+infosponge Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 OK, I've always been one of those who says "don't worry about the water-tightness of the battery compartment", since over the course of a year and a half my Meridian has had plenty of opportunities to test that theory and has always survived water exposure with no problems. Until last weekend. I was geocaching in our tandem kayak, the one without the GPS mount, so the Meridian sits in the cup holder. Sometimes it picks up a few inches of water. To make a long story short, the GPS got fried. I let it dry for a few days but still no improvement. Today I took a look, and there was significant amounts of corrosion in two places on the circuit board. It looked like the water entered from the battery compartment seal. It also looked like salt water corrosion, which means the water was from a different trip, so it had been happening slowly over time. The GPS will boot now, but the display is streaky and pretty much unusable. A lot of the corrosion was around the connector where the display joins the main board, so that's not too suprising. So...forget what I said about it being water resistant...don't trust that battery door seal. You may get lucky for 18 months, but eventually it may bite you. http://www.tampabaygeocaching.com Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 My Meridian Platinum is not made as well as the GPS V, but even that could leak in through the speaker holes, or battery compartment. Also not having a carry strap on the Meridian, would allow the GPS to get a dunking easier. If you were to take a Meridian in both hands, then twist the unit, that could break the seals too. What there should have been, is a better seal around the unit. -------------------------------------------------- My Old posts as Geoffrey My Current Post as GOT GPS? My profile My Home Page about what is GPS Quote Link to comment
+DustyJacket Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 I have a blowup waterproof bag for my GPS. I learned long ago that water and electronics don't mix, no matter what the manufacturer says.... DustyJacket Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case... Quote Link to comment
hikinandbikin Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 So notably from an engineering (regulatory) perspective. In order to say they are waterproof all Magellan has to do is pass the IPX 7 test during there product validation and verification. If they pass they can ship the device with that little IPX 7 symbol on the back. Notably you should try to clean your unit that broken. Very often using a little rubbing alcohol on the the PCB will clean off the build-up of contaminates. Obviously, make sure you take the batteries out before cleaning. BTW I am pretty sure IPX 7 is achieved by submerging the device for 30 minutes in 1 meter of water. Must be functional after the test. Quote Link to comment
+Cachetrotters Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Are you one of many here that like to take things apart to see what makes them tick? If so, perhaps you did not make a good seal when you put it back together again. The shell seal and battery compartment seal may well be two different types--one designed for long term wear-and-tear and the other designed to be replaced at the factory every time the shell is opened, which is the only place it should be. If you have salt-water corrosion then it could be water vapor getting past the shell seal over time. On the other hand, how many cycles does the battery compartment cover have? 20, 30, 40 sets of batteries? Perhaps it needs cleaning or replacement. And perhaps the sliding tabs need a little realignment to pull the cover snug. My Meridian...water tight...yes! don Quote Link to comment
valenrandy Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 putting in my 2 cents worth. ive been through 2 meridians and both units seemed to have a not so tight battery compartmemnt. I never trusted them enough to take into the water with me. It just seems like water will eventually leak in. It does not seem tight enough. If it had the lil screw thingy like my map 330 then i would feel fine. My map 330 has what i belive one of the best sealling battery compartments out there dont you agree? I think they should redesign the lid and make an offer to all meridian owners to send theirs in for the new one. I wouldnt mind paying shipping for that. ValenRandy03 Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 I think the seal around the battery is alot better than the seal around the rest of the meridian (it is just a really small blue o-ring). If the sides of the unit are not screwed down tightly it is really easy for water to get pass that small ring (I also found it is fairly easy to break the middle two screws, which will allow water to enter). The battery seal on the 3xx series is not water proof, water will enter since it leaves a gap, and contains little to no o-ring. Were the meridians have a black (approx 3/16") o-ring that outlines just the battery section. Wyatt W. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Might be interesting to try 1/2 inch black tape around the edge of the Meridian, but to avoid taping the battery door shut. It will not effect the Antenna's reception. This should help cut down on water damage. Products, I believe are tested when just built, but id like them to try product testing for waterproofness, after dropping them a few times. Lets have Consumers Reports, do some drop tests, then Waterproofness testing. That should get Garmin, and Magellan's attention. -------------------------------------------------- My Old posts as Geoffrey My Current Post as GOT GPS? My profile My Home Page about what is GPS Quote Link to comment
+Firefishe Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 quote:Originally posted by phantom4099:I think the seal around the battery is alot better than the seal around the rest of the meridian (it is just a really small blue o-ring). If the sides of the unit are not screwed down tightly it is really easy for water to get pass that small ring (I also found it is fairly easy to break the middle two screws, which will allow water to enter). The battery seal on the 3xx series is not water proof, water will enter since it leaves a gap, and contains little to no o-ring. Were the meridians have a black (approx 3/16") o-ring that outlines just the battery section. Wyatt W. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. Umm...no. I have a MAP 330 and I can tell you from experience that the battery door--a screw-down type [that's screw down, with a metal screw and a brass thread embedded in the plastic]--on my MAP 330 is, indeed, water tight. I won't try to float the thing in our local Bay (essentially Lake Michigan), but I've used it in rain without either a zip lock or waterproof float-bag for it, and it's never failed me yet. I have gone to putting it in a zip lock sandwich bag, just to add an extra layer and to keep it dry, primarily to keep the button lettering from wearing off too fast, and also to keep the unit's finish looking "not-water-worn," but that's for largely cosmetic reasons. I now carry it in an AccuCase made for it and love this case! GPS-V, III+, and similar unit owners please take note: AccuCase make a case for your units! It's made of ballistic nylon and is very hard, yet not so hard that it's not useable. Think Bianchi AccuMold and you'll have the idea. ...Caching In on the Journey {--Firefishe--} --------------------------- The year is 2003. The name is S.A. Brown. BrowNAV (Brown Navigation) --------------------------- Quote Link to comment
+Firefishe Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 quote:Originally posted by valenrandy:putting in my 2 cents worth. ive been through 2 meridians and both units seemed to have a not so tight battery compartmemnt. I never trusted them enough to take into the water with me. It just seems like water will eventually leak in. It does not seem tight enough. If it had the lil screw thingy like my map 330 then i would feel fine. My map 330 has what i belive one of the best sealling battery compartments out there dont you agree? I think they should redesign the lid and make an offer to all meridian owners to send theirs in for the new one. I wouldnt mind paying shipping for that. ValenRandy03 Couldn't have said it better--about the battery door on the MAP 330--myself! Bravo!! ...Caching In on the Journey {--Firefishe--} --------------------------- The year is 2003. The name is S.A. Brown. BrowNAV (Brown Navigation) --------------------------- Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 I have owned two 330, and currently have a 315. So I know the battery cover on the unit is not waterproof (even Magellan states it as "splash resistant" and they are pretty optimistic about that stuff). If you look closely at the battery cover on the 3xx you may see some gaps between the cover and the battery compartment (granted the meridian have a gap between the body and the cover, but it is protected from water entering the battery compartment by the black o-ring). Also the latches on the meridian apply even pressure to all sides of the cover, where the 3xx series gets depressed in the center (which may raise the edges). Wyatt W. note: I will not be able to reply to this thread till after the 29th. The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions. [This message was edited by phantom4099 on June 22, 2003 at 06:21 AM.] Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 I can only say with my experience of an accidental dunking in a glacial runoff river last January, my MeriPlat survived rather well. Of my e-devices, it was first in and last out and the battery compartment was bone dry AFTER I dried off the outside to ensure no water will seep in when I opened it up. Cheers! TL Quote Link to comment
+weswada Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Originally posted by phantom4099:I have owned two 330, and currently have a 315. So I know the battery cover on the unit is not waterproof (even Magellan states it as "splash resistant" and they are pretty optimistic about that stuff). If you look closely at the battery cover on the 3xx you may see some gaps between the cover and the battery compartment (granted the meridian have a gap between the body and the cover, but it is protected from water entering the battery compartment by the black o-ring). Also the latches on the meridian apply even pressure to all sides of the cover, where the 3xx series gets depressed in the center (which may raise the edges). Wyatt W. yes, totally agree. from the day i bought it and inserted batteries, i noticed that i could see light from one side thru the other, so i knew the claims that it was waterproof was probably full of it. my yellow etrex seemed to be more sealed than that... Quote Link to comment
+Sissy-n-CR Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 SporTrak Map not waterproof either! Mine was attached to my PFD when I went in. Got back and noticed the unit was off. Good thing I had a floating key fob attached because the unit in the case does NOT float! Got back to the house opened it up--the first time with this unit--and used a hair drier on low to gently dry it out before firing it up. It worked, but got it opened back up to let it dry out better in case I missed some. BEWARE! ST's are not waterproof to the point of taking a serious dunking. Yes, I've learned my lesson. Extra protection is required on the water! CR Quote Link to comment
+GeckoGeek Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Just as a note of comparison, while my Geko has a reasonable battery door, I've noticed that the battery compartment is well sealed. Nothing is going from there into the main unit. I've not tested the waterproofing of my GPS, but I've not no reason to doubt it. I may feel differently after that "o" ring around the two halves of the case starts aging.... Quote Link to comment
Clown Knife Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Water resistant does not mean water proof! If common sense fails, then use a zip lock bag. D'oh! Quote Link to comment
Karl360 Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Do Sportrak units do well in heavy rain? I have taken my Etrex out in rain and has done fine.. I just ordered a sportrak basic model, hope it does well in rain too since i do a lot of hiking in it. Quote Link to comment
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