andy_p

The USB connection on my Garmin 800 has died - for a while, I would get an on-screen message that "This device is not supported" when I turned it on (with nothing plugged into the USB), and recently it stopped connecting to my PC when it was plugged in (although it will still charge). I can't see any signs of corrosion around the connector (something they are known for). Anyway - there is a ride on the internal storage (not SD card) I'd really like to copy to my PC. The device apparently doesn't have a feature to copy data from internal storage to SD card. I thought maybe the spring contacts had worn, and tried making a connection with four pieces of thin wire pushed into the holes in the USB socket. I've also taken it apart, and tried to find the USB data lines on the internal inter-board connector, but had no luck.

I'm running out of ideas - does anyone else have any??

unterhausen

That stinks. Did you try another data cable?

Tandem Tom

Our Garmin 800 USB port start acting bup last year on tour. I sent it to a guy in Arizona that works on devices. Had a new port and battery installed. Worked great this year while we toured Europe for 3 months!

Marcus_Ti

How much trouble and money is one ride worth? Honest question, for everyone the value is different.

Presuming the problem is local to the USB port and its solder connections--you might be able to replace it...if the problem is deeper you may be hosed anyway.

texbiker

Have you tried a different PC? Sometimes the USB driver on a PC gets messed up. If you only have 1 PC and running Windows go to device manager and delete the USB adapter. Restart the PC to re-install the USB adapter.

Do you use Garmin Connect? You could try connecting to it and uploading rides.

andy_p

I have tried multiple cables and PCs with no joy. The solder connections for the USB socket are on the other side of a PCB that is epoxied in place, so I wanted to see if I have any other options before attacking that.

As for this being worth it - yes, it was a stonking ride. Also, I enjoy fixing things as a hobby, so I don't mind the time too much. I'm not going to spend any money on it though.

Ta,

Andy.

andy_p

In case anyone is interested - I solved my problem. As the Garmin was already very broken, I decided to unglue the USB board. It came out quite easily in the end, as it was sealed in with a flexible glue and not epoxy. I was then able to clean off the corrosion on the other side, which allowed the USB to work again and I could download my latest rides. FWIW, I got 11 trophies on Strava.

Seattle Forrest

Was the cure fatal?

andy_p

Not necessarily - I could replace the USB connector (or just clean off the corrosion as best I can) and put it all back together. However, the battery holds around 1/3 the charge it used to, and the only replacements I can find are of poor quality. Not sure what I'm gonna do with it yet.

pdlamb

If you do get it back together, might be a good idea to start saving your rides to the SD card ...

Seattle Forrest

I think you can get a replacement battery pretty cheap, @njkayaker seems to be an expert on this and might have some info.

The 800 is still a good computer. I had and used one for most of a decade, from when it was brand new until I lost it. It can do mapping, navigation, and power, which is really the core of what's useful. If you don't want it and it doesn't cost much to revive, it would make a great gift for a young cyclist getting started in the sport.

In any case, I'm glad you got your data.

andy_p

If I could find a decent quality replacement battery, I'd definitely replace the USB socket and get it working as well as it ever did. I have only found low-quality imports though, with very mixed reviews. It is a great computer - I bought it for the mapping.

njkayaker

I haven't replaced the battery on the 800. It's fairly common to do.

What replacements did you find that are of poor quality?

There are lots of batteries for about $12.

These "NewPower" guys have been selling them for years. Not exactly cheap at $28.

https://www.amazon.com/Edge-800-Repl.../dp/B00JH79K08

===================

I did replace the back on a 800. The back included a battery. It's old but it seems to have a lot of life in it.

Note that there are two different backs for the 800. Garmin changed the position of the connectors sometime in the middle of the production run for the 800.

Some of the 800's use backs that work with the 810.

===================

Yes, it is. I like to see people still get use out of them.

andy_p

Thanks for dropping by!


All of them. The $28 one in the link gets 3 stars (admittedly, I think some of the reviewers have overly optimistic expectations, but still). That same page has a number of Amazon-recommended similar batteries, but they all look the same and get mixed or poor reviews.

njkayaker

Did you talk to the NewGen guys?

It's odd that it's that hard to get a reasonable battery.

The 800 does work plugged into an external battery.

I think Garmin will replace it with a refurbished unit for $100.

andy_p

Honestly, it's not that surprising. Garmin don't make replacement batteries (or at least, don't make them available to the public). It's a custom size, and I imagine demand is quite low. I would imagine the cost of making a quality replacement at these low quantities is so high, that only the cheapest manufacturers can make it worthwhile. There's also a good chance these replacements have been sitting around for a few years, which is also not good.

njkayaker

It's the same battery as used in the 810. Garmin likely sources the batteries from some place in China. It should be possible to get them from the same source.

The battery I can look at says "Made in Japan, Finished in China".

How many hours/miles do you get out of the replacement battery?

andy_p

Maybe, but without Garmin's quality control, I don't trust unbranded stuff from China. Quite a few of the reviews of similar replacements state it has poor initial capacity (50% - 75% of what is expected), and a poor cycle life (noticeable degradation after a few months).

I haven't bought a replacement battery yet, I was already thinking about what to do with this 800 before the USB recently failed.

Edit: I will check out the NewGen guys, thanks for the tip!

njkayaker

Report back!

Drew Eckhardt 

You can send them back for refurbishment. IIRC, it was about $80 for a new battery and case (the rubber buttons wear out) when I checked a few yers ago.

andy_p

Sadly not any more - the best Garmin could offer was 30% off a new device if I sent them my old one.

unterhausen

no experience, sounds good for usb repair
https://www.nabilselectronics.com/ga...rsreadthis.htm