Skip to content

Note

The system requirements and installation instructions are from the RxTools v22.1.0 user manual. This information may change in later iterations of the software suite. Please refer to the user manual (of the version you are utilizing) for the most accurate information.

RxTools Software Suite

Users should install the RXTools software suite1 on their computer to interact with the mosaic-G5 P3 GNSS receiver through the USB interface. For Windows PCs, it also includes the USB driver for the GNSS receiver that enables the virtual COM ports2.

System Requirements

Operating System

  • Windows 7
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 10
  • Fedora 23 (or later) using Qt technology.
    • The standalone tools (except bin2asc) will run on older distributions.

Hardware Requirements

The minimal hardware requirements (1Hz update3):

  • CPU: 1 GHz processor
  • RAM: 1 GB RAM
  • Screen Resolution: 1024×768 or higher resolution

Installation Instructions

Users can install RxTools software suite by running the installation executable4(1), located in the RxTools\windows directory of the downloaded *.zip file5. During the installation process, users will be notified if a previous version of RxTools is already installed then that the previous version will be uninstalled. Next, users will need to provide an installation directory for the RxTools software suite. Users will then select which of the following applications6 are installed:

  1. For RxTools v22.1.0, the installation filename is RxTools_22_1_0_Installer.exe for Windows PCs.
  • RxControl
  • SBF Converter
  • SBF Analyzer
  • RxLogger
  • RxUpgrade
  • RxDownload
  • RxPlanner
  • Data Link
  • RxAssistant
  • RxLauncher

Warning

It is recommended that users NOT install RxControl as root, for security reasons and to avoid installation overwrites of other system settings. To make RxTools available to more than one user, provide a shared installation directory.

Users can install RxTools software suite by running the installation binary4(1), located in the RxTools/linux-i386/ directory of the downloaded *.zip file5. During the installation, users will be prompted for an installation directory. If there are any previous installations of RxControl, please use a different directory to avoid conflicts.

  1. For RxTools v22.1.0, the installation filename is RxTools_22_1_0_Installer.bin for Linux.
Permission Settings

Once installed, users may need to reconfigure their permission settings:

  • RxTools will need rights to access the /dev/ttyS* serial ports.

    • To access the serial ports, users must be part of the uucp and lock groups (1). This can be configured by editing the /etc/group7 file and adding the username to the lines defining the uucp group and the lock group.

      For example, when adding the user jsmith to the uucp group, users would modify the /etc/group file as shown below:

      uucp:x:14:uucp # (2)!
uucp:x:14:uucp,jsmith # (3)!

    • On Linux machine administered centrally on a local network, ask your system administrator to be included in the uucp and lock groups.

  • RxTools also needs read/write (rw) access(4) to the /dev/ttyS* serial ports.

    • Users can change the permissions with the chmod8 command:

      chmod 660 /dev/ttyS<add port> # (5)!>
  1. On most Linux operating systems, the /dev/ttyS* devices are owned by root and belong to the uucp group with read/write (rw) access. Additionally, the devices are normally locked by writing a file in the /var/lock/ directory, with the same permissions.
  2. Remove
  3. Replace with this line
  4. By default, users will normally have read/write (rw) access to the /dev/ttyS* serial ports.
  5. where users must specify the port number
    e.g. /dev/ttyS0 might be port COM1

Note

In order for these changes to take effect, users must update their environment by logging out and back in.

Be aware that the X-session has to be restarted as well. On most systems, this can be done by pressing the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Backspace

64-bit OS

In order to run the RxTools on a 64-bit Linux operating system, users might to install the 32-bit version of the C standard library.

  • For Fedora installations, this is the glibc.i686 package.
  • The equivalent for Debian(/Ubuntu) installations is the ia32-libs package.

Getting Started

Once RxTools have been installed, any of the individual GUI tools can be launched using the RxLauncher application.

When connecting to a receiver using USB, two virtual serial ports will be created on your machine which can be used to communicate to the receiver.

  • Check the Device Manager to see the exact names of these virtual serial ports.
    • They ports will appear with the name Septentrio written beside them.
  • These virtual serial ports will be labeled as such when RxControl shows the Connection Dialog.

Tip

The virtual serial port names correspond to a given USB port. When plugging the device into a different USB port, the serial port will change.

Once RxControl is installed, it can be launched by executing the link created by the installation program or by executing ./runRxControl in the directory where the program is installed.

  • The Data Link and SBF Converter applications should be executed from the /bin directory of the installation folder, to ensure that the proper libraries are loaded. Users can also run these applications from the installation directory, in a manner similar to RxControl that is described above.
  • Other applications can also be executed by launching their appropriate script.
    • For example, users can execute ./runDataLink from the /bin directory, located inside the installation folder.

Update Firmware

Latest Firmware

For the latest firmware released by Septentrio, please visit their product page for the mosaic-G5 P3 GNSS receiver.

  • To check for the latest firmware published by Septentrio, please visit their product page for the mosaic-G5 P3 GNSS receiver. Users can click on the button below, to be redirected to the latest firmware for the mosaic-G5 P3.

  • Currently, at the time that this board was released, the firmware for the mosaic-G5 P3 GNSS receiver was v1.0.14. Users can download version 1.0.0 of the firmware, by clicking on the button below.

Below are the methods for upgrading the receiver:

  1. Double click on the Septentrio firmware file with the *.suf extension. This should launch the RxUpgrade program.
  2. Using the graphical interface of the RxControl program. Navigate to the File drop-down menu.
  3. Manually upload the firmware file to the GNSS receiver.

Manual Uplaod

Below are the instructions for manually uploading firmware to the GNSS receiver:

  1. Enter the following command to set the receiver into upgrade mode:

    exeResetReceiver, Upgrade, none

  2. Wait till the receiver outputs the string:

    Ready for SUF download...

  3. From that moment on, the receiver is waiting for an upgrade file to be downloaded. The file download must start with in 200 seconds, otherwise the receiver will restart in normal mode.

  4. Download the upgrade file to the receiver. Any of the receiver connections can be used. Make sure to send the file in binary mode, i.e. without changing its contents. During the download, the receiver outputs a progress indicator at regular intervals.

  5. At the end of the download, the receiver automatically executes the upgrade instructions and restarts with the new firmware version. You can check the firmware version by entering the following command:

    lif,Identification

Info

Before executing the upgrade instructions, the receiver checks the integrity of the downloaded file. If the file is corrupted, or is not a valid upgrade file, the receiver discards it and restarts in normal mode.

Warning

  • In some cases, upgrading the GNSS firmware can clear the receiver configuration stored in non-volatile memory. It is therefore advised to recheck the configuration after the upgrade.
  • If the download is interrupted for any reason, the receiver will restart in normal mode after a timeout period of 200 seconds.
  • Do not switch power off during the upgrade procedure.
  • Upgrading the receiver over a serial port can be very slow and it is recommended to upgrade using a faster connection whenever possible (USB).

  1. The system requirements and installation instructions are from the RxTools v22.1.0 user manual. This information may change in later iterations of the software suite. Please refer to the user manual (of the version you are utilizing) for the most accurate information. ↩

  2. On Linux, the standard Linux CDC-ACM driver is suitable. ↩↩

  3. Higher data rates will require higher CPU speed and more memory capacity. ↩

  4. For the latest firmware published by Septentrio, please visit their product page.
    This is firmware version, was archived at the time that this guide was written. Please do not request for the file to be updated; instead visit the product page to download the latest firmware. ↩↩↩

  5. Users may need to extract the RxTools installation files from the downloaded, compressed file. ↩↩

  6. Please see the release notes for the issues and limitations of the RxTools applications. ↩

  7. Requires c privileges. ↩

  8. Changing these permissions also requires root privileges. ↩