+Team Nohoch Posted September 24, 2002 Share Posted September 24, 2002 Greetings. Here is some info for Magellan Meridian series GPS owners who are looking for a way to make/attach a wrist lanyard or a "dummy cord" to the Meridian unit. PARTS: 550 Paracord, about 2 feet or so. Textron # 4 Stainless Steel Oval Head Philips Machine Screws 40 X 3/8 (Lowe's Hardware, 5 for .46 cents) Textron # 4 Miniature Flat Washers, (Lowe's p/n 01132, drawer # 122) (6 for .70 cents) Needle and thread. INSTRUCTIONS: Take suitable length of ParaCord, and remove the 7 inner strands, leaving only the sheath. Melt the end to prevent fraying. Overlap an inch or so of the sheath at the end of the piece, and sew together leaving a small hole just large enough for the screw to fit through. Place a washer at the data port screw hole on the rear of the unit, and a washer on the new #4 screw, and push this through th hole in the Paracord sheath you have created by sewing, and screw into the unit. That's it. Sounds harder than it actually is. Once this attached, you can tie a knot for a wrist lanyard, or leave it long enough to go from a pouch to just above the ground. (Dummy Cord) Please excuse this post if this info was already available. This is my first post, and I was trying to contribute Any questions, feel free to email me... Best regards, Daryl 1/2 of TEAM Nohoch [This message was edited by Team Nohoch on September 25, 2002 at 04:56 PM.] [This message was edited by Team Nohoch on September 25, 2002 at 05:01 PM.] Quote Link to comment
umc Posted September 24, 2002 Share Posted September 24, 2002 Thank you thats a great idea. Quote Link to comment
NeilG Posted September 24, 2002 Share Posted September 24, 2002 Nice idea. The simple ones are usually the best! Quote Link to comment
+Zahrim Posted September 25, 2002 Share Posted September 25, 2002 This is a great post. I think some people may not know what "550 Paracord" is or where to get any though. I'm sure if they can't find it, that they could use some other form of crafting cord. My first idea for a wrist strap was to find an old power cord and cut off the cord part to use just the end piece that attaches to the Meridian and attach a strap that came with an old camera to the little 'D-ring'. I like your idea much better. And since you put in the screw size, I wont have to spend half an hour trying different screws to find the right one. Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted September 25, 2002 Share Posted September 25, 2002 I thought of this idea before, but I couldn't find a screw to fit the threaded hole. I tried asking Magellan technical support what size/thread the hole was, but they couldn't give me an answer!! I was tempted to stand in the hardware store and try every standard/metric screw to see what would fit. Glad you came to the rescue before I had to do that! The other day I was so desperate for a beer, I snuck into the football stadium and ate the dirt under the bleachers. Quote Link to comment
Zoboomafoo Posted September 25, 2002 Share Posted September 25, 2002 My Meridian should arrive in the big brown truck tomorrow and I'm eager to get started. Any chance you could post a pic of this homemade dealy-bob so those of us who don't picture discriptions really well can see it. Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted September 25, 2002 Share Posted September 25, 2002 I followed the original suggestion, but I also bought a small picture/mirror hanger to give a "loop" that any strap can be attached to (it is the only non-stainless steel component). I strongly advise adding a lockwasher to avoid having the screw work loose when you least expect it. I attached a badge-holder that I picked up at a conference I attended as the strap. My parts: 1 - #4-40 x 3/8" stainless steel machine screw 2 - #4 stainless steel flat washers 1 - #4 stainless steel lock washer 1 - Picture/mirror hanger Here are a couple of pictures of mine. Hope this helps! "If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now, quiet! The're about to announce the lottery numbers..." [This message was edited by Stunod on September 25, 2002 at 05:16 PM.] Quote Link to comment
stlthy1 Posted September 25, 2002 Share Posted September 25, 2002 Really nice but what if the metal part of the picture hanger makes contact with the 2 contacts for the data cable? Will that hurt the gps unit? Still very nice and i will give this one a try. Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted September 25, 2002 Share Posted September 25, 2002 I put a bit of electrical tape on the backside of the hanger, just in case. Not sure if there would be a problem or not, but nevers hurts to be carefull. "If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now, quiet! The're about to announce the lottery numbers..." Quote Link to comment
Dale_Lynn Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 I wonder what people are going to do, when they break off the screw in GPS unit and can't plug in their data cords.... I see the need for a lanyard, but wonder about using the screw socket that secures the data cord... Seems to me the two case screws near top (replace with longer) would be more logical... Dale -------------------------------------------------------- I'm Diagonally Parked, In A Parallel Universe. -------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 I wouldn't replace the case screws as you mentioned, since they are designed with an o-ring to give the unit it's water-tightness. If you somehow manage to break off a flush-driven screw in the hole for the data cable, I guess you'll either have to find a small bolt extractor (a left-hand drill bit works great for small screws), or send the unit in for repair. I'm sure that repair cost would be far cheaper than repairing the damage from a nasty drop or replacing a lost unit. "If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now, quiet! The're about to announce the lottery numbers..." [This message was edited by Stunod on September 26, 2002 at 08:23 PM.] Quote Link to comment
NeilG Posted September 27, 2002 Share Posted September 27, 2002 The pics are very helpfull thanks for those. Perhaps you could post them to Magellen to see if they get the idea of what lengths we have to go to just to get a lanyard for our GPS. Quote Link to comment
Baldeagle Posted September 27, 2002 Share Posted September 27, 2002 I have used the connecting thunmb-screw for the lanyard in the past, damage to thread is a worry. For the last few months I have been trialling something easier and more robust, get a fairly thin but strong black cable tie and cut the 2 ends off so it is about a 100 mm long (4inches) using special high strength instant glue, stick cable tie to top / sides of the unit following shape but with a 6 mm (quarter inch) gap to attach a loop of cord to. I have a digital camera if someone tells me how to post a digi photo. No problems so far,use good quality glue. cheers [This message was edited by Baldeagle on September 27, 2002 at 06:21 PM.] Quote Link to comment
Baldeagle Posted September 27, 2002 Share Posted September 27, 2002 I have used the connecting thunmb-screw for the lanyard in the past. For the last few months I have been trialling something easier and more robust, get a fairly thin black cable tie and cut the 2 ends off so it is about a 100 mm long (4 inches) using special high strength instant glue, stick cable tie to top / sides of the unit following shape but with a 6 mm (quarter inch) gap to attach a loop of cord to. Dead easy and hasn't let me down yet.....get good glue. cheers oops, sorry ....not sure how I managed to do this twice. [This message was edited by Baldeagle on September 27, 2002 at 06:23 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 You may be able to get a wrist strap from Magellan now. This wrist strap that came with the Meridian color can fit on other Meridians. ------------------------ My home page about GPS units and information Quote Link to comment
+Team Shredded Bark Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 I only use the power cable for my MeriPlat with the mounting bracket, so I didn't need the screw. Since it is identical to the 315 strap screw, I called Magellan (Thales) tech support to ask if the mounting hole could take the strain of a lanyard (yes it can), and if they had a shorter screw available (nope). But they sent me an extra D-loop screw AND a lanyard strap free! I was concerned about snagging the too-long screw head on something, so I carved a rounded black block of rubber the same width and height as the data cable connector plate out of a piece of standard rubber sanding block, drilled a hole through it, and put the screw through. It works great (and matches the color scheme!) -- "Stay off that highway: word is it's not so safe The grasses that hide the green-backs, the amber waves of gain again" --R.E.M. Quote Link to comment
+Marky Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 I'm constantly popping my meridian in and out of the car cradle and I would have to be removing the lanyard each time. That's too much work. What I'd like is some kind of lanyard setup that clips on and off using a similar mechanism as the car cradle. Of course, this is beyond the scope of most do-it-yourselfers. But that's what I want. --Marky "Everyone spends time in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr" Quote Link to comment
Dale_Lynn Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 Marky... How do you say RAM mount... Dale -------------------------------------------------------- I'm Diagonally Parked, In A Parallel Universe. -------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Marky - Someone posted pics of a RAM mount (snap-in) lanyard HERE. Maybe that is what you are looking for? EDIT...Oops, I see you posted on that thread too. Oh well... "Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand." Quote Link to comment
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