Mikroe picks Quectel for GNSS Click boards

  • October 17, 2023
  • Steve Rogerson
  • Quectel

MikroElektronika (Mikroe) has picked Quectel dual-band, multi-constellation GNSS modules for its RTK (real-time kinematic) Click boards that support the concurrent reception of global GNSS constellations including GPS, BDS, Glonass and Galileo.

The LC29H reduces multipath interference within dense urban canyons and improves positioning accuracy.

The GNSS modules have been designed to meet consumer mass-market requirements and enable high-precision, small form factor and low-cost devices. The modules are based on the latest L1/L5 receiver and, compared with existing L1/L2 receivers, have equivalent accuracy performance but achieve 70% less power consumption and enable products to be 50% smaller.

The GNSS RTK 3 Click version features Quectel’s LC29HEAMD dual band (L1+L5) module. It can provide MSM4 or MSM7 RTK corrections and can be combined with the Quectel YEGM011AA geodetic antenna as a base station. It can also be used as a rover and be combined with the Quectel YB0017AA mobile antenna to provide centimetre-level accuracy.

The combination of two boards and associated antennas can be used to facilitate a cost-effective RTK base and rover pair with out-of-the-box centimetre-level accuracy.

“We’re thrilled that Mikroe has picked our new LC29H series for their new GNSS Click boards,” said Norbert Muhrer, president of Quectel Wireless. “Mikroe is known for providing best-in-class Click boards, documentation and development tools, helping engineers and OEMs to evaluate ideas quickly and effortlessly and to be able to get their new innovative products into production quickly.”

Aleksandar Mitrovic, product marketing manager at Mikroe, added: “Mikroe has collaborated with Quectel developing many peripheral add-on Click boards carrying GNSS, LTE, GSM modules. The result of our most recent cooperation is the two MikroBus add-on boards for the development of RTK rover and basestation applications. We are very impressed with the quality of communication and level of support during development of these reference designs.”

The LC29H series is engineered with dual-frequency support, culminating in accuracy. In autonomous mode, it achieves accuracy values of one metre, while the RTK-capable variants achieve centimetre-level precision. What’s more, the optional dead reckoning (DR) function ensures top-tier positioning performance, even in scenarios with weak signals or the absence of GNSS signals.

The LC29H incorporates power management capabilities. This makes the module suitable for applications where power efficiency is paramount, especially in battery-powered systems, including robotic lawn mowers, e-scooters, sport trackers, drones or handheld detectors such as metal detectors.

Quectel (www.quectel.com) is an IoT provider backed by support and services. It has a growing team of 5900 professionals and produces cellular, GNSS, wifi and Bluetooth modules as well as antennas and services.

Mikroe (www.mikroe.com) has more than 20 years of experience in the embedded design and manufacturing of development tools and over 15 years in the development of compilers and IDE toolchains suitable for beginners and professionals. With more than 90 employees and an in-house manufacturing facility, it offers everything required to launch and scale a product under one roof.

There are 1500 different Click boards providing what is claimed to be the largest add-on board portfolio of standardised peripherals in the world. They are compatible with more than 500 system boards on the market thanks to the MikroBus socket. Their small form factor and controller independence make them suitable for evaluating specific technology or rapidly prototyping end applications. Having verified reference designs can accelerate proof of concept time and shorten time to market.