SEPTENTRIO AsteRx SB3 User manual

AsteRx SB3
User Manual

User Manual Revision 1.1
Applicable to version 4.10.1 of the AsteRx SB3 firmware
February 18, 2022
Thank you for choosing the AsteRx SB3 ! This user manual provides detailed instructions on
how to use the AsteRx SB3 and we recommend that you read it carefully before you start
using the device.
Please note that this manual provides descriptions of all functionalities of the AsteRx
SB3 product family however, the particular AsteRx SB3 you purchased may not support
functions specific to certain variants.
While we try to keep the manual as complete and up-to-date as possible, it may be
that future features, functionality or other product specifications change without prior
notice or obligation. The information contained in this manual is subject to change without
notice. We recommend you to look for new or updated information in our Knowledge Base
at https://customersupport.septentrio.com/s/topiccatalog
© Copyright 2000-2022 Septentrio NV/SA. All rights reserved.
Septentrio
Greenhill Campus, Interleuvenlaan 15i
3001 Leuven, Belgium
http://www.septentrio.com
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Septentrio
2

CONTENTS
Contents
1 Introduction 4
1.1 USER NOTICES ............................................................................... 4
1.1.1 CE Notice ........................................................................... 4
1.1.2 ROHS/WEEE Notice................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.1.3 Safety information .................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.1.4 Support ............................................................................. 6
2 AsteRx SB3 Overview 7
2.1 PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS ...................................... 7
2.2 ASTERXSB3 DESIGN ........................................................................ 8
2.2.1 Front Panel......................................................................... 8
2.2.2 Rear Panel.......................................................................... 8
3 Configuring the AsteRx SB3 9
3.1 CONNECTING TO THE ASTERXSB3 ....................................................... 9
3.1.1 Powering the AsteRx SB3 ........................................................ 9
3.1.2 Connecting to the web interface via Ethernet . .. .............................. 10
3.1.3 Connecting to the web interface via USB ...................................... 11
3.1.4 Connecting via COM ................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.2 HOW TO CONFIGURE THE ASTERXSB3 FOR RTK ......................................... 13
3.2.1 How to configure the AsteRx SB3 in RTK rover mode via Ethernet ......... 13
3.3 HOW TO CONFIGURE THE ASTERXSB3 FOR ATTITUDE................................... 15
3.4 HOW TO CONFIGURE THE ASTERXSB3 AS A BASE STATION ............................. 20
4 Common Receiver Operations 30
4.1 HOW TO CONFIGURE SBF AND NMEA OUTPUT ......................................... 30
4.1.1 Output over a serial COM connection .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4.1.2 Output over Ethernet ............................................................. 34
4.2 HOW TO LOG DATA .......................................................................... 38
4.2.1 Internal logging .................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.3 DOWNLOADING LOGGED DATA FROM THE RECEIVER ..................................... 41
Appendix A Rear-panel port descriptions 42
A.1 PWR-COM2&3/USB ....................................................................... 42
A.2 COM1-GPIO ................................................................................ 43
A.3 ETH .......................................................................................... 44
A.4 MAIN ANT / AUX ANT (TNC) ............................................................ 44
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1 Introduction
1.1 User Notices
1.1.1 CE Notice
AsteRx SB3 receivers carry the CE mark and are as such compliant with the
2014/53/EU - Radio Equipment Directive (RED), 2011/65/EU - Restriction
of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive and 93/68/EC - CE-marking
Directive.
With regards to EMC, the AsteRx SB3 receiver is declared as class
A, suitable for residential or business environment. In a domestic
environment this product may cause radio interference in which case the
user may be required to take adequate measures.
1.1.2 ROHS/WEEE Notice
The AsteRx SB3 is compliant with the latest WEEE,
RoHS and REACH directives. For more information see
www.septentrio.com/en/environmental-compliance.
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1.3 Safety information
Statement 1: The power supply provided by Septentrio (if any) should not
be replaced by another. If you are using the receiver with your own power
supply, it must have a double isolated construction and must match the
specifications of the provided power supply.
Statement 2: Ultimate disposal of this product should be handled
according to all national laws and regulations.
Statement 3: The equipment and all the accessories included with this
product may only be used according to the specifications in the delivered
release note, manual or other documents delivered with the receiver.
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1.4 Support
For first-line support please contact your Septentrio dealer.
Additional documentation can be found in the following manuals:
•The AsteRx SB3 Reference Guide (available from the Support section of the
Septentrio website) includes information on the receiver operation, the full list of
receiver commands and a description of the format and contents of all SBF (Septentrio
Binary Format) blocks.
•The RxTools Manual covers the RxTools software suite, including RxControl and
RxLogger.
•The Knowledge Base on the Septentrio website contains a large number of articles
and application notes which cover a wide array of technical and less technical topics.
The Knowledge Base is part of Septentrio’s Support Portal which can be accessed
through the support section of the Septentrio website (see below).
The Septentrio website has a dedicated Support section
(http://www.septentrio.com/support), where the User Manual, the Firmware Reference
Guide and the latest officially supported Firmware version are readily available for download.
In case the AsteRx SB3 does not behave as expected and you need to contact Septentrio’s
Technical Support department, you should attach a short SBF log file containing the support
blocks and a Diagnostic Report of the receiver.
http://www.septentrio.com
Headquarters
Septentrio NV Phone: [phone]
Greenhill Campus Fax: [phone]
Interleuvenlaan 15i, sales septentrio.com
3001 Leuven,
Belgium
6

CHAPTER 2. ASTERX SB3 OVERVIEW
2 AsteRx SB3 Overview
The AsteRx SB3 is a multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS receiver offering precise and
solid GNSS heading. Delivering precise positioning, 2D orientation and being IP68 compliant,
this housed GNSS solution is ideal for rapid integration into machine control or safety
applications.
The AsteRx SB3 is designed to be used as a dual antenna GNSS receiver for a wide array of
different systems but it can also be used as a single antenna receiver for systems which do
not require heading.
2.1 Physical and Environmental Specifications
Size: 102 x 36 x 118 mm (4.0 x 1.4 x 4.6 in)
Weight: 497 g (1.1 lb)
Input voltage: 5 to 36 V DC
Power consumption: 1.00 W typical (single antenna)
1.35 W typical (dual antenna)
Operating temperature: -30 ◦C to +65 ◦C
(-22 ◦F to +149 ◦F)
Storage temperature: -40 ◦C to +75 ◦C
(-40 ◦F to +167 ◦F)
Ingress Protection: IP68
Humidity MIL-STD-810G, Method 507.5, Procedure I
Dust MIL-STD-810G, Method 510.5, Procedure I
Shock MIL-STD-810G, Method 516.6, Procedure I/II
Vibration MIL-STD-810G, Method 514.6, Procedure I
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CHAPTER 2. ASTERX SB3 OVERVIEW
2.2 AsteRx SB3 design
2.2.1 Front Panel
The AsteRx SB3 ’s front panel features the two antenna TNC connectors for the Main and Aux
antennas.
Figure 2-1: The front panel of the AsteRx SB3
2.2.2 Rear Panel
Figure 2-2 shows the layout of the rear-panel connectors of the AsteRx SB3 . The rear panel
has three connectors: a 7-pin female PWR-COM2/3/USB socket, a 7-pin female COM1-GPIO
socket and a 4-pin female ETH socket. A full description of the connector PIN layout of the
rear panel ports can be found in Appendix A.
Figure 2-2: The rear panel of the AsteRx SB3
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
3 Configuring the AsteRx SB3
3.1 Connecting to the AsteRx SB3
3.1.1 Powering the AsteRx SB3
The AsteRx SB3 can be powered in a number of different ways. The first method is to power
the receiver by supplying 5 to 36 VDC via the open-ended power cable connected to PIN 1 of
the rear-panel 7-pin female PWR-COM2&3/USB socket.
You may also power the AsteRx SB3 by connecting an appropriate USB cable to the same
7-pin female PWR-COM2&3/USB socket, using either the recommended Septentrio USB
adapter or the USB socket of a PC as shown in Figure 3-1.
Figure 3-1: Connecting the receiver through USB using the rear panel
PWR-COM2&3/USB socket
The AsteRx SB3 can also be powered through the ETH socket using power over Ethernet
(PoE). All of the rear-panel ports and their pin assignments are described in more detail in
Appendix A.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
3.1.2 Connecting to the web interface via Ethernet
Step 1: Connect the Power and Ethernet cables
Connect the Ethernet cable to the connector labeled ’ETH’on the rear panel of the receiver
as shown in Figure 3-2 and make sure it is connected to a LAN network. Then connect the
power cable to the receiver and make sure the correct input voltage is applied (between 5
and 36 V DC). Note that in case the receiver is powered over Ethernet, connecting a power
cable is not necessary.
Figure 3-2: Rear panel Ethernet socket
Step 2: Open a web browser and connect to the AsteRx SB3
By default, the AsteRx SB3 has the hostname ’http://asterxsb3-xxxxxxx’, where xxxxxxx are
the 7 digits of the serial number of the receiver board inside the AsteRx SB3 . This hostname
can be used on a local area network to connect to the AsteRx SB3 if the IP address assigned
by the DHCP server is unknown. The hostname can be found on a sticker on the bottom of
the receiver housing. Figure 3-3 shows a screenshot of an Ethernet connection to a receiver
with serial number 3238978 using ’http://asterxsb3-3238978’.
Figure 3-3: Connecting to the Web Interface via Ethernet
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
3.1.3 Connecting to the web interface via USB
Step 1: Connect the combined Power/USB cable
Connect the combined Power/USB cable to the 7-pin female PWR-COM2&3/USB socket on
the rear panel of the receiver as shown in Figure 3-4 and make sure it is connected to a
computer.
Figure 3-4: Rear panel 7-pin PWR-COM2&3/USB socket
Step 2: Open a web browser and connect to the AsteRx SB3
Once connected via USB, the AsteRx SB3 can be reached using the default Ethernet-over-USB
IP address 192.168.3.1 as shown in Figure 3-5. Note that this address cannot be changed.
Figure 3-5: Connecting to the Web Interface via USB
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
3.1.4 Connecting via COM
In case you do not have an appropriate USB cable, Ethernet cable or a LAN network available,
you may still connect to the receiver using one of the receiver’s COM ports and RxControl.
Step 1: Connect the Power and COM cables
Connect the COM cable to the connector labeled ’COM-GPIO’on the rear panel of the receiver
as shown in Figure 3-6 and connect the other end to a computer. It may be necessary to use
a serial-to-USB converter. Now connect the power cable to the receiver and make sure the
correct input voltage is applied (between 4.5 and 36 V DC).
Figure 3-6: Rear panel COM 1 socket
Step 2: Open RxControl and connect to the AsteRx SB3
Once connected, open RxControl on the computer to which the receiver is connected and
follow the sequence of steps described in Figure 3-7 to open a connection to the AsteRx SB3
. Note that RxControl is part of the RxTools software suite which can be freely downloaded
from the Septentrio website.
Figure 3-7: Connecting to the receiver via COM using RxControl. Select ’Serial
Connection’and choose ’Create New’. Next, choose the correct serial port, define a
name for the connection and press Finish.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
3.2 How to configure the AsteRx SB3 for RTK
The AsteRx SB3 can use correction data to calculate a cm-level RTK position. The AsteRx SB3
can obtain this correction data in several ways: over the internet via NTRIP, using a serial or
USB connection or via Ethernet. The example below shows how to set up the receiver for
RTK using using TCP/IP in a closed network.
3.2.1 How to configure the AsteRx SB3 in RTK rover
mode via Ethernet
Step 1: Enable RTK positioning mode
Ensure that RTK is enabled as a positioning mode. This can be done in the GNSS Position tab
by checking the ‘RTK’box in the ‘Position Mode’ field as shown in Figure 3-8.
Figure 3-8: Ensure that RTK is enabled as a positioning mode
Step 2: Configure the Ethernet connection
On the IP Ports window of the rover receiver, click on New IP Receive Connection as
shown in Figure 3-9 to start configuration sequence. The Port and TCPAddress should match
the port and IP address of the Base station receiver.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
Figure 3-9: In the IP Ports window, click on New IP Receive Connection to
configure the connection with the base station
Step 3: Verifying the configuration
If the Base station and rover receivers have been configured correctly then the
Communication Ethernet window should appear similar to the window shown in 3-10.
Figure 3-10: Ethernet tab of the rover receiver showing a fixed RTK position and
reception of RTCMv3 diffcorr on receiver port IPR1
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
3.3 How to configure the AsteRx SB3 for
Attitude
With two antennas connected to the AsteRx SB3 , the receiver can calculate Heading and
either Pitch or Roll. This section details how to configure the AsteRx SB3 in a two-antenna
setup.
Step 1: Connect a second antenna
Connect a second antenna to the front panel connector labelled AUX ANT as indicated in
Figure 3-11.
Figure 3-11: Auxiliary antenna connector on front panel
Step 2: Configure attitude settings
The attitude settings of the AsteRx SB3 can be configured in the GNSS, Attitude window as
shown in Figure 3-12.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
Figure 3-12: GNSS Attitude window when two antennas are connected
GNSS Attitude field
The recommended settings for a Heading setup are MultiAntenna mode with attitude
calculated using Fixed ambiguities as shown. These settings are configured by default.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
Antenna Location and Antenna Offset
The AsteRx SB3 assumes that the main and auxiliary antennas are placed along the
longitudinal axis of the vehicle with the auxiliary in front of the main antenna. If the antennas
cannot be placed in such a configuration, the reported heading and pitch may be biased. The
default settings in the Antenna Offset and Antenna Location fields shown in Figure 3-13
can be altered to compensate for these biases.
In many cases the antenna baseline will not align perfectly with the vehicle’s longitudinal axis
or its perpendicular and in these circumstances the provided attitude offset value can also be
used to compensate for small angular deviations. Note that, in order to ensure the integrity
of the solution, offsets greater than 5 degrees from the longitudinal axis or its perpendicular
are not recommended.
An increase in angle between the antenna baseline and the vehicle’s longitudinal axis in the
clockwise direction corresponds to a positive change in the value of the heading offset To
better explain this, a few examples of possible setups are given below in Figure 3-13.
Figure 3-13: Examples of a number of antenna setups and the corresponding
heading offsets. a.) The default setup for which the angle between the antenna
baseline and the longitudinal axis is 0 and no heading offset needs to be set. b.)
a slight deviation (5 degrees) from the longitudinal axis in the clockwise direction
is reflected by a positive increase in the heading offset. c.) An alternative antenna
configuration where the antennas are placed perpendicular to the longitudinal
axis. d.) An alternative antenna configuration where the antennas are placed
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis with a small deviation.
The examples above all relate to a heading offset but the antenna orientation can also
be characterized by a vertical offset. Vertical offsets can be compensated for by adjusting
the Pitch offset. This may be necessary in cases where the antenna baseline is not exactly
parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or in situations where the two antenna ARPs
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
may not be exactly at the same height in the vehicle reference frame. Since pitch is defined
as the right-handed rotation about the vehicle Y axis, a situation where the main antenna is
mounted lower than the aux antenna (assuming the default antenna setup) will result in a
positive pitch a shown in Figure 3-14.
Figure 3-14: Visual representation of the effect of vertical offset between the two
antennas on the Pitch offset. Assuming the default antenna configuration, the aux
antenna being mounted higher will result in a positive value for the pitch.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
Step 3: Attitude information in SBF and NMEA data
Details on how to output SBF and NMEA data can be found in Section 4.1.
SBF
Attitude information is contained in the SBF blocks AuxAntPositions,AttEuler,AttCovEuler and
EndOfAtt. These blocks are selected automatically when checking the ‘Attitude’box when
configuring SBF output via the NMEA/SBF Out window as Figure 3-15 shows.
Figure 3-15: SBF blocks containing attitude information
NMEA
You can output the attitude information from the AsteRx SB3 in NMEA format by selecting
the standard NMEA HDT sentence or the Septentrio proprietary HRP sentence as shown in
Figure 3-16.
Figure 3-16: NMEA sentences containing attitude information
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SB3
3.4 How to configure the AsteRx SB3 as a Base
station
This section describes the Base station configurations applicable to the AsteRx SB3 .
If the feature is included with the purchased product variant, the AsteRx SB3 can be set up
as a Base station receiver and provide differential corrections data to one or more rover
receivers.
Step 1: Preparing the AsteRx SB3 as a Base station
Set the Base station position as static
To work as a Base station, the position of the AsteRx SB3 should be set to static. The Static
position mode can be selected in the GNSS tab as shown in Figure 3-17.
Figure 3-17: Setting the AsteRx SB3 Base station position to static
Set the correct position
An accurate position of the antenna that is connected to the AsteRx SB3 should also be set.
A Rover receiver in RTK mode calculates a position relative to the Base station receiver. The
default setting of ‘auto’can be used for demonstrations however, for most other purposes
where an accurate absolute position is important, a properly surveyed position is advisable.
In the example shown in Figure 3-18, the position stored under ‘Geodetic1’is used. The
static positions can be entered via the Advanced Settings menu on the same page. Pre-set
positions can be entered in either Geodetic or Cartesian coordinates as shown.
In the Datum field, you can select the datum to which the antenna coordinates refer.
The selected value is stored in the Datum field of position-related SBF blocks (e.g.
PVTCartesian) and also in any output differential corrections. Please note that the Datum
setting does not apply any datum transformation to the antenna position coordinates.
20