Hey guys,
Just bought a new Hummimbird Ice 35 finder, and have used it 5 times. Now, when I connect the battery, the charger indicates charging for a second or two, then shows full charge. Which is BS. The unit has never died. The first two times I used it all day, and it indicated about 3/4 charge on the unit when we packed up and left, then I plugged it in at home and it seemed to charge correctly. This time we used it for 3 days (maybe 16 hours total) to see how long the battery lasts. And it did some wierd stuff. It slowly read the bottom as being shallower and shallower. We knew we were in about 11 feet of water, but towards the end it had creeped up to 6 feet... which we could measure as incorrect. (And yes, we read the unit correctly since I anticipate this question!). It also still read about 3/4 charge on the battery.... after all that time. Starting to wonder if it was broken and always showed 3/4 battery. Now when we plug it in, it immediatly reads full charge on the charger. We also tried another 12v car charger, and it also read... you guessed it, 3/4 charge.
Can anyone explain whats going on? No conjecture please, need answers from folks who know for sure. Supremely pissed off that my $300 investment is already sputtering.
Edit, it also rattles REALLY damn loud sometimes and I have to weigh it down with something. Tried to torque all the screws a little but theyre snug. I realize it makes some noise, which is fine. This is very clearly not normal.
Thanks guys. This machine makes fishing a lot more entertaining, so I'd love to get it working...