WEIRD: Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp problem

OK, this is truly a weird problem but please don't speculate why it's happening. If you legitimately know why... please post.

I've been using a couple different Lipo batteries for the last 4 years or so on my Lowrance fishfinders with zero issues. First I was using two 5000mah in parallel and then recently a 10000mah single battery. Friday I went fishing and my FF would not turn on. When I pushed the on button I could see the screen slightly flash and then as I held the on button down waiting for it to boot up I could hear a very faint ticking sound. I ended up fishing blind all day and thank god the bite for lmb and crappie is so good right now I was still able to enjoy myself anyways.

Today I checked voltage at the end of the cables to the head unit and I had 16.7vdc. So I'm thinking bad head unit but I want to make sure so I plugged in an old 12.7v SLA battery I have and the unit fired right up. WTF? So now I'm thinking maybe with the head unit attached my 10ah Lipo is failing under a load. Nope the voltage stays steady and I even hooked it up to a 12v light fixture which it then powered for hours with no problem. So I grab my 5000mah Lipo and hook it up. Acts the same as the 10000mah. I try to hook up the 10000mah after it's powered the 12v light and the voltage has been lowered to 15.3vdc. Still won't work.

So basically after using this Elite5 Chirp for several years at 16.8vdc, when the Lipo batteries are fully charged, it now won't work at that high of a voltage? That's the only explanation I've been able to come to. The manual states these units will work from 10-17vdc and for a long time it did. Come to think of it I've been using one with my Elite 4 for even longer with zero problems.

 I went and bought a new Lowrance Hook5, with Lake Insight card and sun cover, for $299 today. Brought it home and plugged it into my 10000mah battery and it fired right up. Well I don't like heavy ass sealed lead acid batteries and I don't like fishing blind. 

Jim,

Not a solution but maybe a check.
Hook up the chirp to a brick battery that won't put out as much power and see if it works.
If not then the theory of too much power is out the door.

Sorry this isn't a solution, but I would contact Lowrance. Most companies stand by their products but most people throw old stuff away and buy new. Before I ever give up on something I always contact the manufacturer and more than once I have had products replaced or fixed for free or for shipping costs.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Is Bill (fishingforthecure) still pro staff with Lowrance?  Maybe he can help get in touch with their tech people because I'm sure they'd want to know about it if its not already a known problem.

You checked the voltage but not the amperage?  LiPo battery amperage declines with age without affecting voltage.  Check the battery amperage output.

You checked the voltage but not the amperage?  LiPo battery amperage declines with age without affecting voltage.  Check the battery amperage output.

This!

Also check for corrosion in the connectors (read redo) With amperage you can get corrosion that resists electrical current. We do voltage/amp tests on cars for that. good luck!

Just an update......I took my new Hook5 to the lake today and it worked just fine with my Lipo battery. I didn't even bother to change the transducer or power cable out as they were both in good shape. So I'm not sure what caused the old Elite-Chirp5 to act up the way it did but I'm glad it wasn't related to my Lipo battery. Just in case I went ahead and charged the Lipo to 16.3vdc instead of 16.8vdc. I think Mel/FishingAddict suggested charging the Lipo's to slightly less than their rated max anyways.

It wasn't me Jim.  I run a full charge on my LiPo.