Discussions

Can't get lock with U blox GPS, am I missing something?

Posted by wilsonj on May 18, 2010 at 10:57pm
I'm trying to get GPS lock with my new U blox GPS. I'm using the default 1.7 software.
Labview works fine, but I don't get a blue light to indicate GPS lock, and of course no data.

I ordered the GPS from DIY and asked for it to be programmed for ardupilot.

I am using the lead that I had with my old 406.

I simply plugged the GPS to the mini board and connected the lead to the IMU.

What am I missing?

Oh, and yes I was outside when trying to get a lock.

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Replies

  • Alexandre Girard January 13, 2011 at 1:11am

    Just found this forum topic after having some troubles with GPS Lock on ArduIMU 1.8.2 + Ublox GPS.

     

    Filed a report here: http://code.google.com/p/ardu-imu/wiki/Troubleshooting

     

    Hopefully I'll get more time tonight to read this topic and get a fix on our GPS.

     

  • rad man October 21, 2010 at 10:05pm
    Uhh....I downgraded the firmware because of some weird conflict...and it works fine on the ~9000 baud rate (great fix in less than 2 mins) but when i upgrade it to AP...im getting spuratic readings! and no fixes on any satellites whatsoever. Yes, i am connected via my com port at 38400...any help? P.S. i followed the instructions to a T....
  • Curt Olson July 14, 2010 at 7:53pm
    I can't be 100% sure of anything, but if the interface board was not connected properly, would the gps be talking and seeing 4-6 satellites? I had previously hot glued the crap out of the interface board so it is locked in and not going anywhere.

    My working theory here is based on Jordi's post that the antenna on the ublox5 needs to be "well powered" to work correctly. I know that heat can cause power regulators to under perform. So my theory is that an accumulation of heat can cause the voltage regulator to lose efficiency and not deliver enough power for the antenna to work optimally. So the end result of heat can be very similar to the end result of not having enough charge on your battery ... and this can appear as either no satellite reception at all or very sucky satellite reception depending on the level of power degradation. The gps processor engine can run at 3.3v, so it will still happily talk to you and report empty messages.

    There could very well be multiple issues floating around and different people could be encountering different things. Certainly if you don't secure the interface board some how, it is very flimsy and floppy and will cause you no end to problems. But once it is robustly secured .... then there are problems with satellite reception if your unit isn't "well powered" which I take to mean don't let your battery voltage drop much below 5v or you will start to see reduced performance.

    Just blabbering here, but I'm 99.999% sure my issues are not simple connectivity problems, because the gps talks the whole time and generates binary messages, it just doesn't see satellites which (in my mind) points more towards an issue of the antenna not being quite "well powered" enough ...
  • Dr Mike Black July 8, 2010 at 10:48am
    Curt....

    The other day it was 30deg here (un heard of!!) adn mine was mucking about a little, not quite as bad as you are explaining..but was only seeing 4 sats....but it was raving hot (for the UK) and in side a foam airframe!

    Mike.
  • JOHN PIZZICARA July 6, 2010 at 1:40pm
    @Chris A., Jason, Doug, et al, Congratulations! My 'full boat' Ardupilot is running flawlessly on 6-2-2 without requiring any on line technical insultation, so my hat's off to all of you for your product and documentation. With all the Ublox lock issues, I do have to report that the 2 units I purchased recently arrived unprogrammed although I ordered them to be programmed for Ardupilot. A little QC please, Jordi! Otherwise, excellent service and professional packing (I give you all 5 of Meg Whitman's gold stars). Now for my question. I would like to try Jason's new support code for the magnetometer and barometric altimeter, but I drilled down as far as I can and didn't come across any on line info describing the wiring connection to the ArduIMU. I probably overlooked it and would appreciate a point in the right direction! Thanx in advance for reply.
  • Simon B June 8, 2010 at 3:32am
    Well after leaving the GPS outside for 52 minutes, I still don't have a lock.
    Do I have a faulty GPS?

    Ublox 2.jpg

  • JCD June 7, 2010 at 9:11am
    Hello to all,

    I am new on the forum and I speak English very bad. I also have the same problem as Wilsonj, my Ublox does not lock when it is connected to the arduimu, while with U center it works very well: baudrate: 38400 config Ublox: ublox5_FW_6.02_LEA-5H and config arduimu: pack V15...

    U-center.jpg

  • Simon Butterworth June 5, 2010 at 8:18pm
    Hi Guys,
    I'm having a similar problem, I can't get a GPS lock.
    I have a Ublox LEA-5H GPS, which I have updated the firmware to 6.02. I followed the tutorial by the letter and have left the GPS connected to the U-Center, the GPS looks like it is communicating OK by watching the Binary display. I've left the GPS outside with the laptop for over 30 minutes, but still no fix.
    Am I missing something?
    This is the display I'm getting in U-Center.

  • wilsonj May 27, 2010 at 3:12pm
    Hi tais, yes that plug can be touchy. I guess it is very small. I will shrinkwrap the GPS also.

    Hope you get lock! Mine works a treat.
  • wilsonj May 26, 2010 at 2:06pm
    Well I got mine working!! Seems that when I put some heatshrink on the GPS to keep the daughterboard connected it must have tilted the plug slightly. I removed this and straightened the board and all seems to work.

    I discovered that the GPS was running at 9600 though.So I flashed the firmware, installed the config for ardupilot and now I get a connection at 38400. All sees good. Now I have to see if I can get a lock outside.
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