GPS 3 Click

How does it work?

GPS 3 Click is based on the L80, a GPS receiver module with a patch antenna equipped with an MTK positioning engine from Quectel. With an embedded LNA at a nominal frequency of 1575.42MHz, the L80 receives an L1 band signal from the GPS satellites. This module uses 66 search channels and 22 simultaneous tracking channels, making it possible to track and find satellites within the shortest time, even when the signal is in a signal-challenging environment. The embedded flash memory is used to store useful navigation data and perform updates.

The L80 communicates with the host MUC using the UART interface with commonly used UART RX and TX pins as its communication protocol operating at 9600bps. In addition, there is an RST pin for resetting the device. The GPS 3 Click also features a VBAT connector for connecting a battery for the RTC domain, which helps lower the power consumption. In the case of battery usage, the VCC-BCKP solder jumper should be removed. While the current date and time are transmitted in NMEA sentences (UTC), a precise and accurate timing signal is provided and indicated using a red LED indicator marked as PPS.

The GPS 3 Click also features the u.FL connector for connecting the appropriate active antenna offered by Mikroe for improved range and received signal strength. The antenna detection and switching functions will handle the connecting source without a hassle, while keeping positioning. The detection result, notification, and statuses of the antennas will also be included in the NMEA message.

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

Specifications

Pinout diagram

This table shows how the pinout on GPS3 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	NC
Reset	RST	2	RST	INT	15	NC
	NC	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

GPS3 Click electrical specifications

Software Support

We provide a library for the GPS 3 Click as well as a demo application (example), developed using Mikroe compilers. The demo can run on all the main Mikroe development boards.

Package can be downloaded/installed directly from NECTO Studio Package Manager (recommended way), downloaded from our LibStock™ or found on Mikroe github account.

Library Description

This library contains API for GPS 3 Click driver.

Key functions

• gps3_generic_read This function reads a desired number of data bytes by using UART serial interface.

• gps3_clear_ring_buffers This function clears UART tx and rx ring buffers.

• gps3_parse_gpgga This function parses the GPGGA data from the read response buffer.

Example Description

This example demonstrates the use of GPS 3 click by reading and displaying the GPS coordinates.

void application_task ( void ) 
 { 
     if ( GPS3_OK == gps3_process( &gps3 ) ) 
     { 
         if ( PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE == app_buf_len ) 
         { 
             gps3_parser_application( &gps3, app_buf ); 
         } 
     } 
 }

The full application code, and ready to use projects can be installed directly from NECTO Studio Package Manager (recommended way), downloaded from our LibStock™ or found on Mikroe github account.

Other Mikroe Libraries used in the example:

• MikroSDK.Board
• MikroSDK.Log
• Click.GPS3

Additional notes and informations

Depending on the development board you are using, you may need USB UART click, USB UART 2 Click or RS232 Click to connect to your PC, for development systems with no UART to USB interface available on the board. A UART terminal is available in all Mikroe compilers.

mikroSDK

This Click board™ is supported with mikroSDK - Mikroe Software Development Kit, which needs to be downloaded from the LibStock and installed for the compiler you are using to ensure proper operation of mikroSDK compliant Click board™ demo applications.

For more information about mikroSDK, visit the official page.