GNSS MAX 3 Click

How does it work?

GNSS MAX 3 Click is based on the MAX-M10N-10B, a professional-grade standard-precision GNSS receiver from u-blox designed for a power-efficient satellite positioning. Built on the advanced ultra-low-power u-blox M10 GNSS platform, this module provides exceptional sensitivity, fast acquisition, and robust performance across all major L1 GNSS constellations, including GPS with QZSS and SBAS support, Galileo, and BeiDou. The MAX-M10N-10B is optimized for environments requiring the highest RF immunity and integrates an additional SAW filter in front of the LNA to ensure superior rejection of unwanted interference, making the board suitable for demanding industrial, consumer, and asset-tracking applications.

Its extremely low power consumption enables long-term operation on battery-powered devices without sacrificing positional accuracy. The module supports LEAP (Low Energy Accurate Positioning) mode, which intelligently reduces energy usage depending on environmental conditions while maintaining precise location output, ensuring extended autonomy for portable solutions. Time-to-first-fix is significantly shortened using free AssistNow Predictive Orbits, achieving TTFF under two seconds, while Live Orbits downloads further enhance accuracy following cold starts.

u-blox Super-S technology provides increased RF sensitivity and improves dynamic position accuracy by up to 25%, especially beneficial when using small antennas or operating in non-line-of-sight scenarios. The MAX-M10N-10B also incorporates jamming and spoofing detection capabilities, continuously monitoring the RF environment and reporting anomalies to the host system, enabling immediate protective actions and ensuring reliable navigation data. In addition, advanced onboard filtering algorithms mitigate interference and maintain stable and accurate performance even in challenging urban or industrial conditions.

The GNSS MAX 3 Click communicates with the host MCU through a UART interface using the standard UART RX and TX pins. The default communication speed is set at 115200bps, ensuring efficient data exchange. In addition to its standard power supply configuration, this module also has a dedicated backup power circuit that enables standalone operation and data retention. A coin-cell battery mounted on the back side of the board provides continuous power to the module’s internal real-time clock (RTC) and memory, allowing it to preserve essential timing, configuration, and satellite ephemeris data even when the main supply is disconnected.

Alongside its primary communication interface pins, GNSS MAX 3 Click uses several additional control and monitoring pins that enhance module management and operational reliability. The RST pin is used to perform a hardware reset of the module, and a red PPS LED indicator, which, in combination with the PPS pin, detects a synchronized pulse signal from the MAX-M10N-10B once per second. The EXI pin (External Interrupt) serve as an external interrupt signal that can be programmed for various functions, such as waking up the module. The board also features one SMA connector for GNSS antenna that MIKROE offers, like the Active GPS Antenna for flexible and efficient connectivity options.

This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. It also comes equipped with a library containing functions and example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

Specifications

Pinout diagram

This table shows how the pinout on GNSS MAX 3 Click corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle columns).

Notes	Pin					Pin	Notes
	NC	1	AN	PWM	16	EXI	External Interrupt
Reset	RST	2	RST	INT	15	PPS	Timepulse Indicator
ID COMM	CS	3	CS	RX	14	TX	UART TX
	NC	4	SCK	TX	13	RX	UART RX
	NC	5	MISO	SCL	12	NC
	NC	6	MOSI	SDA	11	NC
Power Supply	3.3V	7	3.3V	5V	10	NC
Ground	GND	8	GND	GND	9	GND	Ground

Onboard settings and indicators

GNSS MAX 3 Click electrical specifications

Software Support

GNSS MAX 3 Click demo application is developed using the NECTO Studio, ensuring compatibility with mikroSDK's open-source libraries and tools. Designed for plug-and-play implementation and testing, the demo is fully compatible with all development, starter, and mikromedia boards featuring a mikroBUS™ socket.

Example Description

This example demonstrates the use of GNSS MAX 3 Click by reading and displaying the GNSS coordinates.

Key Functions

• gnssmax3_cfg_setup This function initializes Click configuration structure to initial values.
• gnssmax3_init This function initializes all necessary pins and peripherals used for this Click board.
• gnssmax3_reset_device This function resets the device by toggling the RST pin.
• gnssmax3_generic_read This function reads a desired number of data bytes by using UART serial interface.
• gnssmax3_parse_gga This function parses the GGA data from the read response buffer.

Application Init

Initializes the driver and logger.

Application Task

Reads the received data, parses the NMEA GGA info from it, and once it receives the position fix it will start displaying the coordinates on the USB UART.

Application Output

This Click board can be interfaced and monitored in two ways:

• Application Output - Use the "Application Output" window in Debug mode for real-time data monitoring. Set it up properly by following this tutorial.
• UART Terminal - Monitor data via the UART Terminal using a USB to UART converter. For detailed instructions, check out this tutorial.

Additional Notes and Information

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.