+Jiheffe Posted December 4, 2002 Share Posted December 4, 2002 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! Quote Link to comment
shrekTBA Posted December 4, 2002 Share Posted December 4, 2002 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. Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted December 4, 2002 Share Posted December 4, 2002 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. Quote Link to comment
+Jiheffe Posted December 5, 2002 Author Share Posted December 5, 2002 Thanks wyoduckhunter and criminal, I'll give it a try! What still bothers me is the fact that it seems it has to do a full reacquisition of satelites afterwards... Jiheffe Don't Dream It... Be It! Quote Link to comment
+tigger2 Posted December 8, 2002 Share Posted December 8, 2002 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. Quote Link to comment
shrekTBA Posted December 8, 2002 Share Posted December 8, 2002 If you want a real pain, if this was a Vista, you would have to recalibrate the compass every time it looses batt power, doesnt take long but a pain. It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home. Quote Link to comment
+Jiheffe Posted December 9, 2002 Author Share Posted December 9, 2002 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 , and it didn't switch off . Jiheffe Don't Dream It... Be It! Quote Link to comment
Snowshark Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 I have an Extrex Vista and it powers "down" as you mentioned. I talked with Garmin customer sevice and told me to add mole skin or tape to the battery compartment. It didn't work. It is a design flaw from Garmin. My next GPS will be a Magellan unit. Quote Link to comment
BootsnBonzi Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 This is a little late - but we had the same problem with our Meridians on motorcycles with the RAM mount. Problem was solved by using power cord with cigarette lighter adapter. Only problem now is adding a cigarette lighter to all of our rides! Boots Quote Link to comment
+apersson850 Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 Since I got my last Vista, a couple of months ago, I haven't experienced any shutdown problems related to battery contacts. The battery compartment is redesigned, compared to the first two Vistas I had. Maybe that's what makes the difference. Anders Quote Link to comment
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