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Software Overview

Tip

While it is not required, we highly recommend that users configure their LG580P GNSS module with the QGNSS software provided by Quectel.

Windows Only

Currently, the QGNSS software is only available for Windows operating systems.

Windows, MacOS, or Linux

For users with computers that run on MacOS or Linux, we have found alternative software option for viewing the data from the NMEA messages.

CH342 USB Driver

The USB drivers for the CH342 USB-to-Serial converter can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website.

Linux

A USB driver is not required for Linux based operating systems.

QGNSS Software

Windows Only

Currently, the QGNSS software is only available for Windows operating systems.

QGNSS is highly intuitive GNSS evaluation software that is easy to use, personalized, and compatible with leading Quectel technologies. The software allows users to define or apply GNSS product configurations for specific use cases. Saving, restoring, or sharing configurations between different products and users is easy. The software supports product evaluation with a choice of views to observe static and dynamic behavior of the connected a Quectel GNSS receiver.

System Requirements

Operating System: Windows

Connecting to the LG580P

In order to connect to the LG580P properly, users will need to specify the settings of the UART port.

Configure UART Settings

Click the button to configure the UART settings.

Before users can connect to the Quad-band GNSS RTK breakout board, they will need to specify the connection settings in QGNSS. Once configured, users can select the OK button and QGNSS will automatically attempt to connect to the GNSS module.

  • Select the LG580P(03) from the drop-down menu to configure the Model of the GNSS module being connected.
  • Below, is a list of the default settings for UART ports of the LG580P. These settings should be selected in the Device Information menu, unless configured differently.
  • For the Port, select the enumeration of the CH342 labeled with channel A from the drop-down menu.

UART Settings in QGNSS

Specify the settings for the UART port in QGNSS.

COM Ports

Select the COM port of the CH342 labeled with A.

Configure the LG580P

By default, the UART ports are configured to transmit and receive NMEA 0183 and/or RTCM 3.x messages. These messages are generally used for transmitting PNT data; and providing or receiving RTK corrections, respectively. Quectel also implements a system of proprietary messages (PQTM) for users to configure the LG580P, following the data format of the NMEA protocol.

Data Format - PQTM Messages

The expected structure of the data in the proprietary PQTM messages is shown below:

NMEA data structure
The data structure of Quectel messages for the NMEA protocol.

<Checksum>:

  • Checksum field follows the checksum delimiter character *.
  • Checksum is the 8-bit exclusive OR of all characters in the sentence, including , the field delimiter, between but not including the $ and the * delimiters.

<CR> & <LF>: Carriage return; followed by a new line

  • Depending on the terminal emulator, these may be options configured in the program settings.
  • Otherwise, users may need to add the \r and \n characters at the end of the message.

In the QGNSS software, users can click on the Advance button, at the bottom of the QConsole window, to configure the settings for the messages sent to the LG580P. Selecting NMEA and CRLF from the drop-down menu of the Checksum Type and Suffix options, will automatically calculate and append the <checksum> value, carriage return, and line follow to the end of the message entered in the Data Input field.

NMEA message setting

The settings for the messages transmitted from the QConsole.

Display the QConsole Toolbar

There is a toolbar for the QConsole, which has a bunch of tools that users may find useful. This includes, a search function, scroll-lock button, pause/clear the message feed, etc. To open/close the toolbar inside the QConsole, right-click on the mouse and select the Show Tool option from the drop-down menu or utilize the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Q.

QConsole Toolbar
Right-click on the mouse and select the Show Tool option, inside the QConsole.

Example - PQTMCFGUART Message

As an example, try utilizing the PQTMCFGUART PQTM message. Enter $PQTMCFGUART,R* into the Data Input field of the QConsole. DOn't forget to select the NMEA and CRLF options from Advance settings menu. If entered and configured properly, the value 36 should pop up in the Checksum field of the QConsole; then, click on the button to send the message.

$PQTMCFGUART,R*

Once the message has been sent, keep a close watch of the messages in the console. It may help to click on the button to disable auto-scrolling, when trying to locate the message response. Additionally, the response may not appear right away, it could be appended to the end of the next data packet, as shown in the image below.

PQTM demo
Example of utilizing the Quectel PQTM messages in the QConsole.

Firmware Update

In the event that users need to update the firmware on the LG580P module, please refer to the instructions in Quectel's reference manual. For the latest firmware, users should reach out to Quectel through their forum page.

Synchronization Step

In the reference manual, Step 9 instructs users to wait for a synchronization process. If users refer to an earlier section of the manual, this process requires the LG580P module to receive a SYNC_WORD1 within 500ms of powering up. Therefore, users must restart the module during the synchronization step. In the QGNSS software (+v2.1), this can be performed with the reboot button.

Reboot button
Reboot button in the QGNSS software (v2.1).

Example - Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Connect to the LG580P

  2. From the Tools drop down menu, select Firmware Update

    Tools > Firmware Update

  3. Click the button to select the receiver firmware

  4. Click to choose the firmware upgrade package whose name is identifiable by the presence of *.pkg file extension
  5. Click on the button to reboot the GNSS module
  6. Click the button to start the firmware upgrade process and wait for it to complete
    1. If the GNSS module wasn't rebooted prior initializing the upgrade, the process will wait for the synchronization step. The user will then have 20 seconds to manually reboot the GNSS module; otherwise, the firmware upgrade process will fail.
    2. Wait for the process to complete
  7. After the firmware upgrade is complete, the module will automatically reboot

PyGPSClient

As an alternative to QGNSS, we recommend PyGPSClient for users with computers that run on MacOS or Linux.

Resources

For additional information, users can refer to the following resources for the PyGPSClient software:

Installation

There are a variety of installation methods detailed in the GitHub repository's README.md file. However, we recommend utilizing the pip installation method.

Installation Commands

Depending on how Python is installed on the computer, one of the following commands should allow users to install the software.

  • python3 -m pip install pygpsclient

  • pip install pygpsclient
System Requirements

This installation method requires an internet connection. Additionally, users will also need administrative privileges (or root access sudo) for the installation.

Connecting to the LG580P

Before users can connect to the Quad-band GNSS RTK breakout board, they will need to specify the settings of the UART port in PyGPSClient. Once configured, users can select the button and PyGPSClient will automatically attempt to connect to the GNSS module.

  • For the Serial Port, select the port with the lowest enumeration of the CH342 or the port labeled with channel A from the drop-down menu.

UART Settings in PyGPSClient

Specify the settings for the UART port in QGNSS.

Terminal Emulator

Another viable option for connecting to the Quad-band GNSS RTK breakout board, is to utilize a terminal emulation program. While reading the data sent from the LG580P is relatively trivial, users will need to be more selective when choosing an emulator to configure the LG580P module on the Quad-band GNSS RTK breakout board. This is due to the unique data structure of the proprietary messages that Quectel implements to configure the LG580P (see the Configure the LG580P section, above).

Arduino IDE

Tip

For first-time users, who have never programmed before and are looking to use the Arduino IDE, we recommend beginning with the SparkFun Inventor's Kit (SIK), which is designed to help users get started programming with the Arduino IDE.

Most users may already be familiar with the Arduino IDE and its use. However, for those of you who have never heard the name Arduino before, feel free to check out the Arduino website. To get started with using the Arduino IDE, check out our tutorials below:

SparkFun LG290P GNSS Arduino Library

The SparkFun LG290P Quadband RTK GNSS Arduino Library can be installed from the library manager in the Arduino IDE by searching for:

SparkFun LG290P Quadband RTK GNSS Arduino Library

Library listed in the library manager of the Arduino IDE

The SparkFun LG290P Quadband RTK GNSS Arduino Library in the library manager of the Arduino IDE.

Manually Download the Arduino Library

For users who would like to manually download and install the library, the *.zip file can be accessed from the GitHub repository or downloaded by clicking the button below.