GNSS RTK Product Differences

GPS/GNSS
1

I’m struggling to get a clear answer on the differences between 2 GNSS RTK products;
GPS-28766 ( SparkFun GNSS Flex pHAT - mosaic-X5 )
GPS-23088 ( SparkFun Triband GNSS RTK Breakout - mosaic-X5 )

What I would like to know is if the pHAT version is equally as capable, specifically;
-Can the pHAT version be used as a base station or rover
-Can the pHAT utilize Septentrio’s CLI
-Are there any other important differences/considerations?

Range is not really a consideration for me (yet). My base station and rovers will never be more than ~50’ apart for my proof-of-concept.

I know that the mosaic-X5 chips are capable of this, but I don’t know if all of the same features have been broken out in each implementation.

2

Yep - functionally they will be nearly identical, with the major difference being that the pHat is designed to be used atop a Raspberry Pi, whereas the breakout is a standalone board

Both will work as base/rover, and yes the pHat can use the Septentrio software

The main differentiator is whether you’re aiming to use a Raspberry Pi in your project or not :slight_smile:

1 Like
3

Great, thanks for the Reply! This thread can be closed, I just needed that confirmation before buying.

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4

Hi John (@Johnny5 ),

Please have a think about your power sources and connectors:

The pHAT can only be powered through the RPi 40-pin connector. It regulates its own 3.3V power from the RPi 5V power rail. It’s not possible to power the pHAT through its USB connector; that’s for data only. If you want / need to be able to power your system from USB, then the Breakout is the way to go.

How are you sending corrections from the Base to the Rovers? If you are using Radio, then the Breakout might be a better choice. COM3 is accessible through a 6-pin JST connector. On the pHAT, the four COM ports are all routed to RPi GPIO (UART) pins. There’s no easy way to connect a radio to the pHAT.

Just FYI: we do have a “Flex Breakout” Carrier Board in the works - coming soon! You’ll be able to take the X5 Flex Module off the pHAT and plug it into the Breakout. It can then be powered from USB, and has JST connectors on both COM1 and COM2.

Thanks for supporting our products. They were a lot of fun to design. The X5 is such a great chip…

I hope this helps,
Paul

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5

Thank you for the info. My choice here is a bit more nuanced

Power from the RPi only is not an issue for me but thank you for pointing that out.

I was planning on using the radios for correctional data, so this is an important distinction, thank you for pointing this out. It sounds like the breakout is the safer choice for me.

Thanks for the informative replies. :fire: