Someone in Auckland (pref East) able to help with Zumo 550 + cradle?

[Gremlin]

My Zumo 550 is playing up. It runs on battery fine and the car mount, but hates the bike mount.

Wondering if someone has a Zumo 550 and bike cradle, and able to help out. Preferably in East Auckland, but I'll travel anywhere to sort. I'm wanting to try my Zumo in your cradle, and your cradle and zumo on my wiring, plus your cradle and my zumo if needed, on my wiring.

I think the wiring could be the cause, but ruling out the cradle is much easier, given the massive amount of wiring I have, and trying to find the fault...

I need to sort prior to early next week, otherwise the shop has to look, as it goes in for a service, and then needs to be crated in Wellington the following weekend for a 6 week tour of the USA.

No pressure, and the perfect time for it to play up :facepalm:

[EB255GTX]

What do you mean it doesn't run on the bike mount? Any error indication? doesn't run, doesn't start up, or what?

Has it worked up until now on the bike?

[Hitcher]

Check how well your bike mount is connected. It's more likely that that's where your problem is, rather than in the mounting bracket itself.

Ideally go straight onto the battery. Also check the inline fuse. DIY wiring can be dodgy at best.

I've got a zumo 550 and like to have it powered up all the time, if necessary. There's nothing worse than having the unit go off and on with the key.

[Gremlin]

What do you mean it doesn't run on the bike mount? Any error indication? doesn't run, doesn't start up, or what?

Has it worked up until now on the bike?
Has worked until the bike and I went tumbling :facepalm: The unit will power on, using it's own battery, when in the mount. The display will be dark. Pop it off the mount, the display comes alive, and you can see it's been busy loading. Put it back on the mount, display goes black. I'm wondering if that's some sort of safety feature demonstrating all is not as it should be. Basically, it won't get power from the mount. Works perfectly fine in the car mount.


Check how well your bike mount is connected. It's more likely that that's where your problem is, rather than in the mounting bracket itself.

Ideally go straight onto the battery. Also check the inline fuse. DIY wiring can be dodgy at best.

I've got a zumo 550 and like to have it powered up all the time, if necessary. There's nothing worse than having the unit go off and on with the key.
Agreed, except I have 6+ accessories on the front of the bike, running back to 2 accessory hubs. Both are powered by a single fuse only. All other accessories are fine (ergo hub fuses are fine). Ie, there is a hell of a lot of wiring under a tank I don't know how to remove (shop told me I shouldn't :blink:) except way too expensive to try to troubleshoot something this simple initially (compressed time frame, and they're starting to get a little out of their depth with all the accessories). There shouldn't be any fuses in line (all professionally installed) but checking is going to be hard work...

I let the GPS run on battery when I stop, only some visibility lights run outside the hubs, both hubs switched to the ignition. Don't forget that the GPS audio also runs back to a baehr unit, for going into the helmet. The mounts also have a reputation for failing, which I may just have enhanced. As you can see... this is why I kept the initial post about the problem short... the wiring is rather complex...

In short... swapping some mounts and GPS around is a much simpler, quicker, easier test for issues, than pulling the bike apart just yet.

Say, Mr Hitcher, you free on the weekend, as you have a 550? I need to clock up some km anyway?

[EB255GTX]

Dude,

I hear ya - you have a compressed timeframe and you need this sorted, and Murphy has not helped you at all!

But, a deep breath and a step back to consider the situation might be in order :-)

The mount is just a physical device that gives the GPS 12ish Volts from the bike. If the GPS is not working on the bike, check that there is 12V or so being supplied to the mount.

It really is that simple - if you took a tumble and some wiring to the mount has come loose then that could cause the problems you are having.

[EB255GTX]

oh some more details about how it goes dark when on the mount -

the unit can detect that it is on the mount, whether or not the mount is connected to a 12V supply. This is why it goes dark. So I bet you don't have 12v at the pins of the mount connector.

The GPS will go dark when connected to the mount whther or not the mount is wired to a bike or car or not. Make sense?

Point is - check for 12v at the pins of the mount :-) A wire has probbly come loose on your mount.

[Gremlin]

Except I don't have a multi-meter... I've avoided one as I could do all sorts of damage with those (I'm a gremlin remember).

From research, it's pin 3, from left, front row, that should be giving volts, except not everyone agrees... Funnily enough, you never do these sorts of checks when it works, so you don't know what's broken...

edit: There's also debate that the GPS will only provide full voltage when it detects the mount, but some doubt that. Also, it only has 1 4pin plug, and that's still screwed in etc.

Appreciating the help tho :D

[Gremlin]

Looks like I'll be buying a digital multimeter in the morning... My mates will be trembling with fear.

Read the multimeter thread, I guess this will do: http://dicksmith.co.nz/product/Q5302/uni-t-digital-multimeter-ut33b

[Gremlin]

Gremlin owns a multimeter... scary stuff, I think my mates will be scared. More amazing, once I did some troubleshooting (button mashing) I got it working.

Pin 3 on the mount gets the 12-14V, as does the plug, so everything looks fine there?

More interesting, I got hold of another Zumo. When it gets placed on the mount, the display doesn't go black, but stays on. It still runs on battery. My Zumo, the display goes black as soon as it touches the mount.

I'm going to look up resetting the Zumo after I've configured some VOIP.

edit: Found that if I unplug the two audio cables the display no longer goes dark on my Zumo... wondering if there is a wire pinched/rubbed somewhere... except power is still supposedly reaching the mount. :scratch:

[BMWST?]

Gremlin owns a multimeter... scary stuff, I think my mates will be scared. More amazing, once I did some troubleshooting (button mashing) I got it working.

Pin 3 on the mount gets the 12-14V, as does the plug, so everything looks fine there?

More interesting, I got hold of another Zumo. When it gets placed on the mount, the display doesn't go black, but stays on. It still runs on battery. My Zumo, the display goes black as soon as it touches the mount.

I'm going to look up resetting the Zumo after I've configured some VOIP.

edit: Found that if I unplug the two audio cables the display no longer goes dark on my Zumo... wondering if there is a wire pinched/rubbed somewhere... except power is still supposedly reaching the mount. :scratch:

might be a short to ground somehwere in those "audio" wires

[Gremlin]

Going to a mate tomorrow morning, who says he likes electrics, wiring etc.

We'll see about that when I'm finished with him :devil2:

[Ricardo S]

did you find the problem with it? i'm in eden tce, got a multimeter and used to know a bit of electronics...will probably be free in the afternoon. cheers

[Gremlin]

did you find the problem with it? i'm in eden tce, got a multimeter and used to know a bit of electronics...will probably be free in the afternoon. cheers
Yeah... easy problem... it's broke. :weep: Now for the hard part... fixing it.

Would be sweet to have the help, I'll see how I go in the morning with my mate...

[Gremlin]

Well, my mate has shown me how to use this circuit testing stuff... and my worst fears are confirmed.

Earth has no whatever it is (ie, wire broken) ... time to pull the bike apart :crybaby:

[Ocean1]

Well, my mate has shown me how to use this circuit testing stuff... and my worst fears are confirmed.

Earth has no whatever it is (ie, wire broken) ... time to pull the bike apart :crybaby:

Sounds like there's continuity, but just, no load capacity. Can you access the earth wire at the mount? If so consider running a new earth from right there, only has to go somewhere on the frame dunnit? must be an easier route than the current one. *'scuse pun*

[slofox]

You've got a gremlin in there somewhere Gremlin...errrrrrrr..I mean...never mind...

From reading the thread I think you have no alternative but to go wire tracing...and I do know how daunting such a prospect can be. Best of British to you Sir.

[Ocean1]

Best of British to you Sir.

Fancy invoking the name of the Prince of Darkeness in the event of an electrical malfunction. Most un-gentlemanly.

[slofox]

Fancy invoking the name of the Prince of Darkeness in the event of an electrical malfunction. Most un-gentlemanly.

Personally, I tend to become VERY ungentlemanly in the event of an electrical malfunction...my vocab was quite - errmmmm - "expansive" when I had ongoing problems with the speedo healer install...:whistle:

[Gremlin]

She's all fixed. Took about 7 hours... luckily I'm not paying someone for my time.

I'll blog in detail shortly (with pictures) but the earth was completely broken at one point. Fixed that (GiJoe pitched up to save the day again) and learnt some more about the bike...

It likes bolts. It's eaten 2 in 2 days... no idea where they went. Luckily I had a spare for one from a while ago... probably when I was economical with bolts, and able to put things back together with less bolts :facepalm:

[Ricardo S]

She's all fixed. Took about 7 hours... luckily I'm not paying someone for my time.

I'll blog in detail shortly (with pictures) but the earth was completely broken at one point. Fixed that (GiJoe pitched up to save the day again) and learnt some more about the bike...

It likes bolts. It's eaten 2 in 2 days... no idea where they went. Luckily I had a spare for one from a while ago... probably when I was economical with bolts, and able to put things back together with less bolts :facepalm:

well see, at last it's fixed :) luckily it was "just a split cable", easy fix - ahamm once you find it that is.

[BMWST?]

well done...was it in "your wiring" or the original wiring?

[Gremlin]

well see, at last it's fixed :) luckily it was "just a split cable", easy fix - ahamm once you find it that is.
Yeah, that's always the hard part init? Thanks for the offer of help though.


well done...was it in "your wiring" or the original wiring?
I didn't do any of the original installation (or second during repairs), but I'm not sure when the cable got mangled like that either. It was broken within 30cm of the end, and wasn't modified as such, as it's a standard cable.

Blog is up: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2081-Delving-further-than-ever-before

[gijoe1313]

One of these days I swear I'll .... :facepalm: