I might as well carry spare batteries-Garmin Dakota

[Dadrider]

My wife gave me a Garmin Dakota pocket GPS as she is new to motorcycling. Ok, it will fit in the tankbag or in a pocket. I do have a mount for it, so I can mount it.

If I mount it, I want to power it, JUST in the case we do get lost somewhere (that is the plan for buying this bike is so that the missus and I can get lost and spend the day finding our way home)

So, do I resign myself and keep spare batteries, or is there another option that the $50 powerlet harness that I can run from a fused source but won't put more than the 5vdc the garmin runs on.

Can I make something less expensive that that on my own? Or carry spare AAA's?

Dad

 

[henzilla]

Hey there Dad from NO...going to move this to Gear and add Garmin to the title...sure to get some answers there.
Happy "gettting lost"

 

[Dadrider]

Thanks Steve ! Newbie needs help !

 

[BMW Triumphant]

$50 bucks might seem like a lot ---

Newbie needs help !

--- but, else this is what you need:

A powerlet plug or direct-to- battery cord...

which you wire to a Voltage Regulator (12V in and 5V out; check the current requirement for the Garmin; VRs are available from Radio Shack and they are pretty simple to wire up ...

which you wire up from the powerlet plug to

a power plug that fits the Garmin.


If all that is too much for you to do, and it might be too much for a lot of folks, just buy that $50 cable.

I am assuming I read your post correctly, that applying 12V directly to the Garmin will fry it forever and a day ... if that is true, $50 is just insurance money...

 

[MotorradMike]

Welcome Dad:

I have a GPS like that, it's better for walking around than the big screen ones, batteries last 20 hours instead of 4 for one thing.
When it was my only bike GPS I had rechargeable batteries and could recharge them with an inverter powered off the bike so a spare set meant always having GPS power.

If you really want to do it yourself you can certainly build a 5V supply, the problem is finding a nice right-angle connector for the GPS.

What I did:
With my larger screen Nuvi, I ended up taking apart the 'cig lighter' auto adapter, re-housing the power supply in that, and hard wiring it into the bike 'switched' 12V. I shortened the output cable to about 18".
You can get a 'vehicle power adapter' for yours for $28.

Hope this helps.

 

[sailorlite]

For a long time I powered my Garmin 60CSx with the Energizer LITHIUM batteries. They're expensive ($12 for a 4-pack) but they last forever. I didn't need to worry about extra power cables and connectors or about carrying a separate charger.

 

[Dadrider]

Thank you everyone. It has given me some options to think about for the short term and long term.

I can pull off making a VR to Garmin, I would have to take my time, but that is doable.

Thank you all again. It has gotten me back on track.

Dad