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  4. GPS not working for Starling 2 Max

GPS not working for Starling 2 Max

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gpsstarling max
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  • Zachary Lowell 0Z Offline
    Zachary Lowell 0Z Offline
    Zachary Lowell 0
    ModalAI Team
    wrote on last edited by
    #6

    @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.

    B 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • Zachary Lowell 0Z Zachary Lowell 0

      @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.

      B Offline
      B Offline
      Bernhard
      Contributor
      wrote on last edited by
      #7

      @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?

      N 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • B Bernhard

        @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?

        N Offline
        N Offline
        nuallaino
        Contributor
        wrote on last edited by
        #8

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

        B 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • N nuallaino

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

          B Offline
          B Offline
          Bernhard
          Contributor
          wrote on last edited by
          #9

          @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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          0
          • K Offline
            K Offline
            Kory4Drone
            wrote on last edited by
            #10

            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.

            B 1 Reply Last reply
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            • K Kory4Drone

              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.

              B Offline
              B Offline
              Bernhard
              Contributor
              wrote on last edited by
              #11

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

              groupoG 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • B Bernhard

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

                groupoG Offline
                groupoG Offline
                groupo
                Regular
                wrote on last edited by
                #12

                @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

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • Zachary Lowell 0Z Offline
                  Zachary Lowell 0Z Offline
                  Zachary Lowell 0
                  ModalAI Team
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #13

                  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:

                  Amazon.com

                  favicon

                  (www.amazon.com)

                  groupoG B 2 Replies Last reply
                  0
                  • Zachary Lowell 0Z Zachary Lowell 0

                    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:

                    Amazon.com

                    favicon

                    (www.amazon.com)

                    groupoG Offline
                    groupoG Offline
                    groupo
                    Regular
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #14

                    @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

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • Zachary Lowell 0Z Zachary Lowell 0

                      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:

                      Amazon.com

                      favicon

                      (www.amazon.com)

                      B Offline
                      B Offline
                      Bernhard
                      Contributor
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #15

                      @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
                      0
                      • B Bernhard

                        @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 Offline
                        James StrawsonJ Offline
                        James Strawson
                        ModalAI Team
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #16

                        @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
                        0
                        • James StrawsonJ James Strawson

                          @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 Offline
                          groupoG Offline
                          groupo
                          Regular
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #17

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

                          James StrawsonJ 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • groupoG groupo

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

                            James StrawsonJ Offline
                            James StrawsonJ Offline
                            James Strawson
                            ModalAI Team
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #18

                            @groupo It is not on Sentinel.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • James StrawsonJ James Strawson

                              @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

                              B Offline
                              B Offline
                              Bernhard
                              Contributor
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #19

                              @James-Strawson sadly that did not help.

                              B 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • B Bernhard

                                @James-Strawson sadly that did not help.

                                B Offline
                                B Offline
                                Bernhard
                                Contributor
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #20

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

                                ROBERT JUDDR 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • B Bernhard

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

                                  ROBERT JUDDR Offline
                                  ROBERT JUDDR Offline
                                  ROBERT JUDD
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #21

                                  @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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