Comments on: Deconstructing the Garmin Etrex Vista

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:29 +0000

hi my etrex vista not turn on

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:48:16 +0000

Many thanks to all for the very clear explanations.
I had a display problem, it was missing entire lines to the extent that the display was unreadable.
As “Tom Says: March 29th, 2007 at 7:09 am ” this is a very delicate area, don’t try to remove the tape.
The very fine conductors (wires) will certainly break rendering the display useless.

Really, this failure is quite predictable thus THIS IS A BUILT IN FAILURE BY GARMIN TO RIP YOU OFF.
I, for one do, not accept this and will never buy another Garmin as well as tell everybody about my experience.

By: Tom Robinson

Tom Robinson — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:05:01 +0000

Many, many thanks.

Used the info to repair a non functioning click stick on my old etrex legend. Slightly different layout but a blast of air and drop of WD40 has cleared the fault. The backlight doe not seem to work properly now (screen goes blank rather than lights up) but I can live without that as I don’t use it at night.

Thanks again

By: art foster

art foster — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:19:01 +0000

This is a fantastic web site Im glad I found it and members with awesome info and experieinces, Has any one come acrossed a supplier of replacement color lcd s ? I appreciate any info, Ive got 2 broken units. Keep up the good work and Thanks

By: John

John — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 02:58:31 +0000

Wahoo! I was all ready to donate/chuck my etrex Venture, but your instructions saved the day!

By: J Daigle

J Daigle — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 01:43:43 +0000

I also experienced the joystick malfunction along with the horizontal lines across the screen. I wouldn’t have attempted this repair if it wasn’t for this post. I was able to reuse both tapes that seal the unit and the “glue” that holds the rubber band on, although the tapes picked up some sawdust from my workbench, I managed to salvage them. I was able to work on the joystick without disassembly of the ribbon/connector. I just sprayed it with CRC contact cleaner and blew it off, made sure the ribbon was in the connector and put it back together. The joystick is working fine and the screen looks OK but the lines across the screen I experienced was sporadic so more testing will be in order. Thanks to all who submitted pics and informative suggestions.

By: eugenio

eugenio — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:44:59 +0000

Hi evryone,
great useful posts, I came upon this page looking for a solution to my problem.
During a work trip in Africa the rubber band around my Vista Hcx got loose, making hitting the side buttons difficult as the band slips out of place very easily.
I guess that when exposed to high temperatures (above 38C, 100F) the material expands and the glue melts, a colleague of mine had the same problem with his unit.
I’ll try to use some silicon glue as suggested.
If anyone had the same issue please share…

thanks!

By: e trekker

e trekker — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:17:15 +0000

PS* I found it easier NOT to remove the ‘sticky stuff’ (sellotape) under the black rubber band, just cut it cleanly around the join mark with a very sharp, fine surgical blade.

Replace with (new) tape to form a new seal when finished.

With regard to reinserting that fiddly little ribbon cable..
be VERY careful as its very short and will easily tear;
when trying to reinsert it, patience is THE key..
I found it helpful to bend out the ribbon Very slightly to gain another mm or two, and place some very fine foam behind it;
just enough to bend it towards the multi pin connector, but thin enough to remove after the successful connection has been made.

Good luck, take GREAT care

By: e trekker

e trekker — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:50:40 +0000

Thank YOu

its so nice that people who mange to crack these problems (like removing the black rubber to open the unit!) then take the time to post their results, and save us all a LOT of effort.
Very clear, descriptive and helpful.
THANK YOU so much

(and yes Garmins post sales support/warranty does such !! )
uk etrex user

By: Blair

Blair — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:58:51 +0000

I think I fried my Legend hooking it up to my quad battery. Is there an internal fuse to replace or is is a lost cause to repair?

By: todd

todd — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:39:46 +0000

I didnt replace any parts just cleaned them. Upon powering up I get the owner screen then it shuts itself off. I think I am bitched.

By: elhombre

elhombre — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:09:31 +0000

Did you solder the wires to the battery?
If so, does the unit work OK before you put the two parts back together (you should be able to power up at this point)?

By: todd

todd — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:08:37 +0000

Did the repair, great instructions. Got everything re-assembled and checked the unit before messing with sealing and putting on the black rubber gasket. The unit will start it’s boot squence but shuts down about 2 seconds after showing the owner screen. must have something wrong. I have reassembled 3 times.

Any ideas?

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:32:23 +0000

@elhombre: Thanks!

In the end (Before reading your post) I decided to use the silicon adhesive I already had.

I considered the solution you suggested (using electrical tape as a spacer) and decided that it would make pushing the side buttons almost impossible so what I did was wrap the two layers of black electrical tape and on it smear a thick layer of silicone.
Then I put the rubber band on and waited 24 hours for it to dry completely.

At that point there we still points where the rubber band did not attach completely (Due to it being to big for some bizarre reasons ) so I “Injected” Silicone into these spaces. Then I waited another 24 hours planning on doing this again If i had to. Didn’t have to, the band seems to be attached to the device just fine now.

Right now the unit looks ok. Don’t know if it would win any good looking device awards but it works nice.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3712634816_c4ebedf4f2_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2462/3711823757_0867cbf16e_b.jpg

By: elhombre

elhombre — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:01:26 +0000

@Ben: this is bizar. Either the rubber band must have stretched, or the device shrunk . To glue it back in place, you could use Loctite Black Max 380, which is a rubber cement designed for this kind of thing. If there is too much of a gap, I guess you could wrap some electrical tape around the device as a spacer…

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:07:15 +0000

Hi,
I need advice on something.

I removed the rubber band and fixed the battery contact with a contact cleaner.

Now I’m trying to assemble it back and I have a problem. I’ve kept the elastic tape that keeps the device water proof so I used it and it’s fine.
The layer that was on top of it that kept the rubber band glued to the device was lost during the dis-assembly and so I’m trying to replace it.
I have a problem with the rubber band. It seems to be too large for the device now, I haven’t stretched it or anything and it’s really strange. I’m wondering if this is normal. I tried to glue it back using a silicon material but I haven’t managed to make it stick well so I would also like to know which material you used to glue it back.

A photo to illustrate my problem: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2482/3686081341_25131055f7_b.jpg

Thanks y’al.

By: shannon

shannon — Sat, 09 May 2009 05:59:38 +0000

If ever you find yourself with a cracked cover glass, simply grab a fine flat screwdriver and pry off the old glass (Plastic) one and replace it with a Welding cover lense, the ones with the peel off protective layer i think were the best. You’d expect to pay up to $3 for them If you can get the old cracked glass off in one peice, (I did) simple trace it directly as close as you can using a sharp knife tip. I have a Linisher at home wich worked a treat in sanding the shape out. My e-trex legend has a new lease on life now. I scraped old sticky glue off with a knife and wiped it over with contact cleaner. then used that 5 second glue to hold it down. I am happy with the finish quality. Hope you find this helpful as I found previous postings hany myself!
Regards Shannon Parnell

By: shannon

shannon — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:58:53 +0000

You guys are ALL champions

By: Emrol Ed

Emrol Ed — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:21:11 +0000

I followed these procedures a few years ago and it cleared up the joystick problems and the screen lines. The problems happened again now, and I found that one of the “hooks” on the black ribbon clamp was bent, and it broke off while trying to straighten it. While trying to use it anyway, the clamp fell and got lost. I ended up cutting thin strips from a plastic tray that small vegetables were sold in and, after several tries, pushed one into the connector. I think it is a tighter fit than the black clamp.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:21:23 +0000

I have completed the repair. The only thing I found different from the instructions above was there was two layers of tape around the unit. The inner most layer was solid and appeared to be a seal. The outer layer had holes for the buttons and was make of a thicker and stronger material. I suspect this was added to aid in keeping the unit from separating. I took extra time to slowly remove the outer rubber and each of these layers of tape. This kept most of the glue on the rubber and tape. I did not need to add any extra glue upon reassembly.
The repair went well. The lines are gone. I found that by shifting the back pc board over slightly and twisting it by about 15 degrees, the screws holding the screen were easily accessible. The entire repair only took about 1/2 hour.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:27:29 +0000

Great instructions! The pictures are a great help. My Etrex Legend is displaying horizontal bars and the line in the middle of the compass needle sometimes shifts to one side. At this point the problems can be fixed with a gentle tap on the side of the case but I suspect it will only get worse. My guess is that the problem is with the ribbon cable and will attempt to fix it. My biggest concern was how to open the case. You have explained that in your post. Thanks again and I will update the blog on my repair results.

By: elhombre

elhombre — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:09:55 +0000

Yes, probably the ribbon connector as far as I can tell. The plastic latches keep it in place; try to secure the cable / press it in a little tighter.
But I’d be careful with the latches: if they are somewhat bent or deformed, they may not keep the connector in place very well and you may need to bend them back a little, if at all possible.

By: desgized

desgized — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:38:58 +0000

I only see one post here that seems to describe my problem. It has to do with the display blacking out or displaying vertical black lines and blanking out the display. I think the fix is to affect a better connection with the ribbon connector. Can you confirm this, and is it just a matter of pressing it in tighter or do I need to secure it somehow?

By: elhombre

elhombre — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:49:33 +0000

@Brian: sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve opened it up (btw it still is working fine today, over two years after the fix) and I don’t remember how the battery fits in (the pictures I have don’t show much of it). I assume though it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.

@kevin:I think a new display, separately, would be hard to find, expensive, or both. You could look on Ebay or other places, e.g. for an Etrex that has an intact display but is broken for other reasons and cheaply for sale, then swap out the displays.

By: kevin

kevin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:43:00 +0000

broke my screen. any suggestions? can i buy a new one?

By: Brian

Brian — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:32:19 +0000

So I forced the case apart and the battery ended up in my lap, any ideas or Pics where it goes? anyone know any other good websites? Thanks, Brian

By: Tyler

Tyler — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:26:55 +0000

Thanks for this page! I was just able to repair my Legend using this information. The best method of reassembly was to attach the LCD to the mainboard first, then just set the LCD loosely in the front case. Now, fold the mainboard and LCD together and gently move the mainboard to the side (still parallel to the LCD) a little bit —there is some play in the flex cable which allows this. This exposes the two clickstick screw holes. Using a magnetic screwdriver (or turning the unit upside down), you should now be able to easily reinstall the screws.

By: Mike Smith

Mike Smith — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:10:41 +0000

Scotch make a permanent double-sided tape. catalog number 137.

By: Johnny Edmundson

Johnny Edmundson — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:14:35 +0000

Amazing! Did exactly as written and it worked!! The ribbon cable was a bear—especially the black locking thingee. The patience of JOB is required but the results are great. Getting the screws in after that were not a cake walk, especially with old hands that Author has worked on. Thanks for the great instructions.
Johnny Edmundson

By: John Lasseter

John Lasseter — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:27:03 +0000

Update on the switch part. As of today, the digikey part number is now 401-1130-1-ND (C&K part TPA511GLFS).