NUVI 855 acting strange

 

On a recent trip, quite often my dislplay started showing white, ie no map, as I
traveled. Sometimes it would redraw successfully but some times it would get
'stuck' with a white screen and show the 'drawing' info at the top. It was as if I was travelling beyond any map info, ie white display.

Also, several times when I came to a turn, the system would freeze. My speed
would show and time to destination would count down but the map froze.

I resolved it by removing the battery and reinserting it into the cradle (hard
reset?)

Would this be a GPS problem or a map update problem?
I subscribe to Lifetime Maps and just updated to 2013.3 but have not tried it yet.

Eastern USA/Canada maps. 2012.4

--
If at first you don't succeed....redefine success

Hard reset

A battery removal/replacement on the 8x5 series will cure some issues that a simple sleep/wakeup won't. But a hard reset will do more and I think your thought of doing a hard reset is what your need to try next:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/26136

If you want to try one thing less drastic first, you could clear your trip log and see if that helps at all: tap

Tools/DownArrow/MyData/DownArrow/ClearTripLog

Of my nuvis, my 855 has had the greatest number of odd issues. I don't know if was just coincidence, but when I went in and freed up space on the nuvi (after first doing a full backup to a computer hard drive) by removing unneeded files (voice, text and help files in languages other than English), the 855 has become much better behaved. Another benefit from removing the unneeded files is that I was able to install all of North America with the current and recent map updates, not just Canada/E-USA. That could help you next winter when you decide to visit Arizona instead of Florida wink

8x5 anomalies

I have seen the symptom you describe on my 855 from time to time as well (delayed "loading" prompt, jerky map panning, white screen, lockups and even spontaneous reboots). My sense is that it is usually from processor overload ... the processor starts thrashing for what ever reason and just can't handle the load.

I think there are multiple causes, and often a soft reset (battery removal/reinstall) will solve it. Sometimes it takes a hard reset.

One time I traced the problem down to a corrupt MP3 (audio book) file. I wasn't playing the file at the time, but apparently the nuvi indexes the MP3 files when it boots and this corrupt file was causing the processor to hang. I removed that one file and all was well.

I have had the 855 screw up when I got too agressive on custom POI alerts, where multiple alerts were being triggered at the same location.

At other times, I have had these wierd symptoms after a firmware update or map update and a hard reset is required to get it working correctly again. Other times, the nuvi seems to work fine after an update without a reset ... go figure?

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

firmware sensitive to other elements of state

I also own an 855 which I've not been using since I purchased a couple of refurbished 3790 LMT's. My most troublesome symptom was full-fledged freezes which seemed to happen very roughly about every ten hours of usage in my case.

While it is certainly possible that a few of us have outright defective hardware, I think it is rather more likely that the primary problem is that the 855 firmware is unusually sensitive to various elements of the state of the machine (including all of the memory that it uses for intermediate calculations, maps, and so on).

If I am right, for people who are backed up the full image of the machine at a period when they like the way it worked may best improve their situation my first doing a hard reset and then reinstalling the backup. But I confess I have never done that, and am not sure just what trouble may lie down that road.

--
personal GPS user since 1992

I agree

alandb wrote:

I have seen the symptom you describe on my 855 from time to time as well (delayed "loading" prompt, jerky map panning, white screen, lockups and even spontaneous reboots). My sense is that it is usually from processor overload ... the processor starts thrashing for what ever reason and just can't handle the load.

I agree the processor is probably being overloaded. I experienced some similar issues with my 885. Limiting the number of files that alert stopped the problem. Very rarely does it lock up now. In fact, I can't remember a lockup in the past 2 years.

--
Illiterate? Write for free help.

Trip log

Thanks for the suggestions. I invested in a RAM for my motorcycle (for both a 750 and an 855)so don't really want to upgrade to a newer model. AND, the 855 is usually a great GPS.
I have removed the trip log and will try it without a hard reset first (although it's all backed up).

--
If at first you don't succeed....redefine success

Thanks

virtually lost wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. I invested in a RAM for my motorcycle (for both a 750 and an 855)so don't really want to upgrade to a newer model. AND, the 855 is usually a great GPS.
I have removed the trip log and will try it without a hard reset first (although it's all backed up).

Thanks for the update.

Please let us know your eventual results since they'll be of benefit to many of us nuvi 8x5 folks.

Update

After all of your recent help in resolving my 855 map-freezing problems...I'm happy to report that I just completed a 3500 mile trip and the NUVI 855 worked like a charm. removing/reloading and all the other tips worked. I even got my Lane Assist working and it is a great aid. Only for 1 day driving through Orlando did I not get any guidance from Lane Assist. Then the next day in Georgia, it came back.

I have several remaining questions...
--does Lane Assist depend on level of map details selected?
--is there a way to get red light/speed trap sound notification without having verbal driving directions activated?

Thanks again for all the help.

--
If at first you don't succeed....redefine success

some answers

Here's some answers to you specific questions.

Lane assist is part of the map data and it doesn't depend on the level of map detail selected. Lane assist is present only when traveling on a predetermined route and only on limited access highways. It also isn't present for all junctions and exits.

To get audible alerts you need to have a compatible sound file with the same name as the data file. The 855 is one of the last units Garmin produced with an MP3 player, so you can use an MP3 file as the audible alert. The sound file must be in the same folder as the data file and the name must match the data file exactly with the exception the extension ends in mp3. POI Loader will then associate the sound with the data and every time you enter the alert distance, it will play the alert sound.

--
Illiterate? Write for free help.

Red light and speed POIs

virtually lost wrote:

...is there a way to get red light/speed trap sound notification without having verbal driving directions activated?...

The redlight camera and speed camera Custom POIs available here at The Factory should offer alerts even when you're just driving around with the map displayed and not on a route. Since you currently don't have a "windmill," you'll need to pay The Factory a fee to access the two files.

The default sound is a "boing boing" I think. I'm not sure since I have associated an audio file and bmp icon which you could do as well. These will alert whether you're on a route or not. I use these files from here at The Factory and haven't tried the following cyclops option except for the free trial that came preloaded on my nuvi 2460.

I haven't checked but expect that the 855 can also use the Garmin-offered cyclops file, also a fee-based file for downloads--and they offer a trial period for free:

http://www.garmin.com/us/extras/services/safetycamera

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=287&pID=69781

That's great to hear the 855 is working for you. Did you ever come up with the problem and what solution worked for you?

Problem Solved

Thanks for the answers to 'alerts' and 'lane assist'.

My original problem was that the map would either:
--freeze
--progress to a white blank screen after 4-5 hours of continual use

As to what I did...I removed old map files from the unit and renamed a 'gmapsupp' to 'gmapprom.img'

My map never froze during 2 weeks of daily use nor did it 'scroll' to a white screen.

My next test will come when I update to a newer map set. But I don't plan on any long trips so will not be using the 855 for 6-12 hour days anytime soon.

--
If at first you don't succeed....redefine success

Freezing may just be innate at some level for the 855

virtually lost wrote:

My original problem was that the map would either:
--freeze
--progress to a white blank screen after 4-5 hours of continual use

While I never got the white blank screen, I certainly did see map freezes throughout the roughly two years that I used an 855 for all my daily driving. I did have up-to-date firmware (I think Garmin actually calls that software), and I never did find an repeatable trigger. I'd roughly estimate the rate at once in ten hours of use--though since I did not keep a log that could be off quite a bit.

Based on persistent reports of other 855 owners of continuing freeze trouble, I suspect that Garmin stopped fixing the firmware before they got the family of bugs giving this symptom down low enough not to bother us--and you may just be stuck with it. I've not been using the 855 since buying a refurb 3790LMT over half a year ago. Again, I use it for all driving. I think I've had one freeze in all that time. In my personal observation, I am highly confident that I've had a lower freeze rate with the 3790.

Good luck--aside from the freezes and couple of other issues, I still think the 855 to be a good unit.

--
personal GPS user since 1992

...

The 855 is a great unit, but it does have its quirks. My least favorite is that it never goes "off" completely and will always drain the battery unless you take the battery out or have it connected to external power.

I believe it was based on Linux, rather than Garmin's own operating system used in other units, making it an odd duck for Garmin to provide updates for. It is also underpowered, making the map displays more choppy than other units and occasionally will spontaneously reboot.

But all that aside, it has a TON of features, including mp3 and voice recognition. The voice recognition is mostly only found in high end units and the mp3 support doesn't exist at all in current models.

Garmin based the Aera aviation series on the Nuvi 800 series. The Aera units are very high end, expensive, and reliable.

855 drains external as well

telecomdigest2 wrote:

My least favorite is that it never goes "off" completely and will always drain the battery unless you take the battery out or have it connected to external power.

The one which troubled me in that category is in one of your alternatives. When "off" (which really means not much if anything beyond dark display) it takes more than 100 mA from the auto accessory outlet if you have it plugged in. I had no clue of this until I came back from a couple of weeks far away and found my car would not start. By just luck we had taken the other car to the airport, or we would have been asking the parking lot for a jump in the dark--not really much threat, but a nasty way to come home from sunny South America to snow-bound Albuquerque.

--
personal GPS user since 1992

switched power

archae86 wrote:
telecomdigest2 wrote:

My least favorite is that it never goes "off" completely and will always drain the battery unless you take the battery out or have it connected to external power.

The one which troubled me in that category is in one of your alternatives. When "off" (which really means not much if anything beyond dark display) it takes more than 100 mA from the auto accessory outlet if you have it plugged in. I had no clue of this until I came back from a couple of weeks far away and found my car would not start. By just luck we had taken the other car to the airport, or we would have been asking the parking lot for a jump in the dark--not really much threat, but a nasty way to come home from sunny South America to snow-bound Albuquerque.

My power outlet is triggered by the ignition switch, off when the key is off.

--
Nuvi 3790LMT, Nuvi 760 Lifetime map, Lifetime NavTraffic, Garmin E-Trex Legend Just because "Everyone" drives badly does not mean you have to.

...

archae86 wrote:
telecomdigest2 wrote:

My least favorite is that it never goes "off" completely and will always drain the battery unless you take the battery out or have it connected to external power.

The one which troubled me in that category is in one of your alternatives. When "off" (which really means not much if anything beyond dark display) it takes more than 100 mA from the auto accessory outlet if you have it plugged in. I had no clue of this until I came back from a couple of weeks far away and found my car would not start. By just luck we had taken the other car to the airport, or we would have been asking the parking lot for a jump in the dark--not really much threat, but a nasty way to come home from sunny South America to snow-bound Albuquerque.

Yikes! Did you try testing the current drawn from the 12 volt plug when the battery is removed too?

I'm not sure that's safe

telecomdigest2 wrote:

Yikes! Did you try testing the current drawn from the 12 volt plug when the battery is removed too?

Assuming I can find my trick twelve volt connection cord with one conductor opened up so I can hook in the ammeter that would be easy enough to check, but I'm not sure what I would expect the 855 to do in that case, not sure it is really safe for the 855, and have no idea why anybody would do that in real life.

--
personal GPS user since 1992

power to 855

On a BMW RT, the plug-in is a proprietary plug. Of course the NUVI comes with a common, North-American style plug. For a while I would fully charge the unit and ride while navigating on the internal battery power. Didn't work for a full day of riding since the internal battery would die. So I installed a North-American style plug-in in the glovebox. Fortunately for me I took the bike in for a service shortly thereafter and the super-keen mechanic discovered my addition and subsequently informed me that my source for the receptacle was a constant 'on' source of power unless you cranked the handle bars hard over and locked them, which I never did. Then the source was turned off.

On my model of BMW that would have been VERY troubling since it does not have a kick-start and trying to bump-start a 600 lb. bike is out of the question when you're almost 70 years old.

I LOVE my NUVI 855.

--
If at first you don't succeed....redefine success

...

archae86 wrote:
telecomdigest2 wrote:

Yikes! Did you try testing the current drawn from the 12 volt plug when the battery is removed too?

Assuming I can find my trick twelve volt connection cord with one conductor opened up so I can hook in the ammeter that would be easy enough to check, but I'm not sure what I would expect the 855 to do in that case, not sure it is really safe for the 855, and have no idea why anybody would do that in real life.

I've operated my 855 without the battery installed. I'm just curious if the power drain was being caused by the battery or the unit itself.

90 mA, battery or not

telecomdigest2 wrote:

Yikes! Did you try testing the current drawn from the 12 volt plug when the battery is removed too?
...
I've operated my 855 without the battery installed. I'm just curious if the power drain was being caused by the battery or the unit itself.

OK, fair enough. I just ran a careful test, and got the same consumption out of the vehicle 12V accessory socket with the vehicle at rest with the fully charged battery installed in the 855 or removed. An average of 90 mA each way.

Details for those interested:

As the 855 had been out of service for many months, when I plugged it in I got something on the order of a "your battery is flat" symbol. I waited something like eight hours until not only did the little symbol show full, but the battery status display on the diag page showed that charging was not longer active. Then I cleared the averaging function on a Fluke 117 multimeter which was hooked into the break in my "trick" 12V cable, and took data overnight. In this condition I estimate the 12V accessory socket to have been providing about 11.8V, and the meter reported a minimum 855 consumption of 87 mA, max of 125, and average of 90. Then I removed the battery and restarted averaging (after first allowing the 855 to boot and turning it off--it reported that a battery was not installed, by the way). After about three hours of averaging the 117 reported mimimum of 86, max of 125, and average of 90. So, a remarkably close match, really.

I then drove the car for about ten minutes, and did averaging for that. The result was 75 mA average. The current dropped markedly immediately after engine start, so this was not a response to motion, but most likely to the higher 12V accessory voltage. While I lacked a quality meter directly on the line, my Scanguage suggests that during the short car drive the 12V averaged about 13.8V, while I estimate that during my other tests it was about 11.8V. It appears that the DC to DC convertor in the 855 is good enough to give materially lower current input requirement with voltage rise in the usual auto battery voltage range.

To those who think 90 mA is nothing--I'll just observe that this is several times what my 2002 Audi A4 consumes when completely turned off--so reduces the allowable parking time before use without battery boost by many weeks.

--
personal GPS user since 1992

Thanks for the data!

Thanks for the data!

--
Nuvi 3790LMT, Nuvi 760 Lifetime map, Lifetime NavTraffic, Garmin E-Trex Legend Just because "Everyone" drives badly does not mean you have to.

Split Screen

Thanks for energy drain information. That little 'trickle' can mean trouble.

I noticed a couple of screen shots of Junction View and Lane Assist. Most screen shots show a split screen with the JV on one side and the LA on the other side of the screen simultaneously. On my 855, the LA occupies the whole screen for about 20 seconds (usually within .5 miles of the turn) then the screen reverts to a normal map with the LA in the top left corner.

I kind of like the full screen idea but you've got to be looking at it or you will miss it. Is there an audible alert to indicate that the LA is showing....ding, ding?

--
If at first you don't succeed....redefine success

.

I personally never liked the full-screen Junction View as it required a screen press or two to clear from view...it blocks the real-time map which you need on complicated/bunched together junctions. I believe the JV stays on the screen for 13 seconds unless you intervened with a distracting screen press. I always disabled JV by simply renaming the file (keeping the actual file on the unit). With the split-screen capable models (JV on one half, moving map on the other), there are now no issues with the JV blocking the real-time map.

--
nuvi 760, nuvi 765T, nuvi 855, nuvi 3790LMT, nuvi 3490LMT - SoCal area