Really Small GPS

Adafruit Ethernet, Motor, Proto, Wave, Datalogger, GPS Shields - etc!

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nigel88
 
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Really Small GPS

Post by nigel88 »

Hi, I would like to work on an Arduino project over Christmas. I am looking to replicate the "Really Small GPS" by thecustomgeek.com however not all parts have been sourced from Adafruit. I am wondering what an acceptable (Adafruit supplied) alternative to the "Square Inch of Goodness board" would be? I have managed to find all the remaining parts on your website but would really appreciate some assistance on this. Obviously size is an important factor, so I'm looking for something similar in size that will substitute the board.

Square Inch of Goodness Board: http://thecustomgeek.com/store/products ... -goodness/
Project Details: http://thecustomgeek.com/2012/07/15/really-smalls-gps/

My gratitude in advance.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

We have the Arduino Micro - both with and without headers: http://www.adafruit.com/products/1315#Technical_Details
There is also the Teensy: http://www.adafruit.com/products/199#Description
These are both based on the Atmega 32U4 processor. (The Micro is essentially a shrunken Arduino Leonardo.) You may need to change pin assignments for serial communication, but either one should be capable of running the Atmega328 code with minimal changes.

nigel88
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by nigel88 »

Thank you so much for the quick reply. Your support is fantastic - kudos!

If you were building this project and could use any board available from Adafruit (that is a similar size), what would you choose? I'd love to hear your opinion.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

If you were building this project and could use any board available from Adafruit (that is a similar size), what would you choose?
I guess it depends on how exactly you want to follow the project (I was never very good at .coloring inside the lines :wink: ). The Flora is designed for wearable projects, but it's great for any sort of portable project as well. It has a very thin profile with no protruding headers. And it runs on 3.3v, so you can power it directly and efficiently from a standard 3.7v LiPo cell. And they fit nicely inside a 53mm watchmaker's case. There is a flora compatible version of the GPS module as well, so it is a great fit for a project like this.

nigel88
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by nigel88 »

Thanks again for your help and patience :) I've almost been able to make up my mind, but have a final question before I get into it!

Will both the Flora and the Micro be able to support the GPS Module/Board, MicroSD Breakout Board and a LiPO battery to form my data logger?

Or would you recommend using the ultimate gps logger shield with an Arduino Micro microcontroller and LiPO battery?

I know the Ultimate Logger Shield is bigger, but perhaps similar in size when you add an SD Card and GPS breakout board to a Flora/Micro.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Will both the Flora and the Micro be able to support the GPS Module/Board, MicroSD Breakout Board and a LiPO battery to form my data logger?
The Flora would be the best choice to run from a single LiPo cell because it is a 3.3v processor (The Micro is 5v).
The Flora version of the GPS module and the Micro SD breakout will both run on 3.3v also.

That would give you the most compact package and would not require a boost converter to get from the 3.7v LiPo output to the 5v required by the micro (and the shield).

This project uses the Flora & Flora GPS: http://learn.adafruit.com/flora-geo-watch
Adding a micro-SD breakout to that would still have a smaller footprint than the shield.

nigel88
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by nigel88 »

I decided to buy the Flora, Flora GPS and Micro SD breakout. I have used your tutorial to play with the GPS but now I am stuck with the SD breakout board. I can't find a tutorial that shows how to determine what pins to use on the Flora, for example how to locate pin "13 or 52 for CLK" from http://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-micr ... ial/wiring.

Are you able to point me in the right direction please?

Using the TARDIS tutorial (http://learn.adafruit.com/system/assets ... 1382574746), I can see D12, D10, D9 & D6.

Thank you again.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

If you look at the TARDIS tutorial diagram, the SPI connections for the SD card (MISO, MOSI, SCLK) are made to the 2x6 ICSP breakout holes on the Flora.

nigel88
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by nigel88 »

Thank you :) I have looked at this tutorial and some others to understand the SPI interface. I think I have it... Before I solder to the ICSP breakout holes, are you able to let me know if this looks like I'm on the right track?

As I am connecting CS to D10 I have changed chipSelect to = 10 in the SD tutorial provided.

Image

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

That looks correct!

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jhovak
 
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Re: Really Small GPS

Post by jhovak »

Did you ever get this project up and running? Did you end up connecting the OLED screen along with the gps, and sd breakout? I'm interested in doing a similar project, I'd like to hear how you made out.

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