Problem with my RAM mount...

[Warthog]

I've got a quest, and I have the Ram cradle, power cable etc. I also bought a power socket extension cable. This socket comes out from under the tank, up to the handlebars so that I can plug the cradle straight into to the power. Everytime I have used it, it has worked fine, only yesterday, when I plugged in, it did not seem to draw power and this was confirmed by there being no charge icon on the secondary Quest screen.

This power line did not have an inline fuse, and I don't know why it has stopped. I have not plugged in any other gadgets into this power line and socket.

Any suggestions?

 

[Julie]

I have the very same problem with my powered ram mount and quest. I have got a fuse in mine and have checked that and its all ok. Hope you guys can offer some help.

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

have you anything else you can try in the socket to make sure there is power getting to the end of the extension?

 

[PanEuropean]

Hi Warthog:

I can't tell you what is causing your problem, but I can suggest a quick and easy way of doing the diagnostics:

1) Plug your GPSR into someone else's moto and see if it works.

2) Plug something else into your socket and see if it works - or, if you don't have anything else with that funny BMW plug on it, use a conventional volt/ohm meter to probe it and see if there is power being supplied to the outlet.

My guess is that you have a fuse on both sides of that plug-in connection, meaning, the moto has a fuse on it protecting the outlet, and the GPSR cable (shown below) has an in-line fuse that is built right into the plug that you shove in the socket.

Michael

Garmin (BMW spec) Power Connector
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[Kritou]

Squirt some contact cleaner into the socket as the brass contacts may well have oxidised

 

[Taff]

If you are buying plugs like these, bear in mind that some of the fuses have a little green light that shows if power is getting through the plug - from memory it cost about £1 more than the "vanilla" type, but could save you hours of hassle in a situation like this. If the green light comes on, but the GPS doesn't, at least you know it not the plug fuse thats blown.

Just a friendly word of warning though. They are fiddly as hell to re-assemble if the guts come apart (into about 4 small bits) while you're wiring them. Don't do like I did, and pull it apart just to see how it worked, as you'll spend the next 45 mins putting the little sod back together again.

Although you can't see it in PanEuropeans photo, there is a small red arm that unclips and sticks out at about a 90 deg angle. Can anyone tell me what its for?

 

[PanEuropean]

Although you can't see it in PanEuropeans photo, there is a small red arm that unclips and sticks out at about a 90 deg angle. Can anyone tell me what its for?

This little red arm? I have no idea, maybe it's sort of like the toothpick that comes on some of the fancier Swiss Army Knives.

Michael

Secret Built-In Feature (what you pay all that money to BMW for)
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[PanEuropean]

Squirt some contact cleaner into the socket as the brass contacts may well have oxidised

Uh, be careful about 'spritzing' that contact cleaner onto anything other than circuit boards. You might find that a few wayward droplets will (for example) ruin the coating on the screen. Contact cleaners are normally pretty harsh solvents.

A better approach would be to spritz the contact cleaner onto a tissue, then wipe the contacts with the tissue. I believe that the contacts are gold plated, not brass.

Michael

 

[Kritou]

Uh, be careful about 'spritzing' that contact cleaner onto anything other than circuit boards. You might find that a few wayward droplets will (for example) ruin the coating on the screen. Contact cleaners are normally pretty harsh solvents.

A better approach would be to spritz the contact cleaner onto a tissue, then wipe the contacts with the tissue. I believe that the contacts are gold plated, not brass.

Michael

I was thinking of the female socket (!) - green oxidant on the essentially brass fittings has been a problem on both my bikes and results in a visit to the fusebox

 

[PanEuropean]

I was thinking of the female socket...

Me too. In that case, spritz the contact cleaner onto a cotton swab (Q-tip), and then wipe the pins or connectors with the swab. The main point is: Don't be spraying that stuff around near the fully assembled GPSR, or, you might cause damage you don't expect.

Michael

 

[Warthog]

Well, I've tried the Garmin cradle with the Quest in situ, in the Garmin power cable by the handlebars: zip.

Plugged the whole cradle assembly into the standard BMW power socket and hey presto: let there be light!!

So, I think its fair to say that its the power cable rather than the cradle. Now to see if it had an in-line fuse....

 

[chasr]

So, I think its fair to say that its the power cable rather than the cradle. Now to see if it had an in-line fuse....

Pull the lead out. I wonder if it's melted. Let us know, please.

 

[PanEuropean]

Warthog:

I'm not exactly sure, from reading your description above, where the problem lies (I'm not familiar with the hardware you have), however, if you plan to take the end of the power cable apart, Taff's advice a few posts above is very appropriate and deserving of your attention.

Here's a quick illustrated guide to taking apart one of those funny connectors:

1) Place the cable on a flat surface with the screw facing up. Pull the red thing off the end by just grasping and pulling it - it is a friction-fit.

2) Remove the Philips screw.

3) SLOWLY lift the upper cover (the part the screw goes into). Observe how the little arm will fall out as you do so- you should put this piece back in later, in the same location.

4) If you SLOWLY lift the cover off, lifting it up from the cable end first, all the parts should remain in place. You can then observe the fuse and replace it if needed.

Assembly is pretty much the opposite procedure.

Michael

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[RAM-man]

Hi

I've been off the forum for several days as my eyes were inflamed (like red balls in the snow) and I am just getting back 'slowly' into gear.

I assume its a QPAC02-xx and QPAC02-extn set up being used ?.

QPAC uses 1.5amp rated fuse.

Does Quest charge when used with the AC charger that came with the unit ?

If the QPAC is removed (eg QPAC02, 03 or 04) does it work in the car lighter adapter ?. (the problem may lie inside the extension female socket ?)

If you suspect that QPAC does not charge the Quest, then if you have a multimeter, check if there is 5 volts in the cradle connector pins (these are the two pins closer to the cable exit).

RAM-man