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    GPS not working for Starling 2 Max

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    • Zachary Lowell 0Z
      Zachary Lowell 0 ModalAI Team
      last edited by

      I wonder if there is some form of interference - I do know that from time to time when I am in the same situation as you (GPS showing 0's for both lat and lon) I just have to wait it out for like 10 minutes and then after that, the GPS data shows - unsure why it would take that long, but I can say I have recreated this issue in the past and the solution was to wait - @brahim I believe you ran into this and just let the drone sit for a while before gps was acquired.

      I would be hard pressed to say the issue is directly from the 5g hat - all the hardware is tested rigorously together to ensure safe flights and such.

      B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • B
        Bernhard @Zachary Lowell 0
        last edited by

        For anyone wondering:
        We figured out what the problem was.
        The 5G is not the only source for interferences.

        It turned out the video transmission hardware we use (Siyi MK 32 https://shop.siyi.biz/products/siyi-mk32?VariantsId=10619) blocks the GPS from finding any satellites.

        We will try to somehow shield the GPS from the video transmission signal.

        @Zachary-Lowell-0 FYI

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        • Zachary Lowell 0Z
          Zachary Lowell 0 ModalAI Team
          last edited by

          @Bernhard said in GPS not working for Starling 2 Max:

          We will try to somehow shield the GPS from the video transmission signal.

          Makes sense to me @Bernhard we have leveraged faraday tape to dull the signals coming off.

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          • B
            Bernhard @Zachary Lowell 0
            last edited by

            @Zachary-Lowell-0 actually I have to correct that statement.

            I have now invested quite some time into testing the whole situation thoroughly.
            The drone's GPS works fine without 5G and video transmission. The drone's GPS has problems with 5G (at least where we are testing - populated area, probably some other interferences). The drone's problem also has a problem with the video transmission.

            So basically, both 5G and video cause the problem. But it does not even work with the 5G module that ModalAI provides. Is there any further help available?

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            • N
              nuallaino @Bernhard
              last edited by

              @Bernhard Maybe our issues are related? See [my post].(https://forum.modalai.com/topic/3912/problem-acquiring-gps-satellites-possible-voxl2-board-emi?_=1731073406011)

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              • B
                Bernhard @nuallaino
                last edited by

                @nuallaino that might be.
                But for us the GPS-sensor usually works, we only have problems when using 5G and/or video transmission.

                We will test if an external GPS-sensor fixes the situation.

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                • K
                  Kory4Drone
                  last edited by

                  Hello,

                  Has there been any resolution on this? I have a brand new Starling 2 Max, with 5G and have let the drone sit for over an hour and no GPS.

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                  • B
                    Bernhard @Kory4Drone
                    last edited by

                    @Kory4Drone sadly there has been no update.
                    @Zachary-Lowell-0 is there anything ModalAI can do to support?

                    groupoG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • groupoG
                      groupo @Bernhard
                      last edited by

                      @Bernhard I also have had GPS related issues with my sentinel drone that happens to have a 5G modem. I have two drones and one does work so we havent chased the other one down much. I will be interested to hear what steps the team will have for you

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                      • Zachary Lowell 0Z
                        Zachary Lowell 0 ModalAI Team
                        last edited by

                        How far away is the gps from the 5g hat? Also have you leveraged faraday tape around the fuselage of your drone so the signal for the gps doesnt get interfered. Odds are the issue isnt from the 5g hat but from the USB3.0 port if you are leveraging. Multiple studies show there is quite a lot of interference from usb3.0 that can disrupt GPS - the solution for this is taking faraday tape and wrapping it around the right spots to cut the signal:

                        https://www.amazon.com/ZTTXL-Conductive-Grounding-Shielding-Interference/dp/B0CW9GL3Q9/ref=asc_df_B0CW9GL3Q9?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80676856756448&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584276320887549&psc=1&msclkid=17e3696f10bd1379a5500e2bb0278770

                        groupoG B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • groupoG
                          groupo @Zachary Lowell 0
                          last edited by

                          @Zachary-Lowell-0 Are you talking about the USB-C used for ADB? (Maybe there is not the same on the Starling as there is on the Sentinel). Wouldn't that only apply if something was plugged in (i.e.) a cable for ADB

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                          • B
                            Bernhard @Zachary Lowell 0
                            last edited by

                            @Zachary-Lowell-0 I don't know if there is another way to mount the 5G board (see picture - we sticked the antennas to the arms in the meantime).
                            20240822_114213.jpg.

                            We assumed since all of the components are official ModalAI products, that they would work together.

                            James StrawsonJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • James StrawsonJ
                              James Strawson ModalAI Team @Bernhard
                              last edited by

                              @Bernhard When we released the 5G version of the Starling Max we also moved the GPS to the back of the drone and specified smaller LTE antennas which those landing gear were designed to fit. I'll reach out to you via PM regarding updating your Starling Max.

                              We just discovered a source of EMI which is the cable running to the optional Lepton sensor socket. For a number of reasons we've not offered Lepton as an option of Starling 2 Max yet so you can safely disconnect the 8-pin JST SH connector on the front left side of your camera breakout board next to the barometer cap. This will improve GPS performance. Please see picture below.

                              alt text

                              groupoG B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • groupoG
                                groupo @James Strawson
                                last edited by

                                @James-Strawson is this sensor on the sentinel as well?

                                James StrawsonJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • James StrawsonJ
                                  James Strawson ModalAI Team @groupo
                                  last edited by

                                  @groupo It is not on Sentinel.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • B
                                    Bernhard @James Strawson
                                    last edited by

                                    @James-Strawson sadly that did not help.

                                    B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • B
                                      Bernhard @Bernhard
                                      last edited by

                                      @James-Strawson, @Zachary-Lowell-0 can we expect an update in the near future?

                                      ROBERT JUDDR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • ROBERT JUDDR
                                        ROBERT JUDD @Bernhard
                                        last edited by

                                        @Bernhard @James-Strawson @Zachary-Lowell-0 @Alex-Kushleyev @nuallaino

                                        I have a brand new Starling 2 Max (received 3 days ago), and I'm having the same problem described by nuallaino and Bernhard (no GPS even when outside for a long time).

                                        My system info and results of px4-listener are pasted below.

                                        I did unplug the Lepton 8-pin JST SH connector as suggested by James Strawson, but that had no effect.

                                        Everything else seems to work fine (haven't tried 5G comm yet), but I'm hesitant to fly without GPS functioning properly, so at this point I'm stuck.

                                        Any suggestions would be most welcome.

                                        Thanks for your help !


                                        system-image: 1.8.02-M0054-14.1a-perf
                                        kernel: #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Nov 11 22:47:44 UTC 2024 4.19.125
                                        hw platform: M0054
                                        mach.var: 1.0.1
                                        voxl-suite: 1.4.1
                                        current IP: wlan0: 10.0.0.19


                                        voxl2:~$ px4-listener sensor_gps

                                        TOPIC: sensor_gps
                                        sensor_gps
                                        timestamp: 841732144 (0.020669 seconds ago)
                                        timestamp_sample: 0
                                        time_utc_usec: 0
                                        device_id: 11272245 (Type: 0xAC, SERIAL:6 (0x00))
                                        lat: 0
                                        lon: 0
                                        alt: -17000
                                        alt_ellipsoid: 0
                                        s_variance_m_s: 999.00006
                                        c_variance_rad: 3.14159
                                        eph: 4294967.50000
                                        epv: 3796926.25000
                                        hdop: 99.99000
                                        vdop: 99.99000
                                        noise_per_ms: 64
                                        jamming_indicator: 15
                                        vel_m_s: 0.00000
                                        vel_n_m_s: 0.00000
                                        vel_e_m_s: 0.00000
                                        vel_d_m_s: 0.00000
                                        cog_rad: 0.00000
                                        timestamp_time_relative: 0
                                        heading: nan
                                        heading_offset: 0.00000
                                        heading_accuracy: 0.00000
                                        rtcm_injection_rate: 0.00000
                                        automatic_gain_control: 0
                                        fix_type: 0
                                        jamming_state: 0
                                        spoofing_state: 1
                                        vel_ned_valid: False
                                        satellites_used: 0
                                        selected_rtcm_instance: 0

                                        voxl2:~$ px4-listener sensor_mag

                                        TOPIC: sensor_mag
                                        sensor_mag
                                        timestamp: 861420482 (0.006257 seconds ago)
                                        timestamp_sample: 861420007 (475 us before timestamp)
                                        device_id: 527625 (Type: 0x08, I2C:1 (0x0D))
                                        x: -0.04417
                                        y: -0.32142
                                        z: 0.42167
                                        temperature: nan
                                        error_count: 0
                                        voxl2:~$

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