Topic: GPS puck connection problem

[LocDown]

Does anyone have a video or howto on how to take apart the connector for the GPS puck? I have a bad connection inside the insulation near the connector. I sometimes have to wiggle it around to get it to work again.

I can get pins and the crimper from my friend.

FYI, it's the 50ch gps puck that came with the 997.

[George]

LocDown

I do not know the color coding, but the wires are all colored and you could cut the cable and pin the wires against the plug using a continuity tester, this will show you where each pin is located to the corresponding wire color to it.  A cheap continuity testers can be found at hardware and electronic stores, no need to spend extra money on the more expensive ones.  When you do this diagram it out with the wire colors to the plug then let us know what you found.

If you have a wire(s) that do not have continuity then you should be able to cut a little closer to the plug until you can remove the broken wire(s) then silver solder the wires back together and protect each one with shrink tubing and large shrink tubing to re-wrap the section you had to cut open.  Do not forget that you must put all of the shrink tubing in place before mending the tubing.

George

[George]

LocDown

Palm-Size Handheld Digital Multimeter, DT830B from Amazon costs $5.49 plus shipping.  I have one of these and they work well.  I have more expensive ones, for continuity this one works fine.  I like the one that makes sound telling you that the wire is good.  You can get the same meter at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart and many other places.

George

[LocDown]

I know how to check the continuity with a meter and what not, if I can just chop like a couple of feet off and re-pin the connector, it would look cleaner.

[LocDown]

The problem is within a foot of the connector.

[LocDown]

I need to repair this end ..or if someone has a good end they could chop it for me and I can splice it
Does anyone know how to open this connector up?

[Humminbird_Greg]

Those are molded on, so there is no “opening it up” unless you are talking internal surgery here…  Splicing on a different connector should not be hard to do.


You wanted this George?

[LocDown]

I'm looking to find a replacement connector now. ..Service department wouldn't let me buy the connector with 2ft of wire.

[George]

LocDown

If you cannot reuse the GPS plug, it does not look like there are a lot of options. 

The cheapest that I could find is the "Humminbird 7000301 AS HHGPS Bare Wire GPS/NMEA Connection Cable" from Amazon costing $26.04 plus shipping. 

Look at this one ---> http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0000BWE96/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new <--- it cost $19.03 plus shipping.

You should verify that it is the correct cable before making a purchase.

George

[LocDown]

Would this work Greg? Looks to be the same connector and wires minus the pigtail but I could probably splice one out.

[diver651]

Not sure if this helps, but every GPS receiver ships with a wye splitter to seperate the GPS and NMEA. Most people do not use it and it has the end you require with all wires connected.  you can use one if  you have it to cut up and splice to your existing puck. I have used the end these wyes intended to plug in the GPS puck to construct serial adapters that enable me to use the GPS puck with computer mapping software.

[LocDown]

I have weather sense on my system so I can't chop that

[diver651]

If you have thay wye in use, then what about cutting the leg that goes to the GPS puck and installing your own pair of mating plugs on the wye and on your GPS puck? You could even use the Humminbird end and make an adpter to mate with your new plug on the wye if you wanted to use another Humminbird GPS receiver.

[LocDown]

The problem is right at the connector.

[diver651]

Sorry, perhaps I misunderstand where the problem is. Is the fault at the plug on the GPS puck cable, or at the plug on the wye splitter? I thought it was on the GPS puck cable.

Are you plugging the GPS puck acable into the wye or into the unit?

[LocDown]

The fault is at the gps puck connector. I use the Y cable to hook up the gps and weathersense module

[diver651]

So if you cut the plug off of your GPS puck cable, then cut the leg of the wye that you normally plug the GPS puck cable into - you would have two bare ends that you need to connect. You could use any male/female four conductor plug pair to put on the two ends. Something like four conductor Molex plugs would even work if you do not have anything better. Radio Shack sells connectors with gold plated pins/recepticles if you are concerned with corrosion.

If you cut the leg about half-way, you would have the humminbird end that you normally plug a GPS puck into (along with a short length or wire) that you could put another of the new plugs onto so that it would plug into the now modified wye.

Of course, you could also try to find someone with a Humminbird unit that would give you an unused wye to cut up.

Then there is always the path of just permanantly connecting the GPS puck to the GPS pigtail on the wye.

Others have already suggested using the HHGPS cable for splicing onto the GPS puck cable you have. That would be my next suggestion if you wish to maintain the existing Humminbird end connections. Not sure why your existing cable is being strained so much at the connector, but the HHGPS splice would add a couple of feet if the existing cable is being pulled tight to reach. You may also be able to buy a GPS extension cable to cut up as well. I do not know the current prices, but it is another option.

The other option is to buy another GPS receiver. It will come with a wye cable you can use to repair the one you have, and you end up with a spare.

All of this is just my 2 cents, and it depends on how comfortable you are making crimped or soldered connections as to what path seems the most appealing to you or your wallet .

[LocDown]

I'm going with the hhgps cable. I'm trying to keep the connections humminbird. As for crimping and soldering, i would like to think I'm pretty good at it since i wire up airplanes.  :-)

[Humminbird_Greg]

The AS-HHGPS cable will work as will the AS-YC cable that diver651 mentioned.  Other cables will also work as a donator connector but these are probably your least expensive options to maintain the Humminbird connectors.

EDIT:  Hmmm, wondered why my reply would not post… you were replying at about the same time!  If you are that comfortable I would go ahead and go connector-less at this point.  The diver is right that when you buy a new GPS Receiver you will get a new AS-YC cable, so straight wiring is not a permanent change to your system.  When you replace the GPS Receiver you will also be able to replace the AS-YC cable.

[LocDown]

If i end up selling my 997 unit, i would probably keep everything except the display and include the new stuff with it, if I upgrade to the 998. Fishing the gps and transducer cables suck in my boat.

[LocDown]

I fixed my cable today with the HHGPS cable. I matched the colors and just soldered and heat shrinked everything. Granted my NMEA output still doesn't work for my VHF radio, so I went back to using the green wire. Now to find those pesky fish and structure.