacement 500. Cheaper than you could buy almost any other comparable replacement, and it will preserve any existing investment you have in other Magellan accessories.

And there's nthing stopping you from trying to finagle a replacement Triton out of Magellan, and reselling that here or on eBay to defray some of your costs.

October 20, 2008

Magellan support suggested I download the latest drivers for Vista for this unit. I did download this to my desktop. Now what is the next step I need to do to update this? It is in zip format.

Cash-n-Dash

4.3k · October 21, 2008

Unless I've misunderstood your earlier posts, the suggestion to update drivers on your computer sounds wrong.

What I thought I read earlier: You have problems even if the GPS is not connected to the computer; as soon as you turn it on. Did I get that wrong?

If you have problems even when it's not connected to the computer, new drivers and/or cables won't help.

October 21, 2008

lee you are correct. The service dept at Magellan still thinks its a driver issue, even when I explained it had problems without the connection. I haven't unzipped and tried the driver yet.

4.3k · October 21, 2008

lee you are correct. ...it had problems without the connection. ...

Then new drivers or a new cable are a wate of time/money.

Did you try the clear memory settings I and other suggested? If that doesn't work then something is fried inside. Not likely repairable unless you're a pretty good tech. Magellan doesn't even repair these anymore, they just hand out Triton's as consolotation prizes.

October 30, 2008

Update on my GPS in the last week.....Magellan's tech support had no clue, and other options suggested here in this forum and by local cachers have made the unit worse, and now Magellan has declared the unit fried. They have given me 2 offers: a refurbished Explorist for 75 bucks,or a new Triton 500 for 150 dollars. Should I take one of the offers or non of the above?

1.7k · October 30, 2008

I vote for the refurb eXplorist for $75, though you might want to check eBay or the Garage Sales section of the forum here to see if you can get an eXplorist 500 for less than what Magellan wants to charge you.

sick Explorist 500

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