KR1 and GPSd Technical Discussion

tz1 · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 9:11 pm Post subject:

I have a first beta of firmware with gpsd plus telnetd, socat, and a busier busybox (look in /bin when you upgrade for all, but gzip, tar, find, sed, and many, many more).

http://homepage.mac.com/tz1/.Public/x1002.bix

Make sure you already know how to update firmware first, or check the threads about the new firmware and upgrading here first.

GPSD:

You need an adapter to your USB RS232 port (and it must be a 4800 baud standard NMEA GPS). The adapter is described in an earlier post.

If you run windows, you can use http://www.hw-group.com/products/hw_vsp/index_en.html to create a virutal serial port and point your GPS at the virtual port (you can use dyndns or the 192.168.0.1 port). For port 2947, you need to open a command window and use "echo r >comX:" where X is the number of the virtual com port to start the NMEA stream.

Most linux programs emit the R as necessary for gpsd. You can telnet to the port and do H and it will print a brief list of commands.

port 22947 is a direct passthrough, but only allows one connection. But it should allow for DGPS or setting up the GPS like enabling or disabling NMEA sentences.

Michael · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 9:16 pm Post subject:

Just to confirm, you have taken the latest RK1002 firmware and applied these changes to that firmware?
_________________
EVDO :: EVDO News :: EVDO Antennas :: Buy Verizon :: Buy Sprint :: EVDO Amplifier

tz1 · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 9:28 pm Post subject:

Yes, the RK1002. In fact I haven't tried the plain version yet. I had to write tools to take apart and reassemble the bix images so it's mostly automated.

Michael · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 9:30 pm Post subject:

Thanks, this is awesome.

I will give it a try this weekend, perhaps, even posting the info to this thread with a time, I will be driving around with my KR1 and everyone can watch the exact location via a GoogleMap.
_________________
EVDO :: EVDO News :: EVDO Antennas :: Buy Verizon :: Buy Sprint :: EVDO Amplifier

mysigp226 · EVDO User Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Posts: 42

Waiting for my KR1 from Michael and then I'll be happy to beta test. (experienced linux/windows admin)

Will be great to have gpsd running!

Michael · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:33 pm Post subject:

Hello,

I can communicate with GPSd and ask it for the coordinates, but all I get is:

Michael · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 10:19 pm Post subject:

One more cool idea (shouldn't be too hard).

Taking your idea of mapping the GPSd stream to your desktop computer. It would be cool to accomplish the same thing using Route66 and Mac OS X. I don't think this will be very hard to do. Basically, we need to route the telnet GPSd data over to a local serial port that Route66 can "see".

The possibilities are endless.

Throw a KR1 + GPS into the car. Boot up Route66 on your Mac (or Windows PC), and watch the location, speed in real-time on a computer back in the office. Very powerful.
_________________
EVDO :: EVDO News :: EVDO Antennas :: Buy Verizon :: Buy Sprint :: EVDO Amplifier

tz1 · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:51 am Post subject:

You need a special serial cable to the diagnostic port as I described in the (much) earlier post.

The real USB port won't work. I don't quite know why but it will take some work.

The diagnostic port with two or three wires will.

If you type R, you should see NMEA streams if it is hooked up right.

I'll have to try route 66 - I have it somewhere, but didn't have a GPS I could use at the time. It may be as simple as "telnet (gpsinet) 22947 | /dev/serpipe" in a console window, after "mkfifo /dev/serpipe", and setting route66 to use /dev/serpipe.

tz1 · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:58 am Post subject: Serial Cable

Cut apart a standard USB cable. This will go into the "diagnostic port".

The wire colors are normally a standard - red (+5), Black, (Ground), White and Green (USB).

Get a male RS232C DB9 connector like on most PCs.

Connect the black wire to pin 5, the green wire to pin 2 and (if you ever want to talk TO the GPS, the white wire to pin 3.

You can use a standard LED box to make sure.

tz1 · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 11:16 am Post subject:

tz1 · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 12:39 pm Post subject: Route66

I have the 2004 version, and it only allows "real" serial ports.

I may have to find something or hack some kexts or plists to create a virtual serial port if someone hasn't already done so.

Michael · Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 12:52 am Post subject: Re: gpsmux success

tz1 · Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 8:30 am Post subject:

I need to be clearer.

1. The "2nd debug USB port" (called the "diagnostic port" in the KR1 docs) is NOT a USB port but an RS232 serial port with the TX and RX pins from the internal COM3 connector brought out to the USB data pins.

That is what I am using. I've already said how to construct the cable - take an existing USB cable that would plug into the "diagnostic" port, cut it and expose the green, white, and black wires, and connect them to a DB9 (typically male to imitate the PC) connector, pins 2, 3, and 5 respectively. Attach that to the GPS.

My KR1 has been reassembled for some time. Between telnetd and this connector I don't need internal access.

2. The Phone port is real USB, but I tried an IOGear USB to serial adaptor (a very vanilla USB to Serial device) and it didn't allow communications though was recognized and I could set the baud rate. Something deeper is going on and it might take some time (or a Kernel recompile or module which I can't do yet) to make this work. Which adaptor were you using? The KR1 might do better with it.

I've put up a compiled version of microcom which you can tftp to the KR1 (chmod +x under ash, or I think chmod 755 under sash) and run to see if you can do actual communications:

microcom home page: http://microcom.port5.com/

KR1 version: http://homepage.mac.com/tz1/.Public/microcom

mysigp226 · EVDO User Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Posts: 42

Just so it's clear (and I don't have the KR1 yet...MIKE!!! Smile

)

Step 1: Crack the KR1 case
Step 2: Plug in a standard USB cable to the 'diagnostic port'
Step 3: Run the cable out of the case and put the case back together
Step 4: Cut the end off the USB cable
Step 5: Wire the cut end to a DB9 serial as described above
Step 6: Plug in DB9 to GPS

tz1 · Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 1:46 pm Post subject:

No cracking, unscrewing, or other opening of the case is necessary.

The diagnostic port is the "other" USB port with a black plastic cover right next to the phone port.

You don't have to do steps 1-3.

Start with your step 4...

Step 7: Plug the RS232-USB-connector cable into the "diagnostic" port (after removing the plastic cover) on the KR1.

and maybe (if it is fresh out of the box)

Step 8: Install and configure the KR1 normally as per instructions so your computer works with it.
Step 9: "upgrade" the firmware to one of the GPS versions.

Then you just need to make a connection from the gpsd or passthrough TCP port on the router (either the remote evdo port, typically via dyndns, or the 192.168.0.1 or whatever port for local wireless or ethernet) to your application. I've mentioned a few ways to do this such as a virtual serial port program.