Beitian GPS Module Original manufacturer BN-880 BN-180 BN-220 UM982 ZEP-F9P BT-F9P BT-982

05 Aug, 2024
Posted by: 李优才

Basic GPS Module Operation – Beitian 180 & 220 with Arduino

Enough theory and libraries, it’s time to actually hook up a GPS module and start getting positioning data!
We will begin with a very basic GPS module. You can use just about any GPS module that outputs serial data, in other words, any module with the following connections:

Transmit or TX
Receive or RX
VCC or 5-volt power supply
Ground

I’ll be using both the Beitian 180 and 220, which are nearly identical.

Beitian BN-180& BN-220
Price：5.88-23.88USD Click To Shop Now

These units have similar specifications, the BN-220 is slightly larger and also has internal flash memory, which we aren’t using in our experiments.

The BN-220 has the following specifications (the BN-180 is nearly identical):

Chipset: 8030-KT
Receiving Format: GPS,GLONASS,Galileo,BeiDou,QZSS and SBAS
Frequency: GPS L1,GLONASS L1,BeiDou B1,SBAS L1,Galileo E1
Channels: 72 Searching Channel
Position Horizontal: 2.0 m CEP 2D RMS SBAS Enable (Typical Open Sky)
Velocity: 0.1m/sec 95% (SA off)
Timing: 1us synchronized to GPS time

Clearly a precision module at a very low price.
You don’t have to use one of these modules if you can’t find one, or if you already have other modules. Any GPS module with a serial data connection that is 5-volt tolerant should work.

GPS & Compass – Beitian BN-880 with Arduino

Beitian BN-880

Price：19.88-22.88USD Click To Shop Now

The Beitian BN-880 is a very sensitive GPS that also has a built-in magnetometer, meaning that it has a compass inside it. This is very useful in model aeronautics and boating, but it also has possibilities for our robotics projects as well.
Beitian BN-880 5.88-23.88USD Click To Shop Now
The Beitian BN-880 has the following specifications:

Receiving Format: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS and SBAS
Receiving Channel: 72 Searching Channel
Output Frequency: 1Hz-10Hz,Default 1Hz
Support Rate:4800bps to 115200bps,Default 38400dps
UART Interface: UART Port: TXDA and RXDA
As you can see it’s a pretty powerful unit, and it isn’t all that expensive either.

Magnetometer
The built-in magnetometer is an older model that still sports some impressive specifications.

The magnetometer is based upon a HMC5883L chip, which is billed as a “3-axis Compass”. It is supposed to have a heading accuracy of 1 to 2 degrees, and can be used in conjunction with the GPS readings to tell yo9i not only where you are, but what direction you are heading in.

The HMC5883L is an I2C device, so the BN-880 has two extra connections for the SDA and SCL lines.