nuvi 35x7 and 35x8 (GCD File) software version 4.50

Thanks for the information on the update.

I updated my 3795 last Thursday and drove to work on Friday. I did not see any difference yet. Since I never use any other cord to charge it except the original car charger in the car, so I did not face any issues. Otherwise I found it quite stable device.

In my earlier post, I gave a you tube link on how to make a high speed charger cable for charging a Samsung mobile device with a non-samsung wall charger. Since my Samsung charger is the only one that now works with my nuvi 3597, I decided to sacrifice a USB cable to see if that same magic might work with the 3597. This cable is made by shorting the 2 data conductors of the USB cable together on the mini USB end of the cable, and leaving them open on the charger end. I had no trouble making this cable, but it still does not allow me to charge the 3597 with my other wall chargers. One thing it did do tho ... if I try to charge the 3597 using the Samsung charger with this modified cable, it works just like my other wall adapters ... in other words, it gives the incompatible charger error. The modified cable still works fine charging my other nuvi's with any of my wall chargers.

So this experiment did tell me that the new 3597 firmware is testing something on the data wires to determine if the charger is compatible. Also, all was not lost with the modified cable. It works great for connecting any of my nuvi's to my PC USB connection, and the nuvi will reboot into navigation mode, just like it does with the wall chargers.

Here is another situation I have found ... I have this Powergen cigarette lighter USB charger from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/PowerGen-2-4Amps-charger-Designed-Andr.... It is advertised as compatible with Apple and Android devices. One USB port is marked as "A" for Apple, the other is marked as "S", presumably for Samsung. Using this adapter to charge my 3597, the "A" port gives the error, the "S" port works perfectly. Go figure!

The reason that you are getting this message is that the latest software update was meant to alert you to power sources that cannot charge the device properly. The cable you are using was not designed for the nuvi series. Using this cable can cause battery issues or other issues in the device. The update was created to prevent these issues. Ensuring the highest longevity of your device as possible.

If you would like to charge the device in the house, you can use the computer, by connecting the device with the mini/micro USB cable. You can then operate the device using the battery power.

If you would like a wall charger you can purchase one using the link below:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/shop-by-accessories/adapters...

I also contacted Garmin Support and here is the answer I got:

" I am happy to assist you. If the adapter was not purchased specifically for this device then there are not guarantees that it will work with this device. I know that this is frustrating and I am sorry for that. Please let us know if you have any further questions."

At least you got some kind of an explanation.

Interesting statement since your Garmin OEM wall charger from your 350 produces the error message.
Unless they changed the models name , the 350 is a NUVI. I think they are grasping at straws here believing a generic charger was being used.

So according to member Cosmopolitan's reply from Garmin the charger you ordered should work.
Let us know after you receive it if the charging error message disappears.

Garmin sold me the wall-charger (P/N:362-00028-03, Model:TRC-05-1000, Output: 5V 1.0A) several years ago.
I have used this charger successfully with four Garmin nuvi models: 660, 775, 3790 and 3597.
After software update 4.50 for the 3597, I am receiving the warning: "The attached power cable cannot charge your device".
Now, the answer I got from Garmin is, that this charger was not designed for the nuvi series.
It was the recommended charger for the nuvi, when I bought it. I have used it for many years with four nuvi models, It still works with the 660, 775 and 3790, without the warning.
Now Garmin tells me it was not designed for the nuvi series?

That's exactly right and the charger they sold you years ago is the exact one I have.

My charger came with my Nuvi 350, which I bought in Dec. 2005. It has worked, and continues to work, without error messages on my 350, 760, 2460, and 3790. It worked fine with my 3597 from May 2013 until last week when I updated that Nuvi to firmware version 4.50.

The new "genuine" Garmin charger I have ordered arrives tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see if it works without the error message as it's the one that the Garmin website lists as the only one compatible with the 3597.

Rick, I know that you probably want it to work...and is the reason you purchased it. Still, I'd love to see it NOT work and give you the same error message that your 350's charger now gives you. Let Garmin try and explain THAT. This would be yet another case of firmware NOT being tested internally by Garmin.

To be honest I was hoping the same thing.

If it doesn't work we have some ammo to go after Garmin with and I can use 2 adapter anyway. I'll just leave one here and the other one in Arizona. One less cable and adapter block to carry back and forth every 6 months would be welcome.

As I've been saying all along it has to be firmware Ver 4.50 causing this and not the charger since your original charger still works with your other Nuv's.

To give yourself more ammo why don't you try loading v 4.40 back. I'm sure you have a backup and you're more than capable of doing it. This will show definite proof that both your old cable and newly purchased work properly with firmware 4.40 but V 4.50 continues to give error messages. Hopefully Garmin will correct in a timely fashion.

I'm glad you intend to keep the new cable, working or not, saves the time and cost of returning it.

I have the Anker 40W 5 port IQ charger in my office.

http://www.ianker.com/product/71AN7105SS-BMA

I plugged the Garmin supplied cable into the charger and 3597 and it works perfectly (charging now AAMOF). I then tried a generic cable and it did not work but I did not get that message either. I have updated to 4.50.

If you want to avoid desktop clutter, I highly recommend these Anker chargers. I have yet to find anything that it will not charge including my Samsung phone, iPad Air and iPad 3, Samsung tablet, Anker backup batteries, etc.

*****UPDATE*****

Here's a link to the charger alone...don't pay for cables unless you need them.

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Sized-Desktop-Charger-PowerIQTM...

Does that Anker charger go into PC mode with the Nuvi, or does it go into user mode.
When using a Garmin OEM wall charger it goes into user mode so you can use it to change settings,etc., and doesn't use up the battery.

it goes into user mode...map shows and I can use features. Oddly enough, the generic cable went into user mode as well but the charging icon showed it was not charging. I am going to experiment with other cables and my PortaPow tester when I have the chance.

There's no doubt that it is indeed the firmware. The question this whole thing brings up is if this new "qualified" (for the units specified) charger will in fact charge those units updated to this newest firmware version without an error in regards to the charger. If it does NOT charge those units with the updated firmware and shows the error, this means that the firmware is 100% at fault, possibly with overly sensitive detection routines and in fact cannot differentiate between those chargers which are "qualified" and those which are not.

If the "qualified" charger DOES charge those units specified with this update firmware, then the firmware is detecting numerous things (some known, some unknown like amperage, cable, maybe something else) in regards to the charger itself and the cable.

We will know for sure when t923347 (Rick) gets the charger and runs some tests.

my "unqualified" charger works just fine with the Garmin supplied cable and half works with the generic cable. I say half works because, as I said, it goes into user mode but does not show the charging icon but no error message appears. I will put my tester on it when I have the chance and see if there is any difference in the power draw between the Garmin and generic cables.

Ahhhhhh, so nice to be back on the Garmin Tragical Mystery Tour.

Tested 3 chargers with 2 random USB cables:

1. HP tablet charger (2Amp, 1 output)
2. Moto X charger (1.1amp, 2 output)
3. Duracell charger (1.0 amp, 1 output)

Both the HP and Moto X chargers work without incidents. Garmin 3497 powered up, goes into the navigation mode and the battery icon shows that it is being charged. No error messages

The Duracell cell charger kind of works. 3497 powered up, showed the Garmin power-up screen sequence and showed the battery being charged for a brief second or so and then went into the connected USB device mode. No error messages.

Noticed one more new features.

On the additional 3 data fields that can be made to show on the right boarder of screen per t923347's procedure:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/41428
"Custom Dashboard for 3597"

The time to destination and distance to destination are now available. I remember neither was available in pre-V450 firmwares.

double post. Sorry

And the answer is, the dam new charger works just fine with the 3597 and firmware 4.50.

BUT the story doesn't end there for this charger.

The block you plug in to the wall comes with a USB port on the bottom and 2 USB cables. The one USB cable has a standard USB connection on one end and a micro connection on the other. The second one has a standard USB connection on one end and a mini connection on the other. Doesn't sound like a problem

UNLESS

you are used to using the old adapter which is a single cable from the wall block to a mini USB connection, which plugs directly into the 3597 or the magnetic mount.

Whats the problem you say? Can't you just plug the new cable into the mount or the Nuvi like you always did? Well, sure I could BUT the the cable on the new adapter is about 3 feet long while the one on the old adapter is at least twice that length. The way my office is setup I can't use the new adapter and connect my Nuvi as the wall plug is to far away and/or the USB cable is to short. Wonder if a mini USB to mini USB extension cable would work or would I get the error message back again. Or I could go and find an extension cord to plug the adapter into I guess.

Guess this is the one I'll be taking south as the cord will be long enough there. Also it will let me plug my 3790 in without having the cradle attached to it as I can use the supplied cable with the micro connection on the one end.

Further, doing as you suggest with just the USB cable that came with the new adapter connected from the mount to computer produces the same error message as it did before.

Since the new adapter, plugged into the wall, works fine, it looks like there really is some kind of difference between the new and old adpaters.

FYI - the new adapter reads Output 5.35V 2.0A while the old one was Output: 5V 1.0A.

This could very well be the reason why this charger is qualified for those particular units. Not many of your "typical" wall chargers (like those that came with a cell phone for example) output 2.0A. Some however do but these usually come with larger tablets which require the higher amperage chargers. My iPad 4th gen came with a 12 watt/2.4A charger while my iPad mini Retina came with a 10W/2.0A charger. Using lower amperage chargers with these devices will display a "Not Charging" indicator.

I never would have thought the amperage output was the culprit here. This also confirms why member Cosmopolitan's Anker brand wall charger works with the Nuvi's since it's 2.4 amps per port.

I think we will see more posts in the future with people complaining their wall chargers won't work.
With new models and more features coming out I think Garmin will have the same 2.0 requirement in the firmware. Since the Nuvi's don't come with a wall charger you will need to purchase one. Perhaps they are looking to boost sales.

This poses a question, then why did the 3597 charge properly before the 4.50 firmware using the older 1.0 cable. The only thing that comes to mind is the charging speed. Another cost cutting measure Garmin is using is the length of the USB cable, they are far shorter now as Rick discovered with his new 2 Amp charger.

I confess that I've read but skimmed over this thread since I don't often charge a nuvi indoors and don't use an indoor cord wanting to be in navigation mode. Given all this, my question may be irrelevant.

Since current is at least part of the culprit here if not the only issue, what happens when using a USB cord to charge from a computer's USB2 port? USB, at least the most common USB 2 is limited to 500mA, isn't it? Will nuvis with this new 4.50 firmware give and error or charge with a USB cord going to a computer port?

A Nuvi connect via USB to a USB port on the computer will go into USB mode without displaying any message. It will charge the device as it always did.

If you attach the Nuvi, either through the device or it's mount to an older Garmin wall charger, it will display the error message discussed in this thread. In my case, connecting the Nuvi via the mount to the USB port on my computer also produced the error but I believe Box Car mentioned it worked fine for him.

I don't believe when plugging into PC will give the error message since Rick would have mentioned that.
Although input of only .500mA from PC USB I think it will still charge but maybe at a substantially lower speed. I know my 1 amp wall charger charges much faster than when I charge through the PC.

Another thing to consider now is will this 2 amp requirement slow down the charge speed when plugged into the 12V vehicles power chord. I don't know what the amperage output is on the 12V vehicle power chords.

If you read back through my posts, I have 1.0 amp chargers that work and 1.0 chargers that don't work. I also have a 2.1 amp charger that works and 2.1 amp chargers that don't work.

Grasping at straws here...maybe the 5.35v has something to do with if the charger will or will not charge the unit correctly, or maybe the total watts required. 5.35v x 2.0A = 10.7 watts. 5.35v is not a common voltage value for chargers. Like I said, grasping at straws here.

Using a computer USB port with any (power, data, combo, other) USB cable, has anyone experienced the new firmware 4.50 error message?

If so, with which cables?

If not, then why can any computer/cable/USB combo charge a nuvi with 4.50 with no error message while some AC chargers can't do so?

Yes, the modified cable I discussed in the earlier post ... When I connect the 3597 to the computer with this cable, it starts out in PC mode (showing the nuvi connected to the PC), then after 20 seconds or so, it reboots into navigation mode ... just like some of the wall chargers do. After it is navigation mode, you get the error. On my other nuvi's, this cable behaves the same way, except after the reboot to navigation mode, the 755T and 855 are charging normally (as can be demonstrated by looking at the diagnostics screen).

One other little difference I noticed. When connecting the 3597 to the computer with a normal cable, it dims the screen after about 5 seconds (the one showing the connected computer). When connecting with my modified cable, the screen stays at full bright.

Secret Garmin firmware recipe, of course!

OK, I've read through the whole thread again. I think I'm reading that the issue only occurs when a charger is used and the device goes to Navigation mode rather than USB mode. That may be why I got confused since I've never wanted to be in Navigation mode other than when I'm in my vehicle with the Garmin cigarette lighter power or power/traffic cable.

I have done some more experimenting with my 3597LMTHD and am more convinced that this change in the 3597 software is bogus and Garmin's way of getting you to buy a charger from them. Here is what I did:

I turned my screen brightness up to 100% and turned off the screen shut off. I then left my nuvi on until I got the third "Low battery" warning. Checking the diagnostics screen, the battery capacity was 89% when I started and was down to 15%, but had not done the emergency shutdown yet. The battery indicator showed the little red triangle in the lower right corner.

I then took my oldest weakest wall charger (5V/1A), a no-name cheapo that I purchased on eBay several years ago, and plugged it into my 3597. This charger had always worked OK for charging my nuvi and other devices before the 4.50 software update. I waited until the nuvi rebooted into navigation mode and gave the "incompatible charger cable" error. The battery icon now was full red with the exclamation point. It still had full screen brightness, showing the Where To menu. I left it plugged into the charger with the red exclamation battery icon for 1 1/4 hours. I unplugged it and checked the diagnostic screen. Battery had charged back up to 45%. The charge rate was slow with the full screen brightness, but it was still charging.

I then repeated the experiment. This time, after connecting the nuvi with the drained battery to the same charger, I waited until I got the "incompatible cable" message, then I pressed and held the off button until I got the power down prompt and powered the nuvi down, leaving it attached to the charger. After an hour, I disconnected, booted and checked the diagnostic screen. It had charged back up to 93%.

My conclusion ... Garmin's "incompatible charger" message is misleading at best and completly unnecessary.

Thank you alandb for your interesting experiment with the nuvi 3597 and an old 5V, 1A wall charger.
I did not buy the recommended new 5V, 2A Garmin charger either.
I am still using my old Garmin wall charger (5V, 1A) with the 3597 (software 4.50), with no problem, except the warning about the "incompatible cable".
It seems to work, maybe the charging takes longer because it has only 1A output.
I am glad, that you confirmed what I was thinking about this wall-charger warning.

Alan, I think you're right about this. Even though the device gives a "warning" message about the A/C charger, the battery is still charging. Whether long-term damage will occur from using this other chargers, I guess that may not be discovered right away.

I've got an A/C wall adapter, probably from an old nuvi 350, output is 1A. I noticed it yields a different warning message when plugged into my nuvi 65. It goes into Navigation mode and produces a warning about the 'cable not supporting traffic'. Battery charging seems normal.

Actually, my experimenting brought me to the opposite conclusion CraigW. My chargers that work (don't give the error and show the correct battery charging icon) go directly to navigation mode when plugged into the nuvi. The chargers that give the error, start out showing PC mode (display PC connected to computer), then reboot to navigation mode and give the incompatible charging cable error and display the red battery icon.

The reason you don't see the error when plugged into a PC is because the nuvi stays on the PC mode display and doesn't (normally) reboot into navigation mode.

To me, that sounds like a legitimate message and correct behavior for the nuvi. I wonder if this is the same model charger that t923347 has that gives the error on the 3597.

After 4 weeks of no messages from my 3597 about the power source being insufficient, it decided this morning at 4:30 AM (leaving for work) that the GTM-60 was not supplying enough current. This was after I started my 2011 Colorado. Lights are nice and bright and no "Check Engine" warning. Did the same thing on the way home. I even took it off the mount and did a manual shutdown.

It does not give a warning when connected to my wall charger.

Not a "show-stopper', but it is aggravating.

Hope a fix is in the works.

Well, whenever the message appears that means NO TRAFFIC!!!

Also there is no weather, although the FM or AM radio can supply that info if you are tuned in at the right time.

I rely on the Traffic daily, especially on Friday afternoons on the way home from work.

Seems to be that their software bug is causing a "Breach of Contract" by obstructing the Traffic info that I paid for when I bought the unit. It's not the FM radio transmitter's fault, because if I can keep turning it off and on, or re-booting, it will eventually come up without the message and I then have Traffic info (and weather too). But that is iffy, as it doesn't always work. I am using the GTM-60 that came with the unit and it used to work just fine until lately - after the 4.50 update.

Hope Garmin is expediting the fix.

@metricman

Looking at the Perry firmware site it appears there is a new ver 4.60 available. Not owning a 3597 I don't know if it’s available on Webupdater or Garmin Express.

Perhaps they fixed the issue associated with Ver 4.50.
Since you rely on the Traffic feature you may want to try ver 4.60 and see if that fixed it.
If not, you can always download Ver 4.40 and return to when the Traffic was working for you.

Here is the Perry link to download Ver 4.40, 4.50, and 4.60.
You will need to scroll down to the files names listed below to download, there are a total of 13 files, scroll down to the last 3. Sorry, but I can’t provide direct download links.
http://gawisp.com/perry/nuvi/

Ver 440 nuvi35x7and35x8_GCDF..> 23-Jun-2014 14:45 58M
Ver 450 nuvi35x7and35x8_GCDF..> 18-Sep-2014 09:52 58M
Ver 460 nuvi35x7and35x8_GCDF..> 24-Oct-2014 14:38 58M

I also just ordered the 3597 after hearing all of the raves about the unit. I love my 775t but got the 3597 before it was no longer available. The 775t will go to my son, who is thrilled. I hope this is a software issue and is corrected soon.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/43609

CraigW, thanks for pointing that out, I'm embarassed that I missed that thread.

At least my thread does make Ver 4.40 available to those that may wish to install the earlier version if they didn't have a backup.

@muell9k Thanks for the link

I guess I'll back up to 4.40, although it seems that if the 3597's battery is discharged a little bit it doesn't happen.

I can see that being a cause. If the unit is measuring a voltage across a resistor in series with the battery (therefore allowing the current to be calculated) and the battery is fully charged, then the current would be low and so would the voltage. If the minimum voltage to trigger the message got lowered (for whatever reason) then that would be what Garmin would need to set back to the original value.

Of course, I really have no idea how they determine whether the power supplied is sufficient or not. But that seems to be the simplest way to do it.

Now, to find the instructions to install the downloaded firmware.

But first I'll run down the battery a bit and see what happens then.

Running the battery down did not work so I switched back to 4.40.

The 3597 didn't recognize the GTM-60 at first. Had to turn it off and on a few times. Also had no weather, but that showed up on the way home this afternoon.

The "◦Improved detection of power sources that cannot charge the device properly." has a bug that I hope is fixed soon, as it is NOT an improvement.

Thanks to this site and it's users for posting solutions to problems.

I was searching for a solution to my problem and came across this thread. I have another issue with the software update that is annoying me with Garmin! I have a 3597 and I have powered it directly with the GTM60 plugged into the rear connector since I first purchased it. I use it in a ram mount in my car and on a motorcycle and the magnetic mount is not appropriate for either vehicle. It has worked fine like this for 11 months, until I completed a software and map update and now I get a warning that says "the attached power cable cannot charge your device". I contacted garmin and they said- to bad, it should have not worked before and will now work now. They do not support any use other than with the magnetic base. Any suggestions as to how to remedy would be greatly appreciated.

I am surprised that the GTM60 gives this error. Are you using the GTM60 for the traffic service, or just to power your 3597?

As you can see from the posts in this thread, after software version 4.50, you get this error with a number of power adapters and charging devices ... some work and some don't. I haven't seen any consistentcy where you can reliably predict which will work and which won't. You just have to try them and when you find one that works, go with it.

The other thing you could try is to back level your software to version 4.40 or earlier, aLthough doing that makes it difficult to do map updates

Incidentally, welcome to POI Factory. You will find lots of knowledgable and helpful people here.

I have not had the traffic service working, the GTM60 only charges. After reading everything here though I think mine must be charging- and just reporting incorrectly. I looked up in the manual and it says the battery should last about 2 hrs, I have had it running much longer than that since the update/issue began.
I have never gotten the voice command to work either.

I think we "proved" in one of the earlier posts in this thread that the 3597 was charging even with some power adapters that said it wasn't.

Since you are not using the GTM60 for traffic service, you could switch to one of the inexpensive USB power adapters that are known to work. If you read back through my posts in this thread, you will find links (one eBay, one Amazon) for adapters that I tested and didn't give the error. Note that both of these were "dual port" adapters with one 1.1A port and one 2.1A port. Also note that the incompatible charger error occurs on one port but there is no error on the other port.

Welcome to the site wingsound.For the voice command problem you may want to look at http://goo.gl/BkAmii and the traffic issue see http://goo.gl/WKwpMF also http://goo.gl/Uo0dNn