Hi everyone,
I’m considering purchasing the SparkFun RTK Facet and I’m trying to get a better understanding of its expected lifespan and maintenance requirements before making the investment.
I haven’t been able to find any official documentation from SparkFun that outlines how long the RTK Facet is designed to last under typical use, or what kind of maintenance it might require over time (e.g., battery replacement, calibration, firmware updates, etc.).
If anyone has experience using this device—or similar GNSS equipment from SparkFun—I’d love to hear your thoughts on its durability and long-term performance, especially in field environments (even if it’s not meant for permanent outdoor setups).
I am the developer of RTK Facet so take my input with a cup of tea. The long term viability of our products depends on how the product is used. We offer both a 12 month warranty that covers normal wear and tear. Additionally we sell replacement parts and offer repair instructions. Nothing lasts forever, but I really believe devices should be maintainable and repairable. I encourage you to find similar openness from other manufacturers.
IMO, the performance of the receiver itself does not degrade over many years. We could get into an electrical engineering discussion, but in summary, the positional accuracy of the device today will be identical 5 years from now. Any battery has a limited lifespan, but we’ve got units going on 5 years that, upon testing, have ~75% of their expected capacity remaining.
The Facet is good and easy to repair. The Torch is waterproof and built for more harsh environments but has fewer features (no display, no datalogging). And then the Postcard has no housing at all but opens the door to all sorts of interesting applications. I encourage you to keep asking questions. There’s a good community of folks here.
The battery is a typical Li-On with its associated lifespan. If you aren’t going to use it for a Long time, don’t store it FULLY charged.
No calibration needed for the F9P chipset.
The Firmware for the Facet is fully mature, in my opinion. I wouldn’t expect much in the form of future FW updates, but Sparkfun has made that very easy with the RTK Uploader Tool.
Lifespan is influenced by the environment. Any sophisticated electronics device will have a harder life in a Hot and Humid setting, for instance.
I know of many Facets that work in the field everyday. A few snags have popped up, but nothing extraordinary.
I have some GNSS equipment based on uBlox LEA-4 that I assembled back in 2012, and it still works absolutely fine. It’s USB-powered (because I used it in a cold climate, and having a built-in rechargeable battery was simply impractical) and uses a Taoglas magnetic mount antenna on a long cable. Besides minor UV-induced plastic antenna enclosure degradation, nothing happened to it. It even uses the same micro-SD card inside the OpenLog module that I bought for it back then.
It’s not the same device, but there’s no fundamental difference between the similar ones.