Replacing the Garmin GPS 12CX's memory battery

Подписаться 11 тыс.

Просмотров 51 тыс.

50% 1

Finally getting this rare and unique GPS working perfectly. Should also serve as a nice guide to replacing the memory battery in any older Garmin GPS, especially the GPS 12 series.
Usenet post I made regarding the battery voltage glitch:
groups.google.com/forum/#!top...
Original video of this GPS:
• Garmin GPS 12CX handhe...

Развлечения

Опубликовано:

12 май 2014

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 94

@davidstephens7486 4 года назад

Thanks so much for the video! I just now replaced the original dead battery in my Garmin 12XL with a new CR2032. The solder I used was specifically made for electronics. I got the positive lead soldered okay. I then was trying to solder the negative lead onto the battery when it exploded. I did have safety glasses on so I only had to clean up some black powder. (I am a jack-leg solderer). I can affirm batteries can and do explode if they get too hot. I then got another new CR2032 battery and attached the leads to the battery by wrapping them tightly with electrical tape. It's not exactly what I wanted but it works for now. My GPS is up and running again. My advice is do not try to solder anything to flat lithium battery unless you are an expert--AND you wear eye protection.

@Russ938 9 лет назад

FYI, I have a GPS 12 Map, and it has a battery that looks like the VL1220 in the middle of the board. Thanks for making the video, it's very informative.

@terrycrissman7392 3 года назад

That’s what my 12xl has also. Did you replace your battery? How did you remove the battery from the board?

@Russ938 3 года назад

@@terrycrissman7392 As much as I liked that old GPS, I probably set it aside and never replaced it. I don't think I have it any more. Way back in the 90's, I used that GPS connected with a laptop with a map program to help navigate across the country. You could tell how useful it was, it's no wonder cars come with GPS navigation now. Sorry I don't have advice for replacing the battery.

@terrycrissman7392 3 года назад

@@Russ938 thanks Russ. If the memory battery doesn’t recharge, I may close my eyes and pitch it. Just pitched a GPSMap 76 that had a bad battery terminal. Tried aluminum foil but that failed. I hike some in places that don’t have cell coverage and I’m not familiar with the trails at this time. Having a GPS would be nice. I could just carry the ole Silva compass

@Hockeyfan9884 3 года назад

Be proud , you have cracked the case wide open .

@merl46290 7 лет назад

thank you for the video upload. it was very informative. my father just asked if I could replace the battery in his 12map. I will update with my findings when I get the unit apart.

@Sertao2013 5 лет назад

Don't replace the battery just plug the unit into a a/c adapter so you can leave the unit on while charging . The unit has to be on to charge the internal battery . It takes a good week of being on and plugged into to power to charge it . Once its charged up it wil last a good year before you see the low battery message again . People just don't realize the unit has to be turned on for the battery to charge .

@davejones5361 7 лет назад

Thanks for the video of how to open the case. I can tell you that there is a basic circuit using a diode that effectively takes the battery out of circuit when an external battery (the main AA cells fitted in the battery box) voltage is applied so is not being drained at all as the main AA cells keep the memory active. So although the on board battery isn't re-chargeable, it does have a very long shelf life typically up to ten years or more. So if you always keep a fresh set of batteries installed, the internal battery never gets drained, it only get's drained when the AA cells are dead or removed. So keeping fresh AA cells in carries a big risk as I eventually found out to my horror. I know alkaline batteries break down and leak when they are depleted but always kept fresh ones installed, well, till I forgot. So now I have my much loved GPS12 full of corrosion and it has eaten through one of the spring electrodes leaving me in need of a new back / battery compartment. So if anybody plans to replace the battery, by all means keep AA batteries in to preserve the memory cell but use NiMh rechargeables as they don't seem to leak unless they are very very old (ten years plus) but you will need to cycle them a few times every so often as these cells lose capacity badly when used at very low current drain as in this application. Thanks again, shame Garmin didn't make a more practical design I paid over £400(UK) for my GPS12 which was extremely expensive but they had only just been manufactured and it was a more serious instrument than some of the ones they make today which even include games!

@brayatan1990 5 лет назад

What about Duracell? Some of these batteries can last up to 10 years according to the manufacturer

@waynemurphy7671 3 года назад

Thank you this was a good video i'm going to try and replace the memory battery today

@solmadness 10 лет назад

you're not gonna believe this! after having the batteries removed for a couple of years i put fresh ones in a few days ago. as expected i got the "internal memory low power" message. so i figured i had to order a battery and replace the old internal one. well today i powered it up just for fun and the message was gone! i went to the message page - nothing. so i marked some waypoints, cycled power and they are still there. so...apparently mine HAS a rechargeable battery that is still functioning after all these years. it's kind of unbelievable. part of me wants to pop it open and see what's in there but i'll wait until i have too. thanks again for your post!

@themaritimegirl 10 лет назад

This is a 12CX? Interesting!

@solmadness 10 лет назад

yes! funky 3-color display. it's the right model. i just powered it up again to make sure i'm not nuts and it's got the waypoints stored in memory. very strange. even more strange that a rechargeable battery that old would still work.

@solmadness 10 лет назад

any idea how to date the serial number on these? mine is 95916719.

@themaritimegirl 10 лет назад

solmadness Wow, that's really weird! So it's possible that the entire 12 series (or maybe even all of Garmin's older GPS's) used one type of battery, and then later they switched them all to the other type. It could be possible that yours uses a non-rechargeable battery that just happens to be on the edge of being "low", but I doubt that. I have no clue how to date these. The 12CX was only on the market for a few months in 1999 and 2000 though, so you have a 50% chance of being right by guessing one of those. :P If yours is running software version 2.00, it was likely made in 1999. If it's running 2.01, then it could be either year.

@solmadness 10 лет назад

what a mystery. mine is running 2.01.

@MichelleGirouxScott 6 лет назад

Well done video..thank You!

@Sertao2013 7 лет назад

I have the GPS 12 It doesn't have the external antenna connection in the back like yours . I was trying to see where the connection was on your unit but you were moving it around and you never held the video still with out moving around long enough for me to see where I was connected . The next time you open it up will you take a close up photo or video of where it connects . If I stop this video at 12:57 I can see the wire conning down and connecting on the right side but I can't tell where its connected . I want to add one to mine . Will you post a link to the group your talking about .

@terrycrissman7392 3 года назад

I have the 12xl with the vl1220 battery. Can I charge the battery by leaving the unit on, using batteries? Don’t think I have the AC adapter.

@Navigatorbythestars 3 года назад

hello do you know what type of memory battery that a Garmin GPS 38 uses?

@lawrencereed8106 5 лет назад

great job i have a 12 and a battery got bad and got the one side hot and melted its not worth saving but real good video larry

@Sertao2013 5 лет назад

@solmadness 10 лет назад

Thanks a lot! I have one of these I bought brand new years ago. I want to get it working again. So ideally would you suggest using the BR2032 battery with tabs? Do I need the holder? What orientation tabs do you recommend?

@themaritimegirl 10 лет назад

Glad to help! Yeah, just get a BR2032 with tabs, clip the wires off the old battery, and solder them onto the new ones. Orientation won't matter. Not sure what you mean by holder - there was none used here. Just lightly wrap the new battery in electrical tape, and set it in the approximate position of the old battery, and you're good to go. There's no need to adhere the new battery to the antenna support plate like the original - it won't rattle around much, if at all.

@ianburton8050 4 года назад

Seems old gold prospectors aren't the only things with memory problems. I have the GPS 12XL, I cant even remember when but paid about $650 Australian for it, been wanting to get it going again for sentimental reasons because we shared some tough times together in the Aussie outback. Worked great for about 20 years till that memory battery went. Now what was I going to say...oh yeah...thanks..

@burntoutelectronics Год назад

I had a 12xl in the glove-box while we went around the Simpson desert a few weeks ago. still works a treat after I opened it and made the repair. the 12xl has a rechargeable battery but it eventually leaks and eats the surrounding traces.

@BenDover-fm5hi 7 лет назад

thank you - nice job .......

@Lachlant1984 10 лет назад

I meant to ask, was the Intel 80386 EX ever used in any computer systems like notebook computers for example, or was it mostly used in dedicated electronic devices likethis GPS receiver?

@themaritimegirl 10 лет назад

There was already the 80386SL, which was meant for portable computers, but there might have been some based on the EX. The EX was most popular in consumer electronics. There are also several satellites currently orbiting the earth powered by the EX.

@themaritimegirl 10 лет назад

Update: I guess I'll be purchasing a BR2032 battery. Today, less than 3 weeks since I installed the VL1220, I got the memory battery low error. I guess I should've expected such results from such a lazy, cheap decision to use an unsuitable battery I already had on hand. :P

@petethewrist 8 лет назад

I have the gps 12, How long dose the memory battery last in them or dose it charge from the AA bettery's when they are in the unite, My unit has till last week been off for about ten years but is okay, will the m battery charge now I have batt's in the unite again? Cheers. Pete

@themaritimegirl 8 лет назад

+pepersorte Your unit could have either the rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery inside. If it's the rechargeable, then it may come back to life after a few days of having AA batteries in it. If it's the non-rechargeable than your only option is to replace the battery.

@petethewrist 8 лет назад

***** Thanks for that, but while I was asking you that question My 12 was in the bag with new bats in her, that I put in a few days ago with out turning her on, I got her out and she is working great, God for an older units she works really well. By the way I have since I wrote last, tried out putting lots of coordinates off Google Earth into her and after going out on walks, to fineout Google coordinates are or for me are never more than about eight foot out. some are stop on This could be with the units own accurasy, great for my use for her in my new boat in watcer I need to navigate as i do not know them,,, Yet,,,, Thanks, Pete

@Sertao2013 5 лет назад

If you have the rechargeable battery it will only recharge it when the unit is on . You can plug it into a ac/12 volt adapter and turn the unit on and let it the vl1220 charge up . If you just plug it in and don't turn the unit on it doesn't send power to the vt1220 to charge it up . Read my comment above . Putting new AA battery's won't charge the vl 1220 unless its on . Test it with your tester and you will see as soon as the unit is turned off the vl1220 stops getting power as soon as its turned on the vl1220 connection jumps up to 3.02 when its off but still plugged in or battery's are in you only get the vl1220 real battery reading no charging is going on when the unit is off .

@mangomcb 5 лет назад

Interesting video...BUT...I believe what you are seeing is the repair of a Garmin 12 that has previously had its memory battery replaced . The wiring with the Cr2023 battery holder and heat shrink insulation that you see is NOT the way Garmin built it! Also the sealant that the video shows being removed looks like silicon RTV. The Garmin 45/48 series look exactly like the 12, and the case was sealed by Garmin with what I believe is a polysulfide sealant. That sealant is much tougher to strip from the case, but it can be done pretty much as the Video shows. I have opened and replaced memory batteries in both the Garmin 45 and 48 units successfully but with more difficulty than what you see here. That said, the video does show the basics of one way to accomplish the repair/replacement of the memory battery. In this case the guy only had to stick a new 2032 in the holder and seal it up. The original battery was a VL VL1220VCN. Because the 2032 is not rechargeable the repair will need to be accomplished again when the battery dies. I suspect the factory installed 1220 will give a longer life. The VL1220s are available from Mouser Electronics for about 5 bucks...shipping extra. The 2032 battery holder is also available for a couple bucks. The VL 1220 is as one commenter below indicated is soldered to the board. Either the VL1220 or a CR2023 wired with battery holder (which is what you see in this video) will work...just depends on how you want to wire it in. If you order the 1220 be sure to get the correct "style". The "1220VCN" is the one that has the the parallel lead posts oriented in the correct manner to attach to the board BE SURE you install/wire the memory battery with the correct polarity! Chuck McB

@Sertao2013 5 лет назад

@allanwinwood2658 4 года назад

Sorry to say ChuckMcB, but you are WRONG. I have just disassembled my 12XL (the reason I'm here) that I purchased completely brand new (20 odd years ago) and fully packaged. The sealant on my casing is identical to this video (semi clear) and the battery AND connections are identical (Panasonic BR2032 mounted with doublesided foam tape and flying leads with heatshrink). I KNOW my unit has NEVER been opened before.

@Bluethunderboom 10 лет назад

Speaking of the Battery, for Nintendo Game Boy Cartridge, is there a replaceable since they could no longer to recharge or hold the electric so they can save the memory?

@RegalCobra097 10 лет назад

That would interest me too since I wanted to try out pokemon crystal again but it says the save file is corrupted. That gbc cartridge is lying around for some time now.

@Bluethunderboom 9 лет назад

Florian amRechner Same here for my Harvest Moon game from GBC, and I need to be very careful replacing the battery, and look for the right type of battery for saving the profiles, like on the PC for example, when your clock battery is dead, to the point it could no longer worked properly to keep it set on the clock where they ask you to set the clock, all you can do is to look the battery carefully on the board, and then you can replace the battery and set the clock.

@Bluethunderboom 9 лет назад

Florian amRechner By the time, I learned how to replace the battery from the GB cartridge, GBC cartridge, etc., it really works when I test it through on my game by saving it the profile, and after a minute and so forth, it worked, and it saved my profille with new 2014 Sunbeam CR2032 lithium battery, 3 Volts battery. The original battery was 1998 Panasonic CR2025 battery, I test it out, it reached down to 0.05 Volts tell me that the battery is dead to the point it could no longer to hold any profiles to save along with electricity. Back then it hold around 3 Volts, and today it dropped down to 0.05 Volts. So, I replaced the battery, and it works very well, and I get excited to play the game again!. =)

@DRNEGOLICIS 8 лет назад

I have a question about a Garmin GPS 40 has identical case to this. the dang thing takes 5-45 minutes to get a lock on satelites, has gotten quicker lately but still way to slow, im not sure if this is normal, also does not work when walking, only when driveing?

@themaritimegirl 8 лет назад

Does it complain about a low memory battery when you turn it on? If so, then it's forgetting where the satellites are every time you turn it on, and it has to go through the whole process to find them again. Half an hour or so is normal when finding satellites for the first time, but if the memory battery is good then it should only take a few minutes thereafter when you turn it on.

@DRNEGOLICIS 8 лет назад

No holds memory just fine, no messages pertaining to memory batery or any messages at all, except serching the sky after powered up. funny thing i just got home and on my way i had it on, only took about 2mins to aquire, and didnt give me the message 'serching the sky', i also once out of the car took a walk around the block and it gave no response once again, had a bunch of satelite bars more than 3/4 signal, but no speed was shown and the cordinates stayed the same from where i parked, as well as no heading movement

@themaritimegirl 8 лет назад

Hmm, although it's normal for that to happen once in a while, that's strange if it happens often. Don't really know other than that.

@DRNEGOLICIS 8 лет назад

+themaritimeman I noticed this thing has a spike in the center of the data/power plug, my interface plugs accept this spike, and my 12v power cords do not, the hole is blocked off, will this gps 40 run on 12v if i modify the plug of my car adapter? also does yours have that plasic spike in the middle of the 4 pins?

@themaritimegirl 8 лет назад

Nope - you'll probably destroy the GPS if you try it. The GPS 40 only accepts up to 8V, and requires the right power adapter that steps the voltage down to 8V, and has the hole in the plug. The plug you have is for another Garmin GPS that can accept straight 12V power.

@bobsargent3637 9 лет назад

I have a Garmin model 12 group II,III ,serial 36911801. It appears different than the one in the video.I haven't used it in about 2 years. Nothing appears on the screen with batteries or the power cord.Do you think that the problem could be the internal battery?

@themaritimegirl 9 лет назад

bob sargent I've never heard of a "model 12 group II,III", but a dead backup battery wouldn't stop it from turning on - it probably has bigger problems. Try leaving batteries in it for a day or so and try turning it on again. Other than that, it's probably dead.

@bobsargent3637 9 лет назад

***** I'll give it a shot.

@zforce69 5 лет назад

Any guesses what will happen to this unit on GPS rollover date on April 6th this year?

@foxtrotbravo4495 5 лет назад

Checked this unit today, time and date are correctly showed (14 APR 19, timezone UTC+8). Another GARMIN 60CSX is also showing correct time and date.

@allanwinwood2658 4 года назад

Word of warning when resealing (any electronics). Only use NEUTRAL cure silcone or Polyurethane sealants. The vapours from Acetic cure silicone (ie used mainly for sealing/bonding glass) with EAT any unprotected copper on printed circuit board tracks. Another tip, never try and solder to any batteries that don't have solder tabs. Even if you make an electrical connection, the minimal heat transferred into the chemical composition of the battery will severely limit it's life. Solder tabs are attached via a spot welding process involving milliseconds of current/heat to achieve the bond. UPDATE: Just looked up the MSDS for the Permatex Silicone used in this video, and the sad news it is ACETIC cure. A BIG NO NO AROUND ELECTRONICS!!! Packaging even suggests not to be used around electrical.

@An.Individual 4 года назад

Thanks for the video. This has convinced me to throw mine out.

@themaritimegirl 4 года назад

lmao

@cutabove9046 6 лет назад

You can buy a BR 2032 with tabs that can be soldered from Amazon.

@andylin3451 5 лет назад

Classic Garmin GPS

@paparalph3273 6 лет назад

The BR2032 and VR2032 are NOR rechargeable but the VL1220 is.

@Rick-fs9wc 4 года назад

I had that pos back in the 90s

@nazuragomes 9 лет назад

Hey buddy What happens if I change the battery polarity?

@themaritimegirl 9 лет назад

It won't work. And you might or might not fry something.

@gabrielamador2696 4 года назад

does the gps switch on if the memory battery is discharged?

@dannyholden5361 2 года назад

Did you figure this out? Mine doesn’t turn on.

@Lachlant1984 10 лет назад

Since the battery isn't a rechargeable one, I just wonder why it is that they didn't make the battery a bit more easy to replace. I wonder if that has something to do with the waterproof properties of the GPS receiver. Of course a good quality Lithium battery should last around 10 years or so, I just have a really strong pet peeve with devices that don't have easily replaceable batteries.

@themaritimegirl 10 лет назад

Yep, water resistance would have been the reason. I imagine they could have made the battery replaceable while retaining the waterproofing, but it would have made the design a lot more complex.

@ziginox 8 лет назад

+themaritimeman Even with this design the candybar-style units aren't well waterproofed. I had a GPS 48 that died due to water ingress from some water splashing. The II/III/V and such, with screws and a rubber gasket, is a much more robust design. Not to mention you don't have to crack it open.

@manofage111 5 лет назад

Hi...very difficult to find br2032 here. Can i use cr2032 instead. Thanks

@themaritimegirl 5 лет назад

Yes, you can.

@manofage111 5 лет назад

@@themaritimegirl thanks a million mate..

@manofage111 5 лет назад

Got my gps 12 running again following ur method.

@motoszybolotypl 9 лет назад

Thank you for the video. How do you think if I can use the CR2032 batteries instead BR2032?

@themaritimegirl 9 лет назад

You can use it, but I don't know how long it would last.

@motoszybolotypl 9 лет назад

***** Ok. Battery which will be the best according to you? How do you think. CR2032, BR2032 or LV1220.

@themaritimegirl 9 лет назад

motoszyboloty.pl The BR2032, of course. That's what this originally used. And as I posted in a comment above, the VL1220 is completely unsuitable.

@motoszybolotypl 9 лет назад

***** Ok. Thank you very much.

@h2oskiaddict 10 лет назад

First thank you for the doing the video. I opened up my 14 year old GPS 12 CX to replace the battery and it has the VL 1220 soldered directly to the PCB. The 2032 is almost twice the size of the 1220 so I assume its too large to soldered directly to the board which is why Garmin started using wires. Mine also came new with the V2.01 firmware. Hopefully I can get it going again.

@themaritimegirl 10 лет назад

You're welcome, glad it helped! And thanks for the info about your unit. I can only guess that earlier units used the VL1220 (since older models like the GPS 45XL and GPS 38 definitely used it), and later they switched to the BR2032 in response to the problems they had with the charging circuitry for the VL1220.

@MrMikesMondoVideo 10 лет назад

FYI - I have a 12XL and it uses the VL1220.

@themaritimegirl 10 лет назад

Thanks for the info. From what I gather from you and other comments, all Garmin units must have originally used the VL1220, and then later they moved them all to the BR2032.

@MrMikesMondoVideo 10 лет назад

***** I believe this 12XL was manufactured in 1999. That appears consistent with your theory.

@BerkshireIdeas 4 года назад

I might be mistaken but I thought that these units were nitrogen filled to keep them waterproof. Splitting the case renders them no longer waterproof.

@themaritimegirl 4 года назад

It had nothing to do with waterproofing - nitrogen is lighter than air, so these were filled with it to make them more buoyant should it fall in water. After 20 years, much of the nitrogen would have diffused and been replaced with air anyway. The silicone sealant provides the waterproofing.

@ortizramon 10 лет назад

Wow after all that struggle you come to find out is the wrong battery that sucks

@pauljames4991 6 лет назад

Did you know these units are factory filled with a nitrogen gas. there is a warning about this when fitting the handle bar mount with the provided screw, once fitted never remove as the screw pierces the case. poor design if you ask me. I often wondered if it would still work once the air got in.

@themaritimegirl 6 лет назад

It's just to make it more buoyant if you drop it in the water. I imagine it slowly seeps out over the course of years.

@pauljames4991 6 лет назад

That's an interesting idea but isn't nitrogen a heavier than air gas so less buoyant, I thought it was to prevent internal corrosion caused by oxygen.

@jaykay1053 5 лет назад

Did you forget to wrap the battery in electrical tape? (I've never watched a video like this - opening up computer-y stuff - so I'm pretty proud of myself if I got it right!)