Lowrance GlobalMap 5300 GPS shutting off

[galynd]

I own a Lowrance GlobalMap 5300 GPS which has been working really nicely the last year. It's a perfect product for the type of sailing I do. However over this weekend, of nearly windless days, in southeast Texas waters and a lot of motoring, the gps kept shutting off. It never shuts off under sail. I noticed that it only shut off though, after running a while then reducing the engine to idle spead. I also keep the voltage displayed on the gps so I notice the voltage was up to 14.5 volts. I looked up the specs which states the gps will operate from 10 to 17 volts. The gps is wired to a breaker which also has wired to it the depth guage and speed gauge, both of which did not shut down. Any suggestions?

 

[BarryL]

Hello,

Are you sure that your power connection is good? Perhaps when the engine is running the vibrations cause the power to get disconnected?

Good luck,
Barry

 

[galynd]

I think the connection is good. It consistently shut off when i reduced the power to idle. The only other time it has shut off is after sailing for a while using power (radio, etc.) when I start the engine and the power is sucked up by the use of the engine starting. I've seen the voltage fall to 10v or less in this case.

 

[Witzend]

Get it on the bench with a variable DC power supply and bring the voltage up to 14.5-15v and see what happens.

 

[galynd]

Any idea how I might connect the gps to a power supply on the boat that isn't so variable (influenced by the alternator so much)?

 

[tommays]

I have a 3500C and it should be on its OWN switch connected to the house bank (its in the book) they DONT like low voltage

For example if it was on the starting battery it WILL reboot everytime you crank the motor to start and the voltage display on the unit tends to read a bit high

 

[galynd]

this boat is set up with a 1-2-both switch (no separate house bank). Anytime I crank the engine it uses the bank I have the switch set to and that's the bank the gps is pulling from too. would it help to run the gps straight to a battery with a separate switch and fuse?

 

[Ron20324]

I start the engine, then turn on the instruments.

 

[Witzend]

Your GPS should be able to handle the voltage fluctuations as specified in the spec. If it can't, than something is wrong with it. Attacking the problem from the other end without first proving that the voltage fluctuations is what is causing your problem is faulty troubleshooting.

 

[galynd]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I think I'll try another source of power, like plugging into the cigarette lighter with an inline fuse or directly to the battery (w/ inline fuse) instead of running it to the instruments breaker. If it still cuts off when I reduce the speed to idle I'll get with Lowrance and see if they can replace or troubleshoot.

thx to all.

 

[Marc44]

Galynd-
Curious to know how your issue was resolved..this past weekend, my 3500c started to reboot itself. The frequency of the reboot cycle has increased, and the unit is less stable the more it goes through this process.
I suspect it's power related, but connections look OK, it is on its own circuit on the mian panel. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[galynd]

Marc
After doing much checking it turned out to be power related. One of my house bank batteries had a dead cell. I had 4- 12 volt batt's as my house bank. I removed 2 leaving me with 2 good house batt's and isolated the 3rd as a starter battery. It resolved the problem. I believe the dead cell allowed for a power spike.

good luck,
greg