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Etrex switches off


Jiheffe

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Hello,

 

I use my yellow Etrex for biking, and have it mounted on the handlebar.

It has the bad habit to switch off when I ride on uneven surfaces, like rocky paths. It does not have to be a really important shock, even relatively light ones make it turn off.

 

In the receivers specs, they quote "Dynamics: 6g". Does anyone know what this means in terms of shock resistance?

 

Can the battery form factor be a cause? I use rechargeable batteries, and I've read sometime ago that their form factor is slightly smaller that disposable batteries?

 

Also, I noticed that when I switch it on again, it seems like it does a cold acquisition, starting with an empty satellites screen, and taking several minutes to acquire signals.

 

Did anybody experience this also?

 

Jiheffe

 

Don't Dream It... Be It!

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I would tweak the terminal connections to make them tighter, and then place a thin peice of foam between the batt and the cover to hold it solid. A band aid around the batt should do with the pad to the outside, see if that helps.

 

It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home.

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My V had the same problem. I reached down inside with a little hook and pulled the spring to stretch it a bit and pulled it completely out of the unit. It was a b1tch getting it back down in there. But that's what the problem is, the batteries are momentarily getting separated from each other and it powers down. Stretch the springs at either end and it should solve the issue.

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Yup, they do that all right. I bought a "Ram Mount" for my motorcycle so that I could take my E-Trex along. Just the vibration of the engine is enough to shut down the GPS. I just gave up on the "Ram Mount" and geocaching on the motorcycle.

The vibration is longitudinal with the top to bottom of the GPS. It shakes the batteries and the wimpy little spring contacts are not strong enough to resist the force. As soon as they compress, the rigid contacts lose their contact with the batteries and 'poof', it's lights out.

Good luck in your efforts to fix this problem. The suggestions made by the others all are good ones that are worth trying. You could also try taking a small piece of plastic and wedging it into the area between the batteries and the case of the GPS. Do it at the end where the little conical, coil springs are and it should keep the springs in constant contact. It just won't let the batteries shake.

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Hi,

 

I did the cardboard trick this weekend to pull out the springs a little, and it seems to work. Didn't actually take the unit on the bike, but I gave it some rude shocks, even dropped it from about 50 cm (2 feet) on the ground icon_biggrin.gif, and it didn't switch off icon_cool.gif.

 

Jiheffe

 

Don't Dream It... Be It!

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