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Cellular forums Home > Archive > GPS > August 2007 > Water Proof GPS With Auto-Pause And USB Interface?
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Water Proof GPS With Auto-Pause And USB Interface?
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| (PeteCresswell) 2007-08-27, 3:33 pm |
| Got Garmin's ForeRunner 301, but I use it on the water almost
exclusively and it's tolerance for salt water exposure seems tb
nil by virtue of an external female USB mini-plug socket.
I've found it impossible to keep that socket dry - Garmin's dinky
little rubber stopper and liberal applications of electrical tape
notwithstanding....
In spite of Garmin's claim of an IPX7 rating, this thing's toast
if it even gets splashed - much less immersed.
And here's the *real* zinger: according to the Garmin rep I just
talked to, *any* sort of water-damage invalidates the warranty.
Pffft! So much for Garmin....
If I can resurrect that USB socket, I'll keep it and buy some
sort of waterproof bag... but the real long term solution would
seem tb a unit that's actually IPX7-compliant.
The only "must have" features I can think of are:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
- The ability to compute average speed - preferably with
intervals;
- The ability to set a speed at which it will stop computing
average speed until speed rises back above that setting.
Garmin calls that feature "AutoPause";
- The ability to keep on tickin' even after being splashed
repeatedly with salt water and/or being immersed briefly
in same - as when tipping over a kayak when the GPS is
velcro-d to the deck; and
- A PC interface that doesn't take five minutes to transfer the
data like the ForeRunner 201's serial interface does.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Anybody know of something non-Garmin in that line?
--
PeteCresswell
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| On Aug 27, 1:23 pm, "(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid> wrote:
> Got Garmin's ForeRunner 301, but I use it on the water almost
> exclusively and it's tolerance for salt water exposure seems tb
> nil by virtue of an external female USB mini-plug socket.
>
> I've found it impossible to keep that socket dry - Garmin's dinky
> little rubber stopper and liberal applications of electrical tape
> notwithstanding....
I think you got a bum unit. As I understand it, Garmin receivers that
have the IPX7 rating are supposed to meet it without reliance on the
rubber caps. I assume the purpose of the caps is to keep the
connectors clean and corrosion free so they'll make a good connection.
> In spite of Garmin's claim of an IPX7 rating, this thing's toast
> if it even gets splashed - much less immersed.
Then it certainly isn't meeting the IPX7 spec.
> And here's the *real* zinger: according to the Garmin rep I just
> talked to, *any* sort of water-damage invalidates the warranty.
Bo-o-o-o-gus! I believe the unit is supposed to perform within
specifications during the warranty period. I'm taking your word for
it that IPX7 is part of the specs for this unit. So if the unit isn't
meeting the spec, you should be entitled to warranty service. You
said "Garmin rep". Was that a support tech?
> Pffft! So much for Garmin....
That isn't the experience that most people have with Garmin service.
I strongly recommend that you call again. You'll almost certainly get
a different support tech. The experience that people have when
calling Garmin support varies tremendously from one tech to another.
Some are great, some are not helpful at all, and some have given
completely incorrect answers. It sounds like you got one of the
latter. Many people have had Garmin repair certain issues without
charge even for out-of-warranty units. I assume yours is still under
warranty. It is well worth another try. I believe the majority of
Garmin support techs are really good.
> the real long term solution would
> seem tb a unit that's actually IPX7-compliant.
It seems to me that Garmin owes you one, assuming yours is still under
warranty. My experience with their units and water has been good.
Give them another chance. I think they'll take care of you. Good
luck. I hope you'll let us know what happens, good or bad.
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| (PeteCresswell) 2007-08-28, 3:33 pm |
| Per Roy:
>I think you got a bum unit. As I understand it, Garmin receivers that
>have the IPX7 rating are supposed to meet it without reliance on the
>rubber caps. I assume the purpose of the caps is to keep the
>connectors clean and corrosion free so they'll make a good connection.
Maybe this thing has tb seen tb understood.
It's a female USB mini-receptacle with copper terminals inside of
it.
(Salt Water + Copper) => Beeeg Time Corrosion (i.e. lumps of
greenish stuff)
Unless the terminals were made of some material that did not
react with salt water, I can't see any way at all that the unit
could survive exposure to salt water.
I got it running again by dripping vinegar into the receptacle.
The acid reversed the corrosion. I don't think that trick can
be used very often, however, because when I did it on the male
plug (which was also corroded from having picked up some salt
water from the receptacle) it hosed the plug - seeming to leave
insufficient copper on the connectors..... So I'd guess that each
time the vinegar trick is used, some copper is sacrificed.
When I first got the unit, the total inadequacy of the rubber
cover thingie and the potential for corrosion just jumped out at
me.
A few posts on newsgroups at the time provoked a number on
anecdotes where the common thread was that the thing can't
survive repeated exposure to water.
I've put this to whoever answered the support lines at Garmin on
two or three separate occasions and each time was basically blown
off. I don't think they care one way or the other.
Also, its *such* a glaring, blatant fault that I can't imagine
that The Powers That Be at Garmin didn't sit down, talk it over,
and make a business decision to go ahead anyhow.
"Water proof guarantee" vs actual waterproofness and all that....
That's how it was with an older Garmin unit I had. Dripped a
little fresh water on it while paddling and the inside of the
window misted up - twice. In those cases, Garmin RMA'd the unit
under warranty - but it was pretty obvious that it was the
warranty that was waterproof and not the unit.
--
PeteCresswell
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| (PeteCresswell) 2007-08-28, 3:33 pm |
| Per Roy:
>I assume the purpose of the caps is to keep the
>connectors clean and corrosion free so they'll make a good connection.
Think that one though for a few minutes, and you'll arrive at the
heart of the issue.
--
PeteCresswell
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| (PeteCresswell) 2007-08-28, 3:33 pm |
| Per (PeteCresswell):[col
or=darkred]
>Think that one though for a few minutes, and you'll arrive at the
>heart of the issue.[/color]
Upon reading this, I think it could legitimately taken as a
smartass reply.
Mea Culpa. It wasn't meant as such.
--
PeteCresswell
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| On Aug 28, 12:36 pm, "(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid> wrote:
> It's a female USB mini-receptacle with copper terminals inside of
> it.
>
> (Salt Water + Copper) => Beeeg Time Corrosion (i.e. lumps of
> greenish stuff)
>
> Unless the terminals were made of some material that did not
> react with salt water, I can't see any way at all that the unit
> could survive exposure to salt water.
I took it that water was getting to the inside of the unit through the
connector. Wasn't thinking of the problem being with the connector
itself.
> I've put this to whoever answered the support lines at Garmin on
> two or three separate occasions and each time was basically blown
> off. I don't think they care one way or the other.
Well that's really disappointing. Maybe Garmin isn't what it used to
be. As someone posted humorously in a different forum, "Maybe they're
under new management." Maybe it isn't so humorous. That would be a
shame.
> That's how it was with an older Garmin unit I had. Dripped a
> little fresh water on it while paddling and the inside of the
> window misted up - twice. In those cases, Garmin RMA'd the unit
> under warranty - but it was pretty obvious that it was the
> warranty that was waterproof and not the unit.
I've gotten my 76CS pretty wet on at least a couple of occasions, with
no problems. Of course, they sell it as a marine unit; but if your
unit is spec'd as IPX7, that doesn't seem like it should matter.
Well, sorry I couldn't help.
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| "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote:
> Got Garmin's ForeRunner 301, but I use it on the water almost
> exclusively and it's tolerance for salt water exposure seems tb
> nil by virtue of an external female USB mini-plug socket.
>=20
> I've found it impossible to keep that socket dry - Garmin's dinky
> little rubber stopper and liberal applications of electrical tape
> notwithstanding....
Will WAX keep the water out?
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| (PeteCresswell) 2007-08-29, 7:33 am |
| Per Joe:
>Will WAX keep the water out?
If it did, wouldn't the residual wax interfere with the
connection when the USB cable is plugged into it?
--
PeteCresswell
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