garmin pilot iii problem

murphey

murphey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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murphey
the GPS works great, it's the buttons that barely work. I'm thinking it's the conductive paint on the board-side of the buttons that has worn down/off. Talked to Garmin yesterday about repair. Turns out that the company that made parts for the Street Pilot and the Pilot III went out of business and there are no replacement parts.

I've already taken it apart, hence my thought that it's the buttons not making the contact. Any suggestions as to the type of paint - silver, carbon or nickel?

Any one do this and give me some ideas?
 
murphey said:
the GPS works great, it's the buttons that barely work. I'm thinking it's the conductive paint on the board-side of the buttons that has worn down/off. Talked to Garmin yesterday about repair. Turns out that the company that made parts for the Street Pilot and the Pilot III went out of business and there are no replacement parts.

I've already taken it apart, hence my thought that it's the buttons not making the contact. Any suggestions as to the type of paint - silver, carbon or nickel?

Any one do this and give me some ideas?
Click to expand...

I've never tried, but as long as you've got it opened up, why not?

Maybe something like this?

http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=6610375
 
It sounds like the telecom guy has done his homework. That might be the thing to try.
 
I assume you mean you think some of the circuit traces under the buttons have failed. AFaIK the backside of the rubber buttons themselves are made from a somewhat conductive (fairly high resistance) rather than pure rubber (an insulator) with a conductive coating.

The first thing I'd try if there are no obvious faults would be to clean the board and buttons with isopropyl alcohol. I've had some success resurrecting a TV remote using a "circuit writer" pen:

http://tinyurl.com/conductivepen
 
Last edited:
gismo said:
I assume you mean you think some of the circuit traces under the buttons have failed. AFaIK the backside of the rubber buttons themselves are made from a somewhat conductive (fairly high resistance) rather than pure rubber (an insulator) with a conductive coating.

The first thing I'd try if there are no obvious faults would be to clean the board and buttons with isopropyl alcohol. I've had some success resurrecting a TV remote using a "circuit writer" pen:

http://tinyurl.com/conductivepen
Click to expand...

OK, you walk into any Radio Shack and ask for this. You'll get nothing but blank stares. I tried 3 different RS's on Wednesday. The moment you walk to the back corner of the store, the staff run away as fast as they can because you know what you're doing, and they have no clue.

There was a time when RS was a real electronics store. Now? Unless you want a cell phone, a tv or a computer, fugeddaboutit.
 
murphey said:
OK, you walk into any Radio Shack and ask for this. You'll get nothing but blank stares. I tried 3 different RS's on Wednesday. The moment you walk to the back corner of the store, the staff run away as fast as they can because you know what you're doing, and they have no clue.

There was a time when RS was a real electronics store. Now? Unless you want a cell phone, a tv or a computer, fugeddaboutit.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've noticed the same thing although I never considered RS to be a "real electronics store" even when they carried more components. Then and now, when I'm there for a particular component, the clerks usually ask what I'm looking for and then waste my time with useless "help". They still have a fairly decent collection of stuff (sometimes at 10x markup) and I like the ability to search their catalog online. The pen I mentioned is available at all the stores in my area but you usually have to order it online with "ship to store" delivery.
 
Solved the problem thanks to suggestions here....grabbed one of the alcohol wipes and cleaned off the contacts. Works great but....while taking the case apart, I broke the wire to the internal battery. At least I didn't pull one end off the board, altho I think that might have been easier to fix. Gotta find the teeny wire strippers and cut a teeny electrical tape strip to wrap the splice.

Just saved $700 since I don't need to buy a new Aera.
 
Shrink tubing is better if you can find a local electronics geek, we all usually have it stashed in various sizes. I have a 100' roll of one particular large size just 'cause. ;)
 
murphey said:
Solved the problem thanks to suggestions here....grabbed one of the alcohol wipes and cleaned off the contacts. Works great but....while taking the case apart, I broke the wire to the internal battery. At least I didn't pull one end off the board, altho I think that might have been easier to fix. Gotta find the teeny wire strippers and cut a teeny electrical tape strip to wrap the splice.

Just saved $700 since I don't need to buy a new Aera.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear it. Some of the debris on the contacts can be from the carbon on the keypads. You might also want to rub the alcohol wipe across them too and inspect them for any signs of decay. Do be aware that rubbing alcohol can leave a residue that may interfere with electrical contact.
 
denverpilot said:
Shrink tubing is better if you can find a local electronics geek, we all usually have it stashed in various sizes. I have a 100' roll of one particular large size just 'cause. ;)
Click to expand...

I've got shrink tubing too, but not small enough for the innards of the Pilot. It's going to be a tiny bit of solder then a tiny bit of electrical tape and hope for the best. Fortunately, the wire involved is battery and not near the board or anything else. Otherwise I wouldn't try it.
 
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