Getting Started with MTCDT-246L (using mLinux)

The MTCDT-246L is a GPS only version of the Conduit® (for mLinux™).

The device includes GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The GNSS provides geolocation (GPS) data in NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association) format. For an explanation of the NMEA format, refer to: http://aprs.gids.nl/nmea/#rmc

See the Conduit GPS/GNSS documentation for more details.

GPS data (GNSS)

Some technical details regarding the GPS setup:

  • The u-blox chip receives the GPS information. For details, see documentation on u-blox and GNSS.
  • The USB ports in software are numbered 0 through 3.
  • The GPS unit is on ttyXRUSB2 set as a full duplex serial port.

The GNSS output is on /dev/ttyXRUSB2.

To get longitude and latitude, use this command:

root@mtcdt:/# cat /dev/ttyXRUSB2 | grep ‘GPRMC’

The device displays GPS data in this format:

$GPRMC,153256.00,A,4505.96895,N,09311.74575,W,0.034,,011116,,,D*61
$GPRMC,153355.00,A,4505.96983,N,09311.74598,W,0.057,,011116,,,D*63
$GPRMC,153356.00,A,4505.96982,N,09311.74597,W,0.061,,011116,,,D*6B
$GPRMC,153357.00,A,4505.96980,N,09311.74596,W,0.040,,011116,,,D*6A
$GPRMC,153358.00,A,4505.96976,N,09311.74591,W,0.043,,011116,,,D*68
$GPRMC,153359.00,A,4505.96970,N,09311.74590,W,0.028,,011116,,,D*63
^C

GPS Reset

With default configuration, the device resets the GPS on every reboot. After reset it takes some time to lock onto the satellites.

If you want to change this going forward, edit the file /etc/default/mts-io and set GPSGNSRESET to 0:

# GPS GNSS reset when loading driver
# 1 Reset the GPS on driver load (default)
# 0 Do not reset
GPSGNSSRESET=0

# DEBUG
# 0 is off
# 1 is on
DEBUG=0

To manually reset the GPS, use this command:

# cd /sys/devices/platform/mts-io
# echo 0 >gnss-reset; sleep 1 ; echo 1 >gnss-reset

After a reboot or reset, the GPS writes these first messages which includes the software level and time of the software build:

# head /dev/ttyXRUSB2

$GPTXT,01,01,02,u-blox ag – www.u-blox.com*50
$GPTXT,01,01,02,HW UBX-G70xx 00070000 FF7FFFFFo*69
$GPTXT,01,01,02,ROM CORE 1.00 (59842) Jun 27 2012 17:43:52*59
$GPTXT,01,01,02,PROTVER 14.00*1E
$GPTXT,01,01,02,ANTSUPERV=AC SD PDoS SR*20

LoRa Configuration

If you use the MTAC-LORA accessory card, you need to configure LoRa on the device. For more information on LoRa , see Introduction to LoRa.

For more details about your LoRa card, see MTAC-LORA.

To configure LoRa:

  1. Install your LoRa card into the device. See Accessory Quick Start guide.
  2. Refer to Getting Started with LoRa for instructions.

MTAC-ETH Accessory Card

If you purchased an MTAC-ETH accessory card, you must setup the card on the device. For more details about your Ethernet card, see MTAC-ETH.

To configure and startup the Ethernet card:

  1. Install your Ethernet card into the device. See Accessory Quick Start guide
  2. Refer to Getting Started with MTAC-ETH card for instructions.