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696 Power/Data Plug Issue

DanH

Legacy Member
Mentor
I seem to have a connection problem at the 4-pin power/data plug on my 696. Anyone seen this before?

Looks like the trick is determining if the intermittent connection is in the plug, the socket, or the socket's connection to the motherboard. I suspect the motherboard connection. 696 plugs don't seem to withstand much stress.

Video link below. Watch the serial port #1 input counter on the EFIS screen when my finger moves the plug back and forth.

https://www.danhorton.net/Misc/GPS696 Problem/VID_20220122_153720765.mp4
 
Dan - I'm no help, but I thought that cord design was awful. It is impossible to pull the plug out of the unit without applying a lot of bending forces at the same time. I used to try to dig it out with a fingernail closer to the location where the friction was, instead of off to the side where one could actually grab.

Anyone nearby have a cord Dan could try? Might be able to eliminate one thing.

Touching each solder joint with a hot iron on the board might be simple to try, if you haven't already.

Good luck -
 
Popped the case (10 screws, no big deal) to take a look at the power/data's socket connections to the board. I could only access one side without risk, but it looks pretty robust to me...five soldered connections and two plastic locator pins (photo below). Watched the connections with a magnifier while gently prying the socket and could detect no relative movement with the board. Decided not to fool with it any further...no significant electronics experience.

Perhaps some socket wear and resistive debris due to vibration. Other than spray contact cleaner, is there any good way to clean up small sockets?
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We had a 696 years ago where the power cord socket was jarred loose of the circuit board. Had a friend resolder the connections but it was problematic in the long run, we opted to replace the unit.
 
Reflow

If it were me, I would reflow those joints unless you have confirmed the problem to be in the plug. The photo is not crystal clear but they look questionable IMO, maybe they were hand soldered at original manufacture.

I have repaired a couple TVs and an automotive environmental control module by reflowing CB solder joints at power devices where solder cracked due to thermal cycling, could be an ROHS thing which is what Ray Allen says about past failures of a couple of their devices.

I don’t think your issue is thermal because it’s not at a power device but maybe reflowing those joints will fix it unless the problem is in the plug.
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Plug type???

Hi DanH,

Well, I never had those plug issues. I have 3 695, and none of them has a problem with the power supply plug.

One possibility : I never tried to power the device from USB, but does that work?

Did any of you identified the plug brand? I searched for a long time, but that looks to be a proprietary design. I have to buy cables for 60$, for a piece of wire and a plug...

Cheers from a 695 lover!
 
Our problem wasn't the plug, but the socket jarred loose from the circuit board.
I didn't have a great amount of love for the plug style either, but that's a different discussion.
 
Garmin 696?

I’m worried about the future of the 696, no factory support. Will the Garmin 796 fit into the panel mount of the 696 and plug into the four plugs? Is there another alternative? I don’t want to rebuild the panel. Thanks
 
Follow up....I wedged a small bit of foam in beside the inserted plug to wedge it firmly to the side which always had communication. Worked all year like that. I'm sure it's simply pushing something broken into firm contact, so I should probably take it apart again and do the solder reflow as recommended.

Fred, I looked into replacing it, and probably will regardless of the above. Seems like the panel mount for a 760 should slip in with little change.
 
696 lifetime

Hi,

I would not want to upgrade my 696 for anything else. I hate touchscreens.
The 760 can fit in the same panel space, and you need to buy the correct AirGizmo to get this.


The 696 can be rebuilt quite easily for someone who tinkers a bit with electronic hardware. when openning it, and closing back the case, be really gentle tightening the screws. Otherwise, you can really crack the case easily.


I changed the LCD for 100$, as I bought a 696 with a cracked LCD for 150$. the LCD panel is glued on the complete screen surface to a 3mm thick glass panel. not exactly easy to dissasemble, with a wire to cut through transparent glue, but doable. Reassembled with Loca TP1000 or 2500 UV glue. All that bought on Aliexpress.

Battery : Either NIBP medical monitor battery, as above, or 4 Lion cells 18650 with a USB C charger module and an passive balancing 2 S / 2P BMS. 7 hours autonomy, and I have a small USB C to recharge the LI Ion cells. The only tricky part is to change the battery gauge resistor on the genuine battery pack PCB, to have the battery gauge on the screen fully functional. And this way, forget about the plug issue you mention! Keep the old plastic battery cases! You only have to make modifications in the battery case, and nothing in the GPS itself..

Battery contacts : the main unit has a tendency to get the small springs in the battery contacts broken. 2 x 3 golden pins visible when you remove the battery pack. You can buy suitable replacement pogo pins also on aliexpress for a few bucks.

Joystick : Garmin makes it hard to not sell that specific joystick, and I prepared myself to get it to fail, and bought an ALPS car radio joystick, also on Aliexpress.... RKJXT1F42001 4-Way Switch Car Navigation Encoder Key

So... No reason to get rid of your 696!!!
 
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