Garmin G5 Not Seeing Battery

T

T Shugart

Filing Flight Plan
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Dec 14, 2019
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tshugart3
Hello all,

I have a dual Garmin G5 AI/HSI install in my PA28-181. Starting recently, I no longer see the 45-second countdown on my AI when I turn off the master. It just turns off. And I also no longer see the battery status at all - seems like it's just no longer seeing the battery for some reason. I've tried turning off manually, and turning it back on with a 10-second push on the power button. Didn't change anything.

The G5 HSI still sees the battery like normal, and has a 45 sec countdown when avionics master is turned off.

Both units are on software version 6.20. I know there are more recent versions out there, just haven't installed them.

Any suggestions on how to correct this would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Tom S.
Tacoma, WA
 
And when you have the batteries out, test the voltage...
 
T Shugart said:
Hello all,

I have a dual Garmin G5 AI/HSI install in my PA28-181. Starting recently, I no longer see the 45-second countdown on my AI when I turn off the master. It just turns off. And I also no longer see the battery status at all - seems like it's just no longer seeing the battery for some reason. I've tried turning off manually, and turning it back on with a 10-second push on the power button. Didn't change anything.

The G5 HSI still sees the battery like normal, and has a 45 sec countdown when avionics master is turned off.

Both units are on software version 6.20. I know there are more recent versions out there, just haven't installed them.

Any suggestions on how to correct this would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Tom S.
Tacoma, WA
Click to expand...

Do update your software. There have been significant changes in battery handling, as there have been issues with the G5 not turning off, emptying the battery and damaging it. Odds are you have a bad battery, but the software updates can prevent it from happening again. You can do the updates yourself...just need a microSD card and a little time. It's really, really easy.
 
Yes. That's a bad battery. You can tweak the G5 configuration and it will display battery status on the G5 display.
 
Definitely sounds like a dead battery. Before the most recent firmware updates, my G5s were draining my batteries when they were powered "off". One of these episodes drained my HSI battery to 2% after a month during the winter, and the AI battery became unrecoverable and had to be replaced. The dead battery did not show up as attached in the AI display. This is or was a serious software flaw. A rechargeable lithium battery is supposed to have a "smart" circuit that does not let it discharge to an unrecoverable state.
 
Had the same battery issue in my G5 AI already. Garmin was absolutely worthless in support. Made me go back to the dealer who wasn’t any help either. Just ordered a new battery from Aircraft Spruce to get it repaired.


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Fracpilot said:
Had the same battery issue in my G5 AI already. Garmin was absolutely worthless in support. Made me go back to the dealer who wasn’t any help either. Just ordered a new battery from Aircraft Spruce to get it repaired.


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Click to expand...
I hear stories like this over and over, like the guy with a 182 that has had 6 bad auto pilot servos since installing his GFC500. Still, people treat G as the gold standard for products and support. My experience has not been much different.
 
Jesse Saint said:
I hear stories like this over and over, like the guy with a 182 that has had 6 bad auto pilot servos since installing his GFC500. Still, people treat G as the gold standard for products and support. My experience has not been much different.
Click to expand...

There is a guy with a Bonanza has the same problem.

But at least the G5s don’t have emergency ADs that turns them into paperweights.
 
Fracpilot said:
Had the same battery issue in my G5 AI already. Garmin was absolutely worthless in support. Made me go back to the dealer who wasn’t any help either. Just ordered a new battery from Aircraft Spruce to get it repaired.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yep. I contacted Garmin about the excessive battery drain and their response is that it must have been installed wrong. Useless. If the instrument is powered down, it shouldn't be consuming power. Not if it is designed properly. It typically drains about 3% of the battery capacity per day when shut off in a linear fashion. Ive been flying regularly since winter, so I don't know if the latest firmware has fixed this, but I'm still seeing 2-3% per day drain over short periods.
 
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