Looking for some help with my Helix 12. The screen keeps freezing or sometimes it will completely turn off and reboot. I've got it networked to a 998si in the console and another Helix 10 up front. It's the only unit giving me issues and it's driving me crazy. Has anyone had these issues? Any help or thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Have you checked for loose connections

sounds like low voltage. wiring or weak battery. had same problem with mine a few months back. battery checked good so I spent 2 months chasing ghosts. finally bit the bullet and replaced battery with a delka 31 and it fixed all my problems. good luck

Thanks guys. Have checked the wiring....all good there. Checked the battery and it's good, went ahead and replaced it too. If it was a voltage issue, wouldn't the other units fall victim to the same problems?

Is it a G2N unit?

Not the G2N unit

Hmm are they all wired together?

They are "networked" through the Ethernet box

I meant power wires. Some simple suggestions:

-plug in and update the unit
-make sure they each have their own power wire
- try running it without the others and see if it still does it

bend your pins slightly on the power plug. Take a little screwdriver and just nudge it over. Make sure it fits snug. it is most likely losing contact

My bad...power wires are all independent, will try the update but last time I checked, it was current. I have ran it solo, off the network and it still has issues. Sad thing is, this is the second unit. Ran through the whole troubleshooting mess with the Humminbird tech team and they decided it must be the unit and shipped a new one. It does it too. It upsets me enough that I've considered selling all my birds and going to Lowrance. But now it's become a personal challenge so I've got to figure this mess out

Not necessarily. Is it wired directly to the battery and not another switch or accessory? The further away from the battery it is the heavier gauge wire you'll need. Did you run new wire to it? I'd check to see if I ran a heavy enough gauge for the distance and replace the wire completely. You may have nicked it running it through the boat the first time. What voltage is it reading when the battery is fully charged? I have a 898 on my bow and it never gets the full voltage when I turn it on with a full battery. I just haven't bothered running a heavier gauge wire to it because it doesn't give me a problem. Even my 12 at the console rarely shows over 11.9 volts on a fresh battery.

Does this occur all the time or possibly later in the day when the battery might be drained a little? How did you test your battery? It needs to be tested fully charged and under a load. You need to take it in or use a tester that will put a load on it.

It is wired direct and the wire gauge should be more than sufficient. The 998 was wired through the switch and I wired this one direct to the battery. It "misbehaves" all the time during first power on and as I'm headed to the ramp after a full day. Voltage typically shows 12.8 ish and seldom drops. It doesn't do it when I crank the motor, hit a wave, turn on the TM or any other accessory. I have tried the plug for the 998 ( wired to the switch and never malfunctioned on other units) and it still acts up. So what I'm saying is I bypassed "my wiring" thinking I may have made a mistake and used the factory wiring hoping to troubleshoot the issue. Still screws up.

I have a Helix 10.. when I first installed it.. I had a couple of freezes and reboots.. but when I did the first firmware upgrade, that went away. If you think its current.. and I don't know if you can do this or not.. but check with the humminbird website about going back a version of the firmware and see if that is even possible. These things are computers.. some of the glitches that occur in computers will happen in these things as well. I don't have mine networked yet.. I have to drill a hole in my boat to get the cable back to the console and I just haven't pulled that trigger.
Good luck
BD

Thanks everyone