Garmin GPS - Transferring City Navigator Map Detail to a Street Pilot 2610

Author

Transferring City Navigator Map Detail to a Street Pilot 2610

Jim Giblin

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

I took delivery of a StreetPilot 2610 this week and I am confused re the
mechanics of transferring City Navigator map detail to the CompactFlash
card. Must the City Navigator maps be transferred directly by connecting
the PC to the 2610? Asked differently, can I download the maps to a CF card
reader and then transfer the loaded CF card into the 2610?

The 2610 came with a 128 meg card. I connected my PC directly to the 2610
using the USB interface cable that came with the unit and downloaded 90 meg
(New England states) worth of maps . The 2610 worked well. Now, I want to
download all of the US maps I anticipate ever needing to a single CF card.
I purchased a 1 gig CF card and tried to download ~950 meg of US maps using
the PC to 2610 USB interface cable. I have tried several times and keep
having problems. Sometimes the PC does not recognize the (2610) USB devise.
When it does 'see' the devise the download proceeds for 30 minutes then
fails. All the while, I get sporadic USB error messages. At this point
I don't know if the issue is the PC/2610 USB connection or the compatibility
of the 1 gig card.

My thought is that I could buy a CF card reader and try to download through
it. Would this work?

Don Girard

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

"Jim Giblin" < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote in message
news:kVgfe.3222$EC6.1857@trndny06...
>I took delivery of a StreetPilot 2610 this week and I am confused re the
>mechanics of transferring City Navigator map detail to the CompactFlash
>card. Must the City Navigator maps be transferred directly by connecting
>the PC to the 2610? Asked differently, can I download the maps to a CF
>card reader and then transfer the loaded CF card into the 2610?
>
> The 2610 came with a 128 meg card. I connected my PC directly to the 2610
> using the USB interface cable that came with the unit and downloaded 90
> meg (New England states) worth of maps . The 2610 worked well. Now, I
> want to download all of the US maps I anticipate ever needing to a single
> CF card. I purchased a 1 gig CF card and tried to download ~950 meg of US
> maps using the PC to 2610 USB interface cable. I have tried several times
> and keep having problems. Sometimes the PC does not recognize the (2610)
> USB devise. When it does 'see' the devise the download proceeds for 30
> minutes then fails. All the while, I get sporadic USB error messages.
> At this point I don't know if the issue is the PC/2610 USB connection or
> the compatibility of the 1 gig card.
>
> My thought is that I could buy a CF card reader and try to download
> through it. Would this work?
>
Jim,

Yes, a card reader will work. The maps are stored on the CF card and other
data (routes, waypoints, etc) are stored in the internal memory of the 2610.
I would first try uploading a small map set (20 MB) to see how it works. If
all goes well, I'd increase it a couple of times. This should help you
determine whether it's the card or the PC/2610 interface.

Don

Jim Giblin

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

I continued to investigate the USB problem and the first item in Gamin's FAQ
section under support speaks to the problem. The FAQ talks about steps to
troubleshoot the USB connection. Towards the end of these steps, the FAQ
asks questions about the USB Controller in the PC. At this point the FAQ
says that the PC's mouse and keyboard can not be attached through the USB
which of course my PC does! The FAQ says the next is to 'contact the
computer manufacturer to see how ..[to connect the Garmin]... USB device to
....[the]... PC to make it function. WTF!!! - Garmin's solution is for me to
contact Dell. I don't think so. I suspect the real issue is that the 2610
is USB 1.1 and my PC is USB 2.0 (and XP Pro SP2) and it is a compatibility
issues that relate to the USB mouse/keyboard are the root cause.

The 2610 is being returned. :-(

"Don Girard" <NObetthe1SPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:OfGdnTxwsfPjvuP
fRVn-uQ@comcast.com...
>
> "Jim Giblin" < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote in message
> news:kVgfe.3222$EC6.1857@trndny06...
> Jim,
>
> Yes, a card reader will work. The maps are stored on the CF card and
> other data (routes, waypoints, etc) are stored in the internal memory of
> the 2610. I would first try uploading a small map set (20 MB) to see how
> it works. If all goes well, I'd increase it a couple of times. This
> should help you determine whether it's the card or the PC/2610 interface.
>
> Don
>

Don Girard

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

"Jim Giblin" < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote in message
news:XGrfe.3420$Ws6.2385@trndny07...
>I continued to investigate the USB problem and the first item in Gamin's
>FAQ section under support speaks to the problem. The FAQ talks about steps
>to troubleshoot the USB connection. Towards the end of these steps, the
>FAQ asks questions about the USB Controller in the PC. At this point the
>FAQ says that the PC's mouse and keyboard can not be attached through the
>USB which of course my PC does! The FAQ says the next is to 'contact the
>computer manufacturer to see how ..[to connect the Garmin]... USB device to
>...[the]... PC to make it function. WTF!!! - Garmin's solution is for me
>to contact Dell. I don't think so. I suspect the real issue is that the
>2610 is USB 1.1 and my PC is USB 2.0 (and XP Pro SP2) and it is a
>compatibility issues that relate to the USB mouse/keyboard are the root
>cause.
>
> The 2610 is being returned. :-(
>
> "Don Girard" <NObetthe1SPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:OfGdnTxwsfPjvuP
fRVn-uQ@comcast.com...
>
>

Why wasn't there a compatibility problem when you uploaded to the 128 MB
card?
As I said before, a card reader will work. That's how I loaded ALL maps on
to my 2GB CF. I'm not sure what would happen if you loaded maps with a card
reader on to a non-compatible card then put it into a 2610.

Jim Giblin

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

The initial load of the 128 meg card occurred just after I loaded the
drivers and installed the map software. I downloaded a few maps to be able
to test the 2610 in the car. A few days latter I tried to load all of the
New England maps. This time, the PC could not see the 2610 USB devise. I
reloaded the driver/map software again and that seemed to work. The 2610
using the New England maps worked well. So well in fact that I purchased a
1 gig card to load all of the maps of potential interest. I tried all kinds
of tricks (including reloading the driver/map software again) to download
the maps but nothing worked. At times, the PC could 'see' the Garmin USB
device but it would loose the connection during the download. The download
to the 128 meg card took a few minutes. The downloads to the 1 gig card
took about 45 minutes and during that period I would get spurious USB error
messages.

I now know, based on your input, that I could download to the 1 gig card
using a card reader but I would still need the USB connection to download
firmware updates or upload tracks data. My PC is about 3 months old and has
all of the latest and greatest bells and whistles. I suspect the root case
of the USB problems rests with the Garmin that used USB 1.1 and the PC that
uses 2.0.

I am really disappointed because the 2610 worked really well and would have
been a great 'navigator' to have in the car. Perhaps the rumored release of
the 27x0 will resolve the USB issue.

"Don Girard" <NObetthe1SPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:U6GdnQD7TM0Vy-PfRVn-gg@comcast.com...
>
> "Jim Giblin" < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote in message
> news:XGrfe.3420$Ws6.2385@trndny07...
>
> Why wasn't there a compatibility problem when you uploaded to the 128 MB
> card?
> As I said before, a card reader will work. That's how I loaded ALL maps
> on to my 2GB CF. I'm not sure what would happen if you loaded maps with a
> card reader on to a non-compatible card then put it into a 2610.
>
>

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

In article <XGrfe.3420$Ws6.2385@trndny07>,
"Jim Giblin" < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote:

> I continued to investigate the USB problem and the first item in Gamin's FAQ
> section under support speaks to the problem. The FAQ talks about steps to
> troubleshoot the USB connection. Towards the end of these steps, the FAQ
> asks questions about the USB Controller in the PC. At this point the FAQ
> says that the PC's mouse and keyboard can not be attached through the USB
> which of course my PC does! The FAQ says the next is to 'contact the
> computer manufacturer to see how ..[to connect the Garmin]... USB device to
> ...[the]... PC to make it function. WTF!!! - Garmin's solution is for me to
> contact Dell. I don't think so. I suspect the real issue is that the 2610
> is USB 1.1 and my PC is USB 2.0 (and XP Pro SP2) and it is a compatibility
> issues that relate to the USB mouse/keyboard are the root cause.
>
> The 2610 is being returned. :-(

This seems to be a problem with the USB Driver software that Garmin
is using with their products. Apparently the Garmin driver conflicts
with other USB Drivers loaded in the PC, and the Garmi Driver doesn't
seem to be able to seperate it's packets from keyboard and mouse packets
passing along the USB Bus. I haven't tried it but, one could maybe add
a USB/PCI card, and maybe moving the Garmin USB to a seperate controller
would reduce the conflict, and allow the OS to keep the packets mutually
exclusive per driver.

Me

Seagull

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

Jim Giblin < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote:
>
> I now know, based on your input, that I could download to the 1 gig card
> using a card reader but I would still need the USB connection to download
> firmware updates or upload tracks data. My PC is about 3 months old and has
> all of the latest and greatest bells and whistles. I suspect the root case
> of the USB problems rests with the Garmin that used USB 1.1 and the PC that
> uses 2.0.

Nope. Having USB 2.0 has nothing to do with it. I've had a 2610 for over
a year and my computer is all USB 2.0 and never had a problem. USB 2.0
has been standard on computers now for a couple of years. If USB 2.0
was the issue, there's be masses of people complaining about non-functioning
2610's.

There are several possible problems:

- Your computer's USB ports may be flakey. Not very likely, but
possible.

- You have too many devices hooked up to the same USB hub. The internal
ports on your computer may share the same on-board USB root hub. Try
attaching to a different group of ports than your mouse and keyboard (if
they are on the back, attach to the front, and visa-versa).

Some bulk transfer devices simply do not take well to sharing the
USB bus with interrupt devices (like keyboards and mice).

- You may be running through a non-powered, external USB hub.

- Your 2610 may be defective.

- The USB drivers may need to be reinstalled. Download and install
the latest MapSource and USB drivers if you haven't already
done so.

USB drivers:

http://www.garmin.com/support/downl...ails.jsp?id=591

MapSource:

http://www.garmin.com/support/downl...ails.jsp?id=209

I believe you said you already updated the firmware.

Seriously consider a USB card reader/writer. They are USB 2.0, cost
under $35 for 8-in-1 (and even 12-in-1) devices, and are in general
handy to have no matter the application. Writing to a card writer
will make things go much faster.

Cheers,
-+JLS

--
\ carpe cavy!
seagull @ aracnet.com \
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/ \ (seize the guinea pig!)

Seagull

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

Jim Giblin < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote:
> using the New England maps worked well. So well in fact that I purchased a
> 1 gig card to load all of the maps of potential interest. I tried all kinds
> of tricks (including reloading the driver/map software again) to download
> the maps but nothing worked. At times, the PC could 'see' the Garmin USB
> device but it would loose the connection during the download. The download
> to the 128 meg card took a few minutes. The downloads to the 1 gig card
> took about 45 minutes and during that period I would get spurious USB error
> messages.

Hmm. It looks like all your problems are with the 1 GB card. Make sure
it is not formatted with FAT32. FAT32 will not work in the 2610. Beyond
that, it may be a card compatability issue. I'd suspect the card first
given what you've written to this newsgroup. The USB connectivity issue
may be a secondary effect of the GPS barfing while writing to the card.

USB is kind of flakey. Sometimes devices that lost their connectivity
to the machine have to be unplugged and then replugged. Sometimes that
works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you have to switch USB ports.

Also make sure you do have the latest firmware on the 2610. It's currently
at v4.30. There have been fixes to improve USB transfer reliability.
If you have a unit with a really old firmware, this will help (v2.70,
for example, fixed a problem with intermittent USB transfer failures,
and all newer firmwares would include that).

Cheers,
-+JLS

--
\ carpe cavy!
seagull @ aracnet.com \
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/ \ (seize the guinea pig!)

Seth

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

"Jim Giblin" < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote in message
news:XGrfe.3420$Ws6.2385@trndny07...
>I continued to investigate the USB problem and the first item in Gamin's
>FAQ section under support speaks to the problem. The FAQ talks about steps
>to troubleshoot the USB connection. Towards the end of these steps, the
>FAQ asks questions about the USB Controller in the PC. At this point the
>FAQ says that the PC's mouse and keyboard can not be attached through the
>USB which of course my PC does! The FAQ says the next is to 'contact the
>computer manufacturer to see how ..[to connect the Garmin]... USB device to
>...[the]... PC to make it function. WTF!!! - Garmin's solution is for me
>to contact Dell. I don't think so. I suspect the real issue is that the
>2610 is USB 1.1 and my PC is USB 2.0 (and XP Pro SP2) and it is a
>compatibility issues that relate to the USB mouse/keyboard are the root
>cause.

Which Dell?

Also, how are your devices hooked up. For example, USB ports are usually
(the ones on the PC that is) grouped at 2 ports per USB bus. Many newer
Dells have 6 ports on the back. 2 next to 4. Try plugging the Garmin into
a 2-set by itself.

I'm running on a Dell PE400 as my main desktop and I have 2 hubs. 1 a 1.1
and one a 2.0 hub. I have them plugged into different busses on the back of
my machine with my keyboard and mouse plugged into the 3rd bus with no
issues.

Also, what CF card did you get? Some work better than others. I just
received this week a 2BG Sandisk CF card and have no issues.

Jim Giblin

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

Dell 8400 (3.0 gHz, 1 gig, Win XP Pro)

For the most part, I used the USB ports on the front of the box. I did try
the ports on the back but I don't remember if it was from the 2 or 4 set.
None worked. This was when I stumbled across the FAQ page on the Garmin
site. I was turned off by what appeared to the workarounds they suggested
in dealing with the USB issue. Disabling USB 2.0 features on the computer to
be able to load a USB 1.1 driver struck me as just wrong.

I was able to download small map sets to the 128 meg SD that came with the
unit. My problem came when I was trying to load the 1 gig Viking SD card I
purchased later. It could be that the Viking card was incompatible. It
seems that the 2610 has been around for so long that , if there were a USB
issue, other people would have come forward.

Alas, I did return the 2610.

"Seth" < seth_lermanNOSPAM@ho
tmail.com> wrote in message
news:lU3he.146$Dy1.118@news02.roc.ny...
> "Jim Giblin" < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote in message
> news:XGrfe.3420$Ws6.2385@trndny07...
>
> Which Dell?
>
> Also, how are your devices hooked up. For example, USB ports are usually
> (the ones on the PC that is) grouped at 2 ports per USB bus. Many newer
> Dells have 6 ports on the back. 2 next to 4. Try plugging the Garmin
> into a 2-set by itself.
>
> I'm running on a Dell PE400 as my main desktop and I have 2 hubs. 1 a 1.1
> and one a 2.0 hub. I have them plugged into different busses on the back
> of my machine with my keyboard and mouse plugged into the 3rd bus with no
> issues.
>
> Also, what CF card did you get? Some work better than others. I just
> received this week a 2BG Sandisk CF card and have no issues.
>

Seth

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

"Jim Giblin" < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote in message
news:qinhe.174$E05.63@trndny09...
> Dell 8400 (3.0 gHz, 1 gig, Win XP Pro)
>
> For the most part, I used the USB ports on the front of the box. I did
> try the ports on the back but I don't remember if it was from the 2 or 4
> set. None worked. This was when I stumbled across the FAQ page on the
> Garmin site. I was turned off by what appeared to the workarounds they
> suggested in dealing with the USB issue. Disabling USB 2.0 features on the
> computer to be able to load a USB 1.1 driver struck me as just wrong.
>
> I was able to download small map sets to the 128 meg SD that came with the
> unit. My problem came when I was trying to load the 1 gig Viking SD card
> I purchased later. It could be that the Viking card was incompatible.
> It seems that the 2610 has been around for so long that , if there were a
> USB issue, other people would have come forward.

Sounds like the Viking card, or rather it's comaptability with the 2610 is
the problem, not USB. I have essentially the same computer as you. A
PowerEdge 400 (which is an 8400 with a different front panel, no ports on
front) and I have no issues. I checked to see what cards were compatible,
and bought a SanDisk 2GB. No problems with that card either.

> Alas, I did return the 2610.

Unfortunate.

Seagull

2005-05-19, 12:22 pm

Jim Giblin < jgiblinPublic@abette
rplacetobe.com> wrote:
>
> Alas, I did return the 2610.

It's never too late to buy another one.

Cheers,
-+JLS

--
\ carpe cavy!
seagull @ aracnet.com \
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/ \ (seize the guinea pig!)

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