Lowrance Hook 5 turning off unexpectedly

[adamr]

Past two times I have been out on the water my Lowrance Hook 5 FF has shut off after an hour to three hours. I am able to turn it back on, sometimes staying on for another thirty minutes to an hour and sometimes only five to ten minutes. I have it hooked up to the Nocqua 10ah Pro Power Battery. Both the FF and battery are less than a year old.

After doing a little research on the internet, I have a feeling it has to do with the voltage possibly going low on the battery. It sounds like the Lowrance FF may have a setting where it shuts off when the voltage gets too low, does that sounds right? I haven't tested this yet but just learned that you can display the voltage on the Lowrance FF.

Anyone have this problem with either the FF or the Nocqua battery? From my understanding and based on conversations with others, that battery should be able to power the FF for a solid day.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[surfbrewer]

I wouldn't think you would be getting voltage drops from a Nocqua 10 ah after only 1-3 hours. But, there may be something else going on. I would send an email to both Lowrance and Nocqua explaining the issue and see what they say. Please let us know what they say, I'd be interested to know.

[GoBruins]

I'd agree. 10AH should last you an entire day, if not two.

The first thing you should check is the battery voltage when it quits. I would imagine it would have to be in the low 11's for the Lowrance to quit. Cheap Voltmeters are a dime a dozen anywhere.

If it still has good juice, I'd start checking the connections for corrosion, etc.

If the Lowrance quits randomly, I'd suspect connections. If it consistently quits after 2-3 hours, I'd suspect battery. Do you have a good trickle charger?

[GoBruins]

Addendum: I coat all my connections with dielectric grease. It helps in keeping corrosion at bay.

[RHYAK]

my chirp did that and had to get it replaced but I started with changing out the battery for a new one, which with the battery you have I do not think the issue lies there but maybe.

I would shoot Lowrance an email asking about it. Does the unit feel really HOT to the touch.

Maybe look into running new electrical wires as well.

[adamr]

Thanks for all of the input. Sorry for not responding right away, i thought I had my email notifications set on so I thought no one had responded.

Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to dive into it further, but I intend to this weekend. I will run it and check battery voltage when the FF shuts off. I will also check the connections and consider rewiring it if there's any signs of corrosion.

One thing that I am recalling now is that when I wired the battery I forgot to incorporate the surge protector (at least i think thats what it is, attached is an image of the part I'm taking about) that comes with the FF....could this be the issue?

[H2joe]

I have two Lowrance 4s (elite and mark).  One will work without that in-line fuse you are showing, the other will not.  Both will work with the in-line fuse and it is a good idea to use it because you will only need to replace a fuse (not head unit) if you have a surge or electrical problem.

[adamr]

Hm, thats interesting. The first 4 or 5 times i used it (without the in-line fuse) it ran all day, no problem. So I suspected that it was not the cause. If I rewire it though, which I may have to do, I will be sure to include it.

[Big_Mac]

I ran into the same issue with my FF. I have a Mark 4. If I were you, I wouldn't focus so much on the FF. My issue was the battery. I had it on a charger for WAY too long most of the time. Having it on a charger for too long will cause the battery to swell and ruin it's ability to hold a charge. The battery may still work....it just won't work for as long as it's intended to. I switched over to a trickle charger with an automatic shut off...otherwise known as a floating circuit. After I switched over to a new battery and auto-charger my issues disappeared. Hope that helps.

[adamr]

Thanks for the advice Big_Mac. I actually considered that because I would let the battery charge overnight. I will definitely keep this in mind next time i charge it and see if it makes a difference.

I ran the battery and FF at my house over the weekend and it seemed to work fine as it went for 5+ hours without shutting off. That tells me either my connections were loose on the water that day or two I experienced this, or the wires aren't sealed properly and water is getting in. Unfortunately, i don't recall how long I ran the battery on the charger before I did this test so I cannot say if Big-Macs advice was the solution.

[Big_Mac]

If you are still using the original battery then it must have been a lose connection. If a battery ever gets over charged it will never be the same. It won't be able to work longer just because you charged it for a shorter period of time this time around. Just FYI...you can leave it on an auto-charger indefinitely without fear of over charging. It's the same type that people use if they are storing batteries over the course of a season or two. Just wondering....do you have a sealed battery case with some sort of waterproof fittings for the wiring?

[adamr]

Big_Mac, I am using the Nocqua Pro Power Kit battery (https://nocqua.com/product/pro-power-kit/).

A trickle charger is a smart idea, but I don't believe I could rig one to work with this battery. I will just have to monitor it as it charges.