Electrical plug on fish finder is bad

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Duster_BB
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun May 15, 2022 5:35 pm

Electrical plug on fish finder is bad

Post by Duster_BB »

I just bought a used kayak that came with a Raymarine Dragon Fly fish finder & battery.

I knew it worked, but I kept having trouble getting it to turn on. Battery is good.

Finally, I got it to turn on, but only by really squeezing and holding this plug pictured below in place that goes to the battery box.

I believe either:
A) the 2 prongs are loose and maybe I can bend them slightly to fit more snug
B) there's a bad wire in there

My question: are these cords hard to find/replace if I can't fix it myself? I suspect I can snip the bad wire out and reconnect it - has anyone done this before on this type of plug?

This cord powers both the transducer and screen.

Any other help appreciated if you've dealt with this below.

Thanks
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gps plug.jpeg
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motoyak
Posts: 142
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:06 pm
Location: Kerrville TX

Re: Electrical plug on fish finder is bad

Post by motoyak »

Duster_BB wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 6:46 pm

Finally, I got it to turn on, but only by really squeezing and holding this plug pictured below in place that goes to the battery box.


This cord powers both the transducer and screen.

On close inspection of your picture, there appears to be the black and red (positive and negative) wires plus a 3rd smaller unknown wire. I did a little research and that 3rd wire hooks to a boat RF ground. You have a plastic kayak so it can connect that 3rd wire to nothing at all.

Id strip back the thick black insulation 6" or so inches using a razor knife to slice it open then cut the plug off. Install a 1-3 amp inline fuse on the red wire then strip back the ends of both red and black wires to expose clean copper. Test the unit by touching the stripped ends of the red(positive) and black (neg) wire to your battery terminal(make sure the battery has juice LOL). Have your helper try to turn unit on. If she powers up, then its your plug connections (which I highly suspect). Replace both male (to head unit) and female( to battery box or battery terminals) parts of the plug with any 2 pin waterproof quick disconnect you can buy at an automotive store, walmart, amazon, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/SDTC-Tech-Extens ... 71&sr=8-10

Slip good shrink wrap onto wires then permanently connect with by soldering them ( no wire nuts or twist and tape method)
Last edited by motoyak on Sat May 28, 2022 9:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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motoyak
Posts: 142
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:06 pm
Location: Kerrville TX

Re: Electrical plug on fish finder is bad

Post by motoyak »

those plug tips look pretty corroded which is a constant battle for any marine electronics. Can't really clean or tweak the plug tips so always best to replace and start anew. Intermittent problems are almost always found to be caused by corrosion at the connectors. I smear dielectric grease on both male and female ends of the connectors and snap them in/out a few times. It helps but won't cure corrosion.
Duster_BB
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun May 15, 2022 5:35 pm

Re: Electrical plug on fish finder is bad

Post by Duster_BB »

Got it working, thanks
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motoyak
Posts: 142
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:06 pm
Location: Kerrville TX

Re: Electrical plug on fish finder is bad

Post by motoyak »

Just curious as to what was the issue? Enjoy
Duster_BB
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun May 15, 2022 5:35 pm

Re: Electrical plug on fish finder is bad

Post by Duster_BB »

That plug was shot. It was a little corroded on the prongs, but that wasn't the main issue. The exposed wires were corroded, and the plug has two little screws that you use to clamp the wire down. These screws were corroded and one of them stripped, so it couldn't screw down all the way.
Duster_BB
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun May 15, 2022 5:35 pm

Re: Electrical plug on fish finder is bad

Post by Duster_BB »

PS - I found the website where the previous owner purchased all of the wiring supplies - https://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/. Sharing in case it's new to anyone else...
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