Being a tight git...........

[BLUE(UK)]

I used my normal power cable with the speaker on it and installed it on my bike.....anyway to cut a long story short,i have shaffed(split) the cable whilst turning the handlebars over time.The power is still ok but it's torn the speaker wires.
Rather than shell out 30quid for a new cable could i redo the old cable with some new cable??

 

[navig8r]

I used my normal power cable with the speaker on it and installed it on my bike.....anyway to cut a long story short,i have shaffed(split) the cable whilst turning the handlebars over time.The power is still ok but it's torn the speaker wires.
Rather than shell out 30quid for a new cable could i redo the old cable with some new cable??

Which Gps,or have I missed some thing

Dave

 

[araspitfire]

Of course you could... (or at least I could...)

If you don't have a soldering iron, maybe going to an electronics shop and asking if they know someone who could splice a new bit in/replace the cable (depends on how the ends look) would get you fixed up.

If you do have a soldering iron, go to the same electronics shop, buy some cable to match the stuff on the mount (they can help you get the right stuff), some approapriatly sized heat-shring tubing, and off you go.

Al...

 

[PanEuropean]

Blue:

You can solder the connections if you wish, but if you do so, please be very judicious (sparing) in your use of the solder. When you solder very tiny wires, such as are used in this cable, and you then install the cable in an area where it is exposed to flex and vibration - such as a motor vehicle - the solder joint actually becomes a weak point, far more prone to failure than the rest of the cable. So, to minimize this problem, use the least amount of solder you can to get the job done (meaning, don't let it wick up the cable an inch in each direction), then splint the whole assembly so that the soldered area is not subject to flexing.

A better, 'military-spec' way of doing it would be to use very tiny crimp connectors that you crimp and then heat-shrink. This will avoid the problem of the weak spot caused by the solder. If you choose to use these connectors, stagger them along the cable. In other words, don't have one gigantic bulge where all the crimp joints are side by side.

You could find these tiny crimp and heat shrink connectors at an avionics shop, or perhaps a shop that supplies ham radio operators. The ones that are sold for automotive use are generally too big for the gauge of wire in the GPSR cable.

Michael

 

[Engineer]

I used my normal power cable with the speaker on it and installed it on my bike.....anyway to cut a long story short,i have shaffed(split) the cable whilst turning the handlebars over time.The power is still ok but it's torn the speaker wires.
Rather than shell out 30quid for a new cable could i redo the old cable with some new cable??

The thing is these cables are not designed to be repeated flexed - you can get 'extra' flexible wire, it's the type used in high quality multimeter leads and comprises loads of very thin copper strands e.g.

http://www.hi-line.com/wirecable-extraflexcable/163


Maplin electronics probably do it aswell.

 

[Engineer]

I used my normal power cable with the speaker on it and installed it on my bike.....anyway to cut a long story short,i have shaffed(split) the cable whilst turning the handlebars over time.The power is still ok but it's torn the speaker wires.
Rather than shell out 30quid for a new cable could i redo the old cable with some new cable??

The thing is these cables are not designed to be repeatedly flexed - you can get 'extra' flexible wire, it's the type used in high quality multimeter leads and comprises loads of very thin copper strands e.g.

http://www.hi-line.com/wirecable-extraflexcable/163


Maplin electronics probably do it aswell.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=6203&doy=1m6&C=SEO&U=strat15

Here you go!

 

[PanEuropean]

...The thing is these cables are not designed to be repeated flexed...

That's an interesting observation, and it deserves a bit of elaboration.

Garmin makes two different kinds of cables for their GPSRs. One type - the most common type, and the type that Blue was using - is a cable that is intended for use inside an automobile. This is what ships with just about every Garmin GPSR. A perfect example of it is a cable that has a speaker on the end of it, as well as the cigarette lighter plug.

The other type of cable available from Garmin is a cable that is intended to be used on a motorcycle. This type of cable has an entirely different construction. It has a rubber shield around the outside of it, rather than a plastic shield. The rubber is of such a specification that it remains flexible at low temperatures, and is resistant to abrasion and to oil, fuel, and other environmental factors that can be expected on a moto. The construction of the little tiny wires inside the motorcycle cable is also a bit different - because it is expected that this cable will constantly be flexed, the braiding of the tiny wires is different.

The only problem, of course, is that the motorcycle cable does not have a built in speaker at the end of it. Such is life.

If you would like to see an example of a motorcycle-specific cable that is available from Garmin, just go to the accessories section of the Garmin website. For example, to view a motorcycle cable for a 2xxx series GPSR (26xx, 27xx, 28xx and so on), click on this link: StreetPilot 2xxx GPS Accessories. You'll see that the cables that are designed for moto use are clearly identified as such.

Michael

 

[Mollers01uk]

I used my normal power cable with the speaker on it and installed it on my bike.....anyway to cut a long story short,i have shaffed(split) the cable whilst turning the handlebars over time.The power is still ok but it's torn the speaker wires.
Rather than shell out 30quid for a new cable could i redo the old cable with some new cable??

What gps unit and cable are you using??

 

[BLUE(UK)]

Sorry guys,due to how upset i was upon discovering the damaged flex i forgot to mention WHICH GPS it is.It's a 2610

Thanks for the suggestions so far.