RunningAHEAD - Topic: Garmin FR 305

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tipsy chicks

posted: 3/14/2010 at 12:14 PM

I just turned my Garmin on to have it tell me this...after I had it on the cradle yesterday and saw the "charging complete" message I pulled it off the cradle (to avoid bumping it and having it turn on while still on the cradle, which I know can be an issue).

Any idea why my battery would be low today? I've never before had any battery/charging issues with my Garmin. Garmin is nearly 2.5 years old...is this likely a sign that it's reached the end of its life-expectancy?

Kirsten

'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike

'12 Goals:

• more off-road

• gain proficiency @ CX mounts & dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)

• punch Type 1 in the junk, again

MilkTruck

posted: 3/14/2010 at 12:27 PM
modified: 3/14/2010 at 12:28 PM

I've had times when I pull it out of the cradle that it can sometimes turn the Forerunner on, so it sits there and runs down the battery. Also, sometimes when the pc its connected to goes into stand-by, the Forerunner in the cradle gets some whacky usb signal and powers on.

Long-winded way of saying...I'll bet the Forerunner powered up and ran the battery down on you and nothing's wrong with the battery.

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

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tipsy chicks

posted: 3/14/2010 at 12:37 PM

No, I know that happens...so as soon as the screen says charging complete I pull it off the cradle and make sure it is off. Right now I am having issues even getting it to charge. I have it plugged-in to a wall outlet and it keeps starting to charge, then going blank. It's not turning on, it's just appearing to stop charging. Fuck. I was thisclose to heading out the door for a bike ride. I use my Garmin as a bike computer, too (which, by the way, is awesome with the speed/cadence sensor). I'd ride without it, but I'm trying to hit some specific pacing intervals and that's next to impossible without some sort of computer on my bike.

Man, this thing has been virtually trouble-free since day 1. The only issue I've really ever had was a firmware problem a long while back that was easily remedied. How long do most people get out of Forerunners before the batteries become problematic? Seems like 2.5 years isn't very long.

Kirsten

'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike

'12 Goals:

• more off-road

• gain proficiency @ CX mounts & dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)

• punch Type 1 in the junk, again

MilkTruck

posted: 3/14/2010 at 12:42 PM
modified: 3/14/2010 at 12:42 PM

Oh, I've got one that is at least 3.5 years old and still charging fine. Worse than age, it was my backup so it sat idle and uncharged for at least a year -- which is really nasty for the batteries.

Have you tried a hard reset? (power on while holding down mode) This can sometimes work miracles, but it will flush all the data and settings from the Forerunner.

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

posted: 3/14/2010 at 12:47 PM
modified: 3/14/2010 at 12:49 PM

Mine has to stay on the charger now until right before the run or it discharges. If I let it sit fully charged off the cradle overnight it will discharge completely. But I am too cheap to send it in for a "new battery"

But it might be worth uploading the latest software and doing a hard reset first. Even just loading the software tends to clear up glitches.

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

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tipsy chicks

posted: 3/14/2010 at 12:48 PM

I may try that. I found a thread where people who were having some similar issues did soft resets and got it working right, again. I hope my battery isn't toast. I'd like to eventually upgrade to the 310XT, but I really would like to get at least another 6-9 months out of this unit before I consider that. They are $$ and I'd rather watch for some sales on that puppy.

Kirsten

'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike

'12 Goals:

• more off-road

• gain proficiency @ CX mounts & dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)

• punch Type 1 in the junk, again

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tipsy chicks

posted: 3/14/2010 at 12:49 PM

Quote from Ennay on 3/14/2010 at 12:47 PM:

Mine has to stay on the charger now until right before the run or it discharges. If I let it sit fully charged off the cradle overnight it will discharge completely. But I am too cheap to send it in for a "new battery"

How old is yours? I saw a few mentions online where people have said they only got 2-2.5 years out of their 305s before they were having serious issues getting the battery to charge and stay charged. Gah.

Kirsten

'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike

'12 Goals:

• more off-road

• gain proficiency @ CX mounts & dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)

• punch Type 1 in the junk, again

zoom-zoom

tipsy chicks

posted: 3/14/2010 at 1:09 PM

Out of curiosity I turned it on to see what the battery level was and it's showing 3/4 bars. Huh. I did a soft reset and am going to let it charge for maybe another 30 minutes to see what that does. Weird.

Kirsten

'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike

'12 Goals:

• more off-road

• gain proficiency @ CX mounts & dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)

• punch Type 1 in the junk, again

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

posted: 3/14/2010 at 2:01 PM

Quote from zoom-zoom on 3/14/2010 at 12:49 PM:

How old is yours? I saw a few mentions online where people have said they only got 2-2.5 years out of their 305s before they were having serious issues getting the battery to charge and stay charged. Gah.

I'm trying to remember. I destroyed my 302 during hood to coast...August 2008? So not even 2 years. I just started having problems with the charge maybe a week or so ago although for the past couple months if it isnt fresh off the cradle I have a hard time getting a signal even though it is fully charged.

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

zoom-zoom

tipsy chicks

posted: 3/14/2010 at 2:04 PM

Quote from Ennay on 3/14/2010 at 2:01 PM:

although for the past couple months if it isnt fresh off the cradle I have a hard time getting a signal even though it is fully charged.

Yeah, mine has been slow to find satellites for a few months (even on a clear day with no tall buildings or trees around)...I never connected that to any sort of battery issue, though maybe it is. I thought maybe it was like a "watched pot."

Kirsten

'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike

'12 Goals:

• more off-road

• gain proficiency @ CX mounts & dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)

• punch Type 1 in the junk, again

sandijam

this is why I run....

posted: 3/14/2010 at 2:21 PM

I'm having the same issue and mine is less than a year old.

fully charged, turned off and then when I go to use it....battery low.....has happened about three times in the last couple months.....

grrrrr....

mamaofthree

Best Present Ever

posted: 3/14/2010 at 2:24 PM

Quote from Ennay on 3/14/2010 at 2:01 PM:

although for the past couple months if it isnt fresh off the cradle I have a hard time getting a signal even though it is fully charged.

i have the same problem - if it's fresh off the charger, I find the signal within seconds. If I go for a short run, turn it off and try to use it the next day, it can't find the signal even though the battery indicator shows all 3 bars..

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

posted: 3/14/2010 at 5:10 PM

Quote from mamaofthree on 3/14/2010 at 2:24 PM:

i have the same problem - if it's fresh off the charger, I find the signal within seconds. If I go for a short run, turn it off and try to use it the next day, it can't find the signal even though the battery indicator shows all 3 bars..

yup. My cradle is permanently up here in the computer room. Fresh off the cradle I can get a signal in here. Otherwise I have to take it outside BEFORE I turn it on. If I turn it on as I am walking out the door, it will never ever find the signal.

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

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tipsy chicks

posted: 3/14/2010 at 5:22 PM

Ok, rode for nearly 2.5 hours and Garmin worked flawlessly...also found satellites really fast. Perhaps I need to do soft resets more often. Weird.

Kirsten

'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike

'12 Goals:

• more off-road

• gain proficiency @ CX mounts & dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)

• punch Type 1 in the junk, again

HStreet

In it for the long run..

posted: 3/14/2010 at 5:41 PM

My 305 started acting up at 3 years. I was getting a low battery signal before the end of marathons (I guess it was telling me something). The next thing that happened was that it would randomly stop recording distance on some runs. The timer would run, and there was no loss of satellite, but the distance just stopped. I called tech support to no avail. I finally sent it in for the $79 repair which means they send you a new (refurbished, probably) watch.

"It's not who wins the workout..." This Century PRs 5K 25:05 10K 52:34 1/2 M 1:53:58 Marathon 4:08:28

Garmin FR 305 - "Battery is low" ? (Read 1520 times)

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