External power lost - shutdown or stay on choice

[oldcrashtestdummy]

I thought I had a bad connection when first using mine in a vehicle. Every time I looked at it it would be off, counting down or flickering. It turns out it was very cold out and I think the unit was at the bottom of the temperature range at which the battery would charge. This seems like a real flaw not letting it stay on regardless of the power connection.

[GPSrChive]

Welcome to GPSrChive!

I agree, we should have the option to disable the countdown timer when external power is lost. In fact, that is Requested Feature #5 on the Common Issue Page!

What temperature range are we talking about here? Interior of your vehicle, connected to a micro-USB Power Port adapter, I assume?

[oldcrashtestdummy]

I had the unit plugged into a RAVPower 24w USB charger, and the outside temp was 18 F. I’m not sure what the interior was.

[GPSrChive]

I had the unit plugged into a RAVPower 24w USB charger, and the outside temp was 18 F. I’m not sure what the interior was.

Chilly!

I frequently have issues with both of my GPSMAP 66 units losing power due to the poor connection qualities of the micro-USB connector hardware chosen for these units. I suspect this will be the primary design failure and Achilles heel of the GPSMAP 66 series.

I would have preferred they either stayed with the mini-USB connector or updated to the USB-C rotationally-symmetrical connector, but they didn't ask me.

[CheminerWill]

I frequently have issues with both of my GPSMAP 66 units losing power due to the poor connection qualities of the micro-USB connector hardware chosen for these units. I suspect this will be the primary design failure and Achilles heel of the GPSMAP 66 series.

This may be correct but I also wonder about another possible design failure. I have read posts where the rubber cover on the power button wears out and cracks or tears open, killing the water resistance. On my 66st, I find that I have to use the key lock all the time as the buttons easily get pressed when putting it in a pack or strap case, etc. I never had key issues with my 60CSx but I do like the new feel of the 66st buttons. Just wish the key lock was something other than the rubber covered power button. Anyway, in addition to every on and off power cycle, I use the power key many, many, times in between for key locking and unlocking. Hope it lasts at least a few years or that there was a secondary way to lock the buttons.

[GPSrChive]

I frequently have issues with both of my GPSMAP 66 units losing power due to the poor connection qualities of the micro-USB connector hardware chosen for these units. I suspect this will be the primary design failure and Achilles heel of the GPSMAP 66 series.

This may be correct but I also wonder about another possible design failure. I have read posts where the rubber cover on the power button wears out and cracks or tears open, killing the water resistance. On my 66st, I find that I have to use the key lock all the time as the buttons easily get pressed when putting it in a pack or strap case, etc. I never had key issues with my 60CSx but I do like the new feel of the 66st buttons. Just wish the key lock was something other than the rubber covered power button. Anyway, in addition to every on and off power cycle, I use the power key many, many, times in between for key locking and unlocking. Hope it lasts at least a few years or that there was a secondary way to lock the buttons.

Congratulations! You are the creator of Feature Request #10 on the Common Issues Page!

[oldcrashtestdummy]

Yesterday was much warmer and I drove to work with the 66 plugged into my RAVPower USB charger. The 66 came on when the power was turned on, and stayed on the entire trip (20 miles). It stayed on when I stopped and was still on an hour later (I assume my 12 volt outlet stays on after key is turned off). I moved the truck a few hours later, the 66 was off, but came back on and stayed on after I removed the key. When I went to leave, the 66 was off, and didn’t come on when power returned. I unplugged the unit and it still wouldn’t turn on. I removed battery (a real hassle, mine are very hard to remove). Unit turned back on and stayed on until I got home. I forgot to add that when I turned the unit back on after pulling the batteries, it was down to 1 bar on the battery level.

I will try this again today, but I will had a USB monitoring device to see what is going on with the power.

[CheminerWill]

I frequently have issues with both of my GPSMAP 66 units losing power due to the poor connection qualities of the micro-USB connector hardware chosen for these units. I suspect this will be the primary design failure and Achilles heel of the GPSMAP 66 series.

This may be correct but I also wonder about another possible design failure. I have read posts where the rubber cover on the power button wears out and cracks or tears open, killing the water resistance. On my 66st, I find that I have to use the key lock all the time as the buttons easily get pressed when putting it in a pack or strap case, etc. I never had key issues with my 60CSx but I do like the new feel of the 66st buttons. Just wish the key lock was something other than the rubber covered power button. Anyway, in addition to every on and off power cycle, I use the power key many, many, times in between for key locking and unlocking. Hope it lasts at least a few years or that there was a secondary way to lock the buttons.

Congratulations! You are the creator of Feature Request #10 on the Common Issues Page!

Also for #10 Requested feature, maybe add as another reason for different key lock method besides the overuse of the power button, this: By turning on the screen capture feature, which also uses the power button, you then can not lock the buttons/keys.

[GPSrChive]

Also for #10 Requested feature, maybe add as another reason for different key lock method besides the overuse of the power button, this: By turning on the screen capture feature, which also uses the power button, you then can not lock the buttons/keys.

This has always been a caveat of the non touch screen button function units. Kind of silly that the touch screen units with only a couple buttons have more functions and features available for those buttons than units like the GPSMAP and eTrex units.

This is one of the few areas the Oregon 7x0 is still superior to the GPSMAP 66 - I program the 'User Key' to shut off/lock screen though a shortcut, and keep the power button active for screen captures. Between the two buttons, the user can assign 5 unique functions. How many buttons on a GPSMAP or eTrex? How many can we configure?

Exactly.

For me, the perfect GPSr would be an updated Oregon 7x0 with a larger screen (think Montana GPSr size/form factor, but not any larger) with all the new/updated features introduced in the GPSMAP 66 series.

Now I am going off topic!