It could appear to be the age of discovery and grand expeditions is over — there are not any extra uncharted seas to cross or rumored continents to hunt out. However that’s not completely true. Certain, we all know much more about our world than folks of the previous, however there are nonetheless huge unexplored areas of the planet, akin to these within the Arctic or the jungles of South America. And for people who do got down to discover them, it might really feel like they’re taking a visit again in time in additional methods than one.
A scarcity of communications methods and navigational instruments, for instance, will probably be instantly felt. That was the expertise of Polish engineer and explorer Lukasz Cepowski, who set out on a yacht to sail the oceans of the Arctic. This motivated Cepowski to create the Aegir GPS Tracker , which logs GPS coordinates throughout an journey, and may function nearly anyplace on the face of the Earth. The gadget can even function a lifeline in occasions of bother, as it may be used to ship out requires assist.
The Aegir GPS Tracker is designed to work in each populated areas with LTE protection and distant areas utilizing satellite tv for pc communication through the Iridium community. At its core is an STM32F401 microcontroller on a BlackPill board, which manages knowledge assortment and communication. It integrates a NEO 8M GPS receiver to assemble location knowledge each second utilizing NMEA format and an exterior GPS antenna for improved sign reception. The gadget sends knowledge through a SIM7600G LTE module when LTE is obtainable, guaranteeing protection in round 170 international locations. For distant areas with out LTE entry, it makes use of a RockBLOCK 9603N Iridium transceiver to ship knowledge over the Iridium satellite tv for pc community, which is important for polar and oceanic areas the place conventional networks don’t work.
The system is designed to be extremely sturdy and transportable, powered by a 12V DC enter from automobiles or ships, with an extra backup energy module offering as much as two hours of battery life. It logs all place knowledge to an SD card each 10 seconds and shows reside monitoring info (akin to place, velocity, and course) on a 128×64 OLED show. The firmware, written in C utilizing FreeRTOS, divides duties into threads to handle GPS knowledge, communication modules, and the show effectively. This modular design additionally consists of uncovered I/O pins for future growth, permitting the addition of sensors through I2C. A custom-designed PCB integrates all elements right into a compact kind issue housed in a polycarbonate case that protects it from the weather.
The monitoring gadget was examined on a crusing expedition to Svalbard from Tromsø in northern Norway. It was put in on the yacht and in contrast towards different satellite tv for pc communication instruments just like the Garmin InReach and Iridium Edge. After navigating via Norwegian fjords on account of a storm, the crew headed north to Bear Island and onward to Svalbard, visiting the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund. The tracker functioned as anticipated, sending knowledge each 10 seconds in coastal waters with LTE protection, and each hour through the Iridium community in additional distant polar areas.
Regardless of the tracker’s success, the venture concluded after the expedition because of the excessive prices of Iridium transmission, making additional growth much less sensible. Nevertheless, regardless of the prices, Cepowski discovered immense satisfaction within the gadget’s success in Arctic situations.The Aegir GPS Tracker on a crusing expedition (📷: Lukasz Cepowski)
A better take a look at the {hardware} (📷: Lukasz Cepowski)
From prototype to PCB to completed gadget (📷: Lukasz Cepowski)