# Battery Connections Reversed - VHF and Fishfinder Fried?



## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

With darkness approaching and no reading glasses, I connected my marine starting battery terminals in reverse on my new Starweld 20. I was able to resuscitate my Yamaha F150 and T9.9 with new fuses (50 amp and 10 amp respectively). My new Standard Horizon VHF radio will not power up even though fuses are good. My in dash Humminbird Helix 5 turns on, but gets stuck in the demo mode and no buttons work, not even the power button to shut it off.

Are the VHF and Helix toast? Any advice to help repair the damage to the electronics or my self esteem would be welcome! I'm guessing that I blew a chunk of change with this mistake. Need quick fix or replacement electronics as I am not comfortable on Lake Erie without it.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

I believe on Hummingbird products, you can do a hard reset by pressing and holding the power button for 20 seconds. Maybe that will help?

Not sure about the radio....

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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

Thanks, I'll check manual for hard reset.


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## burnsj5 (Jan 30, 2014)

Don't think birds have hard reset like lowrance, if your buttons don't work then you won't be able to go into menu for reset either. When you say fuses are good do you mean you replaced them already or they never tripped? If they didn't trip then good chance the items mayb be done or need sent out for repair if possible.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

burnsj5 said:


> Don't think birds have hard reset like lowrance, if your buttons don't work then you won't be able to go into menu for reset either. When you say fuses are good do you mean you replaced them already or they never tripped? If they didn't trip then good chance the items mayb be done or need sent out for repair if possible.


The fuses never tripped on vhf wire at battery or glass inline on vhf wire from factory. I didn’t replace them but just checked so I will double check for voltage. On the helix no buttons work after I push power button.


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## burnsj5 (Jan 30, 2014)

Weird they didn't blow, may have not done their job and let the items get damaged. Worth giving customer service a call on the bird, maybe shorted out panel for buttons and now just stuck in the default and unable to escape that mode or reset from menu.
I did the same thing to an old aqua view I rigged up in a boat, had the leads mixed up and the unit got fried.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

Standard Horizon service said send it in for repair and will get cost estimate if not under warranty. Humminbird service told me to send it in for repair. These send in options take around 3 weeks give or take unfortunately.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

For the radio it might be easier to just replace than deal with shipping and possible repair costs. Upgrade to one with built in gps and sign up with an MSSI for emergency distress. 

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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

I have the 3 month old Standard Horizon GX1850G with GPS built in and a registered MSSI number.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

I replaced and in line fuse for tge second time and my vhf radio came back to life. Apparently I had a spare blown fuse in my glove compartment. Now I just need to figure out how to pull the oem Helix5 out of my dashboard with almost no backside access. I'm not in a rush since I installed my Elite 9. 

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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

I had an issue with my Helix 10. Wouldn't turn on completely...stayed stuck in the power on screen (but not due to reversed wiring). What fixed it was installing an software update SD card you can download from the HB website. HB recommends resetting the defaults prior to installing the software update but obviously you can't do that is the unit won't fully power up. Maybe htis will reset your unit.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

montagc said:


> Fuses can’t protect anything if you run positive through your ground...the current hits the device before the fuse. If the device itself has reverse polarity protection, you might be okay.


Apparently not my Hummer Helix 5!


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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

The Helix units can sense reverse polarity so they don’t self destruct. I’ve hooked one of mine up backwards at the kitchen table once using a homemade power cable. Nothing bad happened to it and I just flipped power leads around and it fired right up. There may be something else you’re missing.


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## leeabu (Apr 10, 2004)

montagc said:


> Fuses can’t protect anything if you run positive through your ground...the current hits the device before the fuse. If the device itself has reverse polarity protection, you might be okay.


- Current in a DC closed loop (circuit) is the same everywhere in a the closed loop! The fuse would open if the current exceeds its limits no matter where it is in that closed loop! It does not flow into the device like water in a bucket which would only flow out of the bucket when it is full. You should contact customer service at Humminbird.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

MuskyFan said:


> The Helix units can sense reverse polarity so they don’t self destruct. I’ve hooked one of mine up backwards at the kitchen table once using a homemade power cable. Nothing bad happened to it and I just flipped power leads around and it fired right up. There may be something else you’re missing.


Well, after my mistake, my Helix will turn on in the dem mode and no buttons work to do anything, including to shut it off so it's going in for service if I can figure out the exit strategy from my dash mount, heavily buried in hardware, wires, and little access. Maybe Starweld didn't install a 1 or 3 amp in line fuse. I had to pull the 10 amp fuse at the battery thart serves that particular dash feature.


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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

Maybe the software got corrupted. Have you tried reinstalling the software via a micro SD card? If it works you won’t need to take it out of the dash.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

As a followup, my electrical technician friend with humminbird issue experience discovered that the transducer plug had pulled out of the back of the helix behind my console just like he had experienced. Without a transducer hooked up, the unit will be stuck in the demo mode. So I didn't fry the unit. This is my second humminbird and both had head unit connection issues. 

So if I hit a rock and trashed my helix transducer in some remote area in Canada, I wouldn't be able to use the gps/chartplotter? Sure like my new Lowrance Elite-9. 

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## kleared42 (Oct 21, 2019)

glad you solved the mystery on that. i just bought one of those units too, so this is good information. i hope that they change the way that feature works. a busted transducer should not introduce a navigational safety issue.


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## Whiskerhunter (Sep 24, 2009)

And, this is why I have single direction plugs for my batteries and wiring harness... impossible to plug in backwards. I run a Piranamax 4 DI and a few cockpit lights as well as exterior lights in my kayak.


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## walleyechaser (Apr 13, 2004)

Just turn off the the transducer in settings and now it is a gps unit only


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

ohiojmj said:


> As a followup, my electrical technician friend with humminbird issue experience discovered that the transducer plug had pulled out of the back of the helix behind my console just like he had experienced. Without a transducer hooked up, the unit will be stuck in the demo mode. So I didn't fry the unit. This is my second humminbird and both had head unit connection issues.
> 
> So if I hit a rock and trashed my helix transducer in some remote area in Canada, I wouldn't be able to use the gps/chartplotter? Sure like my new Lowrance Elite-9.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Having a transducer go bad is not the same as not having the transducer cable hooked up.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

Is that based on experience or technical info? 

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