nRF9160 Feather LTE IoT and GPS Board Launched for $99

nRF9160 Feather

Nordic Semi nRF9160 is a system-in-package part of nRF91 series offering NB-IoT and eMTC (LTE-M) IoT connectivity, as well as assisted GPS. The package is now accessible on a board following Adafruit Feather form factor. Made by Circuit Dojo (Jared Wolff), nRF9160 Feather board supports both CAT M1 LTE and NB-IoT, can be powered by a USB power adapter or a LiPo battery and runs Zephyr OS via the nRF Connect SDK. nRF9160 Feather specifications: SiP – Nordic Semiconductor nRF9160-SICA LTE-M/NB-IoT/GPS SIP with Arm Cortex-M33 MCU, 1024 KB flash, 256 KB SRAM Storage – Onboard 4MB NOR flash (note: upgraded from initial 2MB) Cellular Connectivity – LTE Cat-M1 (eMTC) and LTE NB1/NB2 (NB-IoT) plus 4FF SIM card slot, and u.FL connector for an external antenna GNSS – Built-in assisted GPS support plus u.FL connector for an external antenna Expansion – Feather I/Os (12+16 through holes) with digital and analog I/Os, […]

Sparkfun Launches the ZED-F9R GPS Dead Reckoning Raspberry Pi pHAT for Mobile Robots

Sparkfun ZED-F9R GPS RTK

The SparkFun ZED-F9R GPS pHAT module is targeted at single board computers like the Raspberry Pi, Jetson Nano, and other boards with the 2 x 20mm header form factor supporting the GPS RTK (Real-time kinematic) capable of centimeter-level accuracy. Dead Reckoning in robotics allows one to calculate one’s position by using a previously known location or landmarks. Dead Reckoning is an essential aspect of robot navigation, especially Autonomous vehicles like mobile robots or  UAVs. For dead Reckoning to be realistic and minimize the position uncertainty, it usually requires the fusion of position estimation sources like Lidar, Radar, IMU, Odometry, GNSS, accelerometer, and some others. Sparkfun understands this and has launched the Dead Reckoning add-on module that can be used for applications in mobile robots, UAVs, and others. The Sparkfun ZED-F9R GPS pHAT is an exciting sensor fusion board (having been a fan of Extended Kalmar Filter) that provides accurate and […]

Miniature Inertial Navigation System Integrates 9-axis IMU Sensor and RTK GNSS with 1cm Accuracy

SBG Systems Inertial navigation sensor

SBG Systems Ellipse-D is an industrial-grade inertial navigation system (INS) equipped with a 9-axis IMU sensor, a dual-antenna RTK GNSS module with one-centimeter accuracy, and a 64-bit microprocessor for processing the data. The inertial navigation system also includes a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, supports odometer input, and is available in either Box or OEM versions. SBG Systems Ellipse-D inertial navigation sensor specifications: SoC – Unknown 64-bit microprocessor for data processing GNSS – Dual antenna GNSS with support for GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BEIDOU; Supported features: SBAS, RTK, RAW Sensors – 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis magnetometer, temperature sensors, pressure sensor Host Interface RS-232, RS-422, USB  up to 921,600 bps CAN 2.0A/B up to 1 Mbit/s Protocols – Binary eCom, NMEA, ASCII, TSS Input Voltage – 5 – 36 V Power Consumption – < 1,000 mW Dimensions & Weight Box: 46 x 45 x 32 mm | 65 grams OEM: […]

Particle Takes Pre-orders for its Cellular Tracking SoM, Evaluation Kit, and Tracker One Asset Tracker

Tracker Som Evaluation Kit

Earlier this year, Particle announced its Tracking System turnkey solution comprised of Tracker SoM LTE IoT module, Tracker One asset tracker with enclosure, as well as Particle Tracking Services software suite with geolocation services, fleet management, and an open device firmware application framework to integrate with off-the-shelf IoT sensors and enable OTA firmware updates. The hardware devices were expected for June/July 2020, and the company has now started to take pre-orders for Tracker SoM, its evaluation kit, and Tracker One for respectively $79.99, $99.99, and $127.99. Shipping is expected to start in August 2020. We already covered Tracker SoM in our initial article with the full specifications, but basically, it’s a Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 powered module with 8MB flash, ESP32 for WiFI (including support for indoor location),  U-blox Neo-M8U GNSS module, and a choice of Quectel BG96 LTE CAT M1 module for the US or Quectel EG91-X CAT 1 module […]

Linux Powered Industrial IoT Gateway Offers WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, 4G LTE Connectivity

Linux Industrial IoT Gateway

Compulab IOT-GATE-IMX8 is a Debian Linux powered fanless Industrial IoT gateway powered by NXP i.MX 8M Mini processor and specially designed for industrial control and monitoring with optional support for WiFI 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1, 4G LTE, and GNSS connectivity. The gateway is equipped with up to 4GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash, takes variable DC input from 8V to 36V, and operates in a wide temperature range of -40C to 80°C with the company providing a 5-year warranty and 15-year availability. Compulab IOT-GATE-IMX8 specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX8M Mini quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8GHz with Arm Cortex-M4 real-time core, Vivante 3G and 2D GPU System Memory – 1GB – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 4GB – 64GB eMMC flash (soldered on-board), plus secondary storage with optional 16GB – 64GB eMMC flash module Networking & Wireless Connectivity Gigabit Ethernet port, RJ45 connector Fast Ethernet port, RJ45 connector Optional 802.11ax WiFi […]

Skytraq PX1122R Tiny Multi-Band RTK GNSS Module Offers Centimeter Accuracy

Skytraq PX1122R Multi-Band RTK GNSS Module

Several years ago Skytraq introduced NavSpark mini, a tiny (17x17mm) GPS module, that sold for $6. I got one and wrote a post explaining how to get started with the GPS module using GNSS viewer program. The company contacted me again today, as they’ve now launched an even smaller module Skytraq PX1122R measuring just 16x12mm, supporting GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and Beidou signals, as well as Real-time Kinematic (RTK) relative positioning technique that allows for 1-3cm positioning accuracy. Skytraq PX1122R RTK GNSS module key features & specifications: Chipset – SkyTraq PX100 Phoenix GNSS chipset Supported GNSS standards & bands – GPS L1/L2C, Galileo E1/E5b, Beidou  B1I/B2I, GLONASS L1/L2, QZSS L1/L2C Integrated RTK with 1cm + 1ppm RTK accuracy in seconds (under 10 seconds) Up to 10Hz quad-GNSS RTK update rate Base or rover mode configurable Serial Interface – 3V LVTTL level 24x castellated holes with UART, RF input, 1PPS, Reset, 3.3V, […]

WiFi & Cellular Router Focuses on Security, Always-on Connectivity with 2GB Free Monthly Data (Crowdfunding – US)

Roqos Core RC20

We previously covered Roqos Core RC10 Intel Atom-based AC router that was offered for only $19 with the catch of having to $17 per month for “advanced cybersecurity and parental control features” for at least a year. The company is now back with Roqos Core RC20 AC router that adds supports for cellular connectivity including 2GB per month of cellular data, and a focus on security with built-in VPN service so you can connect securely from anywhere, even public WiFi hotspots. Roqos Core RC20 hardware specification: SoC – Intel Atom E3845 quad-core processor @ up to 1.91 GHz cores System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8GB flash Video Output – HDMI (but not sure whether it’s used since not listed in the specs) Connectivity Wired – 1x Gigabit Ethernet WAN port, 4x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports Wireless – Simultaneous dual frequency 3×3 802.11ac WiFi 5 and 2×2 802.11n WiFi […]

Particle Tracking System Offers Software, Hardware LTE IoT Module and Tracker in Turnkey Solution

Trakcker SoM

Particle’s first cellular M2M module was launched in 2015 when the company was still called Spark IO. Since then they’ve offered new modules and boards supporting recent standards like NB-IoT and/or LTE Cat-M with product likes Boron and  E series castellated modules. The company found out that most of their customers used their boards for asset tracking despite many off-the-shelf products already available, and the main reason was the ability to customize the solution. To help their customers, the company has now launched the Particle Tracking System combining a software suite with LTE IoT system-on-module and Tracker One reference product to ease the development and deployment of customized asset tracking solutions. Particle Tracking System is comprised of three main components relying on the existing Particle IoT platform: Particle Tracking Services software suite with geolocation services (mapping and geodatabase), fleet-wide device management, an open device firmware application framework to integrate with […]