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Budget DIY GPS/GNSS Base Station / Receiver Setup with ESP32 and UM980

simeononsecuritysimeononsecurity wrote 10/09/2023 at 03:16 • • 11 min read • Like

Table of Contents

Best Budget DIY GPS/GNSS Base Station using the UM980 and a ESP32

Introduction

The ESP32 is a versatile microcontroller renowned for its WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up the your ESP32 development board with the Unicorecomm UM980 and various accessories. We’ll also cover flashing the ESP32 with the desired firmware.

ESP32 Wroom DevKit Full Pinout

ESP32 Wroom DevKit Full Pinout - mischianti.org

Alternate Instructions

Want to use a linux distro or a raspberry pi?

Check out our guide on Setting up a NTRIP server on Linux

Looking for how to use this with Onocoy?

Check out our guide on DIY Onocoy Ntrip Server and Reference Station Setup

Hardware Components

Before we begin, let’s take a look at the hardware components you’ll need:

  1. ESP32 Development Board: AITRIP 2 Sets ESP-WROOM-32 ESP32

  2. Power Supply: CanaKit 3.5A Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply (USB-C)

  3. Adapter Cables: (Choose one):

  4. Enclosure Kit: qBoxMini DIY IOT Enclosure Plus Kit (One SMA)

  5. GNSS Receiver Board (Choose one):

  6. Firmware: ESP32-XBee Firmware

Basic Antennas for RTK, ROVER, Window Situations

Advanced Antennas for Base and Reciver Stations

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Assemble Your Workstation / Desktop / Laptop

Ensure you have a computer with a USB port and internet access. You’ll need this for downloading firmware and drivers.

2. Connect Hardware Components

3. Use Adapter Cables

Utilize the elechawk adapter cables or alternatives as necessary to connect the UM980 to your ESP32 board . These cables offer compatibility with various connectors for expanding your project.

4. Employ the Enclosure Kit

For environmental protection, consider using the qBoxMini DIY IOT Enclosure Kit . It offers waterproof protection and includes connectors and a prototyping PCB for easy integration.

5. Choose the GNSS Receiver

Depending on your project needs, timeline, and budget, select the appropriate GNSS receiver board . Follow the wiring diagram above for implementation.

6. Flash the Firmware

To flash the ESP32 with the ESP32-XBee firmware , follow these steps:

  1. Download the firmware from the provided GitHub release .

If you would like to reset the device configuration, you should also download:

- `wipe_config.bin`
  1. Install necessary flashing tools like the ESP-IDF framework and Espressif’s ESP Flash Download Tool.
  1. Connect the ESP32 to your computer.
    • While plugging into your computer, hold down the BOOT button to prepare the ESP32 for Flashing.
      • ESP32 Boot Button

        ESP32 Boot Button - randomnerdtutorials.com

  2. Flash the XBEE ESP32 Firmware Note: Your COM device location will be different than mine. You’ll need to identify it first before continuing.
  1. Restart the ESP32

7. Configuration

  1. Step 1: Connect to the XBee Hotspot

    1. Using your phone or PC, connect to the ESP32’s WiFi Hotspot which will be called ESP_XBee_XXXXXX where XXXXXX are some random numbers/letters unique to your device.

  2. Step 2: Browse to the Configuration Page

    1. Open your browser and navigate to http://192.168.4.1/. You should see a page similar to:
      XBee ESP32 Configuration Page

      XBee ESP32 Configuration Page - github.com/nebkat/esp32-xbee/

  3. Step 3: Configure WiFi

    1. Enable the WiFi section, press Scan to search for networks, choose your home WiFi network (or phone hotspot) and enter the password.

      The ESP32 does not have very good WiFi reception, so make sure you are relatively close to the network you are connecting to, especially when indoors, to avoid problems.

      Press the Submit button, and follow the instructions on screen. You may need to reconnect to the ESP32 XBee hotspot after it restarts.

      The WiFi section will now show its connection status:

      XBee ESP32 Wifi Configuration Page

      XBee ESP32 Wifi Configuration Page - github.com/nebkat/esp32-xbee/

    2. If you are connected to the device using a serial terminal, the device will output information about its WiFi connection.

      $PESP,WIFI,STA,CONNECTING,S10,P*71
$PESP,WIFI,STA,CONNECTED,S10*4C
$PESP,WIFI,STA,IP,192.168.43.100/24,192.168.43.1*5D

  4. Step 4: Improve Security Configuration

    1. Hotspot

      To prevent others from accessing your ESP32 XBee, you may want to adjust the settings of the WiFi hotspot section.

      There are three ways to do this:

      1. Change from Open security to WPA/2-PSK and enter a password (recommended).
      2. Hide the SSID by toggling the Hidden setting.
        • Note: This will not prevent connections, but will hide the hotspot from WiFi scans on other devices.
      3. Disable the hotspot entirely by toggling the WiFi hotspot section
        • Note: You will not be able to access the ESP32 XBee if there is a problem with its connection to your home WiFi network, unless you perform a Full Reset .
      XBee ESP32 Secure Wifi Configuration Page

      XBee ESP32 Secure Wifi Configuration Page - github.com/nebkat/esp32-xbee/

    2. Configuration

      If you would like to prevent others on your home network from modifying the ESP32 XBee configuration, you can also adjust the settings of the Admin section.

      You can choose between only allowing devices connected to the hotspot, or a username/password.

      The new IP address will be the first address in the 3rd line as above, i.e. 192.168.43.100.

      XBee ESP32 Admin User Configuration Page

      XBee ESP32 Admin User Configuration Page - github.com/nebkat/esp32-xbee/

  5. Step 5: Improve Security Configuration

    1. You can now proceed to configure the available protocols.

      Note: Do not enable all protocols at once. The ESP32 is not able to handle an unlimited amount of open sockets/connections, so only enable the protocols you are actually using.

      The small color selector beside each section’s toggle button will determine the color of the RGB LED on the ESP32 XBee for that feature, so that you can keep track of its status. Setting the color to black will disable the LED for that feature. Typically, a fading LED means the feature is working correctly/connected, while a blinking LED or no LED means the feature is awaiting a connection or could not connect to its target.

7. Profit?

8. Extras

  1. Full Reset: In case you encounter any problems and are unable to connect to the device, simply hold the BOOT button for 5 seconds, and the ESP32 will be reset to its default configuration.

    ESP32 Boot Button

    ESP32 Boot Button - randomnerdtutorials.com

    If this procedure does not work for any reason, an alternative method to perform a full reset is to follow the Firmware Update procedure, including the wipe_config.bin file as described.

Additional Configuration For Unicorecomm UM980 and UM982 Devices

To enable all the bands and base station mode on the Unicorecomm devices you’ll need to serial into them using baud rate of 115200 and run the following commands. This can be done within terminal, putty, or the Unicorecomm UPrecise software.

  1. mode base time 60 2 2.5: This line configures the reference station’s operation mode, which is set to “base”. In this configuration the base station will figure out it’s actual location after receiving traffic for 60 seconds.

  2. CONFIG SIGNALGROUP 2: This command appears to configure the signal group for the UM980/UM982 devices. This enables all bands and frequencies on the device.

  3. rtcm1005 30 and rtcm1006 30: These commands set the rate at which RTCM messages 1005 and 1006 are sent out from the reference station, respectively. The values “30” commands a 30-second interval.

  4. rtcm1033 1, rtcm1074 1, rtcm1077 1, rtcm1084 1, rtcm1087 1, rtcm1094 1, rtcm1097 1, and rtcm1117 1, rtcm1124 1 and rtcm1127 1: These commands enable RTCM messages, ensuring that the reference station transmits these specific messages. The value “1” enables these messages to happen every second..

  5. saveconfig: This command saves the configured settings, ensuring that they persist and are applied whenever the reference station is operational.

Unicorecomm UM980 and UM982 Configuration Script 

mode base time 60 2 2.5

CONFIG SIGNALGROUP 2

rtcm1005 30
rtcm1006 30
rtcm1033 1
rtcm1074 1

rtcm1077 1
rtcm1084 1
rtcm1087 1
rtcm1094 1
rtcm1097 1
rtcm1117 1

rtcm1124 1
rtcm1127 1

saveconfig

*It should be noted that the Unicorecomm device does not have the ability to transmit the RTCM 1230 message type.

Unicorecomm UM980 and UM982 Commands Reference Manuals

For additional configuration guidance, consult the following documentation:

9. Testing

Once the firmware is successfully flashed, your ESP32 board is ready for testing. Begin developing and running IoT applications, making the most of the board’s WiFi, Bluetooth, and GNSS capabilities.

This is where you’ll unplug the ESP32 from your desktop and Plug the CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 power supply into a power source and connect it to the ESP32 board via USB-C.

Testing is going to depend on multiple factors. This part is up to you. I suggest using Onocoy and using their service to test your configuration if you’re setting up an NTRIP Server.



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