GPS Notes
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GPS battery problem
September 16, 2005
A lot of people are affected by a battery problem with many GPS receivers that causes the receiver to cut periodically. One common element to this problem is that rechargeable batteries are used in the GPS rather than disposable alkaline batteries and the reason for the cutting out is simple - rechargeable batteries is slightly smaller than alkaline batteries. This slight size difference allows more room for the battery to move in the battery compartment and any sudden movement can cause the circuit to be broken and the GPS go off. This problem is in fact quite common in Garmin units, especially the eTrex range that use AA batteries (the Geko, which uses AAA sized batteries, seems immune to this problem).
The fix is a simple one - place a small (1 mm thick) bit of foam in the battery behind the batteries. You may need to experiment to get the thickness right. Once you have the thickness figured out you can, for convenience, use double-sided sticky tape to stick the foam into place.
This is a simple hack but one well worth doing, especially if you use your GPS in a vehicle on battery power.
Posted by Kathie on September 16, 2005 9:08 AM.
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