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neadrenalin
473 Posts |
 Posted - 29 févr. 2008 : 13:07:06
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| Does anyone know how to enter any hidden menus ? Like service mode in 60csx, or nuvi pre-boot mode? |
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g.o.cashers
71 Posts |
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neadrenalin
473 Posts |
Posted - 29 févr. 2008 : 14:55:09
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Thanks, it is the one I searched. I made 2.40 rgn version and searched the way to use it. :)
Cure versions can be created as I wrote on other topics (http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=95274 , etc.). The main idea - to change file names that searched during boot process. I replaced some names (can be found in hex-edit with unicode support):
gupdate.gcd (because of auto-reflash if exist in internal memory)
gmapsupp.img (and any img) - in case of bad map or overflow map quantity (known bug in nuviz holding more than 2k maps pieces)
.gpx - in case bad structure (unit also hangs durung boot)
And clean version is needed to make unit flashed with native firmware.
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John R
85 Posts |
Posted - 06 mars 2008 : 20:43:48
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Duck,
The Colorado units employ an O-Ring seal around the battery compartment and another around the SD Card slot. That is where the sealing in done, not anywhere else. Regarding the story in the groundspeak forum, I would guess that one (or both) of the O-Rings became either damaged, dislodged, or removed altogether. It is easy to see how this might happen in an in-store demo environment. The unsealed latch area is totally irrelevant.
The design looks perfectly adequate for the 1 meter/30 minute specification. It is basically the same system used by the Garmin 60 series; the difference being that the O-Ring is on the removable cover door in the 60 series and on the unit itself in the Colorado series.
Having said the above, I would rate the permanent tongue-and-groove sealing system of the DeLorme superior, at least from a theoretical/appearance standpoint. As with the Air Bags in my car, I do not intentionally try to test these types of things. One point for kayaking, it is said the PN-20 will actually float if lithium batteries are used. |
Regards,
John Roper |
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gpspassion
93392 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 01:17:42
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Finally received my test unit, so here are some first pictures comparing the Colorado to the eTrex Vista HCx and 60CSx...
  
Screens aligned on their lower part
... and some comments in no particular order, numbered for reference (made with software version v2.20 - now updating to v2.40)
1. form factor is very nice, materials don't seem to be quite as strong as on the 60Csx, we'll see in the long run
2. Rock'n'Roller doesn't take long getting used to and it gives quick access to the menus
3. we had discussed the missing "mark waypoint" button, but in fact if you press the center of the "Rocker" for 2 seconds you get a "mark waypoint" menu, so it's still there really.
4. GPS sensitivity appears good, on par with the 60Csx
5. Battery life on alkalines is dismal, 4 hours with a fresh set!
6. Backlighting management is a bit confusing, it seems it auto-dims when the battery goes down, no more two-step back lighting like on the previous Garmin handhelds
7. Back cover is rather hard to remove, would hate to have to do it with cold or wet hands!
8. Track management is a bit confusing compared to the 60CSx
9. Haven't found the USB storage mode to access the SD yet
10. Last but not least, the map scrolling is MUCH FASTER than on the 60CSx, at last you can really use the compass to rotate the map facing the road.
Developing... |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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g.o.cashers
71 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 01:22:10
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Make sure you are running 2.4 software that will probably help with battery life some.
Back cover is hard to remove, put a little petroleum jelly on the rails, it helps a lot.
2.4 will help a little bit with backlight settings if you disable "Backlight limiting" under the Display setup.
Track management is bad right now and lots of bugs.
To get into USB storage mode for the SD card just plug in the CO -- you should see two drives, one for the internal memory and one for the SD card.
Check out my FAQ, it has much of this.
GO$Rs |
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gpspassion
93392 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 02:24:24
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Thanks, yes I was about to add that this was running v2.20, I am now updating to v2.40 via the WebUpdater. Looks like some of my comments are indeed addressed ;-)
Had to update manually to v2.40 with the exe here http://www.gpsinformation.org/perry/colorado/ the webupdater was complaining about a corrupt file, never seen that problem before...
Nice to be able to "kill" auto-dim indeed, let's see if battery life holds up a bit better.
One feature I miss from the 60CSx too is the ability to go to a waypoint and then pan the map, best I've found is to create a route to that waypoint and then follow the route and zoom in, hope I'm missing something... |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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g.o.cashers
71 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 03:15:03
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Nope, no way to view a waypoint on the map and pan away from it.
Check out the Colorado vs. 60csx comparison page on my wiki, it has a bunch of this stuff.
GO$Rs |
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gpspassion
93392 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 10:13:16
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Thanks and yes, nice site you've put up there, but we have the links in your sig, so maybe you don't need to mention it in all your replies, unless you have direct link ;-) Found the 60CSx/Colorado comparison here http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com/Colorado+vs+60csx - will look it over...done, excellent work, I didn't see any reference to the speed at which the compass kicks in or is it "Configurable compass on/off trip points" ? Has anyone figured out when the GPS takes over from the compass, or the compass is always used for the heading?
Switching over to the 2500mAh NiMH batteries has definitely improved the battery life compared to using alkalines, but it still dimmed the screen when the battery got down to one bar, event though I had disactived the dimming. Running a new test with 2700mAh and back lighting on max.
Not sure if it's due to the battery running too low, but I keep losing the calibration of the compass, can't remember that happening with the 60CSx or the Vista HCx.
Here is a topo map comparison, the Colorado no longer handles .typ's it seems, but the default rendering is so much better than on the 60CSx it's a moot point :
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Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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g.o.cashers
71 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 11:29:01
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The auto-trip point is a difference between the Colorado and the 60csx (it's in the comparison ;). The CO is not configurable, the 60csx is.
According to Anders the trip point on the CO is set to 10mph (16km/hr). Lower than that the compass is on, higher than that it will shut off. I think in order to turn on you have to be going less than 10mph for 30sec but I still need to test that.
GO$Rs |
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gpspassion
93392 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 11:33:36
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Ok, I hadn't realized the "trip point" meant the "switching", I couldn't see the connection with a trip as in a trip to somewhere ;-)
Have you noticed the compass "instability" I'm seeing ? |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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g.o.cashers
71 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 11:39:02
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Thanks, I changed the language because I would agree it is probably confusing.
I've heard of on other person not being able to calibrate and stabilize the compass, although I haven't seen it myself. The CO compass works about the same as my 60cs. As long as I calibrate after changing batteries it seems to stay calibrated until the next time I change batteries.
GO$Rs |
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gpspassion
93392 Posts |
Posted - 14 mars 2008 : 16:28:01
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Good to hear, my 60CSx even seems to hold the calibration between battery changes, will need to keep an eye on this.
As you point out in your FAQ, the brightness really goes up a notch when the Colorado is powered, here is a before and after :
I think it would be hard to drive around in the daytime without the Colorado being powered. |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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John R
85 Posts |
Posted - 15 mars 2008 : 02:40:13
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A work around I have found for the automatic screen dimming, at least when using lithium batteries, is to go into the setup menu and change the battery type to Alkaline. It makes the unit "think" there is more power remaining than there actually is. The same might also work with NiMH batteries. This isn't really a fix, of course; it just depletes the remaining power faster. But, if you really need the extra brightness ...
BTW, I have found that lithium batteries yield a life very close to the 15 hours promised by Garmin. |
Regards,
John Roper |
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gpspassion
93392 Posts |
Posted - 16 mars 2008 : 14:37:25
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Interesting, don't have any Lithium batteries handy to try that out.
About battery life, it seems to vary a lot depending on the logging interval, with the BL on I get 8.5 hours with 2700mAh batteries logging in auto or 60 seconds, but if I log every second it drops down to 2.7 hours. Anyone else notice that? Will do some testing with the BL off now. |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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[TOPIC] Garmin Colorado 300 - User Reviews - v3.30
