Gammy Garmin Power Button

[bobb]

Etrex 30. About 8 years old. The power button has kinda disappeared. Best explained in pictures:





It has been getting worse recently and now the only way I can turn it on is by poking it with something pointy like a pencil. If you take the back off there are a bunch of tiny screws. Has anyone ever taken one apart? Successfully?

Is it worth trying to fix it, or is this the perfect opportunity to justify buying something new?!

[Can’t swim won’t tri]

My garmin foretrex did something similar many years ago. I field-repaired by rubbing a pencil eraser to the right size to fit the hole, and putting a piece of duck tape over it. Worked just like the original button for another couple of years, till I upgraded.

[Oscar's dad]

This is your opportunity to embrace all things Wahooooo!

[bobb]

My garmin foretrex did something similar many years ago. I field-repaired by rubbing a pencil eraser to the right size to fit the hole, and putting a piece of duck tape over it. Worked just like the original button for another couple of years, till I upgraded.

I shall have to try something similar to keep my going!

This is your opportunity to embrace all things Wahooooo!

I need to do some research to see if it would be suitable for my needs. When on long tours I just like to leave the GPS plugged into the dynamo and forget about it...

[Oscar's dad]

I recently discovered you can power a Wahoooo from a dynohub. If I’d of had the right cable I would have done so on our recent ride.

[yoav]

I posted about this exact issue a few weeks ago:
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=123330.msg2731533#msg2731533
In my case, it’s an Edge 810 but the problem was the same. A bit of Googling led me to a YouTube video showing how to replace the bottom half of the case, which incorporates the on/off switch. I decided to give it a go, after all what did I have to lose and I might learn something.
So off I went to AliExpress and found the part for sale. £30 and 2 weeks later the part arrived.
Equipped with a tiny screwdriver, a pair of tweezers, a good light and a pair of magnifying glasses, I set about taking the Garmin apart. It took me a bit longer than the 10 min video did, about an hour, but eventually I had a fixed, working Garmin.
So yes, it is fixable.

[yoav]

I recently discovered you can power a Wahoooo from a dynohub. If I’d of had the right cable I would have done so on our recent ride.

Whilst waiting for the part to fix my 810 to arrive (see above) I jumped the gun and bought an 830. I found that Garmin had changed the software issue (or feature) that made the 810 unusable with a dynohub USB, as it would switch off every time you stopped, cutting off USB power. Now, it just tells you external power is lost but stays on.

[bobb]

I posted about this exact issue a few weeks ago:
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=123330.msg2731533#msg2731533
In my case, it’s an Edge 810 but the problem was the same. A bit of Googling led me to a YouTube video showing how to replace the bottom half of the case, which incorporates the on/off switch. I decided to give it a go, after all what did I have to lose and I might learn something.
So off I went to AliExpress and found the part for sale. £30 and 2 weeks later the part arrived.
Equipped with a tiny screwdriver, a pair of tweezers, a good light and a pair of magnifying glasses, I set about taking the Garmin apart. It took me a bit longer than the 10 min video did, about an hour, but eventually I had a fixed, working Garmin.
So yes, it is fixable.

Awesome, thanks! Sorry, my bad -  I didn't see your original thread.

[Paul H]

Is it worth trying to fix it, or is this the perfect opportunity to justify buying something new?!

Same happened on my Garmin Touring, I used it as an opportunity excuse to upgrade to the new Explore. The Touring went of eBay and got a few bids, more than I expected, so plenty of people consider such things fixable.

[bobb]

Well, I "fixed" it by making a new button out of some 5mm rubber sheet stuff. Actually, I've made several as they're bound to fall out. Anyway, works a treat.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Tigerbiten]

My Etrex 30 power button has gone that way too.
I turn mine on by plugging it's USB port into a USB power supply, A-mini USB cable.
When unplugged I have 30 seconds to tell it to stay on, otherwise it switches off.
The other way to switch it off is just to take one of it's AA batteries out
That way I don't need a working power switch.

I cannot power it from a power bank, it doesn't draw enough power and the bank switches off.
But I can power it from a 4xAA rechargeable battery box via the USB cable.

Luck ..... 

[hbunnet]

I had this on my Garmin Oregon, the rubber had perished on my well used one. I nabbed my wife's seldom used Oregon of about the same age, well over 10 years, but the rubber had perished on that too.

The switch on this model, I don't know about others, is contained by a plastic cylinder, and operated by the rubber cover which has a projection on it to touch the switch.

After some faffing around, I whittled a bit of wood to fit loosely inside the cylinder on top of the switch, and covered that with some plastic tape.  Works very well.

The tape will have a short life but is trivial to change.

A good result.