Global Positioning System Arduino Interface Software

[rgsparber]

Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) devices are available at a wide range of prices and are fun to use in an Arduino based project. The hitch is that they spew out “NEMA Sentences” which are easy for people to read but tricky for software. I found a few programs online that convert the sentences to a collection of simple variables, but none would run on my Sparkfun Pro Micro. In the end, I found it necessary to code my own set of subroutines.

If you are interested, please see

https://rick.sparber.org/GNSS_InterfaceSoftware.pdf


Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.

Thanks,

Rick

[DIYer]

Thanks rgsparber! We've added your GPS Data Converter to our Electronics category,
as well as to your builder page: rgsparber's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

GPS Data Converter by rgsparber

tags: Arduino, electronics

[FEM2008]

Thanks rgsparber. I have saved a copy of your pdf. This will come in handy, If I ever get back to finishing a project I started a couple of years back.

[jdurand]

Am I correct in assuming whatever Arduinos use for their scripting doesn't have an equivalent to SSCANF() from the C language? Now granted I often roll my own for specialized things so I don't need to load in the whole library, but the STRING.h stuff is awfully handy when it's there.

[rgsparber]

Am I correct in assuming whatever Arduinos use for their scripting doesn't have an equivalent to SSCANF() from the C language? Now granted I often roll my own for specialized things so I don't need to load in the whole library, but the STRING.h stuff is awfully handy when it's there.

I'm not familiar with SSCANF() but suspect someone has written a version that runs on some Arduinos. The problem I found is that people write such tools and they don't run on my version of Arduino. I figure that by keeping the code simple, it should be portable.

It certainly was a lot more work than I thought it would be given all of the different failure modes. Yet, it was a fun challenge.

Rick

[Christophe Mineau]

Great work Rick, and useful indeed.
Yes sscanf works fine in Arduino, but as often, on micro devices, firmwares often require to recode things to exactly fit the need.
Nice to have error management for the robustness.
I've never had so far the need for GPS application in standalone Arduino projects, what do you do with it ?
However, I could see the interest for raspberry Pi project, which can communicate and store bulk data.
It would be certainly portable for raspi I guess .
Could use it to geolocalize pictures for instance on my raspi based Wilde life camera.
Thanks for all the work !

[jdurand]

A company I worked for long ago had a GPS module simply to keep the time in sync between units. The communicated via a leased radio channel and had to have accurate clocks for everything to work.