Streetpilot needs fixed

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Alaskansnowbirds

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My Streetpilot III won't turn on with battery power. It works fine if plugged into external power. I've changed the batteries and taken a voltage reading at the output of the battery pack and everything is normal there. Not sure I want to split the case to see if something has come loose inside. Where do we go now that Bronco One is no more?
 
Alaskansnowbirds said:
My Streetpilot III won't turn on with battery power. It works fine if plugged into external power. I've changed the batteries and taken a voltage reading at the output of the battery pack and everything is normal there. Not sure I want to split the case to see if something has come loose inside. Where do we go now that Bronco One is no more?

I watched Allen open up Phils SPIII and I don't recall any suprises.  If it were me I would remove the batteries and power and remove the back to if there is anything loose.  Could be just a broken wire.
 
Alaskansnowbirds said:
Not sure I want to split the case to see if something has come loose inside. Where do we go now that Bronco One is no more?

Don,

The case is easy to open.  The screws holding the circuit board come loose once in a while.  Tighten them and close the case.  That's what Allen did to mine.

Phil
 
RV Roamer said:
If all else fails, GArmin offers a factory repair service, including out of waranty units. See SP Repair

Gary,

I used that service once.  As I remember it cost a flat fee of $125 and they either fix your unit or send you a rebuilt unit.  Mine is still running fine since then  ;D.
 
Looks like the price went up Don. It's currently $225 for SPIII.
 
Phil said:
The case is easy to open.? The screws holding the circuit board come loose once in a while.? Tighten them and close the case.? That's what Allen did to mine.

Phil

Thanks Phil and everyone else that answered. If I can find a screwdriver with a thin enough shaft to get down into the screw hole I'll give it a try. Will let you know what I find.
 
Are the batteries in right - I saw a slip of paper placed inside the unit that I received - that warned that the unit might giive the wrong impression on how the batteries were placed. Just a thought!
 
Couple things to check: 1. Battery polarity (already mentioned), 2. Measure the voltage under load i.e., with the unit turned on. Just measuring open-circuit voltage doesn't give a true reading of battery condition. You may have to slip a piece on aluminum foil under each of the battery terminals to take the reading, but that's the only accurate way. Assuming it takes 4 AA or AAA cells in series, place the foil so that you read the whole series string; not just one battery. 3. Check batteries again. Even "new" ones may be bad. 4. Does your power supply (wall wart) have the same output voltage rating as the battery pack? If you have 4 AA or AAAA cells in series, the voltage would be around 6 volts. If the wall wart also says " 6 volts d.c.", the problem may be in the wall wart connector going into the SPIII. The jack will usually have a switch contact that disconnects the batteries from the circuit when external power is used. This is so non-rechargeable batteries are not being recharged (which they can't) while connected to external power. Inspect the jack and find the switch contact that closes when the power plug is removed, and carefully clean the contact with some 600 grit emery paper. 5. Make sure the wires from the battery pack are properly soldered into the circuit board.
As an aside, I stopped in at Garmin in Olathe, KS the other day because my 2610 wasn't responding to the IR remote control. I went to the main receptionist (not the repair desk) and told her my story. She called an engineer who came about 5 minutes later and took the unit to be tested. They checked everything out and determined it was a bad remote control which they replaced free of charge. I even got a cup of coffee and a doughnut out of the deal!

Good luck with your troubleshooting, and let me know if you have problems with my instructions.   
 
Don

Karl raised an interesting point when listing a number of trouble shooting procedures. IIRC, the SPIII automatically switches to battery power when it is plugged in to external power and that power is turned off. For example you are plugged into the cigarette lighter and turn the ignition key to off, the battery power comes on and warns you it is on battery and will switch off in 30 seconds if not confirmed. Does your NOT automatically switch?
 
Well I did it!

Took my Streepilot III apart and found the problem. It seems that they use two of the circuit board mounting screws as conductors to supply power from the battery pack to the unit. One of the screws had come loose and had fallen out. Replaced the screw and everything works.

Karl, the switch between internal and external power has to be electronic on the board. The power leads from the battery pack and external power enter the board at two different places.
 

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