[SCraig]

If you are truly wiring DIRECTLY to the battery then the electrical system of the bike, in and of itself, is not the problem since you have effectively bypassed the entire system. The GPS power is in parallel to the bike power and not affected by it.

Sounds to me like the cigarette lighter connector is vibrating loose after a while. They are famous for doing that.

 

[BigMan73]

If you are truly wiring DIRECTLY to the battery then the electrical system of the bike, in and of itself, is not the problem since you have effectively bypassed the entire system. The GPS power is in parallel to the bike power and not affected by it.

Sounds to me like the cigarette lighter connector is vibrating loose after a while. They are famous for doing that.

+1 on what SCraig said.

Let me try to help too, I have a direct GPS hook (Nuvi 765) through a cigar socket.
1. Post some images through imgur. It is very easy and will resolve your problems quicker.
2. A cigar socket can be easily replaced for a low cost. Try replacing it and then try again.
3. Check with a voltmeter what is the volt coming out of the cigar socket - when everything is going well, and when not well.
4. 10A fuse is too much for a GPS - it will protect the bike, but the GPS would be toast. 2A is the typical value
5. It could be the charger (12V->5V transformer)
6. It could be the connector cable feeding the GPS

 

[OydnaR]

my thinking is that the gps unit is very voltage sensitive and needs a full 12v not 11.5 to start

I know that my V-1 radar detector shuts off if the voltage goes below 12v

 

[richw]

Gloomy

If the R/R is going there may be high voltage coming through

I don't know anymore but you used to get a filter for a 12V circuit.

 

[BigMan73]

my thinking is that the gps unit is very voltage sensitive and needs a full 12v not 11.5 to start

I know that my V-1 radar detector shuts off if the voltage goes below 12v

GPS units work on 5V, not 12V. That is why they also charge from USB - USB also works on 5V.
Garmin (and all other vendors) supply a charger/transformer that converts the 12V into 5V.
If you connect 12V directly to a GPS you will toast it.

 

[hollowas]

I have a Magellan GPS Explorist 600 (a handheld) that is VERY sensitive to heat. When I first mounted it to the handlebars, the sunlight would heat it up and it would freeze. My solution was to:
take a plastic 1 liter bottle,
turn it upside down,
cut the bottom off (the neck portion) and some of the front
spray paint it black inside.

Basically, I made a little hat for it... it kinda looked like a Darth Vader helmet.

After that, the gps was cool and didn't have a problem.... and I was cool (in a dorky sort of way).

Steve

 

[Voluhzia-Strom]

Check how much voltage you get from battery while charging. If your regulator going bad, it may send to much power to the battery to recharge. Usually you should see 14.7 Volts... If you see more than that, your regulator does not work correctly, it supposed to waste extra energy through heat...

 

[EC90T]

I would get a power supply cord that shows you when it is making good contact. I have this for my Garmin Nuvi and sometimes the vibes will move the plug in the socket just enough to kill the juice.

Also make sure the socket is free from corrosion. I take a battery terminal cleaner to mine (remove fuse first) every once in a while and coat it with dilectric grease. The water from the rain and washing it will collect in the bottom and potentially cause a corrosion problem.

 

[OydnaR]

GPS units work on 5V, not 12V. That is why they also charge from USB - USB also works on 5V.
Garmin (and all other vendors) supply a charger/transformer that converts the 12V into 5V.
If you connect 12V directly to a GPS you will toast it.

the 12v to 5v regulator is still designed to use 12v on the input side and 12v+,is what the bike is supose to provide, if it doesn't get 12v+ does the adaptor make 5v?

btw, its DC voltage, not AC so there is no transformer in the charger adaptor

 

[SCraig]

the 12v to 5v regulator is still designed to use 12v on the input side and 12v+,is what the bike is supose to provide, if it doesn't get 12v+ does the adaptor make 5v?

Yes. Most voltage regulators can take a wide swing in supply voltage. I used to build a lot of power supplies using LM7805 regulator IC's and as I recall they could take anywhere from about 6 volts to 18 volts without any problems. Generally speaking, as long as the input voltage is a few tenths of a volt above the output voltage they will work reliably.

Some GPS devices have a regulator build into the 12v power cord, inside the cigarette lighter plug. I have an old Garmin ETrex Legend C that is that way. Others DO take straight 12VDC and regulate it internally as needed. My Garmin 2820 is that way. The power cord is nothing but wire (yes, I did cut one apart to make sure).

 

[OydnaR]

Others DO take straight 12VDC and regulate it internally as needed.

that's the way the Zumo works

fwiw, I used to have an occasional gps shutdown cause the internal battery would discharge

my zumo is connected to a switched circuit so it comes on at startup always has no problem, the few times it died I had to rechage the internal battery with a usb cord to my computer, haven't had a problem with my zumo since I put the MOSFET RR in the bike, the only difference is no longer getting inconsistent voltage from the bike, so at some point, the gps would switch from external to internal power

 

[richw]

FYI My Garmin 300 asks me if it should power down if it loses external power

It uses 2 AA's and does not have its own internal rechargable. I guess the theory is your hiking so you can just carry a few AA but no where to plug in

 

[BigMan73]

the 12v to 5v regulator is still designed to use 12v on the input side and 12v+,is what the bike is supose to provide, if it doesn't get 12v+ does the adaptor make 5v?

btw, its DC voltage, not AC so there is no transformer in the charger adaptor

Regd. DC/Transformer - Yes of course, I wasn't sure what technical word fits in English (The DC voltage 'device' transforms, [EDIT: Converts], 12V -> 5V, it doesn't have to regulate the 12V DC (i.e. make it a nice constant 5V line)...Often these functions are combined)

See more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC-to-DC_converter

 

[BigMan73]

Some GPS devices have a regulator build into the 12v power cord, inside the cigarette lighter plug. I have an old Garmin ETrex Legend C that is that way. Others DO take straight 12VDC and regulate it internally as needed. My Garmin 2820 is that way. The power cord is nothing but wire (yes, I did cut one apart to make sure).

Very good point - I stand corrected and learned a new thing about 2820 & Zumo. :thumbup:
I guess I should have written: MOST consumer GPS only take 5V and do not have a built in 12V input regulator.

 

[BurnieM]

Very good point - I stand corrected and learned a new thing about 2820 & Zumo. :thumbup:
I guess I should have written: MOST consumer GPS only take 5V and do not have a built in 12V input regulator.

You should have written SOME GPS only take 5v....

There are too many variables here and the original problem description does not have enough detail.

Questions;
Can you confirm that the socket centre pin is wired to the positive terminal ?
What voltage do you have at the socket with the ignition off ?
What voltage do you have at the socket with the ignition on ?
What voltage do you have at the socket with the ignition on with the engine running ?
Does the cig lighter plug have a transformer or is it 'straight thru' with a fuse ?
.

 

[OydnaR]

Very good point - I stand corrected and learned a new thing about 2820 & Zumo. :thumbup:
I guess I should have written: MOST consumer GPS only take 5V and do not have a built in 12V input regulator.

I think that any gps unit that has hardwire capabilities has internal voltage reduction

I would also add, that the Zumo and many others, in diagnostic mode will dsiplay external and internal voltage, I thought one time of using the GPS as a voltmeter, it seems to read about .75v low compared to a test meter connected to the battery

 

[NewSuz]

You should have written SOME GPS only take 5v....

There are too many variables here and the original problem description does not have enough detail.

Questions;
Can you confirm that the socket centre pin is wired to the positive terminal ?
What voltage do you have at the socket with the ignition off ?
What voltage do you have at the socket with the ignition on ?
What voltage do you have at the socket with the ignition on with the engine running ?
Does the cig lighter plug have a transformer or is it 'straight thru' with a fuse ?
.

Answers;
Yes
Ign. off; 12.3 v
Ign. on; 11.6 v
idle; 13.5 v
4000 rpm; 14.9 v (max)
straight thru

 

[BigMan73]

Answers;
Yes
Ign. off; 12.3 v
Ign. on; 11.6 v
idle; 13.5 v
4000 rpm; 14.9 v (max)
straight thru

So basically there is no regulator and the input voltage goes from 11.6-14.9..
That's not very good..
Perhaps you want to put a 12V regulator on the input line to GPS?

 

[NewSuz]

So basically there is no regulator and the input voltage goes from 11.6-14.9..
That's not very good..
Perhaps you want to put a 12V regulator on the input line to GPS?

Thanks, BigMan. Where could I get such a regulator? Why don't others with GPS on their 1000's have a similar problem?