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Possible bug in Aera charging

Brantel

Brantel

Well Known Member
I have an issue with my Aera 510 where it does not charge more than 1-2 bars when powered on for long periods via ship power using the flying lead cable.

Even if the unit is fully charged at home before a long flight, it will run down to 1-2 bars on ship power. This will only run the gps a few minutes if i turn off the external power. Ship power is always 14.1v when running.

This could be a problem if one was to lose the electrical buss and need the backup battery to keep the GPS running.

Anyone else have this issue?

I reported it to Garmin and they told me to update firmware and reset the device. I was already on the latest firmware and the reset did nothing to help this.

One more tidbit....When using the wall wart charger, it fully charges and does not run down the battery while powered on.
 
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I flew 7 hours with the 510 this weekend and didn't notice the issue. I also have the bare wire aviation mount. No idea what firmware I'm running.
 
Did you turn on the gps on just gps battery power after this flight? If so, was your gps battery fully charged?

I would have never noticed it but I pulled mine out of the plane and took it home only to find the battery almost dead even after a long flight running on ship power. This is repeatable with my unit.

The first time I noticed it, I did not give it much thought but it has happened three times now. Never had an issue with this with my 296.
 
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Is it possible you are not getting ships power to your GPS while plugged it or does it give you an indication so you know its charging when plugged in?
 
rvator51 said:
Is it possible you are not getting ships power to your GPS while plugged it or does it give you an indication so you know its charging when plugged in?
Click to expand...

Yes, 14v at the terminals of the cable with engine running. The Gps automatically powers on when the buss is made hot. It also shows the external power icon. It also turns itself off after 30 sec when the buss is turned off.
 
I've had something similar happen at least once with my 560. It was a very warm day, and the 560 was in the sun and quite hot to the touch when I took it out of the cradle. I wondered if the high temp had something to do with it (increased resistance in the charge circuit or battery?) but would be interested to hear other theories.
 
Jim Percy said:
I've had something similar happen at least once with my 560. It was a very warm day, and the 560 was in the sun and quite hot to the touch when I took it out of the cradle. I wondered if the high temp had something to do with it (increased resistance in the charge circuit or battery?) but would be interested to hear other theories.
Click to expand...


My NUVI has the same issues. Therefore, I was never impressed with the 560 right from the start.
 
Brantel

Does the 510 have a screen that will show you the voltage of the external input? ( a 496 has this function ) This would ensure that you don't have a resistance problem in your cable or connections that would only show up under a load. I guessing that when you checked the voltage at the connector it was disconnected from the unit.

Good luck
 
Not sure.. I will look for a data field that shows voltage. If it does, that will be a good troubleshooting tool. Good idea!

tturner said:
Brantel

Does the 510 have a screen that will show you the voltage of the external input? ( a 496 has this function ) This would ensure that you don't have a resistance problem in your cable or connections that would only show up under a load. I guessing that when you checked the voltage at the connector it was disconnected from the unit.

Good luck
Click to expand...
 
I did test and the Area does have an external voltage data field and it does report exactly the same voltage that my Dynon reports. 12.2-12.4v engine off and 14v engine on...

That rules out wiring or bad connections....

Maybe the wall wart puts out more than 14v?

I will test that next....
 
Here is the response I got from Garmin support, problem is, the response and its link is focused on the 496 not the Aera so I have replied back to let them know they provided an answer for the wrong model:

"Dear Brian chesteen,
Thank you for contacting Garmin International,

What you are seeing is a software issue that was caused when the engineers made a small adjustment to the charging cycle of the battery. There is not an issue with the battery as it is charging completely and will last the expected life. The issue has caused the battery indicator to read incorrectly. The engineers have put a fix out on the website in the form of a software update. This correction is proven to work on approximately 90% of the GPS units in the field. To correct the issue simply follow the steps below.
Unit Software Update - To do the Unit Software update, remove any data card (if installed) and follow the steps below. Make sure to read all warnings as this update may erase all routes, waypoints, and tracks in the unit.
1. Go to our website at http://www.garmin.com/support/agree.jsp?id=1635
2. Follow this link through the download process.
3. Save the file in a location on your computer that can be easily found - I suggest the Desktop.
4. Find the downloaded file on your computer and run it (double click).
5. Select USB if that is how the GPS is connected to the computer.
6. Make sure the GPS is turned on - simulator on.
This update may take a minute to complete. After this is done, run the GPS on battery power until the unit is completely depleted of power and it shuts off. Then charge the battery for 8 to 10 hours. This is a deep cycle of the battery and should reset the software in the battery and allow it to take on the software fix from the GPS. You may have to deep cycle the unit up to three times for the fix to take.


With Best Regards,
Patrick C.
Aviation Product Support Specialist
Portable and Pilot Operations Support
Garmin International
913-397-8200
1-866-739-5687
913-397-8282 (fax) Att: Patrick C.
www.garmin.com "
 
And here is the followup response from Garmin Support....

"Dear Brian chesteen,
Thank you for contacting Garmin International,


My apologies for the wrong link. I just wanted to make sure you had the most current software for the Aera (version 2.70). If you have attempted to update the software update before, then you most likely have a program on your computer called WebUpdater. You can find it by clicking on your Start menu, going to All Programs, and finding the Garmin folder. The WebUpdater program will be listed there. Once you ensure that you have the most current software, please follow the instructions at the bottom of the previous email. The cycling of battery power will get the unit and the battery (and their software) in sync with each other. Also keep in mind that the battery indicator on the Aera is more of an indicator of the draw on the battery as opposed to the amount of charge left. When running the battery down, ensure that the unit turns off on its own, and that you don't shut the unit down when the low battery indication comes on. As with the previous email, you may need to do 2 or 3 of these deep cycles to get the battery and unit in sync.
With Best Regards,
Patrick C.
Aviation Product Support Specialist
Portable and Pilot Operations Support
Garmin International
913-397-8200
1-866-739-5687
913-397-8282 (fax) Att: Patrick C.
www.garmin.com "

I will give this a whirl but based on the "Also keep in mind that the battery indicator on the Aera is more of an indicator of the draw on the battery as opposed to the amount of charge left." comment, I have little faith that this will fix my problem..I see nothing in the firmware release notes for the Aera relating to any fixes to charging or battery issues.
 
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Brantel,

I wonder if the problem is heat related? Do you have the aera mounted in a place that gets hot?

John
 
No, this happens in flight and the Aera is mounted in a way that it stays cool or as cool as the cockpit in flight. (it is in a Airgizmo dock that is extended out from the panel with an angle adaptor)

JohnRV9A said:
Brantel,

I wonder if the problem is heat related? Do you have the aera mounted in a place that gets hot?

John
Click to expand...
 
After further testing, it seems that this may be related to temperature.

After fully charging the unit all night, I put it in the car and turned it on with external power applied and it got hot in the car. After a few hours of running with it in the heat and the external power applied, I pulled the external power and the battery was down to 1 bar....

Today I did the same test with it sitting in my cool office and it has been running for 4 hours and I pulled the external power and it shows fully charged....

I did the Garmin recommended deep cycles and this had no effect...

Late last Friday I got this additional email from Garmin Support:

"Mr. Chesteen

After consulting with members of our engineering team, they have decided that they would like to see your battery. Based on the problems described, they recommended that I set up an order to have your battery sent in to Garmin, with a warranty battery sent out to you to replace it. I will arrange for a UPS call tag to be emailed to you, which will allow you to send in the battery and ensure that it gets to the right people. Please place this prepaid postage onto the outside of the package. The order number for your new battery is 23905300, which I have set up for overnight shipping.


Thanks,

Patrick C
Aviation Product Support Specialist
866-739-5687

Garmin International
1200 E. 151st Street
Olathe, KS 66062
1-800-800-1020"

We will see what this does for things...there is something wrong with this thing, I just don't know what yet and now it seems Garmin is listening and willing to help.
 
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I've been using my Aera daily over the last week without the issues you describe. I've been on the road since last Thursday. The unit has been in a couple of rental cars and my own vehicle in Las Vegas. I've left the unit in the car even with heat approaching 100 deg. No problems......

Hopefully the replacement battery will fix your problem...I bought a spare battery with drop-in charger for mine....I keep a charged battery on hand just in case...

Heres a link to the battery/charger combo....http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/6813

FYI the Zumo 660 share the same accessories except the mount. The Zumo mount will work on the Aera however the aviation XM antenna does not. The Zumo 660 is a motorcycle unit and is the unit the Aera is based on. I have a Zumo 660 for my bikes....If you shop around there are better prices on Zumo accessories than the Aera....
 
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