Zumo 550 charging help

[RacinRay]

I have a garmin zumo 550 mounted in a cradle wired to my fuse block. On my way home from SEOR yesterday my Zumo gave me a low battery warning and then died. I checked the voltage across the fuse and found the fuse was blown (2A). I put a new fuse in and it immediately started to smoke. The voltage across the fuse is 12 volts but I get no amperag.

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

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[FJRoss]

Did the second fuse smoke with the GPS connected or not? Guessing you have a short in the cradle - maybe some corrosion. Riding in the rain lately?
Will the Zumo charge with the USB cable?

[NTXFJR]

Was the gps plugged into the cradle when the second fuse started smoking? If so it could be in your Zumo. To test the wiring and cradle, you could try setting the meter to ohms, put one lead on a good solid ground connection and with the fuse out and Zumo removed, measure the wire going out of the fuse block to your cradle. If it's shorted, then it's not your Zumo.

[RacinRay]

Zumo charging with USB cable. The battery appears good. It looks like the cradle is fried.

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[RacinRay]

There is one pin stuck down and corrosion is evident.

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[FJRoss]

Try some contact cleaner with lubricant. I assume the cradle doesn't come part?

[raYzerman]

It has been a problem with 550 cradles. Under those pins is a wee spring, water gets in, corrosion starts and when left "unmaintained" you get your issue. It was common practice to work those pins up and down (power off or use a wooden or plastic spatula) while working contact cleaner in there, preferably with lube. If you're blowing fuses, you may have corrosion bridging across one or more pins.
The pin set is a module you can't get. You can't even get cradles any more as far as I know. Work it, leave it for a day, work it again... I have revived a couple of cradles in my day. I did the contact cleaner thing twice a year and never had a problem since. IIRC, 12V power is pin #3, the ground isn't far away. Check carefully with voltmeter.... the rest of the pins are audio/mic and speaker connections, some not used on the bike cradle vs. automotive cradle.

[mcatrophy]

If it's similar to my Tomtom cradle contacts, my experience has been that my first cradle failed after a year or so due to corrosion in the contacts. Since then, before a trip or when I think to do it, I smear some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) over/into the contacts, this prevents water getting in there. Never had a problem since (and I ride in any sort of rain, I leave the bike in hotel carparks - often with overnight rain).
(Click on image for larger view)


Looks a little messy, but it works (if you are a bit OCD, it could be cleaned up).

[raYzerman]

On the 550 cradle, it helps to flip the protective cover over the pins if sitting overnight or in rain (GPS removed, of course). But those things get lost too, the tether can degrade...