2720 cutting out

We just got back from a trip, and my StreetPilot 2720 rebooted after every
bump in the road. Looks to me like a powercord problem. Is there any way
to 'tighten' the connection on the back? That connection looks like one
that is kind of destined to fail after a lot of plugging and unplugging.
Anyone else have the issue?

BK wrote on Aug 28, 2010:


I've always thought the StreetPilot power connectors are very robust -
particularly compared to the mini USB sockets on most modern units.

Are you sure the problem isn't at the other end of the power cord, where it
plugs into the vehicle's socket?

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
mike_lane at mac dot com

I suppose it could be, but that connection feels very tight.

[top posting fixed]

On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:24:10 -0500, BK wrote:

This one also has a powerplug-mounted speaker on a hinged assembly, yes?

If so, there's a couple of weak points in the power design. First off,
and easiest to check is at the slide-on connector at the receiver.
Though it fits snugly, that thing can and does walk itself out as the
cord moves about. The test is simple: reach behind the thing with your
fingertips and try to shove the connector home. If it moves *at all*,
it's worked its way out at least some, and getting into the habit of
pushing it into place every time you reach for the thing will solve the
problem. (The prior owner of my 2610 speculated that jamming a sewing
pin into the "bottom" of the U-channel that the connector slide into
would hold it more firmly, but it never got *that* bad for me. On the
other hand, I wasn't driving a schoolbus with the thing in a bar mount
and the power cord swinging back and forth all the time either.)

The second weak point is that swivel in the power/speaker assembly.
There's REALLY thin wires between the speaker and the hinged power plug,
and eventually, they're going to break due to fatigue. Essentially,
every time those wires bend, the strands develop tiny cracks that
eventually become big cracks, then breaks. And when that happens, it'll
first manifest as momentary interruptions in power flow when the speaker
assemble is moved or vibrated. For units as old/out of production as the
2720, that's pretty much a fatal end short of cutting open the power
plug with a Dremel tool or something, replacing the wiring with new
(heavier) stuff and gluing the thing back together, hoping you didn't
lose enough plastic in the cutting process that the plug doesn't fit
properly in the power receptical anymore.

--
"If Ace [Double] Books ever came out with an edition of The Bible, both
books would be edited down to 40,000 words, and they'd be renamed
"Master of Chaos" and "The Thing With Three Souls."
-- Terry Carr

I sent an inquiry to Garmin product support. They said maybe I could tape
the connector. The duct tape solution. Why didn't I think of that? Classy,
eh?