GE & POI Loader not seeing Nuvi 2699

On your 2699. If the battery level is low, GE will not detect the device.

In addition:

Don't connect through a USB hub. Direct to computer USB port only.

Don't connect through a laptop docking station or port multiplier or whatever it's called. Direct to laptop only.

I've successfully connected and updated a totally battery-dead 2555LMT where the battery has no charge whatsoever. If USB connected direct-on-port, works. If USB connected through a hub or dock, fail. GE will actually see the device and notify of updates, but only works if the device is directly connected to the PC or laptop USB port.

If your computer has more than one USB port, try a different one. Also if you have more than one computer, try a different computer. It should work as it did before, but sometimes trying different ports/computers helps isolate the problem.

Agree that if the battery needs charging, that would cause an update failure. Charge the nuvi for a wall charger for several hours.

Many have mentioned the state of the battery charge as being a possibility for a communication failure. "dobs108" for instance in this thread added content titled "Charge The Battery".

I personally don't think a poor charge state of the Garmin device will result in a communication failure unless the Garmin is totally dead. Even when dead I have encountered a few devices (not necessarily Garmin's) that initially appear to malfunction, but work fine after just a few minutes of receiving a charge. But there may be some other circumstances related to the USB plug on the PC that might affect things. My experiences below are based on a Dell laptop running Windows 10.

On a laptop one has the ability to control if the USB port is powered and have that choice governed by whether the laptop is plugged in or operating off battery. My Dell is configured to "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." This is a Power Management setting accessed via the Properties for the USB Root hub in Device Manager. As a point of interest, I plugged in an old but fully charged 265WT to the laptop (while on AC power) and all my USB ports delivered 5.15 vDC and about 0.3 amp. Being in computer repair I have a Gardner Bender USB Multimeter GUSB-3450 tester.

If I switch to battery power on the laptop, the power at the USB outlet sustains itself to about 30% of battery, then the port is shut off. If I plug the laptop back in, the power at the USB outlet is restored within a few seconds.

I tested a few other laptops in my shop this AM and all deliver power of approximately 5 vDC at the USB outlets. My conclusion is charging of a Garmin device is highly likely to occur, even if it suffers from a poor state of charge when plugged in.

When the laptop is on battery power, placing it into "sleep mode" powers off the USB port after about 5 seconds.

Any desktop I check as one would expect has the USB port on at all times, even when placed in standby.

have the ability to shut off the USB ports. And I agree with John that a dead or low charged garmin should come alive and be seen by GE or a computer once plugged in.

Ok, sorry for the delay in getting back.

I have the Nuvi plugged in now and will give it a couple of hours charging. Then I will see if GE can reach it through the hub.

If that doesn't work I'll skip the hub and connect to the computer.

I will post results later today.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Yesterday I attempted to update the maps on my 3597. I attached the cable to the computer and the Nuvi. It showed that the Nuvi was attached to the computer but GE would not recognize it. I checked the battery charge level and it was showing red on the battery icon. The Nuvi would power up and did show the the start-up screen. After taking the Nuvi out to the truck and plugging it in to charge it up for about 20 minutes, I brought it back in and connected it to the computer. It was recognized by GE right away. The same thing has happened to my 3590. So, my experience has been that if the charge level is too low, GE will not recognize the device.

My point earlier is that virtually any PC with a powered USB port can also bring the Garmin device up above the threshold minimum voltage. I suspect, but we may never know, that had you left the 3597 plugged into the computer for that same 20 minutes, GE would then have worked properly. The 3590 may again have to be disconnected/reconnected but the behavior would have been as expected.

Related, I just did an update on another 265wt. When the update was started the battery showed one bar, when the update was finished it showed fully charged. It is clear that not only an update had occured, but charging had occured.

The Nuvi was about 1/2 charged so I tried updating again.

First with the newish cord, into the hub. Did not see it.
Second with the old cord, and into the hub. Did not see it.
Third with the newish cord, into the computer, did not see it.
Forth with the old cord, into the computer --- success!! Both GE and POI loader worked as they should. Next time I'll try the new cord.

File Manager also sees the unit plugged in. Unfortunately I didn't try this earlier. When the update is finished I'll check.

John in PA.
I have been told that some units will not charge on a usb port because the charge current is closer to maintenance level. When I bought my new cord a couple of years ago, the advice was to also get a power plug because it will have a higher charge rate. This was the only way I could, and still can, charge my 2699.

Again, thanks for the help!!!

Just to clarify I am trying to have people avoid running out and buying chargers or placing their Garmins into a vehicle for several hours to get the device up to some minimum state of charge. Most modern day PC's less than about 10 years old can adequately charge a Garmin if it is left attached. Talking about the "host", the computer for instance, USB 1.0 came along in the 1990's. In the early days some USB 1.0 ports could only deliver 100 milliamps (ma). When USB 1.1 came along, and later USB 2.0, the allowable amperage delivered by a host was upped to 0.5 amp. With USB 3.0 (or higher) that was increased to 0.9 amps. A dedicated charger (wall wart) under USB 3.0 can deliver up to 1.5 amps. Today, and if we include USB4, there are six USB specifications; USB 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, and USB4. We can exclude discussion of USB4 with respect to Garmins as that is the cable predominantly using the USB-C connector. You can plug any USB device (say a 900 ma phone) into any USB cable and into a 2.1 amp charger with minimal concern. The cable might feel warm and some people argue the resulting faster charge will shorten battery life, but beyond that it is not an issue.

How to tell all these components apart? You may have noticed that the plastic piece in the USB cable varies in color. That color coding designates the type of port and cable. A white connector is basically USB 1.0 or the sub-spec 1.1. Black designates USB 2.0 and blue designates USB 3.0 or its higher versions (3.1 & 3.2). Red or yellow designates a cable or port that has the sleep or charge feature which indicates color that the port does not power off during sleep or standby mode. On a laptop or desktop computer, they can be used for charging external devices like a smartphone (or a Garmin) while the PC is in standby.

If you have a PC, laptop or desktop, that is pushing 20 years old, you may find a mixture of USB 2 and USB 3 ports. "Slow" devices like keyboard and mice should be plugged into the USB 2.0 ports. Devices that need speed, like a printer, are best plugged into the USB 3 ports. Hubs as well should be plugged into USB 3 ports.

On the subject of using a hub; early hubs were built to USB 1 standards and since they derived their power from the host PC they could only handle 100 ma. If the hub could operate as a powered hub with an external power supply, then, as best I recall, it could be used at 0.5 amp.

I had a similar problem a few months back. What I ended up doing was reinstall GE and it started to recognize my Nuvii. It may be worth giving it a shot

Never thought about any of this. Cord has now been properly connected. Thanks for the advice.

--

it's the dog's fault

John from PA,

Thanks for the usb history. I have old equipment using usb 2.0. Gives me a good understanding of why some things charge slow for me. I never thought to look it.