GPS Software

Products Support DragonBoard410c
#21

I haven’t had a chance to test this, but I’ve been told that the GPS is actually expected to be functional on these boards as they ship, but possibly with weakish reception.

Try OUTSIDE with a clear open sky. Hopefully (even if it doesn’t lock) it will at least pick up something.

Also notice the dashed line of solder around the primary chips on the top of the board. That is a footprint for a shield. You can try to make a rigid metal shield to fit that footprint, or you can take the easy road, and use an electrically conductive TAPE. NOTE: Obviously, you don’t want to short out any of the components under it, so start off with a layer of ELECTRICALLY INSULATING tape. I’m not sure if regular old electrical tape will cause thermal problems, so maybe something like this; https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9771

Then over top of that, a layer of conductive tape like http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Electronics_NA/Electronics/Products/Electronics_Product_Catalog/~/EMI-Foil-Fabric-Tapes?N=8697833+8704974&rt=r3
** or, you could probably even use aluminum duct tape that you can pick up at building supply stores. Just need to make sure that the electrically conductive layer is tied in to the board’s ground.

#22

Actually, my Dragonboard recently arrived with such a shield soldered in place already.
But thanks alot for your description that also might help others.
Yet, I would not know which software to use, to access the GPS unter Ubuntu.
Now, this may become a less DB related issue admittedly.

#23

hi,

right, the boards are now shipping with the shield in place already.

About the s/w the GPS is unfortunately not supported under Ubuntu/Linux releases , as of yet.

#24

I’m not sure that a GPS will be much use under a desktop linux distro… if you can get drivers in place for it, you might be able to get a coolness factor from having an NMEA datastream dumping to your screen, but beyond that, nothing.

If you plan to actually use the GPS for any useful purpose, you would be much better off with Android, since there, you at least have various location aware software that could use the data for something practical.

#25

Thank you. Let’s hope this will change in the future.
There is one thing to use GPS to get your own location. It’s another to develop for GPS. Then you would want it functional in your dev environment.

#26

Any news on getting this info in Linux? I’m looking to get location information so I can report an accurate location to a central service. I could ask the user to just provide it but where’s the fun in that??

#27

hi,

we are looking into it , among other things… I don’t have a good estimate right now, but clearly, it’s not ‘soon’.

cheers

#28

Just got my board! im developing some software wich uses gps the NMEA string, so just want to ask there is no way right now to access this on linux on this board?

#29

@doitright - You could pull the apps out from your OTHER Android device. But play store’s “Vending.apk” (which is the main app) doesn’t get installed externally right? Or is there a way to do that too?

#30

Obviously, Mr Doitright haven’t seen OpenCPN? :wink:
(as a reference to some really useful GPS sw on linux)

http://opencpn.org/ocpn

So definitely a working GPS NMEA stream accessible from linux on the Dragonboard would be really nice.

#31

Check this document for getting GPS working on Android: https://developer.qualcomm.com/download/db410c/adding-ufl-antenna-connectors-and-validating-gps-android-application-note.pdf.

GPS is still not available under Linux. Work in Progress.

#32

Thnx ill test that on android, do you know if windows iot suports gps?

ill use linux for my software as i need java so ill hookup an external gps.

#33

Thats too bad about linux and the GPS.

I have another thraed opened on the forum, however ill try my luck here as well:

how do you get GPS working under Android?
I’ve solders the connector for the passive GPS antenna. (i’ve done it for the wifi as well as the reception was really bad there).
I’ve tried building the android images myself, i’ve tried the both available SD card images.

however none of this had helped me getting the working GPS.

Location services is on. GPS test app shows that GPS status is ON.
I’ve updated the AGPS.

aaand, no position coordinates.

any clues / ideas ?

cheers

g.

#34

Any update on GPS support under Linux? Working on an IoT demo. Doing it in android will be difficult.

#35

If you look at the hardware design details for this device, the GPS is not what you expect.
Its an RF front end going to an RF sampling A/D.

This means that all of the acquisition and tracking software than runs in a normal GPS to convert raw RF/IF data samples into position and NEMA string will have to run on the processor. So porting from the Android version where this stuff is already working to the Debian branch will not be trivial. Its a real time task handling MHZ rate RF samples/data…

#36

“acquisition and tracking software than runs in a normal GPS to convert raw RF/IF data samples into position and NEMA string will have to run on the processor. So porting from the Android version where this stuff is already working to the Debian branch will not be trivial”
Guess that puts me back on the Raspberry Pi (with hat). I was hoping to get everything on one board.

#37

For those working on Linux I found this: http://gnss-sdr.org/
I won’t have time to tinker with it for a few weeks. But when I do if I get it working I’ll post back.
Git Hub: https://github.com/gnss-sdr/gnss-sdr

#38

hopefully you get it working :slight_smile:

#39

Hi,
Any update getting the NMEA stream on Linux ?
Thanks!

#40

Hi,

@Jorge Ramirez
Where is the dts configuration for WGR7640 in dts and the uart configuration? kernel sources for gps in android kernel source?

regards,
vinaysimha