Garman 530
 

just bought a Garman 530 but I am having trouble setting it up. anyone an expert who could advise me?

Check out YouTube.

Got to garmin.com and get the online manual, it's way more in depth than the paper 'quick start' manual that comes in the box.

It takes you through the process by the hand the first time you turn it on. Did you not get the setup wizard?

Once you get the wifi setup, and assuming you have wifi in the house, then wait for it to get all it's software/firmware and map updates before you get too crazy setting up profiles and customizing things.

Install the Garmin Connect app to your phone too if you want all the advantages that gives you.

And don't be afraid to call Garmin and simply ask them. Support is free if you don't need anything but help on the phone.

Thread moved from General to Electronics

I just recently bought one and Google was very much my friend.

Everything sets up on the device, except Blue Tooth which needs to setup from the Garmin Connect Mobile app that installs on a smartphone. Note that you only need to use a smartphone if you want to use that to get completed rides up to the Connect website (or other) and/or use push notifications for calls, texts, etc....

You can set up data screens to your liking, remove screens if not needed, etc...

If you have any questions or want to say what's giving you trouble I bet you'll get good advice and answers.

What specifically are you having trouble with?

need to change from white lettering on black background to black lettering on white background

The first is the daylight setting. The second is the nighttime setting. Note that this affects how the maps look too.

Use what you prefer but I'd suggest living with the daytime setting for awhile.

The angle the unit is to your eye can make a big difference in how well you see the display. Might even change with the angle of the ambient lighting too. I leave the bar mount just a tad loose so I can adjust the angle to let me see it at it's optimum.

Might can get the same by using the contrast and brightness settings, but just changing the angle of the mount while riding is so much faster.

The Garmin screens have a partially-mirrored surface behind the display (they are called "transreflective"). The idea is to use the ambient light (sunliight) to illuminate the display instead of needing a backlight.

Yes, given that it's a mirror, the angle of incidence and the angle or reflectance matters.

The problem with backlights is they aren't powerful enough to compete with the sun. (This is why phones don't work as well as cycle computers.)

The compromise of transreflective displays is that the colors are a bit dull compared to what people are used to for phones.

The brightness setting is for the backlight setting. For normal use in daylight, you don't use the backlight (all the time).