XT charging & 40% brightness issues

[JS_racer]

I may consider another mount idea, using the USB, as when I connect this cable it does charge.

Right.
I had the same set of issues on my bike ST1300 (Pan European). I also got the 40% issue on a rented BMW in Spain and my old backup Nuvi 1450 saved my day.
At home, my solution was connecting the nav via USB cable to a USB 2.0 plug wired to an ignition vires. No power loss issues anymore.

the output of the usb adapter needs to be 2.0a or more, then no issue..
I use it in the car on a dual 2.4a adapter, to usb cable. full charges the gps running up to 17 hours with no issue.
tried it on the bike with a 1a, dim screen after X time , swapped adapter on the bike to a 2a, perfect.

[Peobody]

tried it on the bike with a 1a, dim screen after X time , swapped adapter on the bike to a 2a, perfect.

Interesting. I had this problem while using a dual 2.4 amp cigarette lighter adapter on my Goldwing. I had to wire the Garmin mount. I also had the same problem when trying to use the XT in my car (2.1 amp cigarette lighter adapter). I have since learned about charging (power only) cables and have purchased one for the car but have not tested it.

[Jim1348]

Following.

[Peobody]

I have since learned about charging (power only) cables and have purchased one for the car but have not tested it.

I posted this back in March 2023 and now feel bad for not returning to state that the charging only cable works great in my car. Some things I have learned since then...
1. Some cars have a charging-only USB port while others don't, like mine. It charges, but it also assumes that the connected device will be interacting with the infotainment system. As such, the XT was not receiving enough power to charge.
2. Using a charging-only cable plugged into a cigarette lighter USB adapter eliminated any attempts by the infotainment system to communicate with the XT and provided enough power the keep the XT charged while driving (up to 10 hours).

I suspect that I would not have needed the cigarette lighter USB adapter if my car had a charging-only USB port like my wife's new car has.