GPS dock (pin) repair

[giddyup69]

I recently was getting power disconnect problems over bumpy roads with my camera. Noticed some others were also having the same issues and temporarily fixing with a toothpick. I decided to fix the mount once and for all. This is a fairly easy job, just need to be careful of the interior wires.

1- remove the small screws on the body

2- open up the case and you'll see the gps module

3- carefully lift the gps module up.. there are some small wires being held underneath. make sure you don't damage them. there's also some sticky foam that you have to be mindful of

4- remove the screw holding the power board.. then lift the board up on the opposite side of the usb connector shown with the arrow

5- board should be completely out now

6- the main problem with the housing are the 2 areas circled. if you want to make the best possible fix... u want/need to shave these plastic areas down lower so that the board and pins are is sitting closer to the main housing and therefore better pin placement outside the housing. I used a simple knife followed with a metal file to scrape/cut/shave down as much as I thought would be enough. (I am sure everyone will be different, just play around with it until it's acceptable to you.) you might even want to use a little silicone around the perimeter of the pins so that it's more stable.

7- now just reassemble the entire gps unit again in reverse... and you should have a much better connection with less headaches.

hope this helps

 

[chris-s]

I've tried to do this before but stopped at step 3, afraid to damage the wires.

 

[giddyup69]

there's always some risk when opening these things up. although the wires are fairly low gauge and thin .. i found them to be soldered on the board well. even if you tugged on the wires a bit by accident it should be safe. i've taken mine apart a few times to get the pins just right and no issues. my pins were really crooked so i thought the reward of fixing it right was worth the risk.

 

[Raisin]

Good to know. Thank you.

 

[azibux1]

Just a note for this, don't take off too much

I did and the camera wouldn't go into the mount as the pins stuck out way too much.

I didn't think it would make that much difference but it does

I then had to re-pack it with paper to get it correct

 

[Neuralgia]

I then had to re-pack it with paper to get it correct

Or file down the pins

 

[Nigel]

Or file down the pins

I think they are hollow with springs inside - not a good idea

 

[Boxerman]

I think that shimming the mount on the camera looks easier, and I wouldn't have to remove the GPS unit from the windscreen.
I don't know which method is technically better though.
Thanks for posting.

Frank

 

[Nigel]

I think that shimming the mount on the camera looks easier, and I wouldn't have to remove the GPS unit from the windscreen.
I don't know which method is technically better though.
Thanks for posting.

Frank

No, you don't need to remove the GPS unit from the windscreen, just make sure you have a magnetic screwdriver so that you don't drop the tiny screws! Once the screws are removed you end up with just the plastic cover on the screen and the rest in you hand.

However you should always do the camera side shim first as doing that will also reduce the correct pin height as well as removing the wobbliness. Some may possibly require both modifications.

 

[azibux1]

No, you don't need to remove the GPS unit from the windscreen, just make sure you have a magnetic screwdriver so that you don't drop the tiny screws! Once the screws are removed you end up with just the plastic cover on the screen and the rest in you hand.

However you should always do the camera side shim first as doing that will also reduce the correct pin height as well as removing the wobbliness. Some may possibly require both modifications.

Depending on where you've stuck it that first part might not be true... Where mine was stuck I couldn't get to the left hand screw as it was blocked by the rear view mirror

 

[Nigel]

Depending on where you've stuck it that first part might not be true... Where mine was stuck I couldn't get to the left hand screw as it was blocked by the rear view mirror

Good point .... I removed the rear view mirror first, then there was easy access to the screws

 

[Hoverfly]

I am about to attempt this repair to the pin contact. However, the camera does wobble and I see a mention of shimming. How should I go about shimming? Ideas please.

 

[Hoverfly]

I am about to attempt this repair to the pin contact. However, the camera does wobble and I see a mention of shimming. How should I go about shimming? Ideas please.

Just answered my own question. Searched the forum and came up with this:
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/mini-0803-coming.4701/page-48

Seems to now be a nice tight fit so I might hold off on the modification to the pins and see how much the shimming improves matters.

 

[Nigel]

I am about to attempt this repair to the pin contact. However, the camera does wobble and I see a mention of shimming. How should I go about shimming? Ideas please.

Just answered my own question. Searched the forum and came up with this:
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/mini-0803-coming.4701/page-48

Seems to now be a nice tight fit so I might hold off on the modification to the pins and see how much the shimming improves matters.

As I tried to say above, always do the shim fix first, only do the pin fix if the shim removes the wobble but you still have a loose contact, doing both may cause problems.

So that people don't have to search, here is a quote from the other thread for the shim fix:

I've fixed the looseness by following the instructions here:

I used 90gsm paper, and its now a really snug fit - no movement at all.
Have set the g setting to 3.5 and see how it goes.
...

I used black electrical tape instead of paper, less likely to compress over time, you can use more than one layer if necessary but test it after adding each.


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