Product category:
Wireless Communications
News Release from: u-blox | Subject: NEO-4S GPS module
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 15 September 2006
Flash-free GPS module cuts size and cost
GPS module packs high sensitivity, exceptionally low power consumption and a USB port into a miniature 12.2 x 16mm package.
New from u-blox, the NEO-4S GPS module packs high sensitivity, exceptionally low power consumption and a USB port into a miniature 12.2 x 16mm package The module's -156dBm SuperSense tracking sensitivity extends positioning coverage to deep indoor locations and enables solutions that use smaller or covert antennas
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 20 Jun 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Tracking technology makes sense of weak GPS
Atmel and u-blox have codeveloped a new GPS weak-signal tracking technology, called SuperSense, supporting Atmel's Antaris GPS chipsets and GPS modules from u-blox.
Firmware upgrades GPS chipset performance
GPS module maker u-blox has released the final SuperSense firmware for its TIM-LH GPS receiver modules and Antaris GPS chipsets.
The absence of a costly Flash EPROM and the ATR0635 single chip that powers the module, developed jointly by u-blox and Atmel, keeps the module's footprint small and the price tag down.
Its low power needs and built-in power saving modes ensures power usage is kept at a bare minimum.
These features make the NEO-4S ideal for battery operated handheld applications with strict space, power and cost requirements.
Users of mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, Bluetooth GPS receivers and other handheld devices powered by the NEO-4S will also benefit from accurate positioning and uninterrupted coverage in weak signal areas such as train stations and urban canyons.
"The NEO-4S' compact and versatile architecture was specifically designed to fit the stringent requirements of handheld applications or smart antennas", said Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO.
"u-blox' latest NEO form factor is set to become the GPS module industry's dominant design as did its predecessors, the TIM and the LEA", he added.
The module's Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) enables an external serial E2PROM to store unlimited start-up configuration settings, providing an innovative alternative to the traditional boot-time configuration pins.
SMT pads in the module allow for fully automatic assembly processes with standard pick-and-place equipment and reflow soldering, enabling cost-efficient, high-volume production.
NEO-4S samples will be available in December.
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