Round GPS Connector

eTrex/eMap Connector

eTrex/eMap Data Cable

GPS Power Inserter Cable

eTrex/eMap Cable Bare Wires

eTrex/eMap Combination Data/Power Cable

Round Connector GPS Data Cable

USB to Serial Converter

Garmin makes a great series of affordable GPS receivers, but though they can be connected to your computer or powered from an external source, finding or making a cable can be a rather difficult undertaking, as they use a custom connector not found anywhere else. Garmin does sell several cables to use with their units, however, they are quite expensive (and there is a noted lack of support for the Macintosh!) In an attempt to come up with a cost-effective solution to connect a GPS 38 to a Macintosh, we stumbled across Purple Open Projects (POP) at pfranc.com. They have created "sharehardware" variations for three of Garmin's custom GPS connectors, with a unique method of obtaining one:

1. Make a pledge - a promise to send money or something if you are happy with the connector. Note that the cost of shipping the connector out to you is considered to be included in your pledge.
2. Email your request to a "Pfranc" (POP franchise) near you. If you're located in Canada, you can order cables and/or connectors directly from us (GST is also considered to be part of the pledge).
3. Decide how satisfied you are with service and the connector, and then send in your pledge amount (more if you are more happy, less if you are less happy).

As mentioned, three different styles of connectors are available. The large round connector works for most of the popular original Garmin GPS models requiring a round plug with 4 pins (with or without a 5th centre plastic post). The rectangular connector supports the eTrex and eMap receivers, and the smaller round plug works with the Rino receivers.

Also, prebuilt cables are now available for those of you who would rather not construct a cable yourself. Data cables are ready to be used to connect your Garmin GPS receiver to your IBM compatible computer (or any other device that uses a DB9 serial connection). As well, a power inserter cable can be used in conjunction with the appropriate data cable to provide both power and data capabilities to most receivers. For those using an eMap or eTrex, if you prefer, you can obtain a combination data/power cable that already has both capabilities built in. Or if you would like to use a laptop or computer that only has USB ports (no serial ports), check out our new USB to serial converter, which works on either Windows or Macintosh computers.

In short, if you have a computer and Garmin GPS receiver, we probably have a cable or combination of cables that would work well to suit your data and power needs. Feel free to contact us if you are unsure of which of our products would work best for you.