Charging Using USB C530

yes, it charges automatically once you plug it in.
it also turns on automatically when u plug in the usb cable. you can turn it off so it charges faster

Look at the battery icon of the menu screen - if there's a lightning bolt over it, that means it's charging.

Hummm....I don't have a 'lightning bolt' icon, but it charges. When I plug it in, it turns on with my splash screen and an icon of my gps attached to my computer. If I eject my device (through windows), my device turns off, but still charges.

We are talking about just the USB and not the car charger, right?

I get a lightning bolt over the battery icon when my 350 is charging on USB, or plugged in the truck, or, on the AC adapter.

cause I don't get one

How do you turn it off ?

Once I plug in the usb it turns on and then shows
the computer->GPS screen

If I disconnect the usb connection it turns off

*Procedure for charging the Battery from a USB Connection: Turn the unit off. Plug in the USB. (That turns the unit on). Turn the unit off before the maps load and before you get the 'computer picture'. Otherwise, you can't turn the unit off.

http://gpsinformation.info/550/550.html

However, even if the unit is on, it will still be charging.

with the recent updates I've noticed a change when connecting the usb.
The way it used to work, was plug in the usb cable, get the splash screen, when it went to "loading maps", hit the power button, that brought me to the computer picture. Then I could proceed with the poi loader or whatever.
Now, I just plug it in and it goes to the right "mode". If I do hit the pwr, button I get the dark screen and doesn't communicate with the computer.

Like I said above, you can eject the device thru windows and it will still charge, even though the unit isn't on

Just wasn't sure, beacause there is no indication
once you disconnect if from the computer
that its actually charging or if its just off.

Just a blank screen.

I'll leave it overnight and see what happens

(and it takes a while to see the battery indicator
to change)

yeah, you can't really tell that it is charging, however, when my battery was 1/2 full, I charged it both letting it be on and then again when it was off, and both times it charged.

If you want to see the battery voltage, the input voltage and whether it's charging or not, look no further than the diagnostics screen that appears when you hold your thumb in the top-right hand corner for 7 seconds.

Of course, when you plug the USB in with that screen displayed, you'll get the prompt for some drivers ...it was the battery state I was investigating when I discovered the 'Garmin USB GPS' mode and everything that goes with it...

Interesting, I have yet been asked for drivers when I have it in that mode.

The first time I ran in that mode, it asked for the drivers. It is possible that you already had them loaded on your PC.

Could be, but I never downloaded any GPS drivers at all. Weird!

I just got a C530 today. I've looked thru all these responses and am confident it is charging. #1, all it shows is the splashscreen with the computer to the GPS unit. #2, if I try to power it up via the power button, nothing happens (while plugged up to the computer). #3, tried the method on holding my thumb in the top right corner for 7 seconds, nothing happens (although I assume that was if the unit was on and beyond the splash screen).

I think I read somewhere that leaving units charging more than 4 hours at the time did more harm than good? True or not?