Garmin 590 battery flat & won't charge - possible fix

Jeff F

Jeff F

Joined
Jan 13, 2005
Messages
2,550
Location
Muskoka, Canada
Bike
FJR & Super Tenere
STOC #
4759
My 590 battery would only last a few minutes out of the cradle or without being plugged into my laptop. Apparently its a common problem with these units after a few years.

I was all set to buy a new battery but came across a possible fix that involves spreading the contacts on the 4 small wires connecting the battery. Its fairly easy and quick to do. I tried it and it seems to have given me some new life.

If you have the same problem I hope it works for you too.

http://outsider-adventure.blogspot.com/2017/06/garmin-zumo-590lm-battery-fix.html
 
I had the same problem - very, very short battery life on the 590 - and I tried that fix about a year ago. It seemed to work for a little while, but then the short battery life problem returned.

I bought a new battery. It worked OK for a while, then once again, short battery life.

Part of the problem, I think, is that the 590 doesn't actually "turn off" when external power is removed. Instead, it goes into a sleep cycle, this so that it can power back up very rapidly when external power is restored. I have been able to mitigate the short battery life problem somewhat by doing a "hard power off" of the device when I know I am not going to be using it any more that day. This is accomplished by pressing and holding the power button on the back of the device until a "turn device off?" (or similar words) message appears, then confirming that you want to turn it off.

I think that the root cause of the problem lies in the connection between the battery and the device.

Michael
 
Care & feeding of Lithium Ion (LiIon) cells & device batteries is somewhat counterintuitive.
I've become interested in high performance LED flashlights the last few years, almost all of which run on LiIon cells. I've learned much about how to properly & safely care for them. In a nutshell:
Long-term storage at 30% ~ 50% charge capacity is better for cell longevity than storing fully charged. That's why new devices almost always include instructions to charge before first use, even though the device will likely function without being charged; it arrived with a storage charge. It's difficult to ascertain charge level of some devices but, I don't charge them after use until soon before next use.

Slow/low charge rate is better for long-term cell health than fast/high charge rate. If you have a choice or control, slow/low is better.

Not discharging below 20% capacity or charging above 80% capacity will yield the longest cell life.

Devices with parasitic drain (powered down but not "OFF") don't do their devices any favors when they place a small vampire load on the cell or battery for weeks or months.

Replacement LiIon cells & batteries not purchased from the OEM device manufacturer often overstate capacity, sometimes by impossible amounts. ...*cough* Amazon ...*cough* eBay. Even if the non-OEM replacement claims the same capacity as the original, it's still a crapshoot as to if the OEM capacity is truly met. A few expensive hobby chargers can test the capacity of proprietary form factor LiIon cells/batteries, but few people have them.


Good Ridin'
slmjim
 
Also ensure the cradle is serviced once or twice a year, ie, work contact cleaner into the two power pins by cycling the pins in/out with a non-conductive device. Clean the contacts on the GPS with a pencil eraser and wipe with contact cleaner.
 
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