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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 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
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    • 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
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      • 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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        • 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
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            • 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

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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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