u-blox has introduced what could be the world’s smallest GNSS module with the 4.5×4.5mm u-blox MIA-M10 miniature module supporting GPS, BeiDou, Galileo, and GLONASS satellite navigation systems.
The MIA-M10 is said to be about half the size of competing products and has been specially designed for size-constrained battery-powered asset tracking devices, as well as space-constrained industrial sensors and consumer goods. The company also claims its power-save modes can double the battery life by balancing position accuracy and power consumption.
u-blox MIA-M10 GNSS module specifications:
- GNSS – BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS / QZSS
- Number of concurrent GNSS – 4
- Oscillators
- MIA-M10C – Crystal
- MIA-M10Q – TCXO
- MIA-M10Q only – SAW filter, LNA
- Host Interfaces – 1x UART, 1x DDC (I2C compliant)
- Supply Voltage
- MIA-M10C – 1.3 to 1.98V
- MIA-M10Q – 1.76V to 3.6V
- Power Consumption – < 25 mW
- Dimensions – 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.0mm
- Temperature Range – -40°C to +85°C
The module supports both u-blox AssistNow Internet-assisted GNSS service cutting the time it takes the MIA-M10 to get a GPS fix, and u-blox’s CloudLocate service which offloads position calculation to the cloud and is supposed to extend the life of IoT applications.
The MIA-M10Q variant of the module embeds all hardware to design size-constrained battery-powered tracking devices, while the MIA-M10C offers more flexibility allowing customers to combine the module with an active or custom antenna circuit. You can evaluate both solutions with the two existing EVK-M101 and EVK-M101C evaluation kits with a UBXM10050-KB chip and respectively a TCXO or a crystal oscillator.
U-blox will showcase the new MIA-M10 at the upcoming Sensors Converge and Embedded Technologies trade show on June 27-29 in San Jose, California. The first samples of the miniature GPS module are expected in July 2022. More details may be found on the product page.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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I’d avoid anything using the Chinese BeiDou system since it has the ability to both TX and RX and with the bandwidth of 80 ASCII character per second anything that uses it could potentially succumb to command and control from the Chinese via an over the air firmware update.
What??
What makes you think an independent GPS vendor would blindly accept a firmware update from BeiDou ?
Also, I don’t believe ANY GNSS satellite has the ability to receive transmissions from a client on the ground. The satellite has powerful transmitters, yet the signals are received with a very low SNR.
Do you expect a low power client to transmit anything the satellite can receive? (let alone the scale problem of millions of clients talking to a single satellite).
I would say this is pure nonsense.