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Garmin:



Most Garmin GPS devices are designed to power on and spend some time attempting to detect a computer interface
before they reboot into normal GPS mode. There's no known way to prevent them from automatically powering on
when plugged into USB power, nor is there any way to skip the delay of the USB interface detection. This
results in the device requiring a minimum of 60 seconds of battery life to power on, reboot, and get the user
interface started up for the user to power it down completely, which will then allow it to recharge at full speed.

If the battery charge drops below a certain level (due to battery age or infrequent use) it will become trapped
in a "reboot loop", where the unit will turn on when plugged into USB power (sometimes after sitting for a few
minutes on charge, to get some minimal charge into the battery), and will "crash" during the one minute of time
spent trying to detect a computer interface or while rebooting into GPS mode. This crash causes the device to
shut down, but it will then immediately restart and try to detect a computer again. The user is unable to
interrupt this sequence of events, because the device never reaches the point where they can shut it down to
charge the battery back up. It's also unusable as a GPS while in this state. Since it can't be used and can't
be recharged, the device is effectively "bricked", and Garmin support can only direct the user to purchase a
replacement.

This is NOT a hardware problem. If the device is opened up and the battery is disconnected and directly
charged even a small amount, it can then be plugged into power and survive long enough for the user to turn it
off and get the battery recharged. This classifies the problem as a software issue. It could be solved by
either requiring the battery to reach some fixed minimum amount before automatically powering on, (as ALL cell
phones do) or by not automatically powering on when external power is connected.

This has been a known issue with most models of their GPS over the last decade, but has not been addressed by
Garmin, despite receiving a large volume of reports and complaints from users over the years. Since there are
at least two trivial ways to fix the issue, one of which could even be considere an "industry standard" in
consumer electronics, it's reasonable to assume this behavior is desired by the manufacturer for some reason
and will not be getting changed anytime soon. Some may consider this a form of "manufacturer planned obsolescence",
as it forces users to replace good hardware due to a condition forced on them by the manufacturer.

There is however a method for a confident user to recover their device. The unit's battery isn't bad, but the
user lacks the ability to recharge it. They can purchase a (charged) replacement battery from a 3rd party.
(Garmin does not sell replacement batteries) Replacing the battery will solve the immediate problem, restore
device runtime back to brand new, and help prevent the device from falling into this unrecoverable state in
the near future. This will dramatically extend the lifespan of the product, at a very minimal cost to the user.
(and MUCH less than the cost of a replacement unit)

If the user catches the problem early. before the battery gets too discharged, it may be recoverable. Take
the device in and allow it to warm up if it's cold outside. Connect the device to your best wall charger,
preferably one designed to charge larger devices such as tablets, and use the thickest, shortest USB cord
you can find. Plug in the device, and keep your finger positioned over the power button. If there's enough
charge in the battery (and the charger can provide enough boost power during startup) you should see the
first boot-up, computer detect wait, reboot, and then the main screen. Dismiss any notices that pop up on
the screen, and quickly hold down the power button. When it asks if you want to shut off, tap that quickly
to get the unit to shut off. It should now stay off and begin charging its battery. Allow it to charge
for a minimum of two hours. (it will need 8+ hours to fully charge)

To help prevent problems in the future, here are two tips. First, occasionally turn off your device while
it's connected to USB power, to top off the battery. Second, if you're going on a road trip, turn off the
device while drivving areas you don't need it, such as long stretches of highway. Leave the GPS plugged
in though, so it can keep its battery charged for when you need it. I recently went on a 6 hour trip with
my GPS plugged in and on the entire time. Just as I arrived at my destination city, my Garmin spontaneously
rebooted and went into the above reboot loop, leaving me stranded in an unfamiliar city. The battery was
old enough that actively routing as I drove was enough to completely discharge the battery, despite being
plugged in the entire time. Now when going on a long trip, I start the route and then shut down the
GPS once I'm on the road. I leave it plugged into power, and only turn it on when I am getting close to
an area I will need directions at.




last updated 01/16/2024 at 15:43:42 by make_www_index.command version 2024.01.16.A