Garmin Edge Explore and Garmin Power Pack

[ianrauk]

I have always toured with a power pack and have actually used it when the GPS's power was getting low. My concern was how to keep the cable and socket underneath the Edge Explore dry should it rain. I ride an Airnimal Joey which doesn't have a top tube so that means the barttery pack has to go inside the bar bag. Mind you, I now have a Carrydice bag which has a lid that really covers the top of the bag so the power pack should stay dry. It is the socket underneath the Edge Explore that concerns me. There really isn't anyway to keep the cable end dry if it rains.

Have you tried the battery recalibration?

 

[abcd efg]

Have you tried the battery recalibration?

Not yet. That's a project for tomorrow.

Cheers

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Does it matter that a cable is being used to connect the two units?

Not especially but I have found that not all cables are equal. Something to bear in mind if your original cable gets damaged.

Do you do anything to protect the cable and spcket when it rains?

I charge (Wahoo) directly from my hubdynamo or sometimes a powerbank but until recently never in the rain. There usually is no need. Water will damage both my hub charger and GPS - that's too big a risk on tour. But it's rarely an issue.

Sometimes I get as little as five or so hours.

it can be a bit of a stuggle, especially on very overcast days when I might need to have the screen lit for much of the day's ride.

I think this really is your problem. Unless you have poor eyes you shouldn't really need the light on in those conditions.
Can you compare your unit to someone else's?

Have you reset/revalibrated battery meter?

Good advice

Why not set it to light up for 15 seconds on demand?

Excellent advice
A big part of your issue is conserving energy.

found one or two 30 min blasts were generally up to my requirements.

I think this is important

I have my Garmin Edge plugged permanently into a Power Bank

I've been of the belief that rechargeable batteries should be regularly let run down in order to preserve battery life.

In an ideal world I'll have a good approximation of how long I have left on my unit and recharge as necessary. If that happens to coincide with rain then the GPS and powerbank goes in my Barbag to be checked as necessary. No rain no problem.

As an aside, a simple, cheap solution is from Decathlon. They have a foldable mini rucksack (string straps) that will go over a bar bag and unit and can be tied off. Waterproof, ugly and you'll still need to peek under it to see the screen but it doubles up as a very handy shopping bag. I paid €1.99 for mine having lost my original rain cover.

 

[abcd efg]

Have you reset/revalibrated battery meter? I did a bit of investigation onto the battery power or lack of.
What I found on the Garmin forums is that when the machine leaves the factory, the battery is not calbrated correctly to the battery indicator, meaning the battery level shows an incorrect life cycle.
To remedy this you need to turn on the machine and let the battery run dead. Keep an eye on it as it will keep asking you if you want to shut the machine down. Keep it going until the machine actually dies and cannot be switched on. This will take longer then you think so plan on doing this in the morning.
Once the battery is fully drained, plug in the power lead and do a full factory reset. Make sure you power the machine back up to 100%.
This will recalibrate the battery to the battery meter/indicator.
Before I did the recalibration my Explore was indicating the battery draining pretty quickly. After recalibration the battery lasted a full day's ride easy.

Hope this might be of help.

Thanks. I am sure it will be.

 

[GuyBoden]

Once my internal Garmin battery could not be recharged to be usable, I found that connecting the Garmin permanently to a power bank battery in a top tube bar bag was the easiest solution. I too was concerned about the connect in the rain, but the top tube bag solves this because it is rain proof.

These type:

 

[Sallar55]

My 1000 unit is useless for long rides. Here's my set up, A good USB cable that has a secure fit into the power socket and a USB stick, just wrapped round the cable housings to stop the stick swaying about.

 

[abcd efg]

My 1000 unit is useless for long rides. Here's my set up, A good USB cable that has a secure fit into the power socket and a USB stick, just wrapped round the cable housings to stop the stick swaying about.

View attachment 652494

Do you worry about it getting wet in rain? Thanks

 

[Dogtrousers]

Back when I used to do this I don't remember actually needing to recharge my GPS in the rain, I guess just lucky. But if it had been raining I'd have either put a plastic bag on it, or else ridden for a while with no GPS and put it in a bag.

Anyway ... what I DID worry about was the possibility of vibration damage to the little USB socket on the Garmin by having it plugged in while riding. Or maybe the cable getting snagged on something and yanking on the USB socket and damaging it. I'm no expert at all, but that was what I considered to be the bigger hazard.

 

[si_c]

There should be no issue charging in the rain provided that water doesn't get into the charger socket. If running mudguards that should prevent spray from the wheels hitting the underside of the GPS. After that you're trying to prevent water from running off the top and into the device.

When using an old Mio Cycling computer I used an angled USB cable (where the plug into the device is at 90° from the socket) and then used a little silicon sealant to seal the plug into the GPS. Once it's dried you can use a craft knife to detach it and you've bodged a gasket which should encourage water to move away from the connector. To test it out I first used a bit of blue-tack for the same purpose, and for the most part it worked very well.

Mudguards make the biggest difference though as if it's raining that hard that water ingress becomes a significant concern with a cable just plugged in, you can either disconnect it temporarily, or you'll probably have pulled over somewhere to wait it out anyway.

 

[abcd efg]

There should be no issue charging in the rain provided that water doesn't get into the charger socket. If running mudguards that should prevent spray from the wheels hitting the underside of the GPS. After that you're trying to prevent water from running off the top and into the device.

When using an old Mio Cycling computer I used an angled USB cable (where the plug into the device is at 90° from the socket) and then used a little silicon sealant to seal the plug into the GPS. Once it's dried you can use a craft knife to detach it and you've bodged a gasket which should encourage water to move away from the connector. To test it out I first used a bit of blue-tack for the same purpose, and for the most part it worked very well.

Mudguards make the biggest difference though as if it's raining that hard that water ingress becomes a significant concern with a cable just plugged in, you can either disconnect it temporarily, or you'll probably have pulled over somewhere to wait it out anyway.

Thanks

 

[Sallar55]

Never had any issues with the USB socket even when using a dynamo USB charger (revolution square one) 😊 Rain just runs down the cable as the socket is on the underside. Only problem with the edge 1000 is the power button, mine split OPEN and the contact eventually failed. An easy fix is fill the split on - off cover with silicone. The Edge will switch on when you power up with a cable and after you upload the ride it will switch off after a few minutes if it's not powered up. . If the Edge needs a reset you can't do it, the only way is letting the internal battery run down. A minor inconvenience 😩. The older 800-810 models with the socket at the rear were an issue with water.

 

[cyberknight]

new explore announced that has a dedicated mount with a power cable but it doenst look like the old explore is compatible

 

[abcd efg]

No, it doesn't work with the Edge Explore unless you are prepared to use an exterior cable connecting the GPS to battery pack which negates the entire purpose of the unit.

The confusion comes about because many, including Garmin staff, get casual when referring to various GPS units.

Cheers

 

[abcd efg]

Has anyone any experience with thr new Garmin Edge Explore 2 with Power Pack ? I just came across this.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/07/garmin-edge-explore-2-in-depth-review.html

 

[cyberknight]

Has anyone any experience with thr new Garmin Edge Explore 2 with Power Pack ? I just came across this.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/07/garmin-edge-explore-2-in-depth-review.html

thats the one i mentioned