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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
GNSS 5 Click is based on the NEO-M8N, a GNSS receiver module from u-blox. GNSS 5 click is designed to run on a 3.3V power supply. The click communicates with the target microcontroller over the I2C or UART interface, with additional functionality provided by the following pins on the mikroBUS™ line: RST, INT, and PWM. A USB interface (micro USB port), compatible with the USB version 2.0 FS (Full Speed, 12 Mbit/s), can be used for communication as an alternative to the UART. The USB port can also be used as a power supply if you need the click board™ to be a standalone device. The NEO-M8 series of concurrent GNSS modules are built on the
high-performing u-blox M8 GNSS engine in the industry-proven NEO form factor. The NEO-M8 series utilizes concurrent reception of up to three GNSS systems (GPS/Galileo with BeiDou or GLONASS), simultaneously recognizes multiple constellations, and provides outstanding positioning accuracy in scenarios involving urban canyons or weak signals. The u-blox NEO-M8 modules can also benefit from the u-blox AssistNow assistance service. The Online service provides GNNS broadcast parameters, e.g., ephemeris, almanac plus time, or rough position, to reduce the receiver’s time first to fix significantly and improve acquisition sensitivity. Hardware
Backup Mode - If the main supply voltage fails and a battery is connected to V_BCKP, parts of the receiver switch off, but the RTC still runs, providing a timing reference for the receiver. This operating mode enables all relevant data to be saved in the backup RAM to allow a hot or warm start later. 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. Also, it comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.
Features overview
Development board
Fusion for STM32 v8 is a development board specially designed for the needs of rapid development of embedded applications. It supports a wide range of microcontrollers, such as different 32-bit ARM® Cortex®-M based MCUs from STMicroelectronics, regardless of their number of pins, and a broad set of unique functions, such as the first-ever embedded debugger/programmer over WiFi. The development board is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements, such as switches, buttons, indicators, connectors, and others, in one place. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology, Fusion for STM32 v8 provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing
access anywhere and under any circumstances at any time. Each part of the Fusion for STM32 v8 development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. An advanced integrated CODEGRIP programmer/debugger module offers many valuable programming/debugging options, including support for JTAG, SWD, and SWO Trace (Single Wire Output)), and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment. Besides, it also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development board. It can use a wide range of external power sources, including a battery, an external 12V power supply, and a power source via the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector.
Communication options such as USB-UART, USB HOST/DEVICE, CAN (on the MCU card, if supported), and Ethernet is also included. In addition, it also has the well-established mikroBUS™ standard, a standardized socket for the MCU card (SiBRAIN standard), and two display options for the TFT board line of products and character-based LCD. Fusion for STM32 v8 is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem for rapid development. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping and development thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU

Type
8th Generation
Architecture
ARM Cortex-M4
MCU Memory (KB)
2048
Silicon Vendor
STMicroelectronics
Pin count
144
RAM (Bytes)
262144
You complete me!
Accessories
GNSS Active External Antenna is a unique multi-band type of antenna coming from u-Blox that is the perfect selection for high precision GNSS applications, which require highly accurate location abilities such as RTK. The ANN-MB-00 is a multi-band (L1, L2/E5b/B2I) active GNSS antenna with a 5m cable and SMA connector. The antenna supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou and includes a high-performance multi-band RHCP dual-feed patch antenna element, a built-in high-gain LNA with SAW pre-filtering, and a 5 m antenna cable with SMA connector, and is waterproof.
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Click board™ Schematic

Step by step
Project assembly
Track your results in real time
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.
Software Support
Library Description
This library contains API for GNSS 5 Click driver.
Key functions:
gnss5_generic_read
- This function reads a desired number of data bytes by using UART serial interfacegnss5_clear_ring_buffers
- This function clears UART tx and rx ring buffersgnss5_parse_gngga
- This function parses the GNGGA data from the read response buffer
Open Source
Code example
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.
/*!
* @file main.c
* @brief GNSS 5 Click Example.
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of GNSS 5 click by reading and displaying
* the GPS coordinates.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes the driver and logger.
*
* ## Application Task
* Reads the received data, parses the GNGGA info from it, and once it receives the position fix
* it will start displaying the coordinates on the USB UART.
*
* ## Additional Function
* - static void gnss5_clear_app_buf ( void )
* - static err_t gnss5_process ( gnss5_t *ctx )
* - static void gnss5_parser_application ( char *rsp )
*
* @author Stefan Filipovic
*
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "gnss5.h"
#include "string.h"
#define PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE 200
static gnss5_t gnss5;
static log_t logger;
static char app_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
static int32_t app_buf_len = 0;
/**
* @brief GNSS 5 clearing application buffer.
* @details This function clears memory of application buffer and reset its length.
* @return None.
* @note None.
*/
static void gnss5_clear_app_buf ( void );
/**
* @brief GNSS 5 data reading function.
* @details This function reads data from device and concatenates data to application buffer.
* @param[in] ctx : Click context object.
* See #gnss5_t object definition for detailed explanation.
* @return @li @c 0 - Read some data.
* @li @c -1 - Nothing is read.
* See #err_t definition for detailed explanation.
* @note None.
*/
static err_t gnss5_process ( gnss5_t *ctx );
/**
* @brief GNSS 5 parser application function.
* @details This function parses GNSS data and logs it on the USB UART. It clears app and ring buffers
* after successfully parsing data.
* @param[in] ctx : Click context object.
* See #gnss5_t object definition for detailed explanation.
* @param[in] rsp Response buffer.
* @return None.
* @note None.
*/
static void gnss5_parser_application ( gnss5_t *ctx, char *rsp );
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
gnss5_cfg_t gnss5_cfg; /**< Click config object. */
/**
* Logger initialization.
* Default baud rate: 115200
* Default log level: LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
* @note If USB_UART_RX and USB_UART_TX
* are defined as HAL_PIN_NC, you will
* need to define them manually for log to work.
* See @b LOG_MAP_USB_UART macro definition for detailed explanation.
*/
LOG_MAP_USB_UART( log_cfg );
log_init( &logger, &log_cfg );
log_info( &logger, " Application Init " );
// Click initialization.
gnss5_cfg_setup( &gnss5_cfg );
GNSS5_MAP_MIKROBUS( gnss5_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( UART_ERROR == gnss5_init( &gnss5, &gnss5_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
if ( GNSS5_OK == gnss5_process( &gnss5 ) )
{
if ( PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE == app_buf_len )
{
gnss5_parser_application( &gnss5, app_buf );
}
}
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
static void gnss5_clear_app_buf ( void )
{
memset( app_buf, 0, app_buf_len );
app_buf_len = 0;
}
static err_t gnss5_process ( gnss5_t *ctx )
{
char rx_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
int32_t rx_size = 0;
rx_size = gnss5_generic_read( ctx, rx_buf, PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
if ( rx_size > 0 )
{
int32_t buf_cnt = app_buf_len;
if ( ( ( app_buf_len + rx_size ) > PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ) && ( app_buf_len > 0 ) )
{
buf_cnt = PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE - ( ( app_buf_len + rx_size ) - PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
memmove ( app_buf, &app_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE - buf_cnt ], buf_cnt );
}
for ( int32_t rx_cnt = 0; rx_cnt < rx_size; rx_cnt++ )
{
if ( rx_buf[ rx_cnt ] )
{
app_buf[ buf_cnt++ ] = rx_buf[ rx_cnt ];
if ( app_buf_len < PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE )
{
app_buf_len++;
}
}
}
return GNSS5_OK;
}
return GNSS5_ERROR;
}
static void gnss5_parser_application ( gnss5_t *ctx, char *rsp )
{
char element_buf[ 100 ] = { 0 };
if ( GNSS5_OK == gnss5_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS5_GNGGA_LATITUDE, element_buf ) )
{
static uint8_t wait_for_fix_cnt = 0;
if ( strlen( element_buf ) > 0 )
{
log_printf( &logger, "\r\n Latitude: %.2s degrees, %s minutes \r\n", element_buf, &element_buf[ 2 ] );
gnss5_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS5_GNGGA_LONGITUDE, element_buf );
log_printf( &logger, " Longitude: %.3s degrees, %s minutes \r\n", element_buf, &element_buf[ 3 ] );
memset( element_buf, 0, sizeof( element_buf ) );
gnss5_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS5_GNGGA_ALTITUDE, element_buf );
log_printf( &logger, " Altitude: %s m \r\n", element_buf );
wait_for_fix_cnt = 0;
}
else
{
if ( wait_for_fix_cnt % 5 == 0 )
{
log_printf( &logger, " Waiting for the position fix...\r\n\n" );
wait_for_fix_cnt = 0;
}
wait_for_fix_cnt++;
}
gnss5_clear_ring_buffers( ctx );
gnss5_clear_app_buf( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END