posted 07-20-2004 01:03 PM ET (US)        

I have a semi-working fishfinder that I hoped the collective wisdom of the board might be able to troubleshoot.

It's a Humminbird Wide View - probably about 8 years old, so it's getting up there in years but works(worked) great. Humminbird's manual isn't worth the electronic paper it's not printed on as far as troubleshooting goes, and their tech support/troubleshooting told me my only option was to buy a new unit since they no longer support it and the general troubleshooting on their website does not pertain to this model. Gee thanks.

Anyhow, the unit was working just fine and one day decided to reset itself right in the middle of a trip. Now it will "boot" up and sit for about 4 or 5 seconds, then reset again and again and.....you get the idea.

I can run it in "Simulator" mode and it works fine. I've checked the voltage - good. I tried to "restore factory defaults" per Humminbird's suggestion, but there's no menu for that, so I'm stuck and don't know what to do.

I'm no electronics expert, but it sure seems to me if there was a problem with the transducer it would give strange readings or no readings, but not reset the unit.

Anyone have any relevant suggestions for me to try? Given the unit has no Restore Defaults choice, I was considering cracking the case and pulling the battery (assuming it has one) to force them to reset - after-all, I don't really have anything to lose at this point.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions and sorry for yet another Off Topic post.

posted 07-20-2004 01:12 PM ET (US)            

Trouble shoot it on the work bench in the garage on your next rainy Saturday once you have it removed. If you revive it, put it in the Marketplace. If it's dead, dispose of it properly...

posted 07-20-2004 09:25 PM ET (US)            

I chopped off the old crimp connections (they were clean and soldered - looked good). Then I stripped back to good clean wire and went directly to the battery. Checked voltage @ quick disconnect and it's good. Cleaned all the contacts with sandpaper and dremel, then gave them a good dose of corrosion block.

Hooked it up and it did exactly the same thing.

Then I disconnected the Transducer and the problem goes away. So, I think the problem must be with the Transducer - I suspect it's bad. Do you guys think that could be the problem? The unit keeps restarting trying to hook up with the transducer?

posted 07-20-2004 10:26 PM ET (US)            

Or even easier, have you got a buddy with a Humminbird that
uses the same mount. Drop your display head on his boat and
see. This trick won't work if your buddy has the 3D model
as it uses a different transducer cord.

Is there a Diagnostic option at power up? Try that.

New transducers aren't cheap, but they are less than a new
FF.

posted 07-21-2004 08:08 AM ET (US)            

I think I will have to pull the transducer and check the wiring. Here's a stupid question, is the transducer wiring one piece all the way from the transducer to the head or is there a in-line connection somewhere? The reason I ask is the hole in my transom is only barely big enough for the wire to go through. The connection at the head is too big to go through and the transducer is (obviously) too big to fit through the hole.

This thread might evolve to what to do next, replace the transducer @ $50, or scrap the whole unit and replace it. I'm thinking I'll probably end up replacing it.

What's a good inexpensive model to look at. I'd like to keep it under $150 if possible. My dad swears by Eagle, and I know it shouldn't matter, but DAMN they're ugly :). (Sorry but I'm a designer, remember)

posted 07-21-2004 08:05 PM ET (US)            

I upgraded last year to a HB Matrix 25 for my Nauset from an older HB 20 after the older unit began to have connectivity problems with the cables to the unit's base, I had already replaced a transducer that was lost during a long rough high speed ride while mounted on my 13, actually this was my second replacement transducer. I had also replaced the power supply cord. when You add the cost of replacing these items you could practically buy a new unit.

I have been very pleased with the HB Matrix system it is a much more robust system. It is a good size for the consol, it came with a 2-year warranty and flat labor charge after the warranty expiration which was better than the more expensive units. Better waterproof design than the older units. It integrated very well with my Garmin GPS 76S and has really nice features that make it very easy to use over my GPS when one is connected. I think I paid @ $190 for the Matrix 25 and it was worth every penny.

posted 07-21-2004 10:03 PM ET (US)            

Vulgar content, huh...I missed that.

There's no question the hole is smaller than both the transponder and the plug, so there must be a splice. I'll pull it this weekend and check it out.

posted 07-22-2004 09:19 PM ET (US)            

Found the problem. Sure enough as Chuck and Jim predicted there is a splice and it's the source of the problem. A couple of the wires had become frayed a bit and were shorting each other. I pulled them apart and fired up the unit and all is good again.

Now I have to cut out the repair and fix it. Should I solder the connections? I was thinking of soldering then using the marine grade heat shrink to seal it up. Comments?

The good news is I didn't even have to pull the cable. The splice is only about 18" from the transom. It was covered up when I bought the boat with a cable wrap, so I never saw it.

Thanks again all - that's one less thing to replace.

posted 07-23-2004 09:05 PM ET (US)            

Hoosier, no need to apoligize - in fact your idea (while not 100% correct) did help me to isolate the prolem to the transduer so it really was most helpful.

Thanks again guys for the tips.

posted 07-24-2004 12:24 PM ET (US)            

http://iboats.com/mall/index.cgi?prod_id=21125¤t_category=liquid%20tape&cart_id=412593719

I have seen it at Boaters World, Hamilton Marine, West Marine. It comes in 3 different colors, costs like $5.00 and goes far.

posted 07-25-2004 09:51 AM ET (US)            

And probably wrap with good electrical tape for good measure.

posted 07-26-2004 04:30 PM ET (US)            

By the way....Liquid Electrical tape and Rope Whipping have GOT to be the same stuff. I've got two bottles side-by-side and they're identical. Just FYI if anyone cares, save the money and only buy one.