+PMHerz Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 This morning I found that I could only turn off my Oregon by taking the battery out and then I couldn't turn it back on. It seems like the switch went bad. I can start it up by plugging the USB cable into a computer, phone charger or spare battery. When I unplug it, it asks if I want it to stay on with battery power or turn off, so I say to stay on and it works fine. Kinda like a jump start. Other than carrying a spare battery with a USB cable to jump it, any suggestions? Thnx Quote Link to comment
+Atlas Cached Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Yes, I have a suggestion... Time to upgrade to a newer model!!! 8^) Quote Link to comment
+PMHerz Posted May 6, 2019 Author Share Posted May 6, 2019 I knew I'd hear that from someone! ? At this point, it's a challenge to keep it going without replacing it. Quote Link to comment
+Mineral2 Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 You know, you never know what you're missing until you play with the newer toys. For a good year or two, I was convinced that the Oregon 600, successor to the 450, wasn't really worth the purchase. I suppose at an initial price of $400, maybe no GPS is worth the purchase. But when it went on sale for about half that, I broke down and bought it, and never looked back. The screen on the Oregon 600/700 is worth it alone. It's just so vibrant and easy to view. I thought the 450 was good enough, until I used the 600. Now when I do go back and use the 450, it's painful. The customizable button(s) are the other deal-maker. It's so nice to have up to five functions that I can access with a tap (or double tap, or long press). And then more functions easily accessible via custom shortcuts. I haven't played much with a 700, which has its own UI changes so I don't know if they are good or bad, but the folks here who have one have mostly positive things to say (well, except maybe when the Live Geocaching isn't working). The Oregon 450 was good. But upgrading to the 600, and now the 700, are surely worth it. Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 4 hours ago, PMHerz said: This morning I found that I could only turn off my Oregon by taking the battery out and then I couldn't turn it back on. It seems like the switch went bad. I can start it up by plugging the USB cable into a computer, phone charger or spare battery. When I unplug it, it asks if I want it to stay on with battery power or turn off, so I say to stay on and it works fine. Kinda like a jump start. Other than carrying a spare battery with a USB cable to jump it, any suggestions? Thnx It’s not uncommon for the switch to eventually fail. There’s a tiny square switch and the rubber button you press which pushes that switch. On YouTube, can see the steps to replace them. On eBay, you can see the various parts and kits available. Quote Link to comment
+Mr Kaswa Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 My power button started acting up, and then I noticed that it was disintegrating, allowing it to miss the little switch inside. I had planned to replace the unit, so made a "temporary" fix....about 3 years ago It's just part of pink eraser off a pencil, with a little notch cut to seat it on the switch, and then some thick adhesive waterproof tape. Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 19 hours ago, PMHerz said: any suggestions? Thinking out loud, if I were to repair the “button” (the external rubber power knob which presses an internal switch), I might try something like “Sugru”. It's expensive to play with, and one glob is about the size of a wad of chewing gum, but might be perfect as a permanent repair in this case. I can't stand “tape” as a repair, especially electrical tape, because it will wear out relatively fast and leave a gummy residue. Don't worry, I'm the only person I know who doesn't think vinyl tape is the answer to everything. I had a Garmin Oregon 450, and had trouble seeing the screen in all but direct sunlight. I had to keep the backlight on. Then I switched to a 550, and now a 650. The display is nice and readable. The 650's capacitive touch screen is a great improvement. Now the newest flagship models can load caches over wifi. Unfortunately, the power button design has changed only slightly over the years. Quote Link to comment
+Mr Kaswa Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 6 hours ago, kunarion said: I can't stand “tape” as a repair, especially electrical tape, because it will wear out relatively fast and leave a gummy residue. Don't worry, I'm the only person I know who doesn't think vinyl tape is the answer to everything. My thick adhesive waterproof "duct" tape, once I sized the eraser correctly, has never been off, nor has it slid around. Admittedly, there will be one heck of a residue though if I ever did have to remove it Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Mr Kaswa said: My thick adhesive waterproof "duct" tape, once I sized the eraser correctly, has never been off, nor has it slid around. Admittedly, there will be one heck of a residue though if I ever did have to remove it Gorilla camo duct tape seems quite good, as well. But it seems to slightly petrify over time. And I don’t know how well it could work as a “power button”. Although I would sure enjoy going waaay out in the woods and then seeing my home-spun repair fall apart. Edited May 7, 2019 by kunarion Quote Link to comment
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