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feckman
USA
6 Posts |
 Posted - 20 mai 2006 : 03:58:13
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Hi All,
I've been looking for a way to hardwire my new Nuvi 350, and I saw from a number of posts here that it's a pretty tough thing to do from scratch. That said, I decided to buy an inexpensive cable on eBay and come up with a solution.
I tested the cable I bought on eBay, and it automatically puts the unit into "computer" mode when plugged into the Nuvi directly. I believe this is what happened to the others here who have tried to build a cable from scratch.
The interesting thing is that when the cable is plugged into the back of the windshield mounting plate, it works just fine! This may not help if you want to use some other mounting system that blocks the mounting plate connector, but for the windshield mount it's great.
From here it should be as simple as taking apart the plug and connecting 12v power to the circuit board. I'll let you all know how I make out!
--Jim. |
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GPSrapp
339 Posts |
Posted - 20 mai 2006 : 04:50:43
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Jim
It sounds like you are plugging a power cable into the side socket of Nuvi.
The cable socket on the side of the Nuvi is for a USB connection to your computer ONLY! It is NOT a power input, except what power it gets from the computer through the USB cable.
12V power input is ONLY via the back plate connector. Why Garmin used the same connector type for both cables I don't know. I don't think that was a good idea.
rapp
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danham
USA
7339 Posts |
Posted - 20 mai 2006 : 14:32:18
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USB ports on many consumer devices these days are used to charge them, so it makes at least -some- sense for nuvi to be set up that way. It also supplies power during a firmware upgrade, lack of which (like a low battery) can render nuvi useless.
Also note that the AC adapter plugs into the side port.
The question is why it is so hard to get from 12 volts to 5 for either USB port for power and I fear there's a "black box" in the 12v socket end of Garmin's cable.
I'm hoping feckman succeeds.
-dan
==============
Nuvi 350 in an Audi A3
G4 iMac, OS X
Cape Cod, MA |
Edited by - danham on 20 mai 2006 15:34:15 |
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SRFast
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 20 mai 2006 : 15:00:31
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quote:
Originally posted by GPSrapp
Jim
It sounds like you are plugging a power cable into the side socket of Nuvi.
The cable socket on the side of the Nuvi is for a USB connection to your computer ONLY! It is NOT a power input, except what power it gets from the computer through the USB cable.
12V power input is ONLY via the back plate connector. Why Garmin used the same connector type for both cables I don't know. I don't think that was a good idea.
rapp
This is not correct. You can plug the GARMIN nuvi car charger into the side port and it will charge the nuvi. I've confirmed this with Garmin TS and I do it all the time. Keep in mind that you plug the Garmin A/C charger into the side port and it charges, so it is not just a USB port. As long as the voltage is correct (converted 110v A/C or 12v DC), the nuvi's side USB port will charge.
You can hardwire the nuvi as long as you use the genuine nuvi car charger. I wired an aux 12v receptacle into my glovebox, plugged the nuvi car charger into it and routed the other end to where the nuvi is mounted. The circuit is "switched" and is only energized when the ignition is "on".
Hope this helps....JL |
Edited by - SRFast on 20 mai 2006 15:09:14 |
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feckman
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 20 mai 2006 : 15:32:16
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quote:
Originally posted by SRFast
This is not correct. You can plug the GARMIN nuvi car charger into the side port and it will charge the nuvi.
Right -- the Garmin cable charges the unit when plugged directly in to the Nuvi, the aftermarket cable causes it to go into computer mode. I cracked open the "black box" on the end of each power cable and found that the Garmin has four wires and the aftermarket has only two. My guess is that the wiring from the Garmin cable is letting the Nuvi know that it should switch to charge-only mode.
That said, it should be pretty easy to direct-wire hot/cold to the circuit board in the aftermarket cable and go from there. I'll post pics when I'm done (assuming it works).
Oh yeah, sorry about that last message -- I'm still getting used to the forum interface.
--Jim. |
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GPSrapp
339 Posts |
Posted - 20 mai 2006 : 18:34:43
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Thanks for the correction. Right now I am playing with 3.30
rapp
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holmes4
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - 21 mai 2006 : 00:31:46
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The USB spec specifies how one of the data lines should be "tied to ground" to indicate a "disconnected from data" state. Someone else in this forum tried to build his own DC adapter and could not stop the Nuvi from entering data mode. It does the same when I use a Kensington AC adapter with a mini-USB tip. Sigh...
Steve |
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feckman
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 22 mai 2006 : 03:51:25
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Okay, just got done, and it works like a charm! Here's a little DIY summary of the process:
http://www.drumart.com/nuvi/
Please let me know if anyone has any questions. Otherwise, good luck!
--Jim. |
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feckman
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 22 mai 2006 : 16:11:30
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Just wanted to update -- I drove to work this morning with the newly hardwired Nuvi and everything worked perfectly! It turned on when I turned the car on; turned off when I turned the car off. Plus it looks good! :) Here's the link again to the full DIY instructions:
http://www.drumart.com/nuvi/
I'm thinking that this is a decent solution for those wanting the convenience and "cleanliness" of hard-wiring, at least until Garmin comes out with a hardwire kit of their own.
Also, I'm thinking about adding a fuse inline between the switched power source and the plug-end of the power cord. It's probably not all that necessary, but it'd make me feel better... :)
--Jim. |
Edited by - feckman on 22 mai 2006 17:20:40 |
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supersecretjim
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - 23 mai 2006 : 06:41:01
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Pretty cool. I may have to give that a whirl. Ive got a car, truck & minivan to swap the nuvi into.
Thanks for doing all the ground work for everyone.
New to GPS - Just got my nuvi |
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winware2000
8 Posts |
Posted - 23 mai 2006 : 12:57:05
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STICKY SUBJECT CANDIDATE
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Here is an (undocumented) feature I know you will like !!
(1) With the NUVI turned off, plug-in any (non-Garmin) USB power adaptor.
(2) Wait for the display to show the copyrights/trademark text and at THIS point keep the power button pressed until the unit goes into charging mode.
It works every time and its very simple indeed.
winware2000
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feckman
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 23 mai 2006 : 20:18:50
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quote:
Originally posted by winware2000
Wait for the display to show the copyrights/trademark text and at THIS point keep the power button pressed until the unit goes into charging mode.
I assume you're talking about using a non-Garmin power cord with the USB connector on the Nuvi itself, right?
To clarify: you can use pretty much ANY power cord in the mounting plate -- no need for holding buttons or any other special treatment...
--Jim. |
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SRFast
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 23 mai 2006 : 23:10:20
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quote:
Originally posted by winware2000
STICKY SUBJECT CANDIDATE
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Here is an (undocumented) feature I know you will like !!
(1) With the NUVI turned off, plug-in any (non-Garmin) USB power adaptor.
(2) Wait for the display to show the copyrights/trademark text and at THIS point keep the power button pressed until the unit goes into charging mode.
It works every time and its very simple indeed.
winware2000
Sorry, this isn't a "feature." Whenever the nuvi is powered off with an external powere source connected (AC/DC), it goes into "Charging Mode". "Charging Complete" will also be displayed when the battery is charged to capacity.
Hope this helps....JL |
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winware2000
8 Posts |
Posted - 24 mai 2006 : 13:43:33
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Let me explain:
Case 1: NUVI's side USB port connected to a PC via a USB data cable
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When connected, NUVI by default enters 'Data Mode'.
The power button remais inoperable and there is no way to force it to switch to 'Charge Mode' except for the trick I mentioned earier (upon data cable connection to the side port, wait for the copyright text and press and hold the power switch until it goes into 'charging mode').
Case 2: NUVI's side USB port connected to a non-Garmin USB power adaptor
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Nuvi boots up normally and although you can operate the unit while charging, you cannot force a 'charging mode' just by pressing the power switch as you would normally expect if using a genuine Garmin USB power adaptor - instead it turns the unit off momentarily and then restarts it. Again, using the method described above, I manage to overcome this limitation.
-- Sergio |
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m4rk
331 Posts |
Posted - 24 mai 2006 : 14:16:12
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Am I missing something? If you use 'safely eject Hardware' icon in the tray when the unit is connected to a PC then the unit will stop 'data mode' and restart in normal map mode. If it is then powered off while still connected to the PC it will now go into charging mode.
www.markandlinda.net |
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NanaimoRick
Canada
7382 Posts |
Posted - 24 mai 2006 : 16:26:18
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| The icon in the Windows taskbar reads "safely remove hardware". Other than that small difference you are 100% correct m4rk. The nuvi can be charged from the USB cable if removed from Windows in this way. |
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Hardwiring Nuvi
