USB-GPS Working in PilotAware

[falcoguy]

Just to add info
I have bought one of the white uBlox 7 GPS/GNSS dongles.  After leaving it to start up we have been using it on a pilotware in Johns van.

Working brilliantly with very stable input to skydemon.

Dave t

[The Westmorland Flyer]

I'm managing to confuse myself over what bits perform what function. In my config I have XGPS150 bluetooth GPS which in normal operation talks to the iPad running SD. The iPad is the type that does not have built in GPS. All that works fine and has done for years.

In this case, do the GPS data get sent from the iPad to PAW via the CollisionAware interface? What about the traffic data? I set a FLARM key 6000 so does that mean some other session is being established across the WiFi link? I'm trying to understand what data go where and how all these interfaces interact. Is there some sort of system diagram that shows all this stuff?

I'm also wondering whether to get a WAAS GPS to fit onto PAW and use that instead of (as well as?) the XGPS150. My concern is that it seems to be a bit of a palava getting all these interfaces running and my pre-flight checks are complicated enough already! If I understood how it all hangs together then I'd feel a lot more competent getting and keeping the system running in flight.

Thanks for any insight!

[ianfallon]

If you want an easy life I'd suggest buying one of the uBlox GPS dongles and plugging that into the PAW. Then you just connect to the PAW Wifi and run SkyDemon or similar - no other app required

[The Westmorland Flyer]

Hi Ian,

That's certainly one option to explore although I would want to engineer high reliability of the power supply to the RPi before trusting a key navigation facility to it.

In that configuration, how do the GPS position data get to the iPad/SD? Obviously over the WiFi connection but does it go via CollisionAware or does it have its own application protocol stack? I'm guessing I still need to run CollisionAware to get the traffic into SD? In short, I don't really understand what CollisionAware does!

[stephenmelody]

Collisionaware just takes the GPS location and passes it to the RPi (as far as I can tell).

In my main unit config, I have a USB GPS, and then I just connect to the RPi on wifi, Go-Flying with FLARM (as it's called) and i'm way. the GPS dongle knows where it is and the RPi passes everything across the wifi.

[The Westmorland Flyer]

Collisionaware just takes the GPS location and passes it to the RPi (as far as I can tell)

Yes, that seems to make sense now that I've drawn a couple of system diagrams. The name confused me, implying that it did rather more. On that basis it's pretty clear that the best solution is to have the GPS plugged directly into the RPi and then engineer a high level of power integrity for the RPi in the cockpit. Fewer interfaces to set up/go wrong. Many thanks.

[ianfallon]

Yes the app is to get the GPS info from the tablet/phone over to PAW which then uses it and passes info back to the tablet for SkyDemon etc.

So if you have the USB GPS no CollisionAware app is needed as the PAW gets GPS info from that and not the tablet.

[scsirob]

Is the current version also supposed to work with FTDI USB serial ports? I have one of those with a uBlox attached to it, and it shows up in the status screen, but no GPS is detected  .
=====
PilotAware (20151003), Expires 20161101

______________Interface______________    __________________Status__________________
NAVIGATION    Enabled
ADS-B (DVB-T)    Unavailable
RXTX (ARF)    Unavailable TX=0 RX=0 CRCFAIL=0
Pressure Altitude (BMP)    Unavailable (Manual) QNH=1013mb QNE=0ft GNSS=0ft
ADSB Sentences    0(+0)
GPS Sentences (TCP)    0(+0)
GPS Sentences (UDP)    0(+0)
GPS Sentences (USB)    0(+0) Fix="Invalid" Mode="Undefined" Satellites=0
USB Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0424:9514    Standard Microsystems Corp.
USB Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002    Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
USB Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0424:ec00    Standard Microsystems Corp.
USB Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0403:6001    Future Technology Devices International, Ltd FT232 USB-Serial (UART) IC
USB Bus 001 Device 005: ID 0df6:005f    Sitecom Europe B.V.

Anything I can do to make this work?

[SteveN]

Some serial USB will work but mine won't. I just ordered a Ublox and chucked my PL3203 GPS in the spares box.

I think Lee will have to specify the Ublox rather than try to accommodate anything we happen to have lying about. IMHO he has more important fish to fry.

[Admin]

Usbtty devices are not detected automatically
You need to specify the port and baud rate on the config page
thx
Lee

[The Westmorland Flyer]

Yes the app is to get the GPS info from the tablet/phone over to PAW which then uses it and passes info back to the tablet for SkyDemon etc.

Thanks Ian. Makes perfect sense now and explains your earlier point about going for the easy life. It makes attaching the GPS to the RPi by far the best solution. That's what I'll do!

[scsirob]

Usbtty devices are not detected automatically
You need to specify the port and baud rate on the config page
thx
Lee

Thanks Lee.. But which physical port is 1,2,3 or 4? Or is it just trial and error in this case?

[scsirob]

I just confirmed that the FTDI port is configured as ttyUSB0. When I try to configure the usb port is tries accessing /dev/usbp1 or whichever the first one I set to be a GPS. It does not try to access ttyUSB0 where USB serial port converters usually register. What am I doing wrong?

Edit: I got it going! The GPS was at port 3, and the trick was that PAW needed to be rebooted before it opened the GPS port properly. Trying to configure and save one port after another did not work. The good news is that apparently a FTDI-based serial USB converter can work.

[Paul_Sengupta]

Following on from tWF's confusion, I also have some queries.

As I understand it, if you have a non-GPS iPad, you can use the GPS on the PAW to feed the iPad for your navigation software...is this correct?

Now say, like John, you have an XGPS-150/160 connected to the iPad. Which GPS does the iPad use?

Similar question with iPads or Android tablets which do have the built in GPS. Which GPS does it use for navigation?

[ianfallon]

Hopefully Lee will correct me if I'm wrong but if you have the GPS dongle it will use that.

If you don't then the CollisionAware app takes the GPS from whatever the tablet is using and forwards that to the PAW