Blog: GPS

How to Really Turn Off Your Garmin GPS

Sep 9, 2010, 10:11 PM -05:00

After not using my Garmin GPS for two or three weeks, I tried to turn it on and nothing happened. Ends up the battery was dead. I first thought I must have a bad battery - at least the battery is removable. However, after searching online I found that a lot of people have the same problem.

When you turn a Garmin nuvi (at least the 855), it puts the device into sleep mode so it will start up quickly (providing it hasn't been shut down too long).

In order to really shut the device down you have to: [more]

Remove the battery, put it back in then hold the power button down when it's trying to boot up.

Hold the power button down (actually, it's pushing it to the side) for 8-10 seconds - but sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.

GPS

Trick to Stop Accidental Power Button Presses

Aug 14, 2010, 10:50 PM -05:00

If you have a battery powered device that you pack away somewhere in your backpack or bag, this trick might help you. Sometimes a device will have a recessed power button, but it if is not designed well enough, you could either end up with dead batteries if it gets turn on accidentally, or no data if it gets turn off accidentally. I have a GPS data logger that traveled around on recent trip with me so I could geotag photos. I wanted to be sure it did not get turned off. A good solution is to find a flat washer, or maybe two that are just the right size to go around the power button. Glue it on carefully – you don’t want to glue the power button. This makes the power button recessed to help prevent accidents. Here are a couple of pictures of my GPS data logger. I used a clear plastic washer because I did not want to occlude an LED. [more]