DESCRIPTION

The SparkFun GPS-RTK Dead Reckoning Kit (u.FL) gives precisely what you need to start using u-blox's ZED-F9R and GPS Real Time Kinematics. The SparkFun ZED-F9R GPS Breakout is a high precision, sensor fusion GPS board with equally impressive configuration options and takes advantage of u-blox's Automotive Dead Reckoning (ADR) technology. The ZED-F9R module provides a highly accurate and continuous position by fusing a 3D IMU sensor, wheel ticks, a vehicle dynamics model, correction data, and GNSS measurements.

The ZED-F9R module is an 184-channel u-blox F9 engine GNSS receiver, meaning it can receive signals from the GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou constellations with ~0.2-meter accuracy! That's right, such accuracy can be achieved with an RTK navigation solution when used with a correction source. Note that the ZED-F9R can only operate as a rover, so you will need to connect to a base station. The module supports the concurrent reception of four GNSS systems. The combination of GNSS and integrated 3D sensor measurements on the ZED-F9R provides accurate, real-time positioning rates of up to 30Hz.

This breakout maximizes position accuracy in dense cities or covered areas compared to other GPS modules. Even under poor signal conditions, continuous positioning is provided in urban environments and available during complete signal loss (e.g., short tunnels and parking garages). The ZED-F9R is the ultimate solution for autonomous robotic applications that require accurate positioning under challenging conditions.

This u-blox receiver also supports I2C (u-blox calls this Display Data Channel), making it perfect for Qwiic compatibility so we don't have to use up our precious UART ports. Utilizing our handy Qwiic system, no soldering is required to connect it to the rest of your system. However, we still have broken out 0.1"-spaced pins if you prefer a breadboard.

U-blox-based GPS products are configurable using the popular but dense Windows program u-center. Many different functions can be configured on the ZED-F9R: baud rates, update rates, geofencing, spoofing detection, external interrupts, SBAS/D-GPS, etc. All of this can be done within the SparkFun Arduino Library!

The SparkFun ZED-F9R GPS Breakout also has an onboard rechargeable battery that provides power to the RTC on the ZED-F9R. This reduces the time-to-first fix from a cold start (~24s) to a hot start (~2s). The battery will maintain RTC and GNSS orbit data without being connected to power for plenty of time.

Also included with this kit is a GNSS multiband antenna, reversible USB-A to C cable, and SMA to U.FL cable. The included antenna features a magnetic base receiving the classic L1 and L2 GPS bands. Meanwhile, the included cables will ensure that hooking up each part in the kit is easy!

The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I2C sensors, actuators, shields and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong.

GET STARTED WITH THE SPARKFUN GPS-RTK ZED-F9R DEAD RECKONING GUIDE