A "permanent" fix for an always flat, won't charge Zumo battery
I've been meaning to post this for a while and have been reminded/prompted by several related threads over on ZumoForums.
April 2018 UPDATE: the original ZumoUser forum suddenly closed it's doors and all data seems lost (lucky I posted here, eh?). It's replacement can be found at www.zumouserforums.co.uk.
Credit to user stu_m for having the nerve to diddle with the connector in the first place. I'd previously only re-seated the connector a few times to reduce contact resistance and the improvements didn't last.
Please refer to the forum for the origin(s). I will post these details there too, it is just more convenient for me to create here.
If your Zumo seems to die within minutes of taking it out of the cradle and doesn't seem to charge no matter how long it's left on charge for or with whatever charger/power supply, then there's a good chance this will work for you.
April 2018 UPDATE: the original ZumoUser forum suddenly closed it's doors and all data seems lost (lucky I posted here, eh?). It's replacement can be found at www.zumouserforums.co.uk.
Credit to user stu_m for having the nerve to diddle with the connector in the first place. I'd previously only re-seated the connector a few times to reduce contact resistance and the improvements didn't last.
Please refer to the forum for the origin(s). I will post these details there too, it is just more convenient for me to create here.
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| Garmin Zumo 590LM. |
My fix is slightly more pin-friendly and reduces the risk of bending a pin too much (and crushing or snapping it) and provides improved contact on both sides of the pin and it's mating half, as it should have been at point of manufacture. It's fairly easy to do, you just need a steady hand and good eyesight (or some kind of magnification - close-up pictures here are from a cheap USB microscope).
Step-by-step:
1. Remove battery. |
| Press down tab and lift out connector. |
2. Remove a pin (one at a time to avoid short-circuit or mixing up the sequence) by using either a pin, small jewellers flat-blade screwdriver or the blade of your scalpel/X-Acto knife to carefully lift the tiny pin-retention tab on the connector housing. Gently pull the wire at the same time and it will slide out.
 |
| Lift tab and pull out pin. |
3. Insert the knife blade between the "sprung" contact surfaces, either side of the pin and "lean" the blade over slightly (both ways) to expand the gap, it doesn't need much.
 |
| Spread the contacting surfaces. |
4. Re-insert the pin in to the connector housing.
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| Back home, ensure the tab is pushed back down. |
5. Repeat 2-4 for all pins.
6. Re-insert battery, switch on and you should see an immediate improvement.
In the couple of months since I did this, I've never had my 590 die on me or any low battery warning for that matter. Enjoy!
Jan 2020 UPDATE
Jan 2020 UPDATE
I just noticed my battery performing badly again. I couldn't be bothered to pull the pins again (I was also doing other things) so opted for a tiny squirt of WD-40 in the battery socket in the back of the Zumo (soak up the excess with tissue paper or shake/blow out the excess). Hey-presto, battery lasted over 2hrs. I suspect it won't last as long as the proper fix but could be useful mid-trip. Use this information at your own risk ;-)
Don't bother: 24hrs later and it was reading low battery. Just did the pin trick again...
Don't bother: 24hrs later and it was reading low battery. Just did the pin trick again...
You are the man! Thousonds of people, even Garmin itself owe you. Thanks a lot.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Credit to forum user stu_m though for having the nerve to diddle with the connector in the first place, but I did want to share it beyond the forum.
DeleteThanks a lot. This really fixed the battery problem.
DeleteMany, many thanks for this. it seems that a lot of people have been spending a lot of time getting nowhere. This certainly worked for me, and I'm very surprised that Garmin themselves didn't/haven't found the answer to what is a fairly simple issue. My battery now stays charged when I remove it from the bike mount, and even after a week or so of not being used is still showing a good charge. Something it hasn't done since shortly after I bought it a couple of years ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your instructions. The connectors are very small, so take care, but it's not a difficult or complicated task.
Glad you got good results too. Simple fix to an annoying problem. Please feel free to share.
DeleteThank you very much Outsider (and of course user stu_m) for giving peace of mind to the entire world of Garmin 590 users, that we lived in a constant nightmare everytime we switched on the GPS. It's really incredible that Garmin never reported this issue and the solution on time. Tight hugs for both of you !! Fernando
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this fix! I had already contacted Garmin and had agreed to pay the $180 exchange charge (out of warranty) in hopes of getting a unit that would charge the battery. Your fix worked perfectly and my GPS is charging for the first time since new. GREAT JOB!
ReplyDeleteButt the batteri time is only 1-2 haurs
ReplyDeleteBattery fix is not a fix to inprov battery time only battery bug/errors
Without the fix you’d be lucky to get 10 minutes. If you’re getting 1-2 hours then you don’t have a problem.
Deletemine doesn't look like that. The "contact surfaces" is 1 solid block.
ReplyDeleteReally? On a 590? I’d like to see some photos, get on over to the ZumoForums and post.
DeleteI tried this on my battery and it is not the same. The contact is a solid block so there is nothing to spread. Maybe a design change was made. Battery date code is 3/23/2016
DeleteDisregard my last, I was looking at the wrong side. Bad eyes! I was able to spread the contact with a pin. Dead battery back to life. Thanks
DeleteMaybe there ARE two different designs out there. If the contacts are truly solid pins and I had to do it, I would put a very slight bend in them at their mid-point to make better contact. There is obviously a risk of bending them too far to comfortably go back in their housing or of breaking the pins altogether, so I can't recommend anyone try it.
DeleteThanks very much for your step by step instructions. After having this problem for months with my garmin I was going to resort to buying a new battery until I came across your post and thought I would give it a try and it worked.
ReplyDeleteThanks again Outsider, Top Man.
I've just followed your instructions and although its early days, they seemed to have worked! My Garmin Zumo 590LM had become unusable when disconnected from a power supply even after having been plugged in to a power source for hours. After the fix, when I turned on the GPS it showed almost full power rather than me getting a 'battery low' warning - and after some further charging it now shows battery full - something it has never done before, even when new.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your post - it may be an obvious thing but the instructions were clear and very helpful. Thanks again, Paul
Seems to have worked immediately as battery showed full then dropped back to 75% so will charge and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteBetter than getting low charge indicator all the time.
Used a needle to spread the pins without removing them from their housing
Looks to have worked 75% now instead of low battery
ReplyDeleteWill fully charge and see how it goes.
Used a needle to spread the pins without pulling them out of the housing
Replaced my battery after experiencing the same issue, still the same problem..... Shazam! It’s fixed with your tip.
ReplyDeleteMany Thanks!
I thought this was BS but it just worked. Mind blown. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI had my first battery "die" in 2015 after a short 2 year life and it always seemed to be low. The replacement battery never held a charge from day 1 and I have had to keep it plugged in when in use. Just tried this fix 10 minutes ago and I have to say I could feel that there was a better connection when I re-inserted the battery. Thanks for ensuring that this fix got published. Assume it worked unless I post here again!
ReplyDeletePitty It didn't work for me. Immediately at least.I guess my battery is really useless. Let's wait ....
ReplyDeleteStill no good even after a charge?
DeleteLooks like you nailed it , here is hoping it works thks.
DeleteGood trick!
ReplyDeleteI gave it a try but wound up worse off than when I started.
ReplyDeleteAfter carefully adjusting each contact and re-setting the connector, no-charge condition was unchanged.
I figured maybe I hadn't widened the connectors quite enough so I tried again. The more aggressive approach yielded two busted connectors.
Then Zumo would not boot. Bought a new battery from Garmin.
Unlucky. They are delicate connections.
DeleteHope your new battery fixes the problem.
Absolutely brilliant! I was just about to purchase a new battery when I ran across your article.
ReplyDeleteMy 590 has never shown a full charge, regardless of how long I had it on the charger. Additionally it would be fully depleted (without connected to a power source) in an unacceptably short period of time.
I applied your fix and viola! A full charge in no time at all! Thank-you for taking the time to post the procedure and the pic's.
Excellent. My battery has never had much of a charge life - this week it held a charge for about 1 minute from allegedly being full ! I'm glad I found this - it definitely worked for mine and I saw an instant improvement in behaviour.
ReplyDeleteThe chief problem seemed to be that the battery wasn't getting the charge in the first place as the contacts were not making proper contact. But also, I noticed that different chargers that I used displayed different behaviour - from trying to put the unit into USB mode, to simply providing power, to actually charging. The best result came from plugging into an Ipad charger, turning the unit off after the USB connection display appeared and getting the message that it was now charging. Other chargers didn't have the same effect - possibly because the IPad charger will charge at up to 2 amps. Much better than the 300mA from my other chargers.
jfheath
Garmin 590 spec page says:
Delete"Power supplied to device power cable should be capable of up 12 V (typical) and up to 1 A. zūmo device power consumption is 5 V; 2 A".
And my 590 manual says that it may "charge slowly or not at all" from some computers, implying it is indeed quite power hungry (2A needed).
Wow... worked immediately. thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteI have just done this and it works ,I had my 590 for 3 year and the battery has always been bad the same as all the rest of the comment above , many thanks Mr Outsider you saved me £40 and it only took 10mins to apply your fix , I am so pleased , PS the pin gap is very small and my look like it solid but it is not, there is slot if you look very close .
ReplyDeletePerfect! Took 10 minutes and worked instantly! Saved me the $50 on the new battery I was about to buy when I stumbled on this! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI was just about to buy a new battery when i came across this fix. It took me 10 minutes with a needle and now the battery is showing a full charge and the screen is brighter. Just need to get my eyes tested now. Thanks for sharing this fix. It makes you wonder how many thousands have been spent on replacement batteries that were not needed.
ReplyDeleteYou are the guy. It worked perfect for me.
ReplyDeleteBattery would always go flat in a few minutes, so glad I found this post, a great help. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTop post! HOPPICKER said it perfectly above. I went form non operational off power to 100 % charge.
ReplyDeletegeez, where is the quality control on this connector??
Thank you! This worked like a charm, you saved me from buying a new battery! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteJust tried this with my zumo 595. Have the same symptons as per previous 590 posts above. Notice that when i opened up the plugs though, when pushing them back into the plastic case that they close back up. Anyway, thanks for the heads up, will see how it goes.
ReplyDeleteJust tried this with my Zumo 595. Fiddly job, Had or have the same issues with my Zumo 595 as stated above with the 590. Unplug from power source and unit shuts down within 5 minutes or so. Put the plugs out and spread them, but noticed when pushing back into the plastic housing that they close up again. Anyway, thanks for the heads up, will see how it goes.
ReplyDeleteFinally..Somebody figured it out! Your release of this fix is nothing short of brilliant. Thank you so very much. Now if Garmin had just accepted the liability and did their homework....Big fail on their side.
ReplyDeleteThank you much for sharing this fix. saved lot of my money and time, i was about to buy a new battery. But, with the help of this article my issue is fixed. All thanks to you. Keep sharing more ideas and fixes with us.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS!!!
ReplyDeleteWorks perfect
Unbelievable! The fix worked for me too! Many thanks!
ReplyDeleteA big thank you, worked on my zumo 590.
ReplyDeleteIt works! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis worked for me, easy fix thanks
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to add another thank you! The procedure was exactly as you described with the results I was hoping for.
ReplyDeleteRemarkable! Like others, I was frustrated and ready to spend 50 bucks on a new battery. A battery connector is not rocket science. Garmin should be ashamed! Many thanks for posting this
ReplyDeleteWow
ReplyDeleteThank you! Worked great If only I could do the same with my dezl garmin truck gps that battery life is useless
ReplyDeleteThis solution sounds great as I too have same issue. The question I have is what size torque (T number) is needed to unscrew the back as none of mine are the right size?
ReplyDeleteI don't know about that as my 590 has a battery door and doesn't require tools. I'd suggest heading over to the Zumo user forum (link up top) and post your query there, someone will be able to help out.
DeleteThanks worked well on my new to me 595. I then tried charging it up on the cradle while the unit was off (yes there was power to the cradle) and it did not charge. I then plugged it into a quality USB lead and turned the unit off (to speed up charging) and it did not charge. I then did as someone mentioned plugged it into the usb. The unit automatically then turned on. I then put it in stanby mode with a quick press of the power button. The screen came up with 'charging the battery - press the power key to turn on" i left it for a while and now the battery is fully charged. It seems these units will only charge whilst on or in standby mode. I hope this helps others.
ReplyDeleteTo charge: in cradle or via usb the unit must be on or in standby mode. To put it in standby mode quick press the power button whilst the unit is on. Message will appear "charging the battery - press the power key to turn on"
ReplyDeleteThese units do not seem to charge when turned off. I hope this helps someone.
This is a brilliant and simple fix. Garmin should have picked this up long ago and fixed it on a recall basis. My Zumo is three years old and has never had held a charge for more than a few minutes. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFantastic fix!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Thank you so much, worked like a charm. You just saved me $80 for a new battery.
ReplyDeleteThinking my battery was bad I bought a new one from garmin to fix the issue. After two days same thing with the new battery, no charge!! For some reason I saved to old battery, seen your fix and tried it first on the old battery as practice. Surprise, after sitting on the shelf for 1 year the old battery had a full charge. Left the 590 on for 20 minutes and only seen a one step discharge on the battery. Thanks so much!!
ReplyDeleteHow small are these connectors, I can't see them enough to do it
ReplyDeleteThey are pretty tiny. I used a hand held magnifier when I did mine (and a USB microscope for the photos).
DeleteJust used this fix on my Zumo 595. My battery indicator went from less than half to full charge without recharging it. I was almost ready to buy another battery but thought it would be best to see if anyone was having the same problem. I recommend this method if you are having this same issue with our Zumo battey.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear it works on the 595 too! (though it shouldn't really be an issue in the first place)
DeleteWorked for me. The Contact pin tips were so close together I was struggling to get a knife blade between them to open them up. Difference is remarkable, went from <1 minute before switch off to >2 hours and counting.
ReplyDeleteThank You.
I had also this same problem and I was thinking of buying new battery but luckily I found these great instructions. My pins are also one solid block. I just bent them slightly and now my 590 works. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteUPDATE! UPDATE!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the valuable info above.
I attempted to modify the terminals by the above method, but could not separate the metal connectors using a needle, etc.
So I thought of what else might work...
So I got my DIALECTRIC GREASE, dabbed the point of a needle into it, then dabbed that onto each of the terminals while they were still in place.
Being careful not to have any excess grease on the unit, reconnected the battery, and SUCCESS!
It went straight to 3/4 charge, instead of shutting down repeatedly, and stayed on!
So the need for a better connection when plugged in, seems to be solved this way also.
Very happy now.
I hope this helps those who struggle with the microscopic operation that it is.
Good luck everyone!
(Dialectric grease is a clear gel, available from most electronics and hobby stores)
The grease idea is a good alternative, I just didn't have any and couldn't easily source some. Any way to fix the high contact resistance (poor contact) should work. Thumbs-up!
DeleteThanks so much for the fix I've never had my GPS last the entire trip without switching off intermittently. It worked perfectly today.
ReplyDeleteWow !!!!! I bought a new battery as the old one would not charge - worked perfectly for 2 weeks then problem recurred. I tried your fix without much hope - instant success. I cannot believe that Garmin are unaware of this - it is either a design fault or a manufacturing fault and they should be dealing with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you to Outsider and stu_m for discovering this and posting the excellent instructions.
Thank you so much for this fix, I accomplished this last night and for the first time in the three years that I've owned the 595lm it displayed charge complete!! the device has been on for several hours and the battery indicator appears to be over 80%! I've only seen is stay at most ten minutes in the past barely enough tine to configure a trip planner. I'm very please that this has worked out is such a positive way, I'll be sharing this will my friends with Zumo's, Thanks Again and the very best of riding to you! May 2019
ReplyDeleteGarmin has been denying that there is an issue. I have purchased two batteries, a new motorcycle harness, and even once paid HUNDREDS of dollars to have them "refurbish" for this issue without fixing the issue.
ReplyDeletecheers for the fix. I purchased a new battery thinking the original one was dead to no avail. same problem. the supplier of the new battery told me about this fix. just tried it. the sat nav turned on under its own steam. good news but looks like it needs a good charging. hopefully fixed cheers once again
ReplyDeleteThis is the best Zumo 590 info I've found. Like everyone else my 590 simply would not hold a charge. After the fix the battery indicator shows a full charge. Garmin support should be linking to this page.
ReplyDeleteYep worked for me. Though needed a magnifying glass to see the connectors with enough detail to use a small penknife blade to ease them apart just slightly. It was a three handed job though, wife in supporting role with the glass.
ReplyDeleteWell pleased. Money saved. Thanks!
Tried it last night and it worked! I ran the battery down a bit and connected a USB to check charging is OK. The battery indictor is coloured red with a ? mark over it. I've only just got my 2nd hand 590 and have no manual, so am wondering if this is normal when charging of if I've messed up one of the terminals?
ReplyDeleteI've never seen that. I'd double-check the connections and maybe measure each of the pins with a voltmeter; see how they compare. If you know someone with a compatible battery you could try... actually, just occurred to me; it's probably a charger issue. Low power USB phone chargers won't cut it. Try a higher current supply.
Delete590 manual says that it may "charge slowly or not at all" from some computers, implying it is indeed quite power hungry (2A needed).
DeleteI believe the manual is available to download from Garmin.
I was about to order a new battery and found this info, worked a treat - thanks a lot.
ReplyDeleteI've removed some suspect comments claiming to be from Garmin Support or similar that try to redirect to some dodgy website. I'll remove any dodgy links posted here.
ReplyDeleteThis is second time I hae used this fix on the same 590LM unit. First time fix lasted over a year but I noticed it started losing power right away again. Using your fix again I noticed the black wire was connector was not as it should be so I did all wires again and got it back to holding a charge. Not sure how the connector pin gets bent in but you certainly saved me once again. Thank you and God Bless!
ReplyDeleteIt does seem that micro-movements caused by vibration slowly re-stretches the pins causing poor connection once again. The more miles you do the more often you may have to perform this operation.
DeleteSome careful application of dielectric grease to each pin/socket may help in the longer term, though I haven't tried it (yet).
Good advise although if vibrations cause the poor connection then it seems inevitable that this procedure will become periodic maintenance. Without this post from you I would never have thought to look at the pins so thanks again and hopefully many more will see the post and help them out.
DeleteHello, thank you very much for the betting tips.
ReplyDeletecan anyone tell mior what kind of manufacturer the connector is? or which contacts are used. Many thanks Dirk
Worked like a charm, appreciated. Regards Per
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this information. After replacing the battery twice in my 2 year old 590, and about to replace it again in the next few days, this information has restored my faith in what is a very good device... EXCEPT when the battery is not functioning. Thank you, again.
ReplyDeleteThis fix is still the answer! I had gotten a refurb unit and thought I got a lemon. Google is still my friend. To Outsider and stu_m, a great big THANK YOU!!!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and looks like the fix that I need. However, one question which has not been answered in any of the posts: when you disconnect the battery do you lose everything in memory? I'm referring especially to Saved Places, but also Home location, TPMS, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe battery can be removed without issue. Nothing is lost. Think of it like a USB flash drive.
DeleteWell! I wish I had seen these posts in battery problems I now have 2 Zumo 590LM,I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t take it out if the cradle when going into a cafe.I was going to USA and daren’t risk it not working so I bought another,to find out that the same thing happened,I thought it might be because I used tourtec locking device as I had a Tom Tom stolen.but today I found this web site,one if my Garmin590 is working,I think the other,the older one has a bad battery,as I’ve tried the trick, Thank you can’t understand why Garmin didn’t know,I have been in touch about this issue Sue
DeleteCan’t believe I actually bought a new Garmin595 LM before a trip to USA as my original one didn’t charge and like lots more I couldn’t remove it from the cradle to set my next days route up,so now I have 2 585s one still not good even after trying the trick ,then getting a new battery but maybe I’m a bit scared to break it I’m 73 so eye sights not as good these days even with glasses,so thank you again ,can’t understand why Garmin haven’t sorted it
DeleteThis has to be the best fix on the internet, took me possibly 30 minutes from when i entered search for replacement battery to completing the modification and testing. My Zumo575 would not last the start up period before shutting down. the steps you have indicated here are spot on. It was easy to follow the steps and the result was immediately noticeable. Brilliant fix. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteToday was the second time I've had to perform this fix on the same battery. Seems to have worked as well as the first time so thanks for putting this fix out there! I just hope there's a special place in Hell for the Garmin "engineers" that designed this!
ReplyDeleteToday is the first time that I have tried this solution and it has worked, it is clear that this connector is not for a motorcycle GPS.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your contribution.
Just did this with a 2nd hand Garmin Zumo 590. Before, as soon as i unplugged the unit from power it died instantly. Now the battery is holding charge, and the unit is lasting around 2 hours.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Thank you stu_m and Outsider for posting this fix. It took some time but the "fix" with the battery connection pins solved the problem with my 590LM ZUMO. A shame that the connection isn't more robust. Thanks again !!
ReplyDeleteI have been doing this trick (thank you author!) a few times over the last 3-4 years. The fact that I (and many others) had to do it multiple times shows me it is not a permanent fix. I also used contact cleaners, sometimes with success, sometimes not. The topic not really discussed is the cause of the issue. I can only imagine it is a weak connection in the connector of one or multiple wires. The Ohm resistance gets too high and the unit falsely reads low voltage and goes into low voltage/shutdown mode. In my view the connector is the culprit. Has anyone experience with replacing the connector with a reliable one? I am aware this Zumo unit has gone out of age but my love-hate relationship makes me continue tinker until I eventually conquer the beast :-)
ReplyDeleteIt seems you don't even have to pull the wires out. Just take out the white connector and ever so gently ease apart by a whisker the spaces between the wire fixtures.
ReplyDeleteI just pushed on the red wire and heard a small click and battery power restored😃
ReplyDelete