I’m trying to connect my new EM-406A to my PC through a DB-9 cable which is attached to a Serial to USB adapter. Does anybody have experience doing this? I also have the Sparkfun Logic Level Converter, will I need this? Any advice on how to connect it would be very helpful. Thanks.
Yes, you’ll need the logic level converter. You’ll also need a 5V power supply for the EM-406.
Do you know the pinout for the Serial to USB adapter? If not, you can probably find it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-232#Standard_details
You’ll have to connect the Rx and Tx signals of the GPS module to the logic level converter, and then connect them to Tx and Rx of the Serial to USB converter (Make sure Rx is connected to Tx and vice versa).
Once you’ve got the comm signals plugged in, go ahead and power the GPS module and plug the cable into your computer. At this point you can open a terminal and set the appropriate baud settings to start seeing the GPS messages.
Good Luck!