I received my u-blox GPS receiver and connector from Sparkfun recently, and needed a PCB to hook it all together. I've put together a simple layout including a lithium backup battery and a 4-pin 0.1" header to connect it to my ArduPilot.I've attached the Eagle file for the layout. I case you don't have Eagle, you can get it free at www.cadsoft.de. I've also attached two PDFs, one with labels, the second with only the traces and pads, mirrored to use for toner transfer. This is such a tiny board that I didn't want to send it off to be made, so I used to toner transfer method to make a quick prototype. I didn't have the proper transfer film, and used inkjet photo paper, which didn't work great, but was good enough for a first prototype.The GPS connector is a bit tricky to solder on, but if you have some experience with surface mount soldering, it is not much different than a fine-pitch IC. You might want to order a couple of extra connectors in case they get damaged, they seem pretty delicate. I chose to not use to backup battery at this time, and connected a jumper wire from the positive pad for the battery to the 3.3V supply. The correct battery for the PCB is part P244-ND from Digikey. It was tabs attached to the battery to allow it to be soldered to the PCB.The GPS connector does not provide a good mechanical connection, so the breakout board must somehow be attached to the GPS receiver. I used double-sided tape for this.After connecting power to the board and hooking it up to the PC with a 3.3V FTDI adapter, I successfully connected to the receiver with the u-blox software, and got a GPS lock. Now on to getting it working with ArduPilot!Note: This is a single sided board - the GPS connector mounts on the top (copper) side, while the 0.1" connector and battery mount on the bottom. You must take care to ensure that the battery lead does not extend far enough to touch the receiver PCB (and possibly short something).UPDATE: I've temporarily removed the PCB files. The way I had the TX/RX pins on the board was swapped with respect to the ArduPilot, so I am fixing that, and will post new layout files soon.
H. Standford:
Thanks for the link, I'll definitely work through that.
Mark:
The GPS connector is part number GPS-09079 - it should be linked in my post above. The other connector is a standard 0.1" header - for example number PRT-00553.
Sure you can. A regulator is a good idea. I'm powered mine from the Ardupilot shield, but it would be nice to be able to use a battery. I'm pretty new to using Eagle, so I'm not surprised that I made some mistakes. I'll have to learn about dimensions.
You bit me! I was developing one like you but without battery, but it has power regular =). Your eagle files has no dimensions. May i use your battery idea and develop a connector with optional power regulator?
Chris,
I've added PDFs of the board layout to my post above. I don't have a schematic right now, but I'll post one if I get a chance. I'm new to using Eagle and haven't completely figured it out yet. I'll also post a photo of the finished board as soon as I have a chance.
Comments
Thanks for the link, I'll definitely work through that.
Mark:
The GPS connector is part number GPS-09079 - it should be linked in my post above. The other connector is a standard 0.1" header - for example number PRT-00553.
Part 8-10 of this tutorial on SparkFun was exceptionally useful for learning Eagle, FYI.
I've added PDFs of the board layout to my post above. I don't have a schematic right now, but I'll post one if I get a chance. I'm new to using Eagle and haven't completely figured it out yet. I'll also post a photo of the finished board as soon as I have a chance.