Dragonfly intermittent power loss

I recently installed a Raymarine Dragonfly.  I really like this unit, but have been experiencing intermittent power losses. The last couple of outings, the unit powered down for no reason.  The first couple times this happened, I was able to simply turn it back on with no problems.  Today though, the unit shut off and would not come back on. When I hit the power button it beeped as if powered up, but the screen would not light up. To troubleshoot, I unplugged the head unit from the power cable and tried to turn it back on again.  Same problem persisted; it beeped as if powered up, but nothing displayed on screen.  After giving up on it for an hour or so, I tried to power it up again.  This time it powered up normally and worked fine for an hour before losing power again.  Again when I tried to power it back up it beeped but the display would not work. I’m going to contact customer service but was curious if anybody else had this problem.   

I've noticed it takes some time to reboot. But never had it turn off like that yet. I would return it for a new unit if possible.

Try a different battery or put a fuse on it. Mine does that when my battery is about to die. Also the sonar will go down to -- when the battery is dying.

Also with a 1270 battery you will get around 1.5 days with the ff. With my 12 9amp battery I can get 2.

Dielectric grease on all connections if not already mentioned. Good luck.

This happened to me a few weeks ago. Same symptoms, I'd hear a beep but no display.

 It was corroded connections on the FF plugs. I used a sewing needle to scrape off the corrosion.
I sprayed dielectric grease a few months ago so I didn't think this would happen.

This happened to me a few weeks ago. Same symptoms, I'd hear a beep but no display.

 It was corroded connections on the FF plugs. I used a sewing needle to scrape off the corrosion.
I sprayed dielectric grease a few months ago so I didn't think this would happen.

Same problem, same fix. Should have used the grease to the connections straight out of the box. Guess all the saltwater spray to the connections doesn't help. 

Alex

The other guys gave pretty good feedback.  I started out with a 12v 7a battery from Home Depot designed for garage doors.  That was a big mistake.  My unit would run less than 5 hours.  I switched to 12v 9a Deep Cycle battery and now it runs all day.

My buddy Lucky13 built me a water proof box with water proof wire connectors that connects the battery to the transducer.  This prevents any corrosion and no metal wires are ever exposed.  My unit runs like a charm on every trip.

Im using a 12v 9a battery (always fully charged)so I don't think that is the issue. The corrosion on the pins is a good idea.  I will look into this. thanks everyone for the info.  All good advise. Ill keep you posted as I trouble shoot.

What typically happens is the corrosion will migrate up the pins & inside the unit.  Forms a "resistance" & prevents the unit from drawing the power necessary to operate.  Seems to be one of the most common issues with any brand of unit.  We see this FAR more often in the kayak world since our units are coming in direct contact with saltwater/freshwater.  Not as big of an issue on boats, canoes, ice fishing, etc...

Best defense is a good offense ... Dielectric grease from day ONE will (generally) prevent this and long-term issues due to corrosion.

Can there be too much dielectric grease?  That is to say, should I "pack" it, or just a small smear?

And also does this intermittent problem sound indicative of corrosion?

Only time I've ever packed a port full of dielectric grease is on the un-used ports of a FF unit but I also cap those ports with the little rubber caps.  Usually a little smear is all it takes ... as long as the pins & ports are coated it should work.  Re-apply as needed over time.

Remember, this is PREVENTATIVE maintenance, not really a "fix" once corrosion has taken hold/damaged.

The other guys gave pretty good feedback.  I started out with a 12v 7a battery from Home Depot designed for garage doors.  That was a big mistake.  My unit would run less than 5 hours.  I switched to 12v 9a Deep Cycle battery and now it runs all day.

My buddy Lucky13 built me a water proof box with water proof wire connectors that connects the battery to the transducer.  This prevents any corrosion and no metal wires are ever exposed.  My unit runs like a charm on every trip.

I'd be interested to see how that is done ..could you post a pic ?

Here you go.  Large watertight box, battery, wire cable seal, pin connectors.  I attach the battery box to the sail post with a Scotty snap and zip ties.

Rather than guessing what might've gone wrong, you can eliminate all that by getting a cheap multimeter. I know you trust your SLA battery, but can you tell definitively how much voltage it's giving out? How about under load? I have batteries that would charge to the expected voltage, but drops to well below 12v under load. A multimeter would clear that up.

Also, for the rusty wires, you can check the resistance on each contact. Anything that measures 1ohm or more is probably indicative of a bad wire. Again, a cheap multimeter can clear all that up.

If you have a good strong battery, and you have clean wires, then the problem is in your head unit. You can tell the Raymarine rep that you've done the above two checks. They'd probably accept your claim with less resistance if you tell them you checked the above already.

Good luck!
ernest

Nailed it Ernest.  Can also test with low amp inline fuse to see what the draw is like.  Bad wires will increase the amp draw & "pow" the fuse generally.  Meter is by far the best option & you should have one at home anyways!  Aside from a screwdriver, crescent wrench & duct tape its the next proper tool to own.  =)