I don't know why you can't, Ben.Originally Posted by ben475
Send me a pm with your e-mail address and I'll send them to you as attachments.
Ron
I don't know why you can't, Ben.
Send me a pm with your e-mail address and I'll send them to you as attachments.
Ron
Nope, can't see them. If it is a copy of a post to another forum the linkages will be broken.
You should have the 4 pix now, Ben.
Thanks for the heads-up, Ben.
Found where I had stored the original photos. Was a bit lazy in simply cut/paste from the other forum I guess and paid the price.
Did the whole thing again WITH photos
Thought this might be useful for fishos having dropout problems with anchor problems on electric.
Copy of a post that I put up in another place last year after sorting out an "anchor dropout" problem.
Haven't had any problems since.
New curly cord and 2 little "jesus boxes" were $500 or so from memory.
Hasn't been the best of weeks.
Had just decided to do something about the H'Bird sidescan when I noticed that the MG "anchor" function was dropping out every few minutes. Persevered for the day (bl..dy nuisance though) and decided to have a look at home. Anchor dropouts have been a persistent intermittent problem for last 6 months or so that I kept putting off "until I had time".
From observation, the electric would lose the satellite signal and then simply drop out of anchor lock position.
Initial thoughts were which end was the signal loss? My end or "their" end. My end was most probable.
Thoughts of complicated electronic repairs and/or shipping costs came to mind. Decided to do a bit of diagnostics before going to Motorguide rep in town.
Put MG on fitted out diagnostics bench (tailgate of ute) with a battery.
Attachment 121627
When "anchor" function started dropping out I had a little H/Held GPS to test if satellites were problem. (Testing "their end")
Attachment 121628
Satellites ok ( 5 bars) so problem was internal. ("my end")
Took off head covers to find it choc-a-block with electronics. Not. One little black box connected to a small curly cord which went down to the bottom unit.
Attachment 121629
Took off bottom control covers to find it about the same as the head unit. Practically empty. Looked at curly cord from top head unit connection into bottom little black box and found the problem.
Attachment 121630
Notice how the wires are exposed and frayed through from rubbing on the plastic housing. Shield wire was completely broken off and small control wires inside were also exposed. The broken shield foil would intermittently make connection to the other broken foil bits as the motor shaft turned around. THAT explained the intermittent nature of the problem.
Then went to local MG people to see about taking in control cord with the black boxes on each end to get fixed.
Turns out that this is common enough problem for MG to have a replacement kit available. Simply plug-and-play. You get the 2 GPS "jesus" boxes, connecting curly cord along with a new remote control unit. Don't know why a new r/c as all they do is get flat batteries once in a while.
Anyway, inserted the new GPS "jesus" boxes top and bottom with the new curly cord, put covers back on and started it up. No more dropouts after 3 hours of running on ute tailgate so I declared it fixed.
Interesting that the new little curly cords now have connectors on each end as do the black boxes so the curly cord can be replaced easily without having to replace the boxes.
The black boxes don't move around so its the curly connection that's most likely to fail as it is constantly moving and rubbing.
Hope thats the plan anyway.
Couldn't find any kits like that for Minn Kota. Maybe they don't have those sorts of problems.
Here's the replacement kit. Still looks like the hard-wired version so don't think that there'll be individual replacement of boxes.
https://shop.motorguide.com/products/8m0092070.html?
Regards
Ronje
ok thanks for the photos ron.
i saw on a youtube vid one day a guy setting one up, he put a few wraps of electrical tape around both curly cords at each end to keep them snug togeather, perhaps its not a bad idea
You're welcome Ben.
Wasn't me on the u-tube video. Firstly I'm too shy and secondly (more importantly), I don't know to do u-tube stuff. Only watch.(look at all the strife I got into just cutting and pasting).
I don't tape them together. Never thought of doing it. When I put the new compass/GPS receiver harness in, I put the small curly cord inside the bigger power curly cord so they can't separate.
The only thing that you have to watch in dismantling the top, is that you don't overtighten the screws when putting the lid back on. They screw up from underneath into the lid where there's really not a lot of thermoplastic to anchor into. That's what happened to me so had to get a new lid as well as a harness.
Just run a bead of sikaflex around the top where they join so no salt water can get in.
On the remote control, there is a thin, large rubber gasket between top and bottom sections. Make sure that doesn't get twisted when checking the remote battery or water will indeed get in eventually.
Don't use rechargeable AAAs. They're usually 1.2V making 2.4V overall whereas long life alkalines are 1.5V each making 3V overall.
u can actually see a small gap in places around the top halves.
what is the base unit like around the wiring and electrics?
I'll see if I can find the other photos that show that.
I photograph everything as I go in case my aging/failing memory causes me to forget how things go back together, so I'll have them somewhere.
But there's plenty of space. The bottom also houses the power board and indicator leds that u can see on the control panel of the unit.
THAT might be the "motherboard" that people refer to but I reckon its simply a power and function indicator board.
The other 2 sealed boards that we've been speaking about contain the GPS receiver itself (don't know which one that is but logic says it should be the top head which is clear of local boat obstructions). Maybe its the bottom board but I don't reckon that its the power/function board.
In addition, each of the 2 sealed boards contain a digital compass.
Well mines back in the shop again, replacing the motherboard hasn’t worked, they will replace the Gps module now and give that a try.
My last xi5 was faultless (2017 model) It’s a shame this new one Is having dramas. Hopefully the Gps module sorts it!!!
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