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GPS

Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
edited 2004-12-31 08:46 in BASIC Stamp
There seems to be growing interest in GPS -- I know because I get a lot of custom code requests.· I just wanted to point out to those of you who have a RadioShack nearby that you can get a Garmin Geko GPS receiver for $80 (sale price).· This is a nice little unit and works well with current Parallax code examples.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax
Dallas Office

Comments

  • AlWilliamsAWCAlWilliamsAWC Posts: 135
    edited 2004-11-04 18:19
    I looked at this. As far as I can tell the 101 that is on sale has no data interface. What am I missing?
  • LarryLarry Posts: 212
    edited 2004-11-05 02:33
    If it is te 101 model, don't get it. It has no serial interface. I recently used the 201 model with a robot, and it is a great little unit. All of Jon's code examples will work with it, but it will cost you in the neighborhood of $150. The 301 unit will add a compass, but you can get a separate compass for less money.

    Larry

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  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2004-11-05 03:09
    www.amazon.com has the basic yellow Garmin eTrex for $89, plus you'll need to spend a few extra bucks for the RS232 cable. If you've got a little more money, the Garmin eTrex Legend with a built-in basemap and 8 MB of Map memory costs $145 - the RS232 cable is bundled with this unit.
  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2004-11-05 06:21
    I may have screwed up -- sorry. I bought a Geko at another retailer some time ago and it did in fact have a serial interface. We flew one on a model airplane.

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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax
    Dallas Office
  • achilles03achilles03 Posts: 247
    edited 2004-11-23 16:08
    I used the Garmin eTrex with a Basic Stamp 2 (industrial) up to 92k ft, and it worked great. The Garmin eTrex has configurable baud rates (I think it's non-inverted, so remember that for your SERIN commands). You can also select a ASCII text string output, which makes parsing very easy. The code I used was:

    GPSD1 VAR Byte (4) 'latitude info from GPS; dmm.mm
    GPSD2 VAR Byte (4) 'longitude info from GPS; dmm.mm
    GPSD3 VAR Byte (4) 'altitude info from GPS; xxxx0 (meters)
    N2400GPS CON 16780 '2400 baud constant for GPS input

    SERIN GPSPIN,N2400GPS,2000,NOGPS,[noparse][[/noparse]WAIT("@"),SKIP 15, STR GPSD1\4, SKIP 5, STR GPSD2\4, SKIP 6, STR GPSD3\4]
  • NewzedNewzed Posts: 2,503
    edited 2004-12-22 15:10
    I would like to get into GPS, a subject on which I am remarkably uninformed.· I have been looking at the Garmin eTrex Legend.

    I understand that this is a stand alone device that will tell you where you are using installed or downloadable maps.· True?

    It comes with a RS232 cable.· Does this connect to my PC and allow the display of geographical data?· Does the software to accomplish this come with the eTrex?

    Can I interface the eTrex to a Stamp and display the data on an LCD?·
    Is Stamp communication accomplished with just a serin command?

    Thanks for any help - I need it.

    Sid
  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2004-12-22 15:48
    Yes, you can connect the eTrex to a BASIC Stamp quite easily (the reason I started this thread). I did two columns on eTrex --> Stamp interfacing for Nuts & Volts; one using the NMEA 0813 data, the other using the Garmin text output.

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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax
    Dallas Office
  • steve_bsteve_b Posts: 1,563
    edited 2004-12-22 15:52
    If you are looking for specific GPS information then go to the manufacturers website and look it up.

    Any GPS that has a serial interface will more than likely be interfaceable to the stamp.

    There are many threads throughout this forum about this and I believe a couple of nutz and voltz articles on the parallax website.

    Here's a quick link to an article on GPS's and stamps :

    http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/cols/nv/vol4/col/nv103.pdf

    When you buy a GPS, you normally only get the unit with manuals and built in map (that's never good enough) and batteries if you're lucky!

    The Interface cable is extra as is the interface software....· I'm not impressed with how much they charge for these add-ons.· Nuts!

    Anyhow, a guy at work bought a GPS (don't remember which one..Magellan ); he went to Amazon.com and bought used software and maps off the net for a fraction of the price.· This is a cheaper way to go for sure!

    What options are you looking for in your GPS....if you're going to connect it to a Stamp then maps won't matter to you (as the stamp just sends out lat and long --NMEA strings).· Go for the cheaper ones unless you want WAAS for more accuracy.· But otherwise you're spending $600 on something that you're going to interface with, while the cheaper $150 one does the same thing.

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    ·

    Steve
    http://members.rogers.com/steve.brady
    http://www.geocities.com/paulsopenstage

    "Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."
  • JeffreyJeffrey Posts: 9
    edited 2004-12-31 03:31
    I have a Garmin eTrex Venture and I would like to connect at to my Basic Stamp 2.
    Does any one have a Basic Stamp 2 code.
  • steve_bsteve_b Posts: 1,563
    edited 2004-12-31 04:51
    Take a look at my previous post...there's a link to a nutz & Voltz article with some sample code!

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    ·

    Steve
    http://members.rogers.com/steve.brady
    http://www.geocities.com/paulsopenstage

    "Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."
  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2004-12-31 06:11
    In addition to my Nuts & Volts articles (links below), I've attached a couple programs that use the Garmin text output.· I happen to like working with the text output as the fields are at fixed positions.·

    http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/cols/nv/vol3/col/nv83.pdf
    http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/cols/nv/vol4/col/nv103.pdf

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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax
    Dallas Office
    TXT
    TXT
    Easy_GPS.BS2.TXT
    5K
    TXT
    TXT
    Happy_New_Year.BSP.TXT
    8K
  • cvtcvt Posts: 6
    edited 2004-12-31 08:34
    theres a very cheap GPS unit available in australia, about AU$50, admitadely its not as accurate and navman, garmin, and other systems, but it usually only wanders 20 or 30% further, and for simple little projects there just fine.

    they are a tiny square box with a usb cable on them, the usb cable has a little cylinder in it, this is a FTDI serial to USB.
    just chop before then, and its standard serial GPS.

    I used one on a PIC project I made (speedo/distance/trip/direction/location for my 33cc scooter tongue.gif), and I just had a glance at the GPS Debug from the garmin that Jon posted, and they use the same standard.
    so would be an even cheaper and smaller way for some projects.

    the one I used is a Haicom HI-203E
  • cvtcvt Posts: 6
    edited 2004-12-31 08:46
    This is the output from the Haicom GPS I just mentioned (inside so no GPS lock)

    $GPGSV,3,1,12,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00*78

$GPGSV,3,2,12,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00*7B

$GPGSV,3,3,12,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00,30,15,071,00*7A

$GPRMC,170425,V,2446.5435,N,12100.1430,E,0.00,0.00,100601,0.0,W*77

$GPGGA,170426,2446.5435,N,12100.1430,E,0,00,0.0,164.0,M,164.0,M,0.0,0000*5C

$GPGSA,A,1,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,0.0,0.0,0.0*30
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