Vectornav VN-200 Quick Start Manual

VN-200 Development Kit

Quick Start Guide

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Thank you for purchasing the VN-200 Development Kit from VectorNav Technologies. This Quick Start Guide will assist you in getting the VN200 configured and operational. It will also introduce some common operations performed with the sensor. For more detailed information please refer to the VN-200 User Manual, a copy of which is provided with the Development Kit and is also available online at

www.vectornav.com/support.

Please do not hesitate to give us a call at +1.512.772.3615 or email us at

support@vectornav.com if there are any questions we can answer or if

we can be of any assistance.

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VN-200 Introduction

The VN-200 is a miniature, surface-mount, high-performance GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS). Incorporating the latest solid-state MEMS sensor technology, the VN-200 combines a set of 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyros, 3-axis magnetometer, a barometric pressure sensor, a 50-channel L1 GPS receiver, as well as a 32-bit processor into a miniature surface-mount or standalone module. The VN-200 couples measurements from the onboard GPS module with measurements from the onboard inertial sensors to provide position, velocity, and attitude estimates of higher accuracies and with better dynamic performance than a standalone GPS module or Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS).

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VN-200 Installation

Mounting the VN-200

You may mount the VN-200 to the vehicle or platform in any orientation. If the VN-200 axes do not align with the desired vehicle or

platform axes then a Reference Frame Rotation will be required to remap the attitude, angular rates, acceleration, and other data to the desired frame (see page 9).

When installing the VN-200 to a vehicle or other platform, ensure that:

• The VN-200 is rigidly mounted with respect to the GNSS

antenna

• The VN-200 is rigidly mounted to the aircraft, vehicle or other

platform.

o Vibration dampeners or flexible mounts can degrade

the VN-200 performance and are not recommended.

• All harnesses are properly secured and strain-relieved to avoid

stress entering the VN-200 from the cabling.

• Great care is taken when connecting the GNSS antenna, as the

connector can sustain limited side loads and connecting cycles

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Ground Planes

To prevent multipath ensure that the GNSS Antennas are mounted directly to a ground plane. Below are good and bad ground plane installation examples.

GNSS Antenna Ground Plane Installation

Good

Bad

• Antennas shipped with the development kit have a

manufacturer recommended 100 mm diameter ground plane included

• There is no requirement for ground planes to be electrically

grounded

• Ground planes can be any thin piece of metal (even foil)

Mounting the GPS Antenna

The VN-200 requires connection to an active GPS antenna, mounted with a clear view of the sky.

In order for the GNSS Compass to function optimally both antennas must:

• have clear view of the sky

• have a ground plane installed directly underneath the antenna

or be mounted on large metal surface

• be mounted as flat as possible, minimize pitch/roll to < 10°

Ground Plane

GPS Antenna

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VN-200 Start Up Sequence

Time: 0 sec The VN-200 is operating as an AHRS. Using the on-board magnetometer for coarse heading estimation

Time: +30 sec GPS Fix acquired. Local magnetic declination applied. VN-200 still operating as AHRS.

The VN-200 needs to exceed 5 m/s for more than 1 second to start dynamic alignment

During dynamic alignment accel and GPS data are correlated to produce yaw estimate. Typically take 60 seconds of sufficient motion to complete alignment.

VN-200 Heading uncertainty is now below 2 degrees. Sensor operating within specification.

+ 12 hidden pages

Vectornav VN-200 Quick Start Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual