RunningAHEAD - Topic: Garmin FR 305

zoom-zoom

I du! (+CX +Mtn.)

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

run 750 mi

bike 3500 mi

• more off-road

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

MilkTruck

posted: 3/14/2010 at 1:27 PM
modified: 3/14/2010 at 1:28 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.

zoom-zoom

I du! (+CX +Mtn.)

posted: 3/14/2010 at 1:37 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:

run 750 mi

bike 3500 mi

• more off-road

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

MilkTruck

posted: 3/14/2010 at 1:42 PM
modified: 3/14/2010 at 1:42 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 1:47 PM
modified: 3/14/2010 at 1:49 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

"It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds" - Captain Hammer

"I don't care how old I live! I just want to be LIVING while I am living - Jack LaLanne.
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
I failed the 12 minute run at 15...BQ'd at 38

zoom-zoom

I du! (+CX +Mtn.)

posted: 3/14/2010 at 1:48 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:

run 750 mi

bike 3500 mi

• more off-road

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

zoom-zoom

I du! (+CX +Mtn.)

posted: 3/14/2010 at 1:49 PM

Quote from Ennay on 3/14/2010 at 1:47 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:

run 750 mi

bike 3500 mi

• more off-road

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

zoom-zoom

I du! (+CX +Mtn.)

posted: 3/14/2010 at 2:09 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:

run 750 mi

bike 3500 mi

• more off-road

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

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

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

Quote from zoom-zoom on 3/14/2010 at 1:49 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

"It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds" - Captain Hammer

"I don't care how old I live! I just want to be LIVING while I am living - Jack LaLanne.
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
I failed the 12 minute run at 15...BQ'd at 38

zoom-zoom

I du! (+CX +Mtn.)

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

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

run 750 mi

bike 3500 mi

• more off-road

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

sandijam

this is why I run....

posted: 3/14/2010 at 3:21 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 3:24 PM

Quote from Ennay on 3/14/2010 at 3:01 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 6:10 PM

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

"It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds" - Captain Hammer

"I don't care how old I live! I just want to be LIVING while I am living - Jack LaLanne.
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
I failed the 12 minute run at 15...BQ'd at 38

zoom-zoom

I du! (+CX +Mtn.)

posted: 3/14/2010 at 6:22 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:

run 750 mi

bike 3500 mi

• more off-road

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

HStreet

In it for the long run..

posted: 3/14/2010 at 6:41 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 1454 times)

'12 Goals:

'12 Goals:

'12 Goals:

'12 Goals:

'12 Goals:

'12 Goals:

'12 Goals: