Trimble Lassen iQ Reference Manual

Lassen™ iQ GPS Receiver

System Designer Reference Manual

Part Number 54854-00

Revision A

February 2005

Corporate Office

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Components Technologies Division
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U.S.A.
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

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Trimble House
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Phone: [phone]
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Copyright and Trademarks

© 2005 Trimble Navig ation Limited. All rights
reserved. No part of this manual may be copied,
reproduced, translated, or reduced to any
electronic medium or machine-readable form for
any use other than with the Lassen™ iQ GPS
Receiver.

This is the February 2005 release (Revision A) of
the Lassen™ iQ GPS Receiver System Designer
Reference Manual, part number 54854-00.

The following limited warranties giv e you specific
legal rights. You may have others, which vary
from state/jurisdiction to state/jurisdiction.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE) Notice

This Trimble product is furnished on an OEM
basis. By incorporating this Trimble product with
your finished goods product(s) you shall be
deemed the “producer” of all such products under
any laws, regulations or other statutory scheme
providing for the marking, collection, recycling
and/or disposal of electrical and electronic
equipment (collectively, “WEEE Regulations”) in
any jurisdiction whatsoever, (such as for example
national laws implementing EC Directiv e 2002/96
on waste electrical and electronic equipment, as
amended), and shall be solely responsible for
complying with all such applicable WEEE
Regulations.

Hardware Limited Warranty

Trimble warrants that this Trimble hardware
product (the “Product”) shall be free from defects
in materials and workmanship and will
substantially conform to Trimble’s applicable
published specifications for the Product for a
period of one (1) year, starting from the date of
delivery. The warranty set forth in this paragraph
shall not apply to software/firmware products.

The Globe & Triangle logo, Trimble, Colossus,
FirstGPS, and Lassen, are trademarks of Trimble
Navigation Limited.

The Sextant logo with Trimble is a trademark of
Trimble Navigation Limited, registered in the
United States Patent and Trademark Office.

All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

Software and Firmware License, Limited
Warranty

This Trimble software and/or firmware product
(the “Software”) is licensed and not sold. Its use is
governed by the provisions of the applicable End
User License Agreement (“EULA”), if any,
included with the Software. In the absence of a
separate EULA included with the Software
providing different limited warranty terms,
exclusions, and limitations, the following terms
and conditions shall apply. Trimble warrants that
this Trimble Software product will substantially
conform to Trimble’s applicable published
specifications for the Software for a period of
ninety (90) days, starting from the date of
delivery.

Warranty Remedies

Trimble's sole liability and your exclusive remedy
under the warranties set forth above shall be, at
Trimble’s option, to repair or replace any Product
or Software that fails to conform to such warranty
(“Nonconforming Product”), or refund the
purchase price paid by you for any such
Nonconforming Product, upon your return of any
Nonconforming Product to Trimble in accordance
with Trimble’ s standard return material
authorization procedures.

Warranty Exclusions and Disclaimer

These warranties shall be applied only in the event
and to the extent that: (i) the Products and
Software are properly and correctly installed,
configured, interfaced, maintained, stored, and
operated in accordance with Trimble’s relevant
operator's manual and specifications, and; (ii) the
Products and Software are not modified or
misused.

The preceding warranties shall not apply to, and
Trimble shall not be responsible for defects or
performance problems resulting from (i) the
combination or utilization of the Product or
Software with products, information, data,
systems or devices not made, supplied or specified
by Trimble; (ii) the operation of the Product or
Software under any specification other than, or in
addition to, Trimble's st andard specifications for
its products; (iii) the unauthorized modification or
use of the Product or Software; (iv) damage
caused by accident, lightning or other electrical
discharge, fresh or salt water immersion or spray;
or (v) normal wear and tear on consumable parts
(e.g., batteries).

THE WARRANTIES ABOVE STATE TRIMBLE'S
ENTIRE LIABILITY, AND YOUR EXCLUSIVE
REMEDIES, RELATING TO PERFORMANCE OF
THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE. EXCEPT AS
OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN,
THE PRODUCTS, SOFTWARE, AND
ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION AND
MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND
WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY
OF ANY KIND BY EITHER TRIMBLE
NAVIGATION LIMITED OR ANYONE WHO HAS
BEEN INVOLVED IN ITS CREATION,
PRODUCTION, INSTALLATION, OR
DISTRIBUTION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND
NONINFRINGEMENT. THE STATED EXPRESS
WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ALL
OBLIGATIONS OR LIABILITIES ON THE PART
OF TRIMBLE ARISING OUT OF, OR IN
CONNECTION WITH, ANY PRODUCTS OR
SOFTWARE. SOME STATES AND
JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS
ON DURATION OR THE EXCLUSION OF AN
IMPLIED WARRANTY, SO THE ABOVE
LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED IS NOT
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION OR
FAILURE OF OPERATION OF GPS SATELLITES
OR THE AVAILABILITY OF GPS SATELLITE
SIGNALS.

Limitation of Liability

TRIMBLE’S ENTIRE LIABILITY UNDER ANY
PROVISION HEREIN SHALL BE LIMITED TO
THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU
FOR THE PRODUCT OR SOFTWARE LICENSE OR
U.S.$25.00. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT
PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO
EVENT SHALL TRIMBLE OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE
LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE
OR LEGAL THEORY RELATING IN ANY WAY TO
THE PRODUCTS, SOFTWARE, AND
ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION AND
MATERIALS, (INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF
BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION,
LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR ANY
OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS), REGARDLESS OF
WHETHER TRIMBLE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH LOSS AND
REGARDLESS OF THE COURSE OF DEALING
WHICH DEVELOPS OR HAS DEVELOPED
BETWEEN YOU AND TRIMBLE. BECAUSE SOME
STATES AND JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW
THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL
DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT
APPLY TO YOU.

Table of Contents

1 Starter Kit

Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Starter Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Receiver Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Interface Protocols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Ordering Starter Kit Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Starter Kit Interface Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Hardware Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Software Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2 Hardware Integration

General Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Power Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Serial Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Serial Port Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Pulse-Per-Second (PPS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

GPS Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Table of Contents

3 Software Interface

Start-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Communicating with the Lassen iQ GPS Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Port Protocol and Data Output Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Custom Port Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Timing Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Known Anomalies in Firmware Release 1.10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

4 Operation and Performance

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

GPS Satellite Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Satellite Acquisition and Time to First Fix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Satellite Mask Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Standard Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

Table of Contents

Differential GPS Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Position Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Coordinate Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Performance Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver Sensitivity Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver Aided GPS Feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

GPS Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Pulse-Per-Second (PPS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

System Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

A Trimble Standard Interface Protocol (TSIP)

Interface Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Packet Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Automatic Output Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Customizing Receiver Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Automatic Position and Velocity Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Initialization Packets to Speed Start-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Packets Output at Power-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Timing Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Satellite Data Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Backwards Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Recommended TSIP Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Command Packets Sent to the Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Report Packets Sent by the Receiver to the User . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Key Setup Parameters or Packet BB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Packet Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

TAIP Message Output (Packet 0x7E) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

TSIP Superpackets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

B TSIP Tool kit User’s Guide

iQ_Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

C Trimble ASCII Interface Protocol (TAIP)

Message Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Sample PV Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Time and Distance Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Latitude and Longitude Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Message Data Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Communication Scheme for TAIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

D GPSSK User’s Guide (TAIP)

E NMEA 0183

The NMEA 0183 Communication Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

NMEA 0183 Message Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Field Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

NMEA 0183 Message Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

NMEA 0183 Message Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Exception Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

F Specifications and Mechanical Drawings

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Ultra Compact Embedded Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Compact Magnetic Mount Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Compact Unpackaged Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Table of Contents

G Glossary

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

Table of Contents

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

About this Manual

Welcome to System Designer Reference Manual for the Lassen iQ
GPS receiver. This manual describes how to integrate and operate the
Lassen iQ GPS receiver.

If you are not familiar with GPS, visit Trimble’s website,
www.trimble.com, for an interactive look at Trimble and GPS.

Trimble assumes that you are familiar with Microsoft Windows and
know how to use a mouse, select options from menus and dialogs,
make selections from lists, and refer to online help.

Technical Assistance

If you have a problem and cannot find the information you need in the
product documentation, contact the Trimble Technical Assistance
Center at 800-767-4822.

Your Comments

Your feedback about the supporting documentatio n helps us to
improve it with each revision. To forward your comments, send an
e-mail to [e-mail].

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

About this Manual

6 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

CHAPTER

1

Starter Kit 1

■ Product Overview

■ Starter Kit

■ Receiver Performance

■ Interface Protocols

■ Ordering Starter Kit Components

■ Starter Kit Interface Unit

■ Power

■ Hardware Setup

■ Software Toolkit

1 Starter Kit

1.1 Product Overview

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver is a full featured, ultra low power recei ver
on a miniature form factor, suitable for a variety of mobile, embedded
applications. The Lassen iQ GPS receiver incorporates Trimble’s
FirstGPS

TM

architecture in the form of two ASICS: Colossus RF do wn
converter and IO-C33 baseband chip.
The IO-C33 integrates Trimble’s IO digital signal processor with the
Epson C33 RISC processor, real-time clock, UART, and 1Mbit
memory. Together with the colossus RF, this implementation of
FirstGPS technology makes possible one of the smallest
(26 mm x 26 mm x 6mm) and lowest power (less than 89 mW) GPS
modules available.

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver outputs a complete position, velocity, and
time (PVT) solution in the NMEA Version 3.0 ASCII protocol, the
Trimble ASCII Interface Protocol (TAIP), and the Trimble TSIP
binary protocol. A Pulse-Per-Second signal is available for very
accurate timing applications.

2 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

1.2 Starter Kit

The Starter Kit makes it simple to evaluate the Lassen iQ GPS
receiver’s exceptional performance. The Starter Kit can be used as a
platform for configuring the receiver module and as a platform for
troubleshooting your design. The Starter Kit includes:

• Shielded Lassen iQ GPS module mounted on an interface

• Compact Magnetic-Mount GPS Antenna with a 5 meter cable.

Starter Kit 1

motherboard in a durable metal enclosure. The motherboard
accepts 9 - 32 VDC power and provides regulated +3.3V power to
the Lassen iQ GPS receiver. The motherboard also contains:

– 3.6V lithium battery that provides back-up power to the

receiver.

– Circuitry to convert the TTL output to RS-232, enabling

the user to connect the RS-232 ports in the Starter Kit to

the PC COM port via an RS-232 cable connection.

• Ultra-Compact Embedded Antenna with an 8 cm cable.

• 9-pin RS-232 interface cable.

• AC/DC power supply adapter (input: 100-240VAC,
output: 12 VDC).

• DC power cable.

• Cigarette lighter adapter power cable.

• CD containing software tools used to communicate with the
receiver, the System Designer Reference Manual, and “C”
programming source routines to be used as software templates for
communicating directly with the receiver.

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver 3

1 Starter Kit

1.2.1 Removing the Lassen iQ GPS Module

The Lassen iQ GPS module is secured to the motherboard with
double-sided adhesive tape allowing for easy removal and integration
with the user’s application. (The adhesive tape used by Trimble is 3M
Scotch, part number 4945).

Follow these steps to remove the module from the motherboard:

• Unplug the I/O cable and the RF cable from the module.

• Use a small flat-head screw driver to pry the Lassen iQ GPS
receiver module off the motherboard.

Warning – When the Lassen iQ GPS receiver module is removed from

the motherboard, the double-sided tape looses some of it’s adhesive
quality. This adhesive tape may only be re-used for laboratory testing. The
original adhesive tape should not be re-used for drive testing the Starter
Kit interface unit because the module could loosen and cause short circuit
when contacting other motherboard components. If drive testing is
required, use a new piece of double-sided adhesive tape to re-attach the
Lassen iQ GPS receiver module to the motherboard.

4 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

1.3 Receiver Performance

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver is a complete 12-channel parallel tracking
GPS receiver designed to operate with the L1 frequency, Standard
Position Service, Coarse Acquisition code. Using two highly
integrated Trimble custom integrated circuits, the receiver is designed
in a modular format especially suited for embedded applications
where small size and extremely low power consumption are required.
The receiver features Trimble's latest signal processing code, a high­gain RF section for compatibility with standard 27 dB active gain GPS
antennas, and a CMOS TTL level pulse-per-second (PPS) output for
timing applications or for use as a general purpose synchronization
signal.

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver acquires a position fix with minimal
delay after power cycling. The battery back-up RAM is used to keep
the Real Time clock (RTC) alive, and to store the following:

• Almanac

Starter Kit 1

• Ephemeris

• Last position

User settings such as port parameters, NMEA, and TAIP
configurations can be stored in the receiver’s non-volatile (Flash)
memory. These settings are retained without application of main
power or battery back-up power.

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver has two configurable serial I/O
communication ports.

Warning – When customizing port assignments or characteristics,

confirm that your changes do not affect your ability to communicate with
the receiver (see Chapter 3, Software Interface).

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver 5

1 Starter Kit

1.4 Interface Protocols

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver operates using one of three protocols —
Trimble Standard Interface Protocol (TSIP), Trimble ASCII Interface
Protocol (TAIP), or NMEA 0183. Protocol selection and port
characteristics are user configurables. The factory default settings are:

• Port 1, TSIP bi-directional

• Port 2, NMEA 0183 OUT/RTCM SC-104 V2.1 IN

1.4.1 TSIP

TSIP is a powerful binary packet protocol that allows the system
designer maximum configuration control over the GPS receiver for
optimum performance in any number of applications. TSIP supports
over 20 commands and their associated response packets for use in
configuring the Lassen iQ GPS receiver to meet user requirements.

1.4.2 TAIP

TAIP is the Trimble ASCII interface protocol designed specif ically for
vehicle tracking applications. It is a bi-directional protocol using
simple ASCII commands with the associated ASCII responses.

1.4.3 NMEA

NMEA 0183 is an industry standard protocol common to marine
applications. NMEA provides direct compatibility with other NMEA­capable devices such as chart plotters, radars, etc. The Lassen iQ GPS
receiver supports most NMEA messages for GPS navigation. NMEA
messages and output rates can be user selected as required.

1.4.4 DGPS

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver can be configured for RTCM SC-104
input which is the GPS industry standard for differential correction
data. The receive side of Port 2 is factory configured to accept RTCM
data.

6 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

1.5 Ordering Starter Kit Components

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver is available in a Starter Kit or as an
individual module and associated antenna. The Starter Kit
(PN 51099-00) includes all the components necessary to quickly test
and integrate the module:

• Compact Magnetic-Mount Antenna with 5m cable

• Ultra-Compact Embedded Antenna with 8cm cable

• AC/DC power supply adapter

• DC Power cable (3-wire)

• RS-232 interface cable DB9M/DB9F (pin to pin)

• Cigarette lighter adapter power cable

• CD-ROM containing software tools and the System Designer
Reference Manual

Starter Kit 1

Table 1.1 provides ordering information for the Lassen iQ GPS
module and the associated antennas and cables.

Table 1.1 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver Ordering Information

Products Part Number

Lassen iQ GPS receiver Module 46240-10/46240-20

Lassen iQ GPS receiver Starter Kit 51099-00

Antenna transition cable, MCX-HFL connector 47274

Antenna transition cable, SMA-HFL connector 49894-05

Ultra-Compact Embedded Antenna, 3.3V, 8cm cable 45336-00

Compact Unpackaged Antenna, 3V, 11cm cable, MCX connector 39265-51

Compact Magnetic Mount Antenna, 3V, 5m cable, MCX connector 39265-50

Compact Magnetic Mount Antenna, 3V, 5m cable, SMA connector 39265-52

Note – Part numbers are subject to change. Confirm part numbers
with your Trimble representative when placing your order.

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver 7

1 Starter Kit

1.6 Starter Kit Interface Unit

The Starter Kit interface unit consists of a Lassen iQ GPS module
attached to an interface motherboard, housed in a sturdy metal
enclosure. This packaging simplifies testing and evaluation of the
module by providing two RS-232 serial interfaces which are
compatible with most PC communication ports. Power (9-32 VDC) is
supplied through the power connector on the front of the interface
unit. The motherboard features a switching power supply which
conv erts this voltage input to the 3.3 volts required by the module. The
two DB9 connectors allo w for easy connection to a PC serial port
using the serial interface cable provided in the Starter Kit. The metal
enclosure protects the module and the motherboard for testing outside
of the laboratory environment.

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver is a single module encased in a sturdy
metal enclosure. The dimensions of the receiver in this enclosure are
26 mm H x 26 mm L x 6 mm H (1.02” W x 1.02” L x 0.24” H). A
straight-in, panel-mount RF connector (J1) supports the GPS antenna
connection. The center conductor of the coaxial connector also
supplies +3.3 VDC for the Low Noise Amplif ier of the acti ve antenna.
An 8-pin (2x4), 0.09 inch header (J2) supports the tw o serial interfaces
(CMOS TTL level), the pulse-per-second (PPS) signal (CMOS TTL
level), and the input power (+3.3 VDC). Figure 1.1 illustrates the
module in the metal enclosure.

8 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

Starter Kit 1

Bottom Shield

Figure 1.1 Lassen iQ GPS receiver Module

The interface motherboard includes a 9 to 32 VDC switching power
supply which provides re gulated +3 .3 VDC power to the receiver, and
contains circuitry which provides two RS-232 interface ports. A 3.6V
lithium backup battery enables quick hot starts. The TTL level PPS is
brought directly out to Pin 9 of the Port 2 DB9 connector on the front
of the interface unit.

The Starter Kit includes an AC/DC converter for powering the module
from an AC wall socket. The metal enclosure (see Figure 1.2.)
provides 2 DB9 interface port connectors, an antenna connector, and a
power connector. Port 1 and Port 2 are used for serial I/O.

Top Shield

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver 9

1 Starter Kit

The mounting plate is secured to the metal enclosure with four screws.
The eight pin I/O header on the receiver module connects to a mating
connector on a ribbon cable. The ribbon cable is attached to a mating
I/O connector on the interface motherboard. Figure 1.2 illustrates the
Starter Kit interface unit.

Figure 1.2 Starter Kit Interface Unit

Port 2

Port 1

10 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

1.6.1 Serial Port Interface

The Starter Kit interface unit is a DCE (Data Communication
Equipment) device. To connect to a host computer, or DTE (Data
Term inal Equipment) device, use a straight through cable. To connect
a Differential Radio (DCE device) to the receiver (DCE Device) use a
cross over cable or null modem cable.

Table 1.2 Port 1 Pinouts

Pin Description

1NC

2TX

3RX

4NC

5GND

6NC

Starter Kit 1

7NC

8NC

9NC

Table 1.3 Port 2 Pinouts

Pin Description

1NC

2TX

3RX

4NC

5GND

6NC

7NC

8NC

9 PPS Out

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver 11

1 Starter Kit

1.6.2 Pulse-Per-Second (PPS)

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver provides a four microsecond wide,
CMOS compatible TTL level Pulse-Per-Second (PPS). The PPS is a
positive pulse available on pin 9 of the port 2 DB9 connector of the
interface unit (see Table 1.3). The rising edge of the PPS pulse is
synchronized with respect to UTC. The timing accuracy is ±50
nanoseconds when valid position fixes are being reported.

The rising edge of the pulse is typically less than 20 nanoseconds. The
distributed impedance of the attached signal line and input circuit can
affect the pulse shape and rise time. The PPS can drive a load up to
5mA without damaging the module. The falling edge of the pulse
should not be used. The PPS is always on (early PPS) and is dri v en by
the Real Time Clock (RTC) until the receiver acquires GPS time from
the satellite and generates position fixes. The PPS is output
immediately after main power is applied, and continues even if the
receiver loses GPS lock. The drift of the PPS, when the receiver is not
tracking satellites, is unspecified and should not be used for
synchronization.

Note – Trimble has measured better than 50 nanosecond accuracy on
the Lassen iQ GPS receiver’s PPS signal in static mode. For more
information on use of the Lassen iQ GPS receiver in timing
applications, contact your Trimble sales representative.

12 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

1.7 Power

Starter Kit 1

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver receiver is designed for embedded
applications and requires a regulated +3.3 VDC input (+3.0 to +3.6
VDC). The receiver provided in the Starter Kit is installed on a
motherboard, providing a DC power regulator which converts a 9 to
32 VDC input to the regulated 3.3 VDC required by the receiver.
Power can be applied to the interface unit using one of three options:
the DC power cable (Figure 1.3), the AC/DC power converter
(Figure 1.4), or the cigarette lighter adapter.

Figure 1.3 DC Power Cable

The DC power cable is ideal for bench-top or automotive testing
environments. The power cable is terminated at one end with a 3-pin
plastic connector which mates with the power connector on the metal
enclosure. The un-terminated end of the cable provides easy
connection to a DC power supply. Connect the red power lead to a
source of DC positive +9 to +32 VDC, and connect the black power
lead to ground. This connection supplies power to both the receiver
and the antenna.

Note – To ensure compliance with CE conducted emissions
requir ements when using the DC power cable, the Starter Kit interface
unit must be bonded to a ground plane.

Note – The yellow wire of the DC power cable is not used. Battery
back-up power is provided by a factory installed 3.6V lithium battery
on the motherboard.

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver 13

1 Starter Kit

The AC/DC po wer con verter may be used as an alternate po wer source
for the interface unit. The AC/DC po wer con verter co nv erts 110 or 220
VAC to a regulated 12 VDC compatible with the interface unit. The
AC/DC power converter output cable is terminated with a 3-pin
connector compatible with the power connector on the metal
enclosure. The AC power cable is not provided in the kit, since this
cable is country-specific. The input connector is a standard 3-prong
connector used on many desktop PCs.

Figure 1.4 AC/DC Power Converter

14 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

1.8 Hardware Setup

r

The Lassen iQ GPS receiver supports the TSIP and NMEA protocols.
A single port supports both the input/output of TSIP messages and the
output of NMEA messages. Follow the steps belo w to setup the Starter
Kit

interface unit. Figure 1.5 illustrates the setup.

Starter Kit 1

Po w e

Supply

Lassen iQ GPS
Star ter Kit

GPS

DCE

9 to 32 VDC

Re c e i v e r

DCE

GPS

Antenna

Figure 1.5 Starter Kit Interface Unit

DTE

Computer

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver 15

1 Starter Kit

1. For use with the TSIP or TAIP protocols, connect one end of the
9-pin serial interface cable to Port 1 (or Port 2 to view NMEA
data) of the receiver module. Connect the other end of the cable
to COM1 or COM2 on a PC. If your PC has a 25-pin
communication port, a 9-pin-to-25-pin adapter may be requ ired
for this serial interface connection.

2. Connect the antenna cable to the interface unit. This connection
is made by pushing the antenna cable connector onto the MCX
connector on the module. Place the antenna so that it has a clear
view of the sky.

Note – To remove the antenna cable, grasp the antenna mating MCX
connector and pull from the MCX connector mounted on the interface
unit.

3. Using either the DC po wer cable or an A C/DC po wer converter,
connect to the 3-pin power connector on the interface unit.

– DC Power Cable — connect the terminated end of the

power cable to the power connector on the interface unit.
Connect the red lead to DC positive voltage (+9 to +32
VDC) and black power lead to DC ground. The yellow
wire is not used. Switch on the DC power source.

– AC/DC Po wer Con verter — connect the output cable of the

Warning – If the Lassen iQ GPS Starter Kit is powered-up and attached to

a PC COM port, the Windows operating system may recognize the Starter
Kit as a new serial device and assign it to the mouse driver. This can
cause erratic mouse control. To disable serial mouse detection at start-up,
add one of the following lines in the BOOT.INI file in the root directory:
/NOSERIALMICE (detection is disabled on all serial ports) or
/NOSERIALMICE=COMx,COMy,COMz (detection is disabled on one or
more specified com ports)

16 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

converter to the 3-pin power connector on the interface
unit. Using the appropriate 3-prong AC power cable (not
provided), connect the conv erter to an AC wall socket (110
VAC or 220 VAC). The AC power cable is not provided in
the Starter Kit.

1.9 Software Toolkit

The CD provided in the Starter Kit contains the iQ_Monitor, the
iQ_CHAT, and the GPSSK interface programs used to monitor GPS
performance and to assist system integrators in developing a software
interface for the GPS module. These applications are described in
detail in Appendix B, TSIP User's Guide.

iQ_Monitor runs on the Windows 95/98/2000/XP platforms.
iQ_CHAT runs under the DOS operating system on a 386 or higher
processor.

Following are quick start instructions for using the iQ_Monitor
application to monitor the receiver’s performance.

1. Connect one end of the serial interface cable to Port 1 of the
interface unit. Connect the other end of the cable to the COM
port of your PC.

2. Turn on the DC power source or plug in the AC/DC converter.

Starter Kit 1

3. Insert the CD in the computer’s CD-ROM drive.

4. The iQ_Monitor program may be run directly off the CD or it
may be copied onto your computer’s hard drive. To run the
program off the CD, initiate the iQ_Monitor.exe file.

5. When the iQ_Monitor screen appears, the TX and RX
indicators appear in the lower left corner of the status bar. A
blinking TX indicates that the PC is transmitting commands to
the receiver; a blinking RX indicates that the PC is receiving
reports from the receiver. If either of these indicators stop
blinking, there is no activity. The PC COM port settings appear
in the lower right corner of this same status bar.

6. After a GPS antenna is connected to the receiver and the
receiver has achieved a position fix, the transmitted position
reports, time, velocity, satellites tracked, and GPS receiver
status appear on the screen. The receiver also sends a health
report every few seconds, even if satellites are not being
tracked.

Lassen iQ GPS Receiver 17

1 Starter Kit

Note – If the iQ_Monitor program displays a question mark (?) in a
data field, the receiver has not reported a status for this field. If a (?)
remains in the data field, the GPS module may not be communicating
with the computer. Re-check the interface cable connections and verify
the serial port selection and settings. If the communication failure
continues after checking all connections and settings, please call the
Trimble Technical Assistance Center (TAC) at 1 [phone].

18 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver

CHAPTER

2

Hardware Integration 2

In this chapter:

■ General Description

■ Connectors

■ Power Requirements

■ Serial Interface

■ Pulse-Per-Second (PPS)

■ Mounting

■ GPS Antennas

2 Hardware Integration

2.1 General Description

Trimble’s new Lassen iQ GPS receiver adds complete GPS
functionality to mobile products, in a postage-stamp-sized footprint
with ultra-low power consumption. Using Trimble’s breakthrough
FirstGPS™ architecture, the module delivers complete position,
velocity and time (PVT) solutions for use in mobile, battery-powered
applications such as hand-held devices, PDAs, asset tracking devices,
and navigation applications.

The Lassen iQ GPS module is packaged in a tiny form factor
(26 mm x 26 mm x 6 mm, including the metal shield). It typically
requires only less than 89 mW of power (at 3.3 VDC). The module
includes flash memory for firmware upgrades and storing the user
configuration.

Figure 2.1 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver Board without Shield

20 Lassen iQ GPS Receiver