Minimum hardware requirement to get started

Reach Module / M+ / M2 Getting started
1

Hi folks,
First post.
I want to integrate Reach as a serial NMEA RTK corrected position source for a Raspberry Pi data logging application.

What hardware do I need to purchase to do the initial desktop development and then integrate with my Rasperberry Pi?

I’m concerned about what connectors are used for power and data that need to be deployed in a mobile development.

At the moment I’ve selected the following elements from the Emlid shop.

*Reach module - includes
1 x USB cable
1 x USB-OTG cable
1 x DF13 6P-to-6P
1 x DF13 6P-to-jumper

*Tallysman multi-GNSS antenna

What else do I need ?

2

I suppose the obvious question is whether you are going to use a correction service or provide your own corrections with a second Reach module or Reach RS as the base station.

How do you envision the RTCM3 messages being transmitted from the correction source to your Reach? (Wi-Fi, radio, USB, serial UART)

How do you envision the position solution being transmitted from your Reach to the Raspberry Pi? (Wi-Fi, USB, serial UART)

3

Thanks for the quick response.

Just some background, we’re a land surveying company. We’ve been using GPS and particularly RTK for many years. We have used radio based Rover\Base configurations in the past.

However our more common approach is GPRS NTRIP. The intention would be to have the Reach independently connect to a GPRS NTRIP caster WiFi (mobile phone) and produce corrected positions that are then fed serially to the Raspberry Pi for logging.

We may get more sophisticated in the future and switch to a command based request for position in the future but this is the simplest version of what we’re trying to do.

My understanding is that Reach supports this mode of operation. Am I correct?

Does that assist.

4

Yes, so RTCM3 corrections would travel like so:

NTRIP --> cellular data --> smartphone --> Wi-Fi hotspot --> Reach

And position solutions would travel like so:

Reach --> serial UART (TX/RX pins) --> Raspberry Pi

That looks good to me!

Also, remember that your Reach can record its own position log, plus it is a Linux computer in itself, so you may be able to skip the Raspberry Pi altogether - depending on what you are doing with it.

1 Like
5

Thanks for confirming our plan is sound.

The Pi is there to drive a whole lot of other sensors and trigger events. It’s probably more a question of GPIO than anything else.

OK so our plan is good. What about the parts list?

I don’t want to buy the bits and find I’m missing a $16 power cable that I need to use if the system goes mobile.

If these are simply acquired parts from a typical Pi/Arduino supplier that’s OK but if they’re unique I’d hate to pay another lot of shipping for a cable or connector.

We’ve got a fairly rapid development timeline so we’re trying to minimise delays.

6

OK, I see the need for the Pi then.

Everything you need is in the box.

I’ll venture to guess that you will end up using:

  • The USB cable to power Reach
  • The DF13 to jumper cable to connect to the Pi

But there are also other ways, e.g. powering Reach through the DF13.

You might want to put an intermediary connector in the DF13 cable if you plan to be disconnecting it at all. That way, you don’t have to match up the jumpers to the correct pins on the Pi every reconnect and also you save wear and tear on the DF13 which should be handled delicately or left alone.

1 Like
7

Great to hear. Thanks for the confirmation.