Thread: garmin etrex30x broken motherboard

Well, probably on Ali Express, alibaba, eBay, amazon ... or domestic used goods websites
But you don't need the board, most likely the memory chip is the problem. You need a top electronics technician or a great enthusiast

Good luck

eBay EUR 160,00 Garmin etrex 32x gps.

eBay EUR 102,99 Garmin eTrex 30x

There are many on ebay

You need to look in your area for a used eTrex

I don't see anything in that pic that says and error as the RAM & ROM say pass and the other items are OK as well.
You need to be more pacific what is wrong and Neil may be able to help.

Originally Posted by hitan

... it says the database is broken. It won't rewrite anything in its hardware system...

This statement implies that the memory chip has entered a read-only state, maybe some cells are damaged and/or that the electronics responsible for writing have failed. This is possible and it is happening
Of course, if the member has described the situation correctly

Here are some test you can do:

Test Pages on the eTrex 30x

Hardware/Software ID and Display Test:

With the device turned off,
press and hold [Power] + [Thumb Stick]
[Power] = Cycles Backlight 50% > 100% > Off
[Back] = Cycles Diagnostic Screens

Error Logs:

Open the Trip Computer page.
[Thumb Stick Up > Right > Down > Left]
[Thumb Stick Up/Down] = Select Desired Shutdown Log
[Enter] = Displays additional information when available
[Thumb Stick Up > Right > Down > Left] = Logging Control
[Back] = Exit Selected Test Mode

Then post the info you get here for others to see.


Troubleshooting:


My eTrex x0x does not respond. How do I reset the device?

• Remove batteries.
• Reinstall batteries.
• Allow the eTrex to cool if hot to the touch.

How do I reset all settings back to factory defaults?
Reset Trip Data

• Resets all trip data (timers, averages, distances, etc.)
  
  • Yes
  • No
  
  Delete All Waypoints

• Deletes all waypoints from the device
  
  • Yes
  • No
  
  Clear Current Track

• Clears the contents of the current track log recording
  
  • Yes
  • No
  
  Clear Track and Trip Data

• Clears the contents of the current track log recording and all trip data
  
  • Yes
  • No
  
  

Reset All Settings

• Restores all device settings and Profiles to factory default (No user data is deleted)
  
  • Yes
  • No
  
  

How do I Master Reset my eTrex x0x?

• hold [Menu] + [Thumb Stick] + cycle [Power] (erases all user data).

My eTrex x0x is not reading data from the microSD card.

• Confirm the microSD card meets supported specifications.
• Verify the microSD card is installed securely and correctly.
• Ensure microSD card is formatted FAT32 (not exFAT).
• Try using a different microSD card.

I posted this back in 2020 on another forum it also for any of the old style holders for SD cards:

This has happened on a couple of times that the 66s does not read the SD card.

It started with 4.20 and every update to now 5.00.
I can be in my office and attached the 66s to my laptop and want to put Geocaches on the SD card.
No SD card.
Turned off the 66s and back on it then reads the SD card
In the morning I took the 66s out for a test drive with v5.00 and all went OK.
Got home and attached the 66s to my laptop and again no SD card.
This time I shut the 66s down and took the batteries out to look at the SD card.
What I found was the sliding door was open and the SD card was not seated correctly.
So I when to close the sliding door and found it to be was very loose.
If fact too loose I took the 66s in hand and was shaking it a little.
What happened is the sliding door slid open.
So to correct the problem I first put the sliding door back in place and add a small piece of flat rubber to size over the SD compartment then put the batteries back it..
This corrects the problem of the 66s not reading the SD card.
Been out in the afternoon with the 66 after the repair and have not had any problems with the SD card not being read.
The same when I attached it to the Laptop.

As others have reported problems with the 66 not reading the SD card it could very well be the same problem I have with a loose sliding door.

I thought I would see if my 30x would do any updates so installed Garmin Express and after installing it said I have updates it runs version 3.0, it also said I needed to fit another SD of 32GB as 16GB was not enough.
When I find a 32GB will test again. I also tested without the SD card and it still runs, so maybe remove your SD card and see what happens.