Zumo XT power cable

[Bigron]

I think I'm beginning to understand why the supplied power lead is preferred.

From a durability and ease of use, it's better and also, it seems that even though the USB would fully charge the Zumo when it is not being used. It might not have sufficient power to charge it fully whilst it is in use, resulting in possible loss of brightness?
I've only had it a couple of days so not really had chance to try out on a long ride.
I think I will wire it to the battery, or if there's an accessory connection I'll use that.

I bought this hoping I would be able to easily copy all the rides I have on my bicycle Garmin on to the Zumo.
So far I am having no luck. The files on my Garmin Edge 500 are fitt files and not gpx.
There just doesn't seem to be a way to do this, bearing in mind I'm 70 years old and not tech savvy.

[Peobody]

From a durability and ease of use, it's better and also, it seems that even though the USB would fully charge the Zumo when it is not being used. It might not have sufficient power to charge it fully whilst it is in use, resulting in possible loss of brightness?

I don't know what kind of warning you will get if the battery gets really low while navigating. My ride wasn't long enough to reach that point. I started out with a fully charged battery and had the lightning bolt on the battery icon but was discharged a good bit at the end of the ride. That experience was far from a scientific test. It is possible that the USB port simply was not providing 5v because I have been able to use the XT in my car while connected to USB, although with different cable (a 'charging only' cable), and not at full brightness.

[jfheath]

I bought this hoping I would be able to easily copy all the rides I have on my bicycle Garmin on to the Zumo.
So far I am having no luck. The files on my Garmin Edge 500 are fitt files and not gpx.
There just doesn't seem to be a way to do this, bearing in mind I'm 70 years old and not tech savvy.

Garmin's Basecamp will read .fit files according to the 'Open file' options that are listed. Link to download page

Basecamp is free to download and use all you would need to do is to open the fit file and then export it to your Zumo.

I still use Basecamp for planning all of my routes - the maps that are loaded onto the XT can also be loaded onto a PC for Basecamp to use.

[smfollen]

It is possible that the USB port simply was not providing 5v ...

Power delivery via USB is a complex subject. It SHOULD be 5 volts, other than USB C which can deliver 20 volts to devices which can handle it. Of course bad chargers, connectors, cables, etc. can affect voltage. Voltage alone isn't enough. Power is voltage times current. The amount of power delivered varies by USB generation however. By specification, USB 2.0 delivers up to 500mA, USB 3.0 delivers up to 900mA, etc. Not all devices comply with the specs. For example, you can find USB A wall chargers that deliver 2100ma (2.1 amps * 5v = 10.5 watts), although not all cables can deliver that much current.
What I'm including here is a significant simplification, just to illustrate some of the complexity.

I looked quickly but couldn't find a power (watts) or current (amps) requirement for the XT.

Bottom line: I'd stick with the supplied power harness designed specifically for the XT. It takes 12v from the motorcycle, delivers ~5v to the device and can provide at least whatever amperage the XT requires (assuming nothing is damaged or modified).

[Oop North John]

I looked quickly but couldn't find a power (watts) or current (amps) requirement for the XT.

Bottom line: I'd stick with the supplied power harness designed specifically for the XT. It takes 12v from the motorcycle, delivers ~5v to the device and can provide at least whatever amperage the XT requires (assuming nothing is damaged or modified).

About 2amps IIRC, and yes I'd use the equipment designed by Garmin to do the job.

[Bigron]

Thanks, I've sorted the power cable now, gone straight to the battery and it's working fine.
Big disappointment for me though is not being able to put the rides I have on my Garmin Edge 500 onto to the Zumo. The rides are also on the Garmin connect website, but the won't copy to the Zumo.