Garmin Edge 520 Update

I have made one update to the boot screen on my Garmin Edge 520 bike computer to display my name and cell phone number and have figured out the difference between the remote Garmin VIRB Elite remote interfaces on the Edge 510 and Edge 520.
The way to include to include free and more detailed maps into the Edge 520 is described here by DC Rainmaker.

Startup Screen

I modified the startup screen of my Edge 510 by editing a file on the computer some time ago. This modification allowed the Edge 510 to display my name and cell phone number on the startup screen for 15 seconds. This change to the startup screen should increase my chance of getting the bike computer back if an honest person finds it on the ground and calls the number displayed. This screen message is better than no message at all.

I wondered if the Edge 520 had the same startup file and after a little poking around, I found the same file. This modification can be done to the Edge 510, Edge 520, Edge 800, Edge 810, and Edge 1000. The Edge 500 does not have this file to edit.

To start, connect your Edge 520 to your PC via the USB cable. This subdirectory is where the Edge stores all of the data, including ride data in .fit format files. You will see your Garmin display in Windows Explorer as a separate drive. Click on the Garmin subdirectory. You will see the text file, startup.txt.

To open this file up in Notepad, double click on the file. At that point, you will see the following small file:

The <display=0> is the display time setting for your message in seconds. I have mine set for 15 seconds. While the computer boots up, the message will display on the screen. If you set the display time longer than the bootup time, the message will continue to display, but you can push any button to move on to the first page.

At the bottom of the file, you can put any message that you want. It should be a short message though since the screen is small and longer messages will get text wrapped and possibly truncated. I would suggest just a name and phone number.

Save the startup.txt file and eject the Edge 520 from the computer. Restart the Edge 520 and your new message should be displayed on the startup screen for as long as you set the time. It may not be much protection for this $200 computer, but this message is a small attempt.

VIRB Remote Interface

On my Edge 510, the interface to my VIRB Elite is a separate app on the computer, with a graphical representation of the VIRB Record button. This page is very intuitive and useful. I find that it is a little easier to start and stop recording on the Edge than reaching around the bike computer and brake cables to use the Record button on the VIRB directly.

On the Edge 520, that interface is gone. I kept looking for it for a while, and I even contacted Garmin support about the VIRB remote capability. The difficulty was that neither the Edge 520 Owners Manual or any other documentation specifically talk about the new interface with the VIRB that the 520 has.

What was once a  separate page on the 510 has been replaced by a single line on the 520 status page. Garmin Support replied to my original email question but did not answer my question. Only by examining Google images was I able to figure out the change in the interface.

The Garmin Edge 510 is on the right. The computer backlight is not working, I had to stand in the sunlight to see the screen. The Garmin Edge 520 is on the left. What was once a page on the 510 is now two lines on the 520.

I would suggest either an addition to the 520 Owners Manual or some link on the Customer Support page for the 520. Since I am a registered owner of all three devices, perhaps an email, advising the owner of the change might help as well. Otherwise, owners are on their own to figure this change in approach out.