Helix low voltage shut down?

[jbmaine]

hi all,

Got out for the first time this year and had something strange happen. My helix 5 would be at times shut off , and I could not turn it on. I kept playing with it and finally found out the following things.

The Helix would shut off every time I started the motor.

I could not turn it back on unless I unplugged it and plugged it back in. Then I could turn it back on.

If I turned it off before starting the motor I could turn it on once the motor was running.

When running the motor it would charge the battery at around 14.5 volts.

After shutting off the motor the battery showed a surface charge of 12.6 volts but within a minute was down to 12 volts.

I am thinking I have a weak battery and starting the motor ( it started fine) would draw the battery down low enough to turn off the Helix, and the Helix has to be replugged back in to "reset it".

Does this sound reasonable and has anyone else seen anything like this?

 I'm thinking I need a new battery.

                                        Jim

[moguy1973]

I agree.  New battery is in store for you.

[Wayne P.]

If you did not connect the unit directly to the battery, that will happen also when you have a weak battery or poor connections (including the boat's wiring harness).

[Further North]

I had the same issues last year with my bow mount 798 and this year when I put a Helix 12 at the console (oddly enough the Helix 10 at the bow didn't have the issue the 798 had).

 

I moved my fish finders off the main battery to a separate battery and charger that is completely independent form anything else (My Humminbird 360° is also on the same circuit).

 

Completely eliminates the problem.

[cajun ben]

JB Hummingbird has an update on the Helix that address that problem.

[Wayne P.]

1 hour ago, cajun ben said:

JB Hummingbird has an update on the Helix that address that problem.

 

What is the update description that fixes a bad battery or connections?

[Ski213]

I had something similar a year ago. I got similar advice here.

 

I'd say it's the battery. Process of elimination though.  Have the battery tested. It's quick and it's free. Mine tested good.

 

I don't know how your unit is wired but mine was out of the factory harness. That factory harness was fine for '98 electronics but not '16 electronics. I had pretty significant voltage drop from the battery to the bow unit. Ran what I'm going to call a dedicated circuit off the starting battery to the bow unit and h tapped the console unit into that. Problem solved. 

 

If it is a bad battery and your electronics aren't on a dedicated circuit I would advise fixing that as well. It's advice that is often given here and elsewhere by experienced folks and it's worth doing. I wish I would have followed that advice sooner myself. 

[jbmaine]

Thanks for the replies,

 The Helix is wired direct to the battery, as is the motor( I have only one battery). I picked up a new battery and will see if this corrects the issue. The old battery was 5 yr's old so a new one was due any why.

                                                 Thanks for the help

                                                                        Jim

[MickD]

You need to get this resolved properly to prevent your getting stranded due to no starting battery power.  The low voltage shutdown means the unit is not getting proper voltage, and depending on your setup, that could mean your engine is not getting robust voltage either.  I think you are right on the edge of not being able to start your engine.  

 

You have a trolling motor on that battery, too?  If so, I think you are playing a risky game.

 

 

[jbmaine]

4 hours ago, MickD said:

You need to get this resolved properly to prevent your getting stranded due to no starting battery power.  The low voltage shutdown means the unit is not getting proper voltage, and depending on your setup, that could mean your engine is not getting robust voltage either.  I think you are right on the edge of not being able to start your engine.  

 

You have a trolling motor on that battery, too?  If so, I think you are playing a risky game.

 

 

I've just got a small boat, 14ft lund WC Delux, and I don't have a trolling motor. This is my second year with the Helix. Last year it worked fine. I've just picked up a new battery and hope to get out soon and see if it fixes the issue.

                                         Thanks

                                                  Jim

[Further North]

In my case, I believe the problem sourced to the original wiring in the boat...but there was no way I was going to re-wire the whole thing, so the separate circuit with independent battery and charger solved the issue handily...and gives me an independent back-up in case something dumb (that means operator error. 95% of the time) happens with my starting battery.

18 hours ago, jbmaine said:

I've just got a small boat, 14ft lund WC Delux, and I don't have a trolling motor. This is my second year with the Helix. Last year it worked fine. I've just picked up a new battery and hope to get out soon and see if it fixes the issue.

                                         Thanks

                                                  Jim

I think you're on the right path, looking forward to the follow-up.

[jbmaine]

Hi all 

   Sorry I didn't give feed back on this sooner.

I picked up a new battery and finally got out to give it a try.

Problem solved. Unit stays on all the time now. Thank goodness it was a simple fix.

                                        Jim