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O-14
Maintenance
Your Piranha is designed to provide years of trouble-free operation
with virtually no maintenance. Follow these simple procedures to
ensure your Piranha continues to deliver top performance.
If the unit comes into contact with salt spray, wipe the affected
surfaces with a cloth dampened in fresh water.
Do not use a chemical glass cleaner on the lens - this may
cause cracking in the lens.
When cleaning the LCD protective lens, use a chamois and non-
abrasive, mild cleaner. Do not wipe while dirt or grease is on the
lens. Be careful to avoid scratching the lens.
If your boat remains in the water for long periods of time, marine
growth can reduce the effectiveness of the transducer.
Periodically clean the face of the transducer with liquid detergent.
If your boat remains out of the water for a long period of time, it
may take some time to wet the transducer when returned to the
water. Small air bubbles can cling to the surface of the transduc-
er and interfere with proper operation. These bubbles dissipate
with time, or you can wipe the face of the transducer with your
fingers after the transducer is in the water.
Never leave the unit in a closed car or trunk—the extremely
high temperatures generated in hot weather can damage the
electronics.
Troubleshooting
Do not attempt to repair the Piranha yourself. There are no user
serviceable parts inside, and special tools and techniques are
required for assembly to ensure the waterproof integrity of the
housing. Repairs should be performed only by authorized
Humminbird technicians.
Many requests for repair received by Humminbird involve units
that do not actually need repair. These units are returned “no
problem found.” If you have a problem with your Piranha, use
the following troubleshooting guide before calling the Customer
Resource Center or sending your unit in for repair.
1. Nothing happens when I turn the unit on.
Check the power cable connection at both ends. Be sure the
cable is connected correctly to a reliable power source — red
lead to positive, black lead to negative or ground. Ensure the
power available is between 8 and 20 VDC. If the unit is wired
through a fuse panel, ensure the panel is powered. Often acces-
sory fuse panels are controlled by a separate switch or the igni-
tion switch. Also, often a fuse can appear to be good when it is
not. Check the fuse with a tester or replace it with a fuse known
to be good.
Check the power connection to the Piranha. It is possible to force
the power cable connector into the cable holder incorrectly. If the
connector is reversed, the unit will not work. Examine the con-
tacts on the back of the unit to ensure there is no corrosion.
2. There is no transducer detected.
The Piranha has the ability to detect and identify that a trans-
ducer is connected. When Powering on, if a message indicates
“transducer not connected”, ensure that an appropriate trans-
ducer connector is plugged into the unit. Second, inspect the
transducer cable from end to end for breaks, kinks, or cuts in
the outer casing of the cable. Also ensure the transducer is fully
submerged in water. If the transducer is connected to the unit
through a switch, temporarily connect it directly to the unit and
try again. If none of these items identifies an obvious problem,
the transducer itself is probably the problem. Be sure to include
the transducer if returning the unit for repair.
3. There is no bottom reading visible on the display.
If the loss of bottom information occurs only at high boat
speeds, the transducer needs adjusting – see the Piranha
Installation Guide. Also, in very deep water, it may be necessary
to manually increase the sensitivity setting to maintain a graphic
depiction of the bottom. If you are using a transducer switch to
connect two transducers to the Piranha, ensure the switch is in
the correct position to connect a transducer that is in water. (If a
trolling motor transducer is selected and the trolling motor is out
of water, no sonar information appears.) If none of the above
solve the problem, inspect the transducer cable from end to end
for breaks, kinks, or cuts in the outer casing of the cable. If the
transducer is connected to the unit through a switch, temporarily
connect it directly to the unit and try again. If none of these
items identifies an obvious problem, the transducer itself may be
the problem. Be sure to include the transducer if returning the
unit for repair.
4. When in very shallow water, I get gaps in the bottom
reading and inconsistent digital depth indication.
The Piranha will work reliably in water 3’ (.9m) or deeper.The depth
is measured from the transducer, not necessarily from the surface.
5. The unit comes on before I press POWER, and won’t turn off.
Check the transducer cable — if the outer jacket of the cable
has been cut and the cable is in contact with bare metal, you
will need to repair the cut with electrical tape.
If there is no problem with the cable, disconnect the transducer
from the unit and see if the problem is corrected, to confirm the
source of the problem.