Power Question about Garmin C330

[kendenton]

I've got a Streetpilot C330 that I want to use on my bike.  Does anyone know if it takes a straight 12v feed, or does it need to be cut to 3.x like the Quest?  If it's straight 12v, I should be able to just swap the cig lighter enf for a powerlet end, yes?

Thanks in advance!

Ken

[RBEmerson]

Save your time and money - it's my understanding that the C330 has an internal hard drive.  Hard drives and bikes just flat don't work, at least if the drive is spinning while the bike's being ridden.  Sorry.  

[kendenton]

I've had it on the bike for an hour or so, no ill effects so far.....

[rocketbunny]

If the c330 uses harddrive (pretty sure it does), I'd be really wary of using it on a motorcycle. Make sure you keep your receipt in a safe place.

I remember back when Garmin came out with the Streetpilot 2620. It was a great idea, but it had a reputation for something like a 60% harddrive failure rate within one year if mounted on a motorcycle (IIRC). Garmin even posted a warning on their website not to use it on a motorcycle.

[Avigar]

I agree. The failure rates are much higher when used on a motorcycle. You're better off looking into a refurb 2610 or 2720 for use on the bike.

[RBEmerson]

I've had it on the bike for an hour or so, no ill effects so far.....

It's your GPSR, have a ball.  But some days it does pay to listen to the voice(s) of experience:  Spinning HDD's and bikes don't mix.  The drive's heads float on a cushion of air, at a distance thinner than a human hair.  Hit a bump just the wrong way and that air cushion won't be enough to save the heads.  When the heads kiss the platter, spinning at a few thousand RPM, it's all over;  bye-bye HDD, bye-bye GPSR, bye-bye a bunch of bucks to have the HDD replaced.  But, hey, it's your GPSR.  Knock yourself out.  

[kendenton]

It's your GPSR, have a ball.  But some days it does pay to listen to the voice(s) of experience:  Spinning HDD's and bikes don't mix.  The drive's heads float on a cushion of air, at a distance thinner than a human hair.  Hit a bump just the wrong way and that air cushion won't be enough to save the heads.  When the heads kiss the platter, spinning at a few thousand RPM, it's all over;  bye-bye HDD, bye-bye GPSR, bye-bye a bunch of bucks to have the HDD replaced.  But, hey, it's your GPSR.  Knock yourself out.  

  I just hate to spend more money on another GPSR, but I do agree with you - drives and vibes are a bad combo.  So now the search begins for a 2610 or 2720 or other.  The one thing I don't like about the C330 is lack of custom routes - I think all the 2xxx units fix that.

[RBEmerson]

Yes, 2610's allow custom routes and you can insert via points (either personal waypoints or POI's) as well as tuning the route on the fly by requesting a detour (1/2, 1, 2, 5 miles) which will often result in finding more good roads to play with.    The 2610, AFAIK,unlike the 27xx and 28xx series, also allows a three slider control over road preferences (major, medium, and minor roads) which means you can force the router to avoid, say, the Interstate or even US or state routes, to a preference for bitty back roads.  The 2610 screen isn't bleeding edge (jaggies, less that rich color choices - see the Garmin 2610 web page and snag the manual PDF for samples) but I'm finding it's actually preferable because the display is less complex and easier to digest in a hurry.