[ntp:questions] Sure Electronics GPS board: Amazing performance. :-)

unruh unruh at wormhole.physics.ubc.ca
Fri Apr 1 05:43:38 UTC 2011


On 2011-03-31, Uwe Klein <uwe_klein_habertwedt at t-online.de> wrote:
> unruh wrote:
>> On 2011-03-31, Uwe Klein <uwe_klein_habertwedt at t-online.de> wrote:
>> 
>>>David J Taylor wrote:
>>>
>>>>I would be most interested in a copy of the programming manual should 
>>>>you get one.
>>>
>>>Just got my two samples. nice. works out of the box.
>>>The pcb design is rather well done imho.
>> 
>> 
>> Well, no they do not work out of the box for timing purposes. One has to
>> solder on some wires (If you serial port responds to 3V pulses, you can
>> just go directly from the PPS output port to the DCD pin on the serial
>> plug, or you can go to http://www.leapsecond.com/pages/MG1613S/ for
>> instructions on how to get serial port voltages out by soldering to
>> three of the surface mount pins on the board-- requires a stead hand, a
>> very fine soldering iron, and very fine solder (or better pretinning and
>> a quick heatup). 
> I don't think that "using a soldering iron" is much of a hassle.
> my workbench has 4 different tipped ones to the left a microscope behind
> me on the rear bench. Just have to turn around and everything is in the right
> position.

Using a soldering iron on surface mount devices is a bit trickier-- too
easy to bridge the pins is you do not have very steady hands. Not saying
you cannot do it. But Joe Bloggs might have more trouble.

>> 
>> My only concern is that the unit places its location 12m away from its
>> actual location on Googleearth-- ie, either googleearth is 12 m out in
>> its alignment to lat/long grid at my house, or the unit is misreporting
>> its position. Note that the scatter has only a standard deviation of
>> about 1.5 m ( coming from its use of WAAS I suspect), so it is not that
>> that 12 m is just part of the natural variation in gps.
>> 
>> (Does anyone know of anywhere where the alignment errors of google earth to the
>> grid is discussed?)
>> 
>> A brief 10 min test at a survey marker put the unit about 3 m away from
>> that marker on googleearth-- but that was at a location 6km from my
>> home.
>> 
>> That leapsecond web page complained about the quality of the soldering
>> on the board (dirty solder joints, messy solder joints) but my board did
>> not have any of those problems. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>>Rather interesting to follow the GSV sentences
>>>( sat number, direction and quality )
>>>
>>>All Docs are per download:
>>>http://www.sure-electronics.net/download/index.php?name=GP-GS010&type=0
>> 
>> 
>> Unfortunately none of the docs I have found discuss the upload commands
>> format or type for this chipset.
>
> Was in the mail today, so I haven't done anything beyond switching it on
> and emanating that friendly blue blink while spewing worthless ( you word Sir )
> nmea sentences.

They are useless for timing purposes.

>
> http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=de&q=MG1613
>
> going to have a look into the datasheets.
> That or ask Sure-Elec or inspect the USB(serial) traffic
>
> this could be a start: ( reading currently )
> http://www.rigacci.org/wiki/lib/exe/fetch.php/doc/appunti/hardware/gps/mtk_packet_user_manual.pdf
>> (And that blue LED on the Sure board really is bright. In a dark room,
>> it lights up the walls of the room every time it comes on).
> So you take a soldering iron to it!
> or snitch some dark nail finish from your wife.
>
> uwe
>




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