Beginner
10 min

Navigate with confidence using SIM33ELA and PIC32MZ1024EFH064

Get lost in adventure, not directions

GNSS 3 Click with PIC32MZ clicker

Published Aug 30, 2023

Click board™

GNSS 3 Click

Dev Board

PIC32MZ clicker

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC32MZ1024EFH064

Our advanced GNSS solution supports navigation, mapping, and geographic analysis by providing real-time positioning data, enhancing decision-making and productivity

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

GNSS 3 Click is based on the SIM33ELA module, a standalone or A-GPS receiver with a built-in chip antenna from SIMCom. The SIM33ELA supports only the L1 band with 33 tracking and 99 acquisition channels. The module provides complete signal processing from antenna input to host port in either NMEA messages with the maximum update rate of 10Hz. The module is an ultra-low tracking power consumption device with a high sensitivity of -165dBm while tracking and -147dBm in acquisition mode with fast re-acquisition time. The greater number of visible satellites increases positioning accuracy (<2.5m CEP) and decreases acquisition time (<1.5s TTFF with a warm start). GNSS 3 Click supports anti-jamming, better positioning under weak signal conditions with onboard LNA, and 12 multi-tone active interference cancellers. The SIM33ELA supports EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit) data service that can predict a 7/14/31-day orbit to

customers, with occasional downloads from the EPO server. Information like ephemeris, almanac, rough last position and time, satellite status, and optional time synchronization will reduce TTFF. It can be uploaded to the SIM33ELA module by the host side. EASY (Embedded Assistant System) mode predicts satellite navigation messages from the received ephemeris. The module also supports DGPS SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) and RTCM, where only one mode can be used at a time. The SBAS depends on the user’s continent. The SIM33ELA uses the UART interface with commonly used UART RX and TX pins as its default communication protocol for the host microcontroller. It operates at 115200bps by default configuration to transmit and exchange data. In addition, this Click board™ features other functions accessible through mikroBUS™ signals, such as Reset (RST) for resetting the device and INT pin that could control the module coming

into or waking up from Sleep mode. In addition to the possibility of using the built-in chip antenna, this Click board™ can also use an external active antenna offered by Mikroe, thanks to the onboard n.FL connector and ANT SEL solder jumper set to INT or EXT position. In addition to precise positioning, the GNSS 3 Click also has an accurate timing signal indicated via a red LED indicator marked as PPS, the successful positioning indicated by a yellow LED indicator marked as FIX, and the green PWR LED, which acts as a wake-up indicator. 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.

GNSS 3 Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

PIC32MZ Clicker is a compact starter development board that brings the flexibility of add-on Click boards™ to your favorite microcontroller, making it a perfect starter kit for implementing your ideas. It comes with an onboard 32-bit PIC32MZ microcontroller with FPU from Microchip, a USB connector, LED indicators, buttons, a mikroProg connector, and a header for interfacing with external electronics. Thanks to its compact design with clear and easy-recognizable silkscreen markings, it provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing access anywhere and under

any circumstances. Each part of the PIC32MZ Clicker development kit contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition to the possibility of choosing the PIC32MZ Clicker programming method, using USB HID mikroBootloader, or through an external mikroProg connector for PIC, dsPIC, or PIC32 programmer, the Clicker board also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development kit. The USB Micro-B connection can provide up to 500mA of current, which is more than enough to operate all onboard

and additional modules. All communication methods that mikroBUS™ itself supports are on this board, including the well-established mikroBUS™ socket, reset button, and several buttons and LED indicators. PIC32MZ Clicker is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem, allowing you to create a new application in minutes. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

PIC32MZ clicker double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

PIC32

MCU Memory (KB)

1024

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

64

RAM (Bytes)

524288

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
Reset
RE5
RST
Wake Up Interrupt
RG9
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
NC
NC
INT
UART TX
RB2
TX
UART RX
RB0
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Schematic

GNSS 3 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

PIC32MZ clicker front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the PIC32MZ clicker as your development board.

PIC32MZ clicker front image hardware assembly
Thermo 26 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Micro B Connector clicker - upright/background hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
Necto image step 5 hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Flip&Click PIC32MZ MCU step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Debug Image Necto Step hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output via Debug Mode

1. Once the code example is loaded, pressing the "DEBUG" button initiates the build process, programs it on the created setup, and enters Debug mode.

2. After the programming is completed, a header with buttons for various actions within the IDE becomes visible. Clicking the green "PLAY" button starts reading the results achieved with the Click board™. The achieved results are displayed in the Application Output tab.

DEBUG_Application_Output

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for GNSS 3 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • gnss3_parse_gngga - GNSS 3 parse GNGGA function

  • gnss3_generic_read - Generic read function

  • gnss3_module_wakeup - Wake-up module.

Open Source

Code example

This example can be found in NECTO Studio. Feel free to download the code, or you can copy the code below.

/*!
 * \file 
 * \brief Gnss3 Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of GNSS 3 click by reading and displaying
 * the GPS coordinates.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and resets the click board.
 *
 * ## 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 gnss3_clear_app_buf ( void )
 * - static err_t gnss3_process ( gnss3_t *ctx )
 * - static void gnss3_parser_application ( char *rsp )
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "gnss3.h"

#define PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE 200

static gnss3_t gnss3;
static log_t logger;

static char app_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
static int32_t app_buf_len = 0;
static int32_t app_buf_cnt = 0;

/**
 * @brief GNSS 3 clearing application buffer.
 * @details This function clears memory of application buffer and reset its length and counter.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
static void gnss3_clear_app_buf ( void );

/**
 * @brief GNSS 3 data reading function.
 * @details This function reads data from device and concatenates data to application buffer.
 * @param[in] ctx : Click context object.
 * See #gnss3_t object definition for detailed explanation.
 * @return @li @c  0 - Read some data.
 *         @li @c -1 - Nothing is read or Application buffer overflow.
 * See #err_t definition for detailed explanation.
 * @note None.
 */
static err_t gnss3_process ( gnss3_t *ctx );

/**
 * @brief GNSS 3 parser application.
 * @param[in] rsp Response buffer.
 * @details This function logs GNSS data on the USB UART.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
static void gnss3_parser_application ( char *rsp );

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    gnss3_cfg_t cfg;

    /** 
     * 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.

    gnss3_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    GNSS3_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    gnss3_init( &gnss3, &cfg );

    gnss3_module_wakeup( &gnss3 );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    gnss3_process( &gnss3 );
    if ( app_buf_len > ( sizeof ( ( char * ) GNSS3_RSP_GNGGA ) + GNSS3_GNGGA_ELEMENT_SIZE ) ) 
    {
        gnss3_parser_application( app_buf );
    }
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

    for ( ; ; )
    {
        application_task( );
    }
}

static void gnss3_clear_app_buf ( void ) 
{
    memset( app_buf, 0, app_buf_len );
    app_buf_len = 0;
    app_buf_cnt = 0;
}

static err_t gnss3_process ( gnss3_t *ctx ) 
{
    int32_t rx_size = 0;
    char rx_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
    rx_size = gnss3_generic_read( ctx, rx_buf, PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
    if ( rx_size > 0 ) 
    {
        int32_t buf_cnt = 0;
        if ( ( app_buf_len + rx_size ) > PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ) 
        {
            gnss3_clear_app_buf(  );
            return GNSS3_ERROR;
        } 
        else 
        {
            buf_cnt = app_buf_len;
            app_buf_len += rx_size;
        }
        for ( int32_t rx_cnt = 0; rx_cnt < rx_size; rx_cnt++ ) 
        {
            if ( rx_buf[ rx_cnt ] ) 
            {
                app_buf[ ( buf_cnt + rx_cnt ) ] = rx_buf[ rx_cnt ];
            }
            else
            {
                app_buf_len--;
                buf_cnt--;
            }
        }
        return GNSS3_OK;
    }
    return GNSS3_ERROR;
}

static void gnss3_parser_application ( char *rsp )
{
    char element_buf[ 100 ] = { 0 };
    if ( GNSS3_OK == gnss3_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS3_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 ] );
            gnss3_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS3_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 ) );
            gnss3_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS3_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++;
        }
        gnss3_clear_app_buf(  );
    }
}

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END

Additional Support

Resources

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