Design Standards

Board Layout

The boards of the GNSS Flex system have the following features:

including the layout of the primary components.

Layout of the major components on the GNSS Flex modules.

1. Alignment Indicator

   A small triangle at the corner of the board is used to indicate the board's alignment on the carrier board.

2. GNSS Receiver

   Each variant of the SparkPNT GNSS Flex modules features a unique GNSS receiver.

3. U.FL Connector

   The primary interface for connecting an external GNSS antenna. (Some GNSS modules may come packaged with a built-in ceramic antenna.)

4. GNSS Flex Female Headers

   The GNSS Flex system is designed around two 2x10-pin, 2mm pitch headers used mate the two types of boards. A standardized pin layout, keeps the ecosystem pin-compatible for upgrades and allows board to be easily swapped for repairs. Depending on the capabilities of the GNSS receiver, these pins will breakout the USB, UART (x4), I²C, and SD card interfaces along with any PPS or event signals of the GNSS receiver.

Layout of the major components of GNSS Flex carrier boards.

1. Alignment Indicator

   A small triangle in the corner of the GNSS Flex system's mating area is used to indicate the alignment for a GNSS Flex module on the carrier board.

2. SMA Connector

   A more robust interface for connecting an external GNSS antenna to the GNSS Flex system. The signal is isolated and passed-through to the U.FL connector on the carrier board.

3. U.FL Connector

   The signal for this connector is isolated and passed-through to the SMA connector on the carrier board. It is used for bridging the external antenna connection of the U.FL connector on GNSS Flex module to the SMA connector on the carrier board.

4. GNSS Flex Male Headers

   The carrier boards host GNSS Flex modules on the two 2x10-pin, 2mm pitch male headers. A standardized pin layout, keeps the ecosystem pin-compatible for upgrades and allows board to be easily swapped for repairs. Depending on the capabilities of the GNSS receiver, these pins will breakout the USB, UART (x4), I²C, and SD card interfaces along with any PPS or event signals of the GNSS receiver.

5. Status LED

   Often carrier board will include status LEDs to indicate the board is powered, the RTK status, a PPS signal, and a GNSS fix.

6. Other Features

   The designs of the carrier boards usually have a specific purpose; therefore, they will often include other features. (For more details, users can refer to the hardware information of the board they are interested in.)

Header Pins

The GNSS Flex ecosystem is designed around two 2x10-pin, 2mm pitch headers used mate its two board types. Depending on the capabilities of the GNSS receiver on the GNSS Flex module, these pins breakout the USB, UART (x4), I²C, and SD card interfaces along with any PPS or event signals of the GNSS receiver.

The pin layout of the headers on the GNSS Flex boards; with each board's mating alignment highlighted in green.

U.FL Connectors

Depending on the SparkPNT GNSS Flex module, users will have two options for connecting an external GNSS antenna to their GNSS receiver.

• The GNSS Flex modules will usually come with a U.FL connector for external antenna.
• For a more robust interface, the GNSS Flex carrier boards will usually come with a U.FL connector that is bridged to a nearby SMA edge connector. Users simply need to jumper the U.FL connectors between the SparkPNT GNSS Flex module and the carrier board with a short U.FL cable.

Bridging the U.FL connections to utilize the SMA connector on a carrier board.