Nuvi 2589 3rd Party USB Car Charger/Cable

[magendim]

I have a 6amp two USB port car charger I use for our phones but only have one 12V power port in the car so would like to use one charger to simultaneously charge a phone and charge the Nuvi + navigate. I've tried the USB cable that came with the Nuvi but message comes up that I can't charge the Nuvi with that cable and battery indicator turns red. Tried a different USB A to mini-usb cable with the same result.

Is it possible to use a third party charger & cable for the Nuvi or is it mandatory that I use the Garmin supplied 12V charger?

 

[Nuvi-Nebie]

USB cables have 4 wires, 2 power and 2 data, however Garmin USB connectors have a fifth connector, this extra connector is used on some models to tell the unit what it is connected to, so the unit can act differently if it thinks it is connected to a computer , a low current charger (for charge only), or an in-car charger (for charge and navigate).

You can get some indication of what the Nuvi is 'seeing' by checking the secret power screen, I.e.,
Touch and hold the Battery icon for 5 seconds, this will display an info. screen, items to check include :-

Power Src. = Battery or USB
Battery = Charging or O.K. cap
I Limit USB = 500mA or 1300mA
USB Device = Power cable (1300mA) or USB B (500mA)

 

[magendim]

Kinda silly, you think Garmin could build some intelligence into the device so it knows what it's connected to using standard USB cables (even chargers have intelligence these days). It is a miniature computer after all...

Anyway, the Garmin supplied USB cable as well as the third party USB cable I purchased show the Garmin detects it as USB B (computer).

Are there any USB A to mini-USB cables out there that are the right type so the Nuvi thinks it's a power cable instead of a computer cable?

 

[Nuvi-Nebie]

If you are sure that at least 1.5Amps is available at the nuvi socket then a cable where the '5th pin' is connected will probably work, there are some on Ebay that mention 5 pin BUT this does not guarantee that this pin is connected to anything, I would avoid cables described a 'Sync' cables as this is computer mode