I have a Navman F20 which broke yesterday........the connector for the charger brok and came loose inside the unit. i have opened the unit and as i didnt have any soldering equipment, i had to super glue it back on. when i connected it there was no power. do i need to wait for a bit for it to charge or is it likely that the connector pad is broken/damaged by breaking off of by thr application of super glue (i was really careful just to put tiny blobs on the connecting points).

Anyone tried to repair one before?

have seen quotes of £50 on tinternet to repair......not worth it when i can get a new one for £70-80......but i would rather pay nowt if i can fix it......any advice welcome

I'd have thought it'd need soldiering.. Super glue will only hold the connector, but wont create the broken electrical link..

I'd have thought it'd need soldiering.. Super glue will only hold the connector, but wont create the broken electrical link..

thats what i thought but the connector is like one you get on a moby phone battery; four strips of metal with 4 corresponding strips on the circuit board....the four pads where you fix the connector to the circuit board are separeate to these so dont seem to be involved in creating the electrical link.

Ok, I know I'm easily confused, but that just doesn't seem right.

Are you suggesting the the charger doesn't physically connect to the circuitry of the Sat Nav via either wires or tracks on the pcb?

Ok, I know I'm easily confused, but that just doesn't seem right.

Are you suggesting the the charger doesn't physically connect to the circuitry of the Sat Nav via either wires or tracks on the pcb?

the connector in side the unit has 4 saquares on the corners that fix it onto the circuit board. in the middle of the connector are 5 strips (tracks?) that coincide with 5 strips on the circuit board, like a moby phone battery. this appears to be how the electrical link is made. the 4 squares on the corners dont seem to servre a purpose other than to physically attatch the connector to the board.

does that make more sense?

i have now taken the connector off and notice that 1 of the strips on the board seem to be missing which would suggest why i cant get the power on.

would adding a strip of solder make this connection?

does it need all 5 tracks to make the power link?

thats what i thought but the connector is like one you get on a moby phone battery; four strips of metal with 4 corresponding strips on the circuit board....the four pads where you fix the connector to the circuit board are separeate to these so dont seem to be involved in creating the electrical link.

The 4 strips do carry power, usually 1 + one - and two to hold the connector. If as above they are corners only then it's worth soldering a wire.

FWIW it is probably possible to get hold of a new connector from maplin etc.

The problem you might have is that the connector is probably designed for leaded solder and lead free solder is very brittle compared to leaded so needs something extra to hold it in place.

it's worth soldering the joints, then once you confirm it works, putting a suitable glue under the connector so it can't move.

Edited 20 January, 201016 yr by cheezemonkhai

FWIW it is probably possible to get hold of a new connector from maplin etc.

If you do do that -take some measurements etc -I've found recently that ( maybe it's my local branch changing staff regularly) unless you get one of the few actually interested in electronics ,all they want to do is sell you a unit -( as when GD laptop PSU went phut ,and I had a spare ,but with wrong plug -little help getting right item on first visit-once upon a time -take plug in -they'd find a replacement ,not now )

Only join the connections if you're 100% sure they should be. If they're not (many of our connections have dead pins by design as not needed) then you'll simply toast the unit.

Post up some pics of what you are seeing.

I had a play with my sisters FM modulator and the soldering iron recently, to see if I could reconnect the 3.5mm headphone jack. This was in a similar state to your SAT nav. After an hour of trying I gave up and bought a new one on amazon as it was so fiddly! I used to do soldering quite often when I was younger, but have obviously lost the skill now! :wonder:

I had a play with my sisters FM modulator and the soldering iron recently, to see if I could reconnect the 3.5mm headphone jack. This was in a similar state to your SAT nav. After an hour of trying I gave up and bought a new one on amazon as it was so fiddly! I used to do soldering quite often when I was younger, but have obviously lost the skill now! :wonder:

yep done the same.......bought a new one, throwaway culture