How long to charge Garmin GPS with a USB cable connected to PC?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack
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Jack

I have a Garmin Nuvi 255WT. I turned off the GPS and connected it to
my PC with a USB cable. The screen is dark and says: "Charging
battery. Slide the power key to turn on". But 24 hours has past. It is
still the same message.

Thanks.
 
I have a Garmin Nuvi 255WT. I turned off the GPS and connected it to
my PC with a USB cable. The screen is dark and says: "Charging
battery. Slide the power key to turn on". But 24 hours has past. It is
still the same message.

Thanks.
Click to expand...


Was teh computer on?? The manual for my 200W says it takes about 4
hours to charge up.
 
Jack said:
I have a Garmin Nuvi 255WT. I turned off the GPS and connected it to
my PC with a USB cable. The screen is dark and says: "Charging
battery. Slide the power key to turn on". But 24 hours has past. It is
still the same message.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

HUH ? - with the USB cable connected, it usually powers up in "computer
mode"
with the screen showing a computer image....

Your description is normally what I see with the Garmin 12v DC special car
charger ?
 
HUH ? - with the USB cable connected, it usually powers up in "computer
mode"
with the screen showing a computer image....

Your description is normally what I see with the Garmin 12v DC special
car charger ?
Click to expand...

Are you using the 'right' USB cable? The garmin one had a resistor
connected between the live and one of the earth lines (which I assume is
disconnected at the computer end) and the device won't switch to the
correct mode without this signal voltage.

Keith
 
I have a Garmin Nuvi 255WT. I turned off the GPS and connected it to
my PC with a USB cable. The screen is dark and says: "Charging
battery. Slide the power key to turn on". But 24 hours has past. It is
still the same message.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

That is normal, my 750 always says it's charging the battery any time
the unit is turned off while external power is applied. It doesn't
really keep charging the battery but it does monitor the battery's
state of charge. I think it will switch back and forth between charge
and monitor as needed.
 
Are you using the 'right' USB cable?  The garmin one had a resistor
connected between the live and one of the earth lines (which I assume is
disconnected at the computer end) and the device won't switch to the
correct mode without this signal voltage.

Keith
Click to expand...

I am using a USB cable for digital camera. My notebook PC is always on
except that it may be in standby node sometime. But even at standby
mode, the GPS still shows that the battery is being charged.
After the battery is full, will it show a message like: "Battery is
fully charged"?

Thanks.
 
Are you using the 'right' USB cable? The garmin one had a resistor
connected between the live and one of the earth lines (which I assume is
disconnected at the computer end) and the device won't switch to the
correct mode without this signal voltage.

Keith
Click to expand...
I am using a USB cable for digital camera. My notebook PC is always on
except that it may be in standby node sometime. But even at standby
mode, the GPS still shows that the battery is being charged.
After the battery is full, will it show a message like: "Battery is
fully charged"?
Click to expand...

Very Weird -
Using all our USB cables laying around from cameras, etc -
they all work the same way.... on our 255, and 260...
with the GPS going into "computer connected mode" vs your Car Charger mode

Do you have any other USB cables to try ?
I'm guessing that you don't see the GPS as a flash drive on your computer ?

Lastly - since I only see that message when using the Garmin 12v DC car
charger,
have not really seen a "charging complete" - just the dark screen "charging"
message.
 
I am using a USB cable for digital camera. My notebook PC is always on
except that it may be in standby node sometime. But even at standby
mode, the GPS still shows that the battery is being charged. After the
battery is full, will it show a message like: "Battery is fully
charged"?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I can't remember there being any indication that charging is complete - I
tend to do all my charging while in use in the car. I think the only way
you can find the state of the battery charge is to disconnect from the
usb cable, and when the unit starts up the charge indicator is shown on
one of the first screens.

Keith
 
I can't remember there being any indication that charging is complete - I
tend to do all my charging while in use in the car. I think the only way
you can find the state of the battery charge is to disconnect from the
usb cable, and when the unit starts up the charge indicator is shown on
one of the first screens.

Keith
Click to expand...

On my Nuvi 760, I don't see any battery information during startup,
but of course there's the 'secret' screen reached by pressing and
holding the battery icon for several seconds. There you can see the
battery capacity expressed as a percentage as well as actual voltage.
 
Sunshine said:
On my Nuvi 760, I don't see any battery information during startup,
but of course there's the 'secret' screen reached by pressing and
holding the battery icon for several seconds. There you can see the
battery capacity expressed as a percentage as well as actual voltage.
Click to expand...

I think he meant the Battery Icon up in the corner,
as on some models, the GPS auto-flips into map mode after a minute or so...
I think my 255 does, but my 260 doesn't
 
First there is no charge complete. Second make sure you have updated to the
latest firmware as there was some problems with the battery indicator.
 
First there is no charge complete. Second make sure you have updated to the
latest firmware as there was some problems with the battery indicator.
Click to expand...

Thank you all for the information.
In general, it is better to discharge a battery completely then charge
it. This will extend the battery's life. If I connect the GPS to the
car charger all the time, the battery is being charged all the time.
Will this shorten the life time of the battery?
 
Thank you all for the information.
In general, it is better to discharge a battery completely then charge
it. This will extend the battery's life. If I connect the GPS to the
car charger all the time, the battery is being charged all the time.
Will this shorten the life time of the battery?
Click to expand...

That is for NiCads, and is no longer relevant.

The charging circuitry in modern equipment also is pretty smart about
treating batteries appropriately.

Sorry, I can't give any useful details - they've faded from my memory.
 
Thank you all for the information.
In general, it is better to discharge a battery completely then charge
it. This will extend the battery's life. If I connect the GPS to the
car charger all the time, the battery is being charged all the time.
Will this shorten the life time of the battery?
Click to expand...

Hasn't been true since NiCad batteries went out of style. Most
contemporary batteries last longest when they're discharged sparingly
and kept close to fully charged.
 
"Jack" wrote
I have a Garmin Nuvi 255WT. I turned off the GPS and connected it to
my PC with a USB cable. The screen is dark and says: "Charging
battery. Slide the power key to turn on". But 24 hours has past. It is
still the same message.
Click to expand...

I have a Nuvi 350. It comes with both an AC charger and a USB cable. Both,
after just a few hours of charging, give me the message "Charging Complete."
 

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