PropPhone 2.0 GPS Tracking, Bluetooth mic and speaker, OLED display. $40
rjo__
Posts: 2,114
I haven't posted anything in such a long time that I forgot my password.
I have been planning projects for the Prop2. So far I have a proven design for a 16 PropCam array with simultaneous acquisition from all cameras at 500 FPS... haven't built it, but I do have 9 PropCams and have proven to myself that it is a piece of cake.
Then I got to thinking about projects that I did a few years ago... the PropPhone 1.0 and a GPS tracker and decided to combine them.
I haven't looked at gsm modules for a couple of years... and my how times have changed!!!
Ultimately what you see in the PropPhone2 will become the Prop2Phone, with added functionalities of built in lidar, voice recognition, and of course a stereo PropCam, smart inertial and positional sensing and measurement, etc. etc.
I know it all sounds hyperbolic, but I have been looking at it and it ain't rocket science anymore:)
Right now what I am doing with the PropPhone2 is trying to squeeze it into the smallest form factor possible about 1.2x1.2x1.0.
This is definitely possible with the SimCom800 series. With the Sim808, I have my fingers crossed.
To that end, I have ordered Cluso's itsybitsy adorable wittle p8xblade2 and I also ordered a new PropMINI with 64K EEPROM.
I'll probably use them both but right now I'm kinda stuck. The SIM808 module seems happiest around 7-8volts... which also makes the PropMINI happy, which makes me happy because I only need one 3A regulator coming off 12V, but with the PropMini, I have to add an uSD socket to my build. I have ordered a socket that might fit between Mini's legs.
On the other hand the p8xblade2 has an uSD socket and is smaller, but absolutely demands regulated 5V... which means adding a regulator.
If I weren't such a Nancy, I'd have made up my mind by now... I'll probably do both.
AND I'm doing a lot of waiting on Chinese distributors. I ordered backups from the US so that I could get started before the next election... but apparently Americans are just too damned lazy to get a simple order straight. And for $5 here and $6 there, I am not about to call my lawyer. So, my wifi plans are back burnered and I'm thinking maybe I'll play with wifi later:)
If you want to try this, I am using a phone account with TING... get your SimCard from them. I got mine on the cheap and I have been inundated with spam SMS messages... I didn't know spam SMS existed, but it does and you have to pay for it... so, go with TING's SimCard.
The Simcards actually come with their own adapter... one size fits all. The gsm modules come with various sized SimCard sockets... so, not to worry, TING has you covered. A really slick solution. Cheap too. First month of playing around $14.
I'm not going to talk nuts and bolts... that's in the project zip. Additional links to hardware are also in there.
It works.
I have been planning projects for the Prop2. So far I have a proven design for a 16 PropCam array with simultaneous acquisition from all cameras at 500 FPS... haven't built it, but I do have 9 PropCams and have proven to myself that it is a piece of cake.
Then I got to thinking about projects that I did a few years ago... the PropPhone 1.0 and a GPS tracker and decided to combine them.
I haven't looked at gsm modules for a couple of years... and my how times have changed!!!
Ultimately what you see in the PropPhone2 will become the Prop2Phone, with added functionalities of built in lidar, voice recognition, and of course a stereo PropCam, smart inertial and positional sensing and measurement, etc. etc.
I know it all sounds hyperbolic, but I have been looking at it and it ain't rocket science anymore:)
Right now what I am doing with the PropPhone2 is trying to squeeze it into the smallest form factor possible about 1.2x1.2x1.0.
This is definitely possible with the SimCom800 series. With the Sim808, I have my fingers crossed.
To that end, I have ordered Cluso's itsybitsy adorable wittle p8xblade2 and I also ordered a new PropMINI with 64K EEPROM.
I'll probably use them both but right now I'm kinda stuck. The SIM808 module seems happiest around 7-8volts... which also makes the PropMINI happy, which makes me happy because I only need one 3A regulator coming off 12V, but with the PropMini, I have to add an uSD socket to my build. I have ordered a socket that might fit between Mini's legs.
On the other hand the p8xblade2 has an uSD socket and is smaller, but absolutely demands regulated 5V... which means adding a regulator.
If I weren't such a Nancy, I'd have made up my mind by now... I'll probably do both.
AND I'm doing a lot of waiting on Chinese distributors. I ordered backups from the US so that I could get started before the next election... but apparently Americans are just too damned lazy to get a simple order straight. And for $5 here and $6 there, I am not about to call my lawyer. So, my wifi plans are back burnered and I'm thinking maybe I'll play with wifi later:)
If you want to try this, I am using a phone account with TING... get your SimCard from them. I got mine on the cheap and I have been inundated with spam SMS messages... I didn't know spam SMS existed, but it does and you have to pay for it... so, go with TING's SimCard.
The Simcards actually come with their own adapter... one size fits all. The gsm modules come with various sized SimCard sockets... so, not to worry, TING has you covered. A really slick solution. Cheap too. First month of playing around $14.
I'm not going to talk nuts and bolts... that's in the project zip. Additional links to hardware are also in there.
It works.
1164 x 1290 - 176K
Comments
There is limited documentation on this module. I forgot the link in the documentation. But no documentation from the E-bay sources. The documentation does state that the unit is spec'd for 5-10V input.
I couldn't get reliable services much below 7V... but that might be because at the lower voltages the current coming from my walwart isn't sufficient.
The doc I found doesn't give the specs on the serial line voltage levels.
We might need a resister between the gsm's tx and the Prop's second serial line rx. On two occasions, after prolonged(>24 hours) constant use, meaningless characters start coming into the Propeller Serial Terminal from the Sim808. A quick reboot fixed it both times.
During these 2 episodes, it was impossible to send AT commands from the terminal and have any idea about what just happened. BUT Everything else still worked... amazingly. I could call the phone, get gps fixes etc, but it was just gibberish at the Propeller Terminal.
So I am certain that the tx from the Prop to the module was ok. Just the Tx from the module to the Prop seemed affected.
It could be something else inside the Sim808(less likely I think), but I'm too tired to play with it tonight.
It is a very useful and practical application and you have documented it well.
A connection schematic would be very helpful addition, but connections can be deduced from the program.
Please keep us updated with any developments.
When all of the parts come in and I'm close to the final hardware set-up, I'll post better pictures... maybe a mini tutorial. For now, all of the parts have labels on all of the pins... and it is all simply jumpered together.
All of my code is in one .spin file, so pretty straightforward to figure it out.
But the documentation is missing links to the AT command sets. There are three documents from SIMCOM that are required to get the complete AT command set... one for the GSM itself, one for the Bluetooth and one for the GPS. These are freely available and easy to find.
I will be out of town until Sunday. When I get home again, I'll post some links.
It is the little things that make something like this so much fun to hack at.
What I was most delighted with was how easy it was to get the hands-free blue tooth interface going...(hands free meaning, the Bluetooth speaker/mic, just sits there and has no hands.) Once paired, it stays that way. So, when you turn the speaker/mic on, it automatically registers itself with the phone, and tells you it is connected with a very soothing female voice. To answer the phone you just push a button... no AT commands. Dialing still requires an AT command or a routine that generates an AT command.
The only thing you need to do to get the initial BlueTooth pairing is to use AT commands to find the speaker/mic unit, ask it what protocols it has available and then issue an AT command to pair using the "HFS" (hands free something) protocol... really easy and very well documented in the Bluetooth application note from SIMCOM. The pairing is permanent... everything can be shut down and after you reboot, the pairing will re-establish the connection. I had no idea it would be that simple. The only disappointment so far is that I couldn't get my phone to pair with my computer. I kind of ran out of time, but it didn't seem like it was going to work.
I'm currently confounded about WiFi... I have never played with it and have been looking for an excuse to put it into a project. I have several different ESP8266 versions on order (forever). On the other hand... you can't do everything and sometimes the shortest route is the best route. I have Wifi in my Kangaroo... I think I might be better off, hacking one of Intel's mini-micro Win 10 units and put that directly into one of the phones, let it do the WiFi stuff under control from the Propeller... that I kinda know how to do. But then my phone is going to double in size... hmmm.