stellar labs DS300 User manual

DS300
Satellite Communicator
User Manual
May 22, 2006

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 2 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................ 6
1.1 Purpose................................................................................................................................. 6
1.2 Applicable Documents........................................................................................................ 6
1.3 Industry Canada Warning: RSS210................................................................................. 6
2. General Overview.................................................................................................................. 7
2.1 General.................................................................................................................................. 7
2.2 Block Diagram...................................................................................................................... 7
2.3 Overview............................................................................................................................... 8
3. Hardware................................................................................................................................. 9
3.1 Power Management and Battery Charger....................................................................... 9
3.1.1 External Power Technical Specifications ................................................................. 9
3.1.2 Operational Power Technical Specifications ........................................................... 9
3.1.3 Charger Technical Specifications ............................................................................ 10
3.2 Application Processor....................................................................................................... 10
3.3 Digital and Analog I/O....................................................................................................... 10
3.3.1 Digital Outputs ............................................................................................................ 11
3.3.2 Digital Inputs ............................................................................................................... 11
3.3.3 Analog Inputs .............................................................................................................. 11
3.4 GPS Receiver..................................................................................................................... 12
3.4.1 Operating Modes........................................................................................................ 12
3.4.2 Antenna Interface....................................................................................................... 12
3.5 Application Processor Serial Interface........................................................................... 13
3.6 Main Serial Interface......................................................................................................... 13
3.6.1 CAN J1939 Interface ................................................................................................. 13
3.7 General PC Board Specifications................................................................................... 13
3.7.1 Grounding.................................................................................................................... 13
3.7.2 Network Activity Indicators........................................................................................ 14
3.7.3 Message Buffer........................................................................................................... 14
3.8 Power Management.......................................................................................................... 14
3.9 Packaging and Connectors.............................................................................................. 16
3.9.1 Housing........................................................................................................................ 16
3.9.2 Mounting ...................................................................................................................... 16
3.9.3 Labeling ....................................................................................................................... 16
3.9.4 Connectors .................................................................................................................. 17

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 3 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
4. Installation and Operation................................................................................................ 19
4.1 Quick Start.......................................................................................................................... 19
5. Environmental...................................................................................................................... 20
6. Regulatory............................................................................................................................. 21
7. Code Loading....................................................................................................................... 22
Network Processor....................................................................................................................... 22
Application Processor.................................................................................................................. 22
8. Power Controls.................................................................................................................... 23
8.1 Atmel........................................................................................................................................ 23
8.1.1 On...................................................................................................................................... 23
8.1.2 Power Saving .................................................................................................................. 23
8.1.3 Brownout1 ........................................................................................................................ 23
8.1.4 Brownout2 ........................................................................................................................ 23
8.2 GPS.......................................................................................................................................... 23
8.2.1 On...................................................................................................................................... 23
8.2.2 Stand By........................................................................................................................... 23
8.2.3 Off...................................................................................................................................... 23
8.3 Network Process.................................................................................................................... 23
8.3.1 On...................................................................................................................................... 23
8.3.2 Sleep................................................................................................................................. 23
8.3.3 Power saving ................................................................................................................... 23
8.3.4 Off...................................................................................................................................... 23
No external power supplied..................................................................................................... 23
9. Stellar Extended Packet Descriptions........................................................................... 25
9.1. Data Representation......................................................................................................... 25
4-byte Floating-point Format................................................................................................... 25
Little Endian format................................................................................................................... 26
Communications Command Extensions................................................................................... 26
Set Configuration (0x20,0x40).................................................................................................... 26
Get Configuration (0x21, 0x41).................................................................................................. 32
Configuration Response (0x22) ................................................................................................. 33
SC Originated Messages List (0x23)......................................................................................... 34
SC Originated Message Summary (0x29)................................................................................ 36
SC Terminated Messages List (0x24)....................................................................................... 37
SC Terminated Message Summary (0x28).............................................................................. 39

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 4 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
Message Queue Command (0x25) ........................................................................................... 40
Debug Text (0x26)........................................................................................................................ 42
10. Message Sequence Charts............................................................................................... 43
10.1. Set Configuration Message Sequence Chart............................................................ 43
10.2. Get Configuration Message Sequence Chart ........................................................... 43
11. SPI Serial............................................................................................................................... 44
11.1. SPI Operation................................................................................................................. 44
12. Over-The-Air (OTA) Parameter Message Format ....................................................... 46
Appendix A: DS300 Data Sheet.................................................................................................. 48
Appendix B: Installation of Stelcomm...................................................................................... 49
Appendix C: GPS Performance................................................................................................. 50
C.1 TTFF (Time To First Fix) -- Cold Start the GPS ........................................................... 50
C.2 Cold Start First Position Fix Accuracy............................................................................ 50
C.3 Static Position Accuracy (24 hours test)........................................................................ 50
C.4 Power Consumption.......................................................................................................... 51
C.5 Additional notes:................................................................................................................ 51

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 5 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
Figures Page
Figure 1: DS300 Block Diagram .......................................................................................................7
Figure 2: Digital Output Circuit........................................................................................................11
Figure 3: Digital Input Circuit ...........................................................................................................11
Figure 4: Analog Input Circuit..........................................................................................................11
Figure 5: Default Digital & Analog Input Timing ...........................................................................15
Figure 6: Housing Dimensions and Connector Locations ..........................................................16
Figure 7: DS300 Connectors...........................................................................................................17
Figure 8: Packet Data Types...........................................................................................................25
Figure 9: IEEE-754 Memory Layout...............................................................................................25
Figure 10: SC Originated Message Summary (for SC Originated Message List Packet).....35
Figure 11: SC Terminated Message Summary (for SC Terminated Message List Packet) .38
Figure 12: SPI Interface Diagram ...................................................................................................44
Tables
Table 1: Data/IO Connector.............................................................................................................18
Table 2: I/O Configuration Options.................................................................................................18
Table 3: Power Down States...........................................................................................................24
Table 4: Opcodes and Offsets ........................................................................................................31
Table 5: Message Queue Command Type Codes ......................................................................41
Table 6: Stellar Over-The Air Commands .....................................................................................46

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 6 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose
The intended audiences for this manual include, but are not limited to, the DS300 customers,
current Stellar ST2500 customers and ORBCOMM customers. The purpose of this manual is to
provide the user with the data necessary to install, operate, and maintain the DS300 in order to
meet the user’s requirements.
1.2 Applicable Documents
The following documents have been referenced within this document and apply to its contents to
the extent specified herein.
1.3 Industry Canada Warning: RSS210
Industry Canada Radio Standards Specification 210 states the following:
"The installer of this radio equipment must ensure that the antenna is located or pointed such that it
does not emit RF field in excess of Health Canada limits for the general population; consult Safety
Code 6, obtainable from Health Canada’s website www.hc-sc.gc.ca/rpb"
Document No. Title
E80050015 – Rev F ORBCOMM Serial Interface Specification
TBD Stellar Software Developers Guide

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 7 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
2. General Overview
2.1 General
The DS300 Satellite Modem is a compact, lightweight, microprocessor based VHF transceiver
capable of transmitting and receiving short messages by utilizing the ORBCOMM Satellite
Communication System. The ORBCOMM system is a wide area, packet switched, two-way data
communication system that utilizes constellations of low-earth orbiting satellites and earth station
gateways.
2.2 Block Diagram
The block diagram below shows the major subsystems of the DS300
Figure 1: DS300 Block Diagram
Di
g
In
(
≤12
)
A
na In
(
≤4
)
Di
g
Out
(
≤12
)
Application Processor
RS485
Driver
Aux Serial
RS232
Driver
Network Processor
Main Serial
RS232
Power Management and
Battery Charger
External Power
Battery Power
Power Switch Out
Serial Link
SPI
Control

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 8 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
2.3 Overview
The DS300 product consists of 5 major subsystems (Network Processor, Application Processor,
GPS Receiver, Modem and Power Management/Battery Charger).
The Application Processor is a programmable micro-controller capable of hosting customer-written
application software and is provided with control of and access to the various subsystems and
interfaces. The application processor has centralized control of the DS300 product. It is
operating whenever power is present on either the external or battery power lead. Application
software (the embedded software application hosted on the application processor or 3rd party
application, usually written by customers) has the ability to power on and off the various
subsystems individually, including the GPS receiver, the RS232/RS485 driver circuit, digital I/O,
analog inputs and the network processor.
The GPS Receiver provides position solutions using the Global Positioning System and is optimized
for low-power operation.
The Network Processor hosts the ORBCOMM protocol software, named SC Core Software
(SCCS), and is responsible for reliable transfer of messages to and from the DS300.
The Modem provides RF signal transmission and reception, adhering to the ORBCOMM Air
Interface specification.
Note: The modem and the network processor are powered on and off as a single subsystem. The
network processor controls the power mode functions of the modem.
The external interfaces enable the DS300 to operate with many different types of power sources
and connect to a diverse set of sensors and devices. In summary:
•External Power: Either a full-time or part-time source of unregulated power between 9
and 30 VDC.
•Battery Power: Clean power usually provided by a lead-acid battery that is charged
when external power is present.
•Switched Power Out: Power provided to an external device switched by a 3rd party
application, up to 1 Amp @ battery voltage. If no battery is present, the voltage will track
the external supply input up to 18 volts.
•App RS485 Serial: Configurable as either 4-wire full-duplex or 2-wire half-duplex
operation, available to the 3rd party application. Optional
•App RS232 Serial: Simple 3-wire (TX, RX, GND) serial link available to the 3rd party
application.
•Digital Outputs: Capable of sourcing or sinking 6 mA at 3VDC, ESD protected with a
current-limiting series resistor, controlled by 3rd party applications.
•Digital Inputs: Capable of sourcing or sinking 6 mA at 3VDC, ESD protected with a
current-limiting series resistor can interrupt or be read by 3rd party applications.
•Analog Inputs: Range 0 – 3.3 V, 10 bit resolution, readable by the 3rd party applications.
•Main Serial: For management of the device and communications using the standard
ORBCOMM Serial Interface Specification and a few Stellar Enhancements.

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 9 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
3. Hardware
The following sections in this chapter provide the customer-level hardware, performance and
operational requirements.
3.1 Power Management and Battery Charger
The DS300 can be powered in many different ways. This versatility enables the product to be used
in a wide variety of applications without peripheral custom hardware, yielding both a cost savings
and shorter development period.
There are two sets of leads within the power interface, referred to as external power and battery
power. The primary source of power, with regard to the supply of current, must be
connected to the battery input. Note: The manufacturer requires a 5 Amp fuse installed inline
with the External Power input and inline with the Battery Power input.
The external power input is used to provide a source of power to charge a battery, with the battery
connected to the battery lead. The external power lead can accept between 9 and 30 VDC, while
the battery power lead can accept between 8 and 16 VDC. The external power lead has filtering
as well, enabling it to better handle unregulated noisy power sources and voltage spikes. The
battery power lead is designed to connect to a clean power source like a lead-acid or primary
battery, as it has no filtering and cannot tolerate voltage spikes.
3.1.1 External Power Technical Specifications
•Input Voltage: 9 - 30 VDC (Operational). The application processor software will
shutdown the system if voltage is outside this range and the battery is not present to
help prevent circuit damage.
•The manufacturer requires a 5 Amp fuse be used on the External Power Input.
•Reverse Voltage: -24V for 5 minutes.
•Over Voltage: 48V for 5 minutes.
•Power Load dump: Transient signal reaching 100V with a rise time of less than 100
milliseconds then decaying according to the equation 14 + 86e(-t/0.4) driven through a
source impedance of 0.4 ohm. This transient over-voltage pulse “load dump” is similar
to SAE J1455 section 4.11.2.2.1.
•Power Line: 14V signal modulated with 50 Hz to 10 kHz; 7.5 Vp-p; sine, triangle and
square swept at 200 Hz /s.
•Required current for transmit drawn from both external and battery power, with current
drawn from external power up to current limit before any current is drawn from battery
power.
•Current limited to 1.3A, to prevent overdrawing the external power source.
•Drops in voltage below the normal operating range, if too long or severe to sustain
normal operations, shall result in a reset of the DS300 and a return to normal operations
within 50 ms following the return of the voltage to normal operating range.
•A slow rise in voltage from an off state, no matter the rate of change, shall result in
normal operation once the voltage reaches normal operating range.
•Voltage readable by application processor, 10-bit A/D, accurate to within 0.1 V of the
true value.
3.1.2 Operational Power Technical Specifications
•Input Voltage: 8 – 16 VDC (for 10 Watts EIRP)
•The manufacturer requires a 5 Amp fuse be used on the Battery Power Input.
•Reverse Voltage: -16V for 1 minute.
•Over Voltage: 16 VDC (i.e. no protection against over voltage)

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 10 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
•ESD: Minimal protection (designed for a clean, regulated power source)
•System average sleep current nominally 50uA @ 12V, maximum 100 uA @ 12V.
•Drops in voltage below the normal operating range, if too long or severe to sustain
normal operations, shall result in a reset of the DS300 and a return to normal operations
within 50 ms following the return of the voltage to normal operating range.
•Input ripple is limited to ±200 mVDC. Combined Input Voltage and Ripple shall not
exceed the values specified for ‘Input Voltage’ listed above.
•A slow rise in voltage from an off state, no matter the rate of change, shall result in
normal operation once the voltage reaches normal operating range.
•Voltage readable by application processor, 10-bit A/D, accurate to within 0.1 V of the
true value
•Power source can be any regulated power supply or battery which meets the above
requirements.
3.1.3 Charger Technical Specifications
•Battery voltage 8 or 12 VDC, lead acid, set by software configuration.
•Charging occurs only when external power is present and is nominally 3V greater than
battery voltage.
•Charging modes of cyclic and float
•Default operation is optimized for Hawker DT 4.5 A-h 2V Cells, arranged in 2 x 4
pack yielding 8VDC, 9 A-h. The application processor software controls the optimal
charging rate for the selected battery.
•Charging profile can be modified for other battery types
•Available onboard temperature sensor used to further optimize charging modes.
•Radiated emissions within requirements in ORBCOMM SC Standards & Specifications.
3.2 Application Processor
The application processor is the Atmel MEGA 128 product, model Atmega128L, a low-power 3.3V
CMOS 8-bit micro-controller based on RISC technology. It is equipped with 128K of flash memory,
4K RAM, 4K EEPROM, SPI serial interface, two serial USARTS and programmable watchdog
timer.
The Switched Power Out enables powering an external device. The output can be switched on/off
by the 3rd party application, and sources a current of up to 1A at a voltage just below the battery
voltage (protection circuitry causes a slight reduction in voltage). If no power source is present on
the battery lead then the Power Switch Out voltage is sourced from the external power lead, but
held to a maximum value of 18V.
3.3 Digital and Analog I/O
All Atmel ports have true Read-Modify-Write functionality when used as general digital I/O ports.
This means that the direction of one port pin can be changed without unintentionally changing the
direction of any other pin. The same applies when changing drive value (if configured as output) or
enabling/disabling of pull-up resistors (if configured as input). Each output buffer has symmetrical
drive characteristics with both high sink and source capability. All port pins have individually
selectable pull-up resistors with a supply-voltage invariant resistance. All I/O pins have two
internal ESD protection diodes: one from the pin to Vcc and one from GND to the pin.
Each Atmega128L I/O pin can sink 10 mA or source 10 mA. However an aggregate limit exists
over simultaneous sink and source currents across a given Atmel port (up to 8 pins), therefore
consideration must be given to the port and pin combinations selected for digital I/O in the actual
design.

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 11 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
3.3.1 Digital Outputs
The Atmel pins PB4 (DOUT1) through PB7 (DOUT4) are used for the four digital outputs. Series
resistors serve to limit the current to a safe level in the event of ESD or if the output is externally
connected to 5V (6V is the absolute maximum) or GND but driven to the opposite. When sourcing
1 mA, each output provides 2.5V minimum, 3.2V maximum. Note that the outputs can also be used
as inputs with appropriate coding of the Atmel.
Figure 2: Digital Output Circuit
Each of the four digital outputs is connected to four available Atmel pins through high-value
resistors to enable application software sensing of the state of the output. This feature enables
single wire implementation of a contact closure, where one contact terminal is connected to
(chassis) ground and the other contact terminal connected to the digital output.
3.3.2 Digital Inputs
Series resistors and capacitors are used to limit current sourcing / sinking in the event of ESD and
other transients. Each input will survive a short to a 5V supply, with 6V as the absolute maximum.
The minimum guaranteed voltage for the Application Processor to read the input as high is 2.2V.
The inputs can also be used as outputs with appropriate coding of the Atmel.
Figure 3: Digital Input Circuit
3.3.3 Analog Inputs
The analog inputs have a minimum range of 0 to 3.0 V, with 10-bit resolution. The circuitry provides
additional ESD protection and a 10 kresistor, as shown below:
Figure 4: Analog Input Circuit
The upper end of the range, which identifies the analog of the maximum digital representation, is
provided as an output on the Data/IO connector (see AVref in Table 1: Data/IO Connector). This
Atmel
10K ohms
1000 pF 1000 pF
1000 pF 0.1 uF
220 ohms 220 ohms
Atmel
1000 pF 0.1 uF
220 ohms 220 ohms
Atmel

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 12 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
output is provided only as a reference and cannot be used by the application to source
power to a sensor. If needed, a suitable current amplifier circuit will be required.
The A/D measurement error observed by the application, including quantization error, is expected
to be about 1% if the AT_Vref and I/O Ground connections are used by the application. If the
AT_Vref and the I/O Ground are not used as a reference voltage for external A/D
measurements, the reading error could approach 50%. This is because the voltage variation for
the power supply inside the unit can vary +/- 0.3 V and if proper ground isolation is not used the
ground offsets could reach as high as +/- 0.5 V.
3.4 GPS Receiver
The GPS receiver is to be optimized for low power applications, providing minimal power
consumption and time to first fix (TTFF) under cold start conditions. However in some applications
the GPS receiver is operated continuously, under control of the 3rd party application, with
anticipated increased position solution accuracy. Operating requirements are as follows:
•Power Consumption: 240 mW typical, 250 mW maximum.
•Cold Start TTFF: < 75 seconds @ 95% success rate.
•Cold Start Accuracy: 99% < 10 meters.
•Message Format: Minimum NMEA GGA, VTG, GSV, GSA, GLL and ZDA message
types at 9600 baud rate, No Parity, 8 bit ASCII and 1 stop bit.
•Information: location, speed, heading and time.
•Information Rate: Each message type sent once per second by default, changeable by
command.
The cold start performance listed above is achievable when the application processor initializes the
GPS receiver with UTC time and the most recent latitude and longitude solution. Further
improvement in cold start performance is possible if the almanac is loaded in the GPS receiver as
well.
3.4.1 Operating Modes
The selected GPS receiver design continuously maximizes the number of locked satellites to
improve the accuracy of the position solution. The application processor may power the GPS
receiver continuously or it may power it down once a position solution is provided. Prior to power
down, the application will store the most recent position solution then send the same to the GPS
receiver following the next power-up, to aid cold start TTFF.
The GSV NMEA message must accurately report the number of locked satellites and other quality
measures available such as PDOP, such that the 3rd party application can infer the quality of the
current position result. Alternatively, if the GSV NMEA message is not provided, the GPS receiver
must be able to be commanded to operate in the following modes:
•2D/3D Automatic: The position solution can be of type 2D, though the GPS receiver
provides 3D position solutions when possible.
•3D Only: A position solution is provided to the application processor only if it is of the 3D
type (latitude, longitude, altitude) using a minimum of 4 GPS satellites.
In addition, the GPS receiver shall be able to detect an open or short circuit condition on the active
GPS antenna, and report this anomalous condition via its serial port to the application processor.
Note: It is expected that the application processor is equipped with a GPS pass thru mode, whereby
the application RS232/RS485 serial link is directly connected to the GPS receiver. In this mode an
external device may take advantage of any available native capabilities of the GPS receiver.
3.4.2 Antenna Interface
A commercially available active GPS antenna is used in customer applications, having a gain of
between 6 and 32 dB (including cable loss). At the DS300 GPS antenna port, the interface
specification is as follows:
•Input Impedance: 50 

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 13 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
•VSWR: 2.0 maximum
•Output Voltage: 2.7 to 3.6 VDC
•Output Power: 4 to 30 mA operating
•Antenna Disconnect Sensing: < 4 mA triggers antenna open circuit alert
•Antenna Short Sensing: > 30 mA triggers antenna short circuit alert
•ESD: ± 8 KV
3.5 Application Processor Serial Interface
The application processor has a single serial interface available to users, software configurable as
RS232, RS485 2-wire half duplex or RS485 4-wire full duplex. The baud rates, stop bits, etc. are as
follows (all software configurable):
•Baud Rate: 4800 and 9600 bps
•Stop Bits: 0, 1, 2
•Parity Bits: odd, even, none
Note: The DS300 PCB is constructed to accommodate the RS485 interface option.
Network Processor Serial Interface
The network processor has two serial interfaces available to the user, the main serial and the CAN
bus. The main serial interface is used for device management and for communications with
external controllers using the standard ORBCOMM serial interface.
3.6 Main Serial Interface
The main serial interface adheres to the ORBCOMM Serial Interface protocol using standard
RS232 voltage levels. Serial data is carried on the Transmit (TX) and Receive (RX) lines. One
control line is available, Carrier Detect (CD), as an output from the DS300 signaling the availability
of a satellite connection. The specifications are as follows (all are software configurable):
•Baud Rate: 300 bps to 19200 bps
•Stop Bits: 0, 1, 2
•Parity Bits: odd, even, none
Any change in baud rate will not take effect until the DS300 is reset (either warm or cold
boot).
The CD RS232 control line is activated whenever the SC has locked to an ORBCOMM satellite
downlink, and has received the requisite link and network control information provided in the uplink
and downlink channel information packets and the gateway information packet.
The main serial also supports a command mode for configuring the DS300 and for firmware loads.
StelComm provides this command mode function, which is Stellar’s graphical user interface hosted
on PCs running the Microsoft Windows operating system.
3.6.1 CAN J1939 Interface
Not available in the current product. Contact Stellar for more information.
3.7 General PC Board Specifications
3.7.1 Grounding
For best EMC practices, all connector grounds are tied together inside the unit. The case and RF
grounds are also connected to the board ground.
Breakdown of the ground connections found on the connectors:
•There is a ground connection for the external supply. A ground wire must be attached to
this connection if the external supply is used.

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 14 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
•There is a ground connection for the battery supply. A wire must be attached between this
connection and the negative side of the battery or clean supply.
•There is a ground for the communication lines. This ground connection is only provided as a
cleaner ground connection between the DS300 and the other devices and may not be required
in all applications. The external supply ground could also be used as the ground connection.
•There is a ground connection for the I/O lines. This ground connection provides a ground
reference to the external devices. This connection will be needed to provide accurate A/D
conversions.
The case for the unit is attached to the board ground. This is done for EMC purposes. If the
case is attached to metal that is connected to the external supply ground, then DC currents will flow
through the case.
If this is not desired, then the DS300 should be isolated from any connections to the external
ground.
RF ground shield connections are attached to the common board ground.
3.7.2 Network Activity Indicators
Two illuminating indicators are to be located on the case, driven by the Network Processor, to
indicate certain network level events. The first Illuminates in amber color while there is a message
in the outbound buffer, waiting to be transmitted to the network. The second provides network
activity as follows:
•Flashes red while the unit is searching for a satellite downlink.
•Illuminated green once a downlink is captured.
•Blinks off green when a transmission attempt is made, for roughly the duration of the
transmission.
Provision is made for the application processor to control each indicator behavior through software
commands to the network processor.
Regardless of the current mode of control (by application or network processor), upon cold start the
indicators blink in unison at approximately twice per second rate for duration of two seconds (four
on/off cycles).
Regardless of the present mode of control (by application or network processor), upon awakening
from sleep, when the application processor powers the network processor, the indicators blink in
an alternating fashion, at approximately twice per second rate for a duration of two seconds (four
on/off cycles per indicator).
3.7.3 Message Buffer
The DS-300 is to be equipped with a minimum message buffer size of 128K for holding both SC-
Terminated and SC-Originated messages.
3.8 Power Management
The application processor controls the power of the various subsystems. This includes the
charging circuit, GPS receiver, the network processor and modem (combined), the serial line
drivers and the digital and analog I/O. This high degree of control is needed to enable very low
power modes, thus reducing battery and external power requirements.
External signal activity (on the main RS232 serial port, application RS232 serial port or application
RS485 serial port receive lines) triggers an interrupt to the Application Processor, even when the
RS232 or RS485 line driver is in low-power mode. The Application Processor receives the interrupt
and powers the appropriate line driver device and subsystem in order to begin receiving the
information bytes.
A buffer-save mode is available, initiated by software command from the Application Processor, to
power down the Network Processor but preserve any messages held in its queue. This mode is
normally invoked when SC-Originated messages are queued but the SC has been unable to locate

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 15 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
a satellite for an extended period, or if SC-Terminated messages are queued but the equipment
user has delayed connecting for message retrieval for an extended period.
Low-power sleep mode down to less than 50 uA average current draw is achieved by operating
only the application processor while monitoring all digital inputs at a rate of eight times per second
and all analog inputs once per second. Most any other scenario is possible, for example sampling
a single digital input at a high rate, by appropriate 3rd party application coding. A timing chart is
shown below, with approximated current draw while sampling all digital and analog inputs.
Figure 5: Default Digital & Analog Input Timing
300 us max
1 Second
2 mA
4 mA
30 uA
128 ms
2.4 ms max

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 16 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
3.9 Packaging and Connectors
3.9.1 Housing
The housing for the DS300 meets the specified environmental requirements, providing a sealed
enclosure for the electronics. The dimensions of the DS300 are provided below.
Figure 6: Housing Dimensions and Connector Locations
3.9.2 Mounting
The mounting facilities must be adaptable to shock mounts using additional mounting brackets and
hardware. Case mounting is possible using ¼” bolts with clearance for typical ½” socket wrench.
3.9.3 Labeling
A label identifying the unit serial number (including 128 bar code format) and regulatory approvals is
affixed to a side facing of the housing, visible when mounted in typical installations.

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 17 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
3.9.4 Connectors
Three connectors are located on the DS300 Communicator (GPS, VHF and Data/IO).
•Two FAKRA SMB RF connectors; a rugged locking keyed connector suitable for the
expected environment and installation constraints.
•A Data/IO 36 pin positive locking connector (two rows of 18 pins), which seals the connector
shell to the case. See Table 3 for configuration details.
Figure 7: DS300 Connectors
GPS RF: FAKRA SMB C Code key (blue color), keyed, 50 
VHF RF: FAKRA SMB D Code key (violet color), keyed, 50 
Data/IO Connector, 36 pins

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 18 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
Table 1: Data/IO Connector
Note: the manufacturer requires the user to install (one each) 5 Amp fuses inline with the External
Power (Pin 1) and inline with the Battery Power (Pin 2) connections. If both Pin 2 and Pin 20 are
used for Battery Power a single fuse is used.
Table #2 below identifies the default configuration of the 12 I/O s and whether the I/O accepts
Analog and Digital or just Digital data. The Input/Output Mode can be changed by a third party
application, Over the Air (OTA) Command and Stelcomm.
Input/Output # Type Default Mode
0 Analog and Digital Analog Input #1
1 Analog and Digital Analog Input #2
2 Analog and Digital Analog Input #3
3 Analog and Digital Analog Input #4
4 Digital Only Digital Input #1
5 Digital Only Digital Input #2
6 Digital Only Digital Input #3
7 Digital Only Digital Input #4
8 Digital Only Digital Output #1
9 Digital Only Digital Output #2
10 Digital Only Digital Output #3
11 Digital Only Digital Output #4
Table 2: I/O Configuration Options
Pin # Description Pin # Description
1 External Power 1.3 Amps See Note below 19 External Power Ground
2 Battery Power See Note below 20 Battery Power See Note below
3 Battery Power Ground 21 Battery Power Ground
4 External Power 5 Amps (Not Connected) 22 AT_Vref (3.3 V)
5 Switched Power Out (1 Amp max) 23 Switched Power Ground
6 Input/Output #0 (Analog & Digital) 24 Input/Output #1 (Analog & Digital)
7 Input/Output #2 (Analog & Digital) 25 Input/Output #3 (Analog & Digital)
8 Main Serial Ground 26 Analog Ground
9 Main Serial TX Data 27 Main Serial CD
10 Application RS232 TX Data 28 Main Serial RX Data
11 Application RS232 RX Data 29 No Connection
12 Application RS485 TX1 30 RS485 RX1
13 Application RS485 TX2 31 RS485 RX2
14 Unused 32 Unused
15 Input/Output #4 (Digital only) 33 Input/Output #5 (Digital only)
16 Input/Output #6 (Digital only) 34 Input/Output #7 (Digital only)
17 Input/Output #8 (Digital only) 35 Input/Output #9 (Digital only)
18 Input/Output #10 (Digital only) 36 Input/Output #11 (Digital only)

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 19 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
4. Installation and Operation
4.1 Quick Start
After mounting the unit, its operation can be tested by using the procedure described below.
1. Connect the Data/IO connector to the DS300. It is keyed and can only be inserted in one
direction. Attach the power source and serial connections to the opposite end of the Data/IO
cable.
2. Connect the VHF and GPS antenna cables to the Fakra RF connectors. Each connection is
color-coded and keyed, preventing cross connection of the RF connectors.
3. Start the Stelcomm V3 software and select the Status screen. The status message at the
bottom of the window will indicate if the serial port is active and the modem is responding. If the
user does not have Stelcomm V3 loaded on the computer then go to Appendix B and follow the
instructions for downloading and installing Stelcomm V3.
4. Once a satellite passes over head the Status screen will update. The Status button can be
selected to request an immediate update.
Note: the manufacturer requires the user to install (one each) 5 Amp fuses inline with the External
Power (Pin 1) and inline with the Battery Power (Pin 2) connections. If both Pin 2 and Pin 20 are
used for Battery Power a single fuse is used.

DS300 Users Manual May 22, 2006
Stellar Document – Version 2.1c Page: 20 of 51
21700 Atlantic Blvd • Dulles • Virginia 20166 • USA
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
5. Environmental
The minimum environmental requirements for the DS300 are provided in the SC Standards &
Specifications document. The requirements below reflect the needs of known applications where
the DS300 is well suited functionally.
•Operating Temperature: -40°C to +85°C
•Storage Temperature: -50°C to +85°C
•Vibration: SAEJ1455 – 2.39Grms, 10-500Hz, 3-axis
•Shock: SAEJ1455
•Humidity: 95% relative humidity at 40°C
•Salt Fog: 5% solution
•Pressure Wash: MIL SPEC 506.1
•Dust Exposure: SAEJ726B
•Altitude: 9 PSI/-10°C
•Radiated Emissions: EN 300 721
•Electrostatic Discharge: SAEJ1113/13 - ±4,6,8kV; direct ±8,15kV air
•Electrical Interference: SAEJ1113/12