| Author | Message | ||
     StewB1 (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 154.20.135.57 |
Help! When using the car charger the screen will only display that it is charging?? Surely this isn't the norm??? | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
My 1st question is, is this a OEM charger? My 2nd question, How are you plugging the charger into the 660? through the rear cradle mount or the side mini-USB? - Jim (Message edited by admin on November 23, 2009) | ||
| StewB1 (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 205.250.57.218 |
OEM charger on the way and was charging through the USB. How does the USB vs. cradle charge effect the unit? | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
The side mini-USB connector has a limited life. The connector can break, preventing the unit from being charged or communicating with a PC. The rear cradle was designed to allow many more connects & disconnects then the mini-USB. Using a non-OEM charger can cause the Nuvi to always show the Nuvi/PC icon because it's not wired the same as the OEM. In some cases, it can actually damage the Nuvi. I repaired many dead Nuvi's as a result of being connected to a non-OEM charger. | ||
| mark Oliverio (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 70.118.44.9 |
I don't see where my first post is so I'm repeating, sorry if this is a duplicate. My Nuvi 660 doesn't connect with my GTM20 traffic receiver, although it does works, lights flashing. Garmin tells me to do a hard reset, do you know if this is the best thing to do for this? I always hate doing a hard reset. | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
A hard reset will not hurt your unit. You can always make a backup of your favorites first by connecting your Nuvi to your PC and backing up the file current.gpx in the GPX folder within the Garmin directory. Are you sure the subscription hasn't expired? You can tell if there is communication by pressing the wrench symbol at the main menu, then the gear symbol and then "about". You should see the GTM firmware version. If there is no communication, that string may not show up or display N/A. | ||
| Mark Oliverio (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 70.118.44.9 |
So if there is no communication, does that tell me that the subscription is expired or there is something wrong with the unit? I asked Garmin about it being expired, but you know how that went! | ||
| mark Oliverio (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 70.118.44.9 |
Also, I checked online and it shows I purchased the latest July of 09, so it shouldn't be expired, but I haven't tried doing what you said yet. | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
If you press the wrench at the main menu, then the Traffic receiver icon, it will tell you whether the subscription is valid and when its due to expire. | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
The GTM firmware version showing up on the screen, simply tells you its going out and polling the traffic receiver to obtain the traffic firmware version which is stored in the charger/traffic receiver. | ||
| mark Oliverio (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 70.118.44.9 |
Ok, but I'm not seeing the traffic receiver Icon on my GPS, so I can't figure out how to input the codes given to me on the website or see if the subscription is expired. As you know with Garmin, when you get an email reply, it's someone different and you have to explain yourself all over, even though it is in the email thread. | ||
| mark Oliverio (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 70.118.44.9 |
I did get an email from Garmin confirming that I renewed in July, so I do have an active subscription, but I got no help from them as to why I can't see the traffic icon. I guess I'll do the hard reset and hope for the best. | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
It's too bad you don't know someone local that has a working traffic receiver that you could try using theirs. I have one here but obviously that doesn't help you. You could have a bad traffic receiver or a bad connection at the plug that plugs into the cradle socket. Let's hope the reset works. (Message edited by admin on December 07, 2009) | ||
| ralphmitts (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 206.186.8.130 |
My Nuvi660 has touch screen problems that seem to be related to battery charge. If I leave the unit for say a week after charging I only get one power bar on battery display which indicates the battery isn't holding the charge. The touch screen works when fully charged but in the above 1 week later scenario now it doesn't. Is the problem the battery or screen or both? | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
The way to confirm if the battery is affecting your Nuvi's touchscreen, is to immediately connect it to an external power source, like the car DC charger or AC wall charger and see if the touchscreen problem goes away. If it does, then yes, I would say they are related. You may have to reboot the unit 1st to recheck. The fact that your battery drains from a full charge to one bar on its own, without use tells me that yes, the battery needs to be replaced. I recommend changing a battery if its older than 2 years. We offer high-capacity batteries that will give you longer use on battery power than the factory stock battery. Remember, the battery is powering the circuits that scan the touchscreen, so if they are not receiving full power, erratic operation is possible. The device that draws the most power is the LCD and backlight. The touchscreen is just a variable resistor and does not draw very much power. Its the circuits that scan the touchscreen that would be sensitive to a low battery voltage. We have seen intermittent/non-responsive touchscreens, associated with the serial numbers of "143", "12P", 14V" but those issues are not battery related and occur even on an external power source. Again, I would suggest running the unit on an external power source and see if the problem goes away completly. If it does, then your battery is causing the problem. If you would like for us to evaluate/repair your unit, feel free to fill out a quote request form here: http://www.sharc.net/gps_repair_request_utility.htm SHARCNET-USA | ||
| Lynne Popowich (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 70.119.143.91 |
My Nuvi 660 will charge with the AC adapter but will not charge in the car charger. I bought a new Garmin suction mount with the 12-volt adapter (Not OEM)and it does not work. I check out your website every day, hoping I can request a repair quote but I have not had any success. | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
Hi Lynne, We are currently working on some large contracts at the moment but we can fit some extra customers in. The 12V adapter that you bought, does it plug into the side of the Nuvi or the cradle that the Nuvi snaps into? You should see a lightning bolt symbol appear on the main screen if the unit is charging. We don't repair chargers, it's easier & cheaper just to replace the charger. Have you tried plugging something else into the cigarette lighter outlet to make sure it is working correctly? Could there be a blown automotive fuse in your vehicle's fuse box? We sell chargers for the Nuvi 6xx for $19.95. A picture can be seen here: http://www.sharc.net/images/dc_charger2.jpg This charger plugs into the cradle, not the side of the Nuvi. | ||
| Gary Koupf (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 67.85.199.135 |
I have been having problems with my 660. At first it just entered zombie mode off and on. Now it has also been freezing up sometimes with the screen all jumbled, and at times shutting off spontaneously. My problems started a couple of months ago and I have been watching your site for a month or so but your work schedule has been continually full. Please help. I don't want to replace this unit as I have purchased lifetime traffic and maps - a considerable investment and are not transferable to another unit. Thanks | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
"Zombie mode" is a failure in the GPS receiver. The GPS receiver is located in the flip-up assembly of the Nuvi. "Zombie mode" is caused by a lack of communication between the main board and the GPS receiver. You can simulate "Zombie mode" by taking a working Nuvi and unplugging the flex cable between the main board and the GPS receiver. When you say "freezing" and "jumbled screen", can you give us more information? Can you send us a screen shot? When it freezes, it is really frozen? What happens when you toggle the on/off switch? Does it jump to another menu or is it stuck on the present screen? Many people think their unit has locked-up but what often happens is that the touchscreen has become non-responsive (failed). If you can press the on/off switch and make it jump to another screen, then the unit is not locked-up. It's very possible that you have a corrupted file or memory location on your Nuvi. often, reflashing the unit with the firmware will overwrite the corrupted area and restore functionality. Sorry about the full schedule. We often receive a weeks work in just (1) day. We are often working on contracts with companies but we try to squeeze in as many others as we can. | ||
| Gary Koupf (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 67.85.199.135 |
Hi - When I say "jumbled" it can be of several forms. Sometimes it is multiple images like blurred. Sometimes the image is split with the upper part of the image at the bottom of the screen and the lower part of the image on the lower part of the screen, like it “rolled. When it freezes, it does indeed freeze in that removing it from the windshield power source does not trigger the usual question about leaving it powered up or shutting down. It is unresponsive to the power switch and I have to press the reset button to shut it off. I have also noticed that if I even touch the USB connection even with my finger the screen gets jumbled and it freezes. I took some pictures with my camera of the jumbled screen and can email them to you if you give me an address to send it to or a place where I can upload them. Thanks. | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
Usually, anything wrong with the display indicates a defective display and a display is easy to swap out to test. You might even have a bad connection between the display and the board. However, there may be some hardware issue on the board that is sending faulty data to the display. I would still recommend trying to reflash the firmware as a first thing to try. If there are corrupted memory locations in the non-volatile RAM, re-flashig the RAM will overwrite the corrupted bits (unless they are damaged). The USB issue is very strange and I haven't seen that issue before. It could be a bad ground somwhere or a bad connection on the USB port but really the USB port and LCD don't really have anything in common to each other. | ||
| Gary Koupf (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 67.85.199.135 |
Thank you for your reply. How would I go about re-flashing the firmware? Any estimate on when you could accommodate it in your shop for repair? | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
You can flash it on your own. If you have ever updated your unit using Garmin's Webupdater, that is how you do it. However, if your unit already has the latest firmware version, you won't be able to reflash it because Webupdater will see that you already have the latest version and it won't allow you to reflash it. You'll have to do it another way. If you can, I would try turning on the unit and holding down the on/off power switch. You will see the words "PRE-BOOT" appear on the screen. Keep holding the power switch down until you see the words "Booter", "Loading Booter" or "Loading Software". Now you can release the power switch. If you have the file "GUPDATE.GCD" on your unit (the firmware file), your unit will try to reflash your non-volatile RAM with this file. But before you do this, make sure your unit's battery is charged, as you don't want to have the unit die while it's reflashing the RAM. Now, if you hold down the power switch and come to a touchscreen calibration screen, then you are missing the "GUPDATE.GCD" file and you will then use Webupdater to put this file on your unit. You can also put the file on your Nuvi without using Webupdator. You can find the firmware here: http://www.gawisp.com/perry/nuvi/ The file you are looking for is "Nuvi660_490.exe" Version 4.9 is the latest firmware version available for the Nuvi 660. Just connect your Nuvi to the PC and wait about 30 seconds for your PC to recognize your Nuvi. Then run the .exe file and follow the instructions. Always remember to select to SAFELY MOVE your Nuvi from windows BEFORE removing the cable. This prevents data corruption as it tells both the PC and Nuvi to stop communicating. If you pull the cable out without selecting the SAFELY REMOVE command, you may cause your Nuvi to be corrupted. | ||
| Gary Koupf (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 67.85.199.135 |
Thank you for your reply. I tried holding down the on/off switch. I get the "Pre-Boot Mode". The screen flashes a couple times a second for about 40 seconds then freezes and I have to press the RESET button to turn it off. I never get the Booter or Loading Booter or Loading Software messages. I reloaded the 4.9 software through the link you posted, but performance has not changed. | ||
| Gary Koupf (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 67.85.199.135 |
Do you have any idea as to when you may be able to take my NUVI in for repair or even if you can repair it? | ||
| Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
We've never come across a problem like that before. We're not even sure if we can repair it. When there is a problem with the main board, it is very difficult to troubleshoot what part is bad because the components are so small. They were originally installed by a machine. It's almost impossible to unsolder them by hand. Also, the factory applies an adhesive insulator over the parts, so there is a risk to pull up parts, damaging them when trying to remove the adhesive insulator. In most cases, we just replace the entire board. If the unit is somewhat working, we can often recover the stored favorites and transfer them to the new board. | ||
| Gary Koupf (Unregistered Guest) Posted From: 67.85.199.135 |
I have already saved my favorites and there isn't anything that isn't reproducible. If you change the board, will Garmin still recognize it as the same unit and "honor" my lifetime maps? The unit still powers up and works sporadically but the intervals of working are getting shorter. Any idea of cost? |
