Making a tiny GPS position recorder
Where in the World
Design and construct a battery-powered GPS receiver and recorder in a compact package, with firmware and a Linux-based GUI application for visualizing the data recorded.
A variety of solutions are available for tracking the location of things, such as locating "lost" items (e.g., smart dog collars) or locating your luggage (e.g., Apple AirTags). All these devices have to balance functionality, size, weight, and time of battery life (rechargeable or otherwise). A mobile phone makes a pretty good location device, because it has a GPS receiver and a radio transmitter. However, they are relatively large, are expensive, have unnecessary components (e.g., displays), and rely on a cellular network that might not be available in remote areas.
Apple AirTags rely on Bluetooth communication with other Apple devices in the vicinity to provide position information and relay that data to iCloud, which the user can access with the Find My app. This useful function allows the tags to be very small and operate from a small button cell battery. The drawback to this method is its reliance on other devices and, again, the presence of a cell network.
The device presented here is completely autonomous; the size of a matchbox, weighing less than 50g (<2oz), and has its own GPS receiver, a LiPo battery providing several days of operation, and flash memory to store the acquired GPS data. Because GPS coverage is worldwide in its various forms, no other infrastructure is required for operation.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta Released
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation has announced the availability of AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta ("Purple Lion") for all supported devices with significant changes.
-
Gnome 47.2 Now Available
Gnome 47.2 is now available for general use but don't expect much in the way of newness, as this is all about improvements and bug fixes.
-
Latest Cinnamon Desktop Releases with a Bold New Look
Just in time for the holidays, the developer of the Cinnamon desktop has shipped a new release to help spice up your eggnog with new features and a new look.
-
Armbian 24.11 Released with Expanded Hardware Support
If you've been waiting for Armbian to support OrangePi 5 Max and Radxa ROCK 5B+, the wait is over.
-
SUSE Renames Several Products for Better Name Recognition
SUSE has been a very powerful player in the European market, but it knows it must branch out to gain serious traction. Will a name change do the trick?
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.
-
Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.