Garmin Explore battery

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Amac

Well-Known Member
Location
Reading
Hi guys,
I have a Garmin Explore which I bought used of one of the guys on here.
This has been my first cycling gps, which I have been pleased with.
My main use has been to plan routes on my pc then transfer them and follow them on my ride.
So far I have only used it locally which has been great for finding new lanes.

So at last my question.
If I go on about a 3hr ride, the battery % is about 53% when I finish.
So does that mean I have about 6hrs of use?

The reason why I ask, is I want to use it on a 2-3 day riding holiday, where I don’t know the route or area.
Also can you get the battery replaced, if that would improve it ?
Cheers for any advice,
Alex.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Adjust the backlight if wanting longer run time.
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
Six hours sounds about right, as above to get longer life adjust the backlight - you don't actually need it on unless riding in the dark and it makes a huge difference to battery life.

The second thing to do is to get a small power bank and you can run the Explore off the powerbank greatly extending it's lifespan.
 
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Amac

Well-Known Member
Location
Reading
Cheers guys, I do have the backlight up high, I will turn it down and see how it goes this week.
Cheers again.
 
Location
Wirral
You can supposedly recalibrate the battery by running it dead, and then plugging it in to charge and doing a hard reset [1][2] and then let it charge for 6+hrs (even if it says full) and it should then have a better battery duration indication [3].
My mates explore goes to zero battery but runs for several hours! [4]

[1] Before resetting it copy the .fit files from these 7 garmin folders:- course, location, records, settings, sports, totals and weight to somewhere safe. Copy them back to the garmin/new files folder once you've waited the six hours, they will be put in the correct place on restarting. Also copy the courses from the activities if you want them (they should be in Connect anyway).
[2] Hold lap and start/stop buttons, then power up, then release when the garmin logo disappears
[3] It might be that your battery duration is correct and battery is tiring, but it might be worth seeing how long it lasts on 0%, if it lasts hours longer then perhaps try the battery reset, or live with the difference.
[4] It is being backed up and battery drained as I type! Reset and charge tomorrow 🤞
 
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Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
As @si_c says a powerbank is a great addition to your ride kit. Great insurance against flat phones and GPS devices. Not very bulky or heavy and great for peace of mind.
 
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Amac

Well-Known Member
Location
Reading
Cheers guys,
@Neil I think your process might be beyond my skill level😄
I reckon I might end up in a mess.
I have turned down the backlight, and somewhere at home I have a power bank.
Cheers for all your tips and advice.
 

Paul_Smith SRCC

www.plsmith.co.uk
Location
Surrey UK
I get about 6 hours on my older Garmin 810 using the map screen following a course with tbt directions, I have turned off blue tooth and all sensors such as cadence and heart rate plus reduced brightness. If I need longer I will carry a power bank in my 'bar' or 'top tube' bag, the USB lead reaches perfectly. Last summer I rode an 8 hour day using tbt on the map screen, mid way around the course I was down to 50% battery so I knew I would be pushing my luck just using the 810's battery reserve so I plugged in the Power Bank. When I got home it had charged back up to 100%, the Powerbank (a Goji G10PBWP17) itself has battery indicator with four LEDs so you know how much charge it has left; it had all four still lit.

I already had that power bank, I didn't buy it with this in mind, it's waterproof and robust but you can get them much smaller, lighter and cheaper. Yes damaging connections could potentially be an issue, the way I look at it this is an old unit and I'm a bit less precious with it than I once was. I have had that power bank three years and only needed to use it once; most of my long days are on routes I know where I don't need the map screen permanently on, I can easily complete those rides without issue as the data screen consume less battery. I've seen a few who use a power bank to top up their device at a rest stop which would help minimise potential damage to the Usb connection.

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iluvmybike

Über Member
If you keep your garmin on the map display all the time it uses more battery. You can set it so the map just pops up when you approach a turn point then it goes off again after the turn is made
 
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