ublox News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 16, 2024July 15, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

SparkFun RTK EVK offers GNSS with centimeter accuracy, WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE Cat 1, and Ethernet connectivity

SparkFun RTK EVK is a fully-enclosed GNSS platform designed for fixed or mobile high-precision positioning and navigation applications with centimeter accuracy thanks to RTK (real-time kinematic) technology implemented with modules from u-blox. About two months ago, Sparkfun introduced the RTK Torch waterproof GNSS surveyor with Unicore UM980 GNSS module with RTK support, ESP32 for WiFi/Bluetooth, and an STM32WLE5C LoRa SoC. The SparkFun RTK EVK (evaluation kit) may drop LoRa connectivity, but it’s a more versatile platform with WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and LTE Cat 1 cellular connectivity, besides support for L1 + L2 RTK GNSS with L-Band correction. Sparkfun RTK EVK specifications: GNSS Receiver – u-blox ZED-F9P Concurrent reception of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou Receives both L1C/A and L2C bands 184-channel u-blox F9 engine Time to First Fix: 25s (cold), 2s (hot) Max Navigation Rate: 20Hz / 25Hz depending on mode Horizontal Position Accuracy: 2.5m without RTK; 0.010m with RTK […]

March 24, 2024March 23, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

SparkFun’s latest GNSS breakout board features u-Blox NEO-F10N L1/L5 dual-band receiver for urban environments

The SparkFun GNSS L1/L5 Breakout is a standard precision GNSS board with meter-level positional accuracy that features the u-Blox NEO-F10N dual-band module, an SMA antenna connector, and a USB-C port for power and data. As its name implies, the board relies on the L1/L5 bands of the NEO-F10N instead of the more commonly seen L1/L2 bands and delivers better performance in urban environments. That’s because the L5 band falls within the protected ARNS (aeronautical radionavigation service) frequency band leading to less RF interference. SparkFun GNSS L1/L5 Breakout specifications: GNSS u-Blox NEO-F10N module with L1/L5 dual-band GNSS receiver Concurrent Reception of GPS, Galileo, and Beidou Integrated SMA Connector Time to First Fix: 28s (cold), 2s (hot) Max Navigation Rate for Single GNSS Configuration (GPS): 20 Hz Positional Accuracy (GPS) – 1.5m Time Pulse Accuracy – 30ns Operational Limits Max G: ≤ 4G Max Altitude: 80km Max Velocity: 500m/s Supports NMEA, UBX […]

November 14, 2023November 14, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

u-blox MAYA-W3 industrial wireless module supports WiFi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.4 with LE Audio

We’ve also covered two IoT-focused WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE chips in the last week with Synaptics SYN43711 chipset and Gigadevice GD32VW553 RISC-V WiSoC, but there’s more and u-blox has recently introduced the MAYA-W3 WiFi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.4 module with LE Audio support and designed for industrial applications. The MAYA-W3 module offers some flexibility as it’s designed on the upcoming Infineon AIROC CYW5551x WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4 chip family supporting 2.4 GHz only (CYW55511), 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (CYW55512), and a 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz with the tri-band CYW55512 chipset. u-blox also provides three antenna options for each model with two U.FL connectors, two antenna pin connectors, or an embedded PCB antenna. u-Blox MAYA-W3 specifications: Chipset – Infineon AIROC CYW5551x CYW55511 for 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 CYW55512 for 2.4 and 5 GHz WiFi 6 CYW55513 for 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz WiFi 6E Wireless […]

June 17, 2022June 17, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

u-blox unveils miniature MIA-M10 GPS module

u-blox has introduced what could be the world’s smallest GNSS module with the 4.5×4.5mm u-blox MIA-M10 miniature module supporting GPS, BeiDou, Galileo, and GLONASS satellite navigation systems. The MIA-M10 is said to be about half the size of competing products and has been specially designed for size-constrained battery-powered asset tracking devices, as well as space-constrained industrial sensors and consumer goods. The company also claims its power-save modes can double the battery life by balancing position accuracy and power consumption. u-blox MIA-M10 GNSS module specifications: GNSS – BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS / QZSS Number of concurrent GNSS – 4 Oscillators MIA-M10C – Crystal MIA-M10Q – TCXO MIA-M10Q only – SAW filter, LNA Host Interfaces – 1x UART, 1x DDC (I2C compliant) Supply Voltage MIA-M10C – 1.3 to 1.98V MIA-M10Q – 1.76V to 3.6V Power Consumption – < 25 mW Dimensions – 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.0mm Temperature Range – -40°C to […]

June 8, 2022June 8, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 explorer kit embeds cellular IoT, Wi-Fi, BLE, GNSS, and sensors for IoT evaluation

u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 explorer kit is an all-in-one IoT evaluation platform with cellular IoT, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and GNSS, plus some sensors to evaluate various IoT products and enable proofs of concepts such as logistics container trackers, industrial automation, sensor-to-cloud applications, and fleet management solutions. The device’s main module is the u-blox NORA-B106 with a dual-core Arm Cortex M33 microcontroller and Bluetooth LE 5.2 radio that host the application software and control the other modules, namely the SARA-R510S module for LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular connectivity, NINA-W156 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi module, and the MAX-M10S GNNS module. The XPLR-IOT-1 platform is also equipped with an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, and temperature, humidity, pressure, and ambient light sensors. u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 specifications: Main MCU – Nordic Semi nRF5340 dual-core Arm Cortex M33 @ 128/64 MHz with 512 + 64 kB RAM memory and 1024 + 256 kB flash (found in NORA-B106 module) Wireless […]

May 13, 2022May 13, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

u-blox MAYA-W2 IoT module offers dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE 5.2, and Zigbee/Thread connectivity

u-blox MAYA-W2 is a tri-radio IoT module supporting dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2, and IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread and Zigbee) connectivity based on the NXP IW612 or IW611 chipset introduced last January. The module is offered with a PCB antenna, u.FL connectors, and/or antenna pins, supports up to 600 Mbps link speed, and targets industrial and consumer mass-market applications in industrial automation, smart building & energy management, healthcare, smart home, and more. u-blox MAYA-W2 highlights: Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz Up to 600 Mbit/s throughput Output power EIRP – 18 dBm Operation modes: Access point (up to 16 stations), station, Wi-Fi direct (combinations) Bluetooth 5.2 Dual-mode Bluetooth classic and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2 LE Audio Output power EIRP – 20 dBM Bluetooth profiles and services – Bluetooth HCI 802.15.4 radio Supports Thread and Zigbee Support for the Matter protocol Variants with PCB-antenna, U.FL connectors, and antenna […]

July 16, 2021July 16, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - Comments Off

NXP i.MX 8 SoMs and SBC get WiFi 6 upgrade via u-Blox JODY-W3 module

We’ve just written about a WiFi 6 M.2 card based on JODY-W3 module that works with NXP i.MX 8 evaluation and development kit. But the u-Blox module appears to be the solution of choice for other NXP i.MX 8 platforms, as well as iWave Systems upgraded their existing systems-on-module and one single board computer with JODY-W3 adding WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.1. iW-Rainbow-G27S SBC with WiFi 6 We first covered iW-Rainbow-G27S single board computer in January 2020. The board comes with NXP i.MX 8QuadMax hexa-core Cortex-A72/A53 processor, up to 8GB RAM, quad display support via HDMI, eDP & MIPI DSI, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and more. At the time, the board was offered with optional 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 + Bluetooth 5.0, but now adds 802.11ax WiFi 6 connectivity for higher bandwidth applications. iW-RainboW-G27M SMARC and QSeven modules get 802.11ax & Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity iWave Systems iW-RainboW-G27M was introduced as […]

July 8, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

u-blox introduces WiFI 5/6 & Bluetooth 5 M.2 cards

u-blox is well known for its wireless modules be it WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, or cellular connectivity that are soldered unto CPU modules or boards. But the company has now introduced two M.2 cards with WiFi 5 or WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.x that work with NXP i.MX evaluation and development boards. M2-JODY-W2 M.2 card The M2-JODY-W2 card comes with the following features: Connectivity Wi-Fi 5 1×1 SISO IEEE 802.11ac data rates up to 433 Mbit/s (PHY, MCS9), beamforming Supports 802.11d/e/h (DFS)/i/k/r/u/v/w/ai Wi-Fi 20, 40, and 80 MHz channels Bluetooth BR/EDR and Bluetooth low energy v5.0 supporting 2 Mbit/s Access point mode for up to 8 stations 2x u.FL antenna connectors Host interfaces SDIO & UART host interfaces PCM interface for Bluetooth audio Security Hardware encryption engines: AES and TKIP WPA, WAPI, WPA2, WPA3, WPS, and Easy Connect Dimensions – M.2 Type 2230 Key E form factor Certifications – Chipset is […]