Nano GPS Logger (DIY)

[mosfet]

Hi !

Here is a Nano GPS Logger that I designed for a friend.
It grabs and stores GPS coordinates, speed and altitude, then generates graphs and exports to Google Earth for viewing.

I found it useful for other activities like hiking, snowboarding, etc...
It might also be very interesting for Aerial Photography: mixed with the camera's trigger it can store pictures locations.

I haven't done many inflight tests yet as the project is very new and weather has been quite bad these last days here but things will change very soon :)

http://www.wiredhouse.fr/2008Projects/GPSLogger.html

All schematics and code are freely included, have fun !

Fabien

[Acetronics]

Ben ...

Y'a pas à dire ...

Ils sont balèzes du côté de Grenoble !!!

Merci pour ce petit Bijou ...

Alain

[bray]

Great work Fabien!

This is my version with almost unlimited logging space. :)

http://braypp.googlepages.com/gpslog

[mosfet]

Using a SD card is definitely a great idea.
I wanted something very simple to start with, without the need of huge logging capacity so I went the EEPROM route.
I think the next version will use an SD card, this is a very convenient way to store data.

Are you okay to tell me more tech stuff about your logger ? (uP, GPS type, etc...) ?


Fabien

[mosfet]

Ben ...

Y'a pas à dire ...

Ils sont balèzes du côté de Grenoble !!!

Merci pour ce petit Bijou ...

Alain

thanks :)

[Acetronics]

Hi, Fabien

This month ... Elektor has released a SD Card Data Logger.
Free C Source available ...

Bizarre, vous avez dit Bizarre ???

Alain

[rocky79]

Mosfet, I am interested in how you made the graphical interface and how you managed to store and graph the data on the pc.

I have tried visual basic express but i got to a dead end trying to plot data on a graph.

Do you mind sharing how you made that?

Thank you


Hi !

Here is a Nano GPS Logger that I designed for a friend.
It grabs and stores GPS coordinates, speed and altitude, then generates graphs and exports to Google Earth for viewing.

I found it useful for other activities like hiking, snowboarding, etc...
It might also be very interesting for Aerial Photography: mixed with the camera's trigger it can store pictures locations.

I haven't done many inflight tests yet as the project is very new and weather has been quite bad these last days here but things will change very soon :)

http://www.wiredhouse.fr/2008Projects/GPSLogger.html

All schematics and code are freely included, have fun !

Fabien

[mosfet]

Rocky79:
Sure, I don't mind sharing how I made that !

First of all, I'm using Borland Delphi suite for programming the interface.
It's very very to make charts with Delphi: you simply add a TChart component, and then:
Series1.AddXY(i,altitude);
Series2.AddXY(i, speed);

Series.AddXY(x,y) adds a point to the graph, that's all !

You can set the graph type (2D/3D, plot styles, colors, etc...) in the component settings. Very easy !


Fabien

[zenoid]

Using google you should find many allready written lib that use GDI/GDI+ graphic API. Using the last dotnet version and managed code will allow you to write very powerfull app within no time cause it's easy.

Mosfet, I'am near Lyon, about 80 km from you. I'm making a telemetry system for PDA (glider oriented). Lot of software...

Loc info is processed like this :

air stuff (GPS + IAS + Compensated Vz + T° + Alt + Volts) -->radio--> ground PDA (competition oriented with circuit, etc, electric variometer type gauge & other , sound & vox threshold alarm, logging IGC (FAI standard), etc)
Debrief on PC software with 3D anim, race replay(multiple flight) stats, graph, igc to kml.

I'am using VS2008 pro and C# language, dotnet 3.5 framework for PDA and Windows app. Don't want to do any advertising but I found it very easy to write data oriented app with this tool.

Lot of code ressources on this site :
http://www.codeproject.com/
Hope it helps

[mosfet]

Zenoid: is it a F3B / F5B oriented project ?
How are you sending down the data ? (if radio, what frequency ? power ? hardware ?)
What is IAS ?

Fabien

[bray]

Are you okay to tell me more tech stuff about your logger ? (uP, GPS type, etc...) ?

I'm using ARM7 (LPC) and GPS from modulstek based on atmel antaris 4.
There is no need to use ARM7....for example atmel AVR can also do SD stuff.

[zenoid]

Don't know the rules for those categries, my inspiration is the full scale world. Basicaly, you set some GPS waypoint, start time for the race, take off then go trough turnpoints as fast as possible when the grid is open untill the arrival. As it is RC stuff and local, you can choose a number of laps, the radius of the TP, alt min and max for instance. The circuit is a persisting xml file on the PDA. IGC files record all the position + extra barometrics measures. IAS is one of them, it's the indicated air speed (no correction).

Prototype was using the 433 MHz band, but the coming one will use 2.4Ghz. It will consume a lot cause of the 17 dbm output and the GPS amplified receiver.
About 250 mA I think

Yannick

[bray]

Prototype was using the 433 MHz band, but the coming one will use 2.4Ghz. It will consume a lot cause of the 17 dbm output and the GPS amplified receiver.
About 250 mA I think

Small tip....i would stay away from 2.4GHz. To much traffic on this band.
Check this very interesting module.
http://www.radiotronix.com/products/proddb.asp?ProdID=198#docs

It's all you need and more...only problem is to find good source in Europe. Shipping from US is very expensive for small quantities.

[zenoid]

thx for the link Bray, I didn't know that company. I'am also looking at this 868 band. I've already tested 868 and 2.4 ghz solutions on the ground cause I'am working for a company that build rc stuff for the industry. The 2.4 Ghz test was a failure...But I want to test this solution first because of the data rate, it is used in isolated areas and I can reduce the cost to a few dollars for the rf using some freescale chip, not a module.
The problem for the hi power 868 band is the canalization, only one or two modules at the same time, with low data rate and some capture/blocking issues.

Please big RULERS, give us back our spectre :)

[rocky79]

Rocky79:
Sure, I don't mind sharing how I made that !

First of all, I'm using Borland Delphi suite for programming the interface.
It's very very to make charts with Delphi: you simply add a TChart component, and then:
Series1.AddXY(i,altitude);
Series2.AddXY(i, speed);

Series.AddXY(x,y) adds a point to the graph, that's all !

You can set the graph type (2D/3D, plot styles, colors, etc...) in the component settings. Very easy !


Fabien

Fabien,

The graph itself is not bad. I found an open source one called Zed graph.

The problem i am having in vb.net is transfering the data from the microcontroller to the serial port and then storing them in an array so you can graph.

You need some sort of protocol to transfer the data. How do you do it with borland?


Thanks

[MAVA]

Fabien,

The website stop working just as I was going to get the parts list and code..

Thank you,

Martin

[brucej929]

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but what is the value of the crystal used in the gps logger?

thanks