GPS to battery...why won't this work?

[Fish&Fowl]

I am trying to run my H20c off of a spare battery I bought for my vexilar. I am sick of going through AA batteries that die within a few hours when out in the cold.

This set-up would be used on my snowmobile. I hooked it up and tried plugging my GPS power cord in with no luck. It will run a spotlight but not the GPS.

Thanks for any info!

[eurolarva]

Could be your polarity is backwards. Lights will run on either -12 volts or +12 volts. Only safe way to test it is with a volt meter. Hook the cord to your cigarette lighter and measure the voltage then do it again with your flasher battery and see if the polarity is the same. My guess is the H20 has a built in diode so if you reverse the polarity you wont fry the unit but if it does not have one you could hurt the unit.

[DTro]

I was thinking the same thing, otherwise there is no reason why it shouldn't work, other than maybe your battery being dead.

[leech~~]

I am trying to run my H20c off of a spare battery I bought for my vexilar. I am sick of going through AA batteries that die within a few hours when out in the cold.

This set-up would be used on my snowmobile. I hooked it up and tried plugging my GPS power cord in with no luck. It will run a spotlight but not the GPS.

Thanks for any info!

Do you still have Battries in your GPS? I think you may need them in. Also if you do check to make sure it turns on with them still so you know that you didn't blow your GPS or power cord by hooking it up backwards or something.

[Dave]

I just tried mine without batteries in, they're not needed. Gotta be the polarity or the fuse in the H2O power cord.

[harvey lee]

I would make sure your 12v plug is good.

The power cords have been known to go bad in no time at all.

[leech~~]

F&F I am thinking about doing the same thing on my sled since I don't have battery power, so please let me know what you find out went wrong. Hope it works out for you and me!

[MWard4400]

Fish&Fowl,

The H2Oc should work on two AA batteries or on the power cord plug in. While plugged in to a power supply with the cord batteries are not needed.

The first thing you should check is see if power is getting to the cord, There is a small green LED light on the side of the male part that plugs in to the power point (cigarette lighter receiver). I would use a known power source that is inside of a car, when the cord has power to it the green LED will be on. If there is no led on it could be the fuse burned out, depending on the age of the unit the front 1/8 of the nose piece (center metal point that reaches deepest inside of the power point) can be unscrewed and the fuse sits inside of the nose area.

From there you will need to check the output with a DC volt meter, there are three pins, a combination of two of the three will result in a 12 to 13 volt reading.

The last thing is to make sure that the where the cord plugs into the GPS that the contacts are clean.

Clean the contacts on the GPS with a pink rubber eraser from a standard #2 lead pencil, final clean it with a Q-tip damp (not dripping) with rubbing alcohol. Make sure the plug-in is secure in the GPS when the core is reattached.

If the power connection you show is correct, the center point connection should be + (positive) and the sidewall connection should be - (negative)

If the battery was hooked up just for a moment incorrect with the cord plugged in it could have burned the fuse out.

Hope this helps,

Mark

Eden Prairie

[mn_bowhunter]

Just to add, the setup you have should work. I use the same setup since I too am sick of the poor battery life. Double check the cord for sure and make sure the light is on.

[Esox_Magnum]

I get 14-20 hour run time on my Expedition with the backlight on. During the winter It's rare to ever need to switch batteries. I only turn it on to get to my spot then shut it off. Lithiums are worth every penny.

[harvey lee]

I would take a look at the power cord, they are know to have issues.

If you have a friend that has one, try that one with your unit.

[walleyewild]

Fish&Fowl

the center point connection should be + (positive) and the sidewall connection should be - (negative)

If the battery was hooked up just for a moment incorrect with the cord plugged in it could have burned the fuse out.

Hope this helps,

Mark

Eden Prairie

I agree, If the polarity was reversed on the male socket you would not get any power to your unit and could have fried the fuse in the cord they are only 2 amp fuses if I remember correctly.

Does the battery power on your flasher?

Or is it the Cord?

That is where I would start anyway.

WW

[sunniewally]

hi, i had the same issue with my h20 when i installed a lighter in my boat. my xog would work,my gamin would work but the h2o would not. for some reason the receptacle is just a little different and i would not get power thru it. i bought one of those double receptacles and plug it in to one side and it works like a charm. in my truck it will work in the auxiliary ones but not the cigarette lighter, don't have a clue why. yes, also check the fuse in the plug i blew mine when i wired my snowmobile wrong!