Intermediate
30 min

Build a mobile RTK Rover station with LG69TAMMD and STM32F091RC

Achieve centimeter-precise position

RTK Rover Click with Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU

Published Feb 26, 2024

Click board™

RTK Rover Click

Dev. board

Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F091RC

Enhance the position-data precision of compatible RTK Base Station

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

RTK Rover Click is based on the LG69TAMMD, a multi-constellation GNSS module featuring a high-performance and high-reliability positioning engine from Quectel Wireless Solutions that facilitates a fast and precise GNSS positioning capability. The LG69TAMMD has a dual-band supporting up to three concurrent global constellations featuring STMicroelectronics®' fifth-generation positioning receiver platform with 80 tracking and four fast acquisition channels. It is characterized by a horizontal position accuracy of 1m autonomous (24h static) and 0.01m+1ppm RTK with a high-performance YB0017AA mobile antenna in an open-sky environment and within 1km of the base station. The primary function of the LG69TAMMD is PVT (RTK) which stands for Position, Velocity, and Time. Designed according to the IATF 16949:2016 standard, the LG69TAMMD has GPS+BDS+Galileo as a default GNSS constellation and an integrated LNA for improved sensitivity. It can receive and track GPS L1 C/A and L5 and Galileo E1 and E5a signals centered at 1575.42MHz and 1176.45MHz, and BeiDou B1I and B2a signals centered at 1561.098MHz and 1176.45MHz. The ability to receive and track BeiDou signals with GPS results in higher coverage, improved reliability, and better accuracy. RTK Rover Click communicates with an MCU using the

UART interface, with commonly-used RX and TX pins alongside one data-ready pin (INT), which informs the host MCU to receive data when the buffer transmission is full. It is also equipped with a USB type C connector, which allows the module to be powered and configured by a personal computer (PC) using FT2232D, a compact USB to a serial UART interface device designed to operate efficiently with USB host controllers. Before supporting the RTK navigation technique, this module must receive the RTK correction messages via its UART port. In a default configuration, it will attempt to achieve the best positioning accuracy based on the correction data it receives. When the module receives an input stream of RTCM messages, it will enter RTK float mode, and once it fixes carrier phase ambiguities, it enters RTK fixed mode. It will typically take less than 60 seconds before the Rover can solve the carrier ambiguities and go from RTK float to RTK fixed mode. In addition to the interface pins, this board uses a few additional mikroBUS™ pins. An active-low reset signal alongside an onboard RESET button, routed on the RST pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, performs a reset function of the module. The WUP pin performs module wake-up, and the SHD pin routed on the AN pin of the mikroBUS™ socket offers a switch operation to

turn ON/OFF the power supply to the LG69TAMMD. The module can use Boot Download Mode for firmware update via the BT pin routed on the RST pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, alongside a blue LED indicator marked as PPS for time pulse signal information and indication. The module enters Normal operating mode by keeping the BT pin on a low logic state during the Startup sequence. Otherwise, the module enters Boot Download Mode when the pin is high during Startup. A specific addition to this Click board™ is several testpoints that enable additional module features such as RTK positioning status indicator, Wheel tick pulse signal sampled from the wheel revolution sensors, or correction UART by default or NMEA output/raw data output. This Click board™ can operate with both 3.3V and 5V MCUs. As its main power supply, the LG69TAMMD uses 3.3V obtained from the MCP1826 LDO but can also use an additional backup power supply in the form of a coin-shaped battery. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

rtk_rover_click_hardware_overview

Features overview

Development board

Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU offers a cost-effective and adaptable platform for developers to explore new ideas and prototype their designs. This board harnesses the versatility of the STM32 microcontroller, enabling users to select the optimal balance of performance and power consumption for their projects. It accommodates the STM32 microcontroller in the LQFP64 package and includes essential components such as a user LED, which doubles as an ARDUINO® signal, alongside user and reset push-buttons, and a 32.768kHz crystal oscillator for precise timing operations. Designed with expansion and flexibility in mind, the Nucleo-64 board features an ARDUINO® Uno V3 expansion connector and ST morpho extension pin

headers, granting complete access to the STM32's I/Os for comprehensive project integration. Power supply options are adaptable, supporting ST-LINK USB VBUS or external power sources, ensuring adaptability in various development environments. The board also has an on-board ST-LINK debugger/programmer with USB re-enumeration capability, simplifying the programming and debugging process. Moreover, the board is designed to simplify advanced development with its external SMPS for efficient Vcore logic supply, support for USB Device full speed or USB SNK/UFP full speed, and built-in cryptographic features, enhancing both the power efficiency and security of projects. Additional connectivity is

provided through dedicated connectors for external SMPS experimentation, a USB connector for the ST-LINK, and a MIPI® debug connector, expanding the possibilities for hardware interfacing and experimentation. Developers will find extensive support through comprehensive free software libraries and examples, courtesy of the STM32Cube MCU Package. This, combined with compatibility with a wide array of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), including IAR Embedded Workbench®, MDK-ARM, and STM32CubeIDE, ensures a smooth and efficient development experience, allowing users to fully leverage the capabilities of the Nucleo-64 board in their projects.

Nucleo 64 with STM32F091RC MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M0

MCU Memory (KB)

256

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

64

RAM (Bytes)

32768

You complete me!

Accessories

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 comes equipped with two proprietary mikroBUS™ sockets, allowing all the Click board™ devices to be interfaced with the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with no effort. This way, Mikroe allows its users to add any functionality from our ever-growing range of Click boards™, such as WiFi, GSM, GPS, Bluetooth, ZigBee, environmental sensors, LEDs, speech recognition, motor control, movement sensors, and many more. More than 1537 Click boards™, which can be stacked and integrated, are at your disposal. The STM32 Nucleo-64 boards are based on the microcontrollers in 64-pin packages, a 32-bit MCU with an ARM Cortex M4 processor operating at 84MHz, 512Kb Flash, and 96KB SRAM, divided into two regions where the top section represents the ST-Link/V2 debugger and programmer while the bottom section of the board is an actual development board. These boards are controlled and powered conveniently through a USB connection to program and efficiently debug the Nucleo-64 board out of the box, with an additional USB cable connected to the USB mini port on the board. Most of the STM32 microcontroller pins are brought to the IO pins on the left and right edge of the board, which are then connected to two existing mikroBUS™ sockets. This Click Shield also has several switches that perform functions such as selecting the logic levels of analog signals on mikroBUS™ sockets and selecting logic voltage levels of the mikroBUS™ sockets themselves. Besides, the user is offered the possibility of using any Click board™ with the help of existing bidirectional level-shifting voltage translators, regardless of whether the Click board™ operates at a 3.3V or 5V logic voltage level. Once you connect the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with our Click Shield for Nucleo-64, you can access hundreds of Click boards™, working with 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels.

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 accessories 1 image

GNSS L1/L5 Active External Antenna (YB0017AA) is an active patch antenna from Quectel that supports GNSS L1/L5 BD B1/B2 GLONASS L1, offering excellent performance with its high gain and efficiency for fleet management, navigation, RTK, and many other tracking applications. The magnetic-mounting antenna, with dimensions of 61.5×56.5×23mm, is designed to work with various ground plane sizes or in free space and is connected to the device by a 3m cable with an SMA male connector.

RTK Rover Click accessories image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Shutdown
PC0
AN
Reset
PC12
RST
Module Wake-Up
PB12
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Boot Download Mode
PC8
PWM
Data Ready Interrupt
PC14
INT
UART TX
PA2
TX
UART RX
PA3
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

RTK Rover Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 accessories 1 image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU as your development board.

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 accessories 1 image hardware assembly
Nucleo 64 with STM32F401RE MCU front image hardware assembly
LTE IoT 5 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
LTE IoT 5 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Nucleo-64 with STM32XXX MCU Access MB 1 Mini B Conn - 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
Clicker 4 for STM32F4 HA 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

1. Application Output - In Debug mode, the 'Application Output' window enables real-time data monitoring, offering direct insight into execution results. Ensure proper data display by configuring the environment correctly using the provided tutorial.

2. UART Terminal - Use the UART Terminal to monitor data transmission via a USB to UART converter, allowing direct communication between the Click board™ and your development system. Configure the baud rate and other serial settings according to your project's requirements to ensure proper functionality. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to the provided tutorial.

3. Plot Output - The Plot feature offers a powerful way to visualize real-time sensor data, enabling trend analysis, debugging, and comparison of multiple data points. To set it up correctly, follow the provided tutorial, which includes a step-by-step example of using the Plot feature to display Click board™ readings. To use the Plot feature in your code, use the function: plot(*insert_graph_name*, variable_name);. This is a general format, and it is up to the user to replace 'insert_graph_name' with the actual graph name and 'variable_name' with the parameter to be displayed.

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for RTK Rover Click driver.

Key functions:

  • rtkrover_generic_read This function reads a desired number of data bytes by using UART serial interface.

  • rtkrover_clear_ring_buffers This function clears UART tx and rx ring buffers.

  • rtkrover_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 RTK Rover Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of RTK Rover 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 rtkrover_clear_app_buf ( void )
 * - static err_t rtkrover_process ( rtkrover_t *ctx )
 * - static void rtkrover_parser_application ( char *rsp )
 *
 * @note
 * The click board comes with the default baud rate of 460800, but the baud rate is set to 115200
 * in the example due to code portability and speed limitations of some MCUs. So in order to run
 * the example you will need to adjust the baud rate using Quectel QGNSS evaluation software.
 * 
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "rtkrover.h"
#include "string.h"

#define PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE 200

static rtkrover_t rtkrover;
static log_t logger;

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

/**
 * @brief RTK Rover clearing application buffer.
 * @details This function clears memory of application buffer and reset its length.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
static void rtkrover_clear_app_buf ( void );

/**
 * @brief RTK Rover data reading function.
 * @details This function reads data from device and concatenates data to application buffer.
 * @param[in] ctx : Click context object.
 * See #rtkrover_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 rtkrover_process ( rtkrover_t *ctx );

/**
 * @brief RTK Rover 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 #rtkrover_t object definition for detailed explanation.
 * @param[in] rsp Response buffer.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
static void rtkrover_parser_application ( rtkrover_t *ctx, char *rsp );

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    rtkrover_cfg_t rtkrover_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.
    rtkrover_cfg_setup( &rtkrover_cfg );
    RTKROVER_MAP_MIKROBUS( rtkrover_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( UART_ERROR == rtkrover_init( &rtkrover, &rtkrover_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    if ( RTKROVER_OK == rtkrover_process( &rtkrover ) )
    {
        if ( PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE == app_buf_len )
        {
            rtkrover_parser_application( &rtkrover, app_buf );
        }
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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

static err_t rtkrover_process ( rtkrover_t *ctx ) 
{
    char rx_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
    int32_t rx_size = 0;
    rx_size = rtkrover_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 RTKROVER_OK;
    }
    return RTKROVER_ERROR;
}

static void rtkrover_parser_application ( rtkrover_t *ctx, char *rsp )
{
    char element_buf[ 100 ] = { 0 };
    if ( RTKROVER_OK == rtkrover_parse_gngga( rsp, RTKROVER_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 ] );
            rtkrover_parse_gngga( rsp, RTKROVER_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 ) );
            rtkrover_parse_gngga( rsp, RTKROVER_GNGGA_ALTITUDE, element_buf );
            log_printf( &logger, " Altitude: %s m \r\n", element_buf );
            wait_for_fix_cnt = 0;
            Delay_ms ( 1000 );
        }
        else
        {
            if ( wait_for_fix_cnt % 20 == 0 )
            {
                log_printf( &logger, " Waiting for the position fix...\r\n\n" );
                wait_for_fix_cnt = 0;
            }
            wait_for_fix_cnt++;
        }
        rtkrover_clear_ring_buffers( ctx );
        rtkrover_clear_app_buf( );
    }
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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