Ublox C099-F9P User manual

- User guide
C099-F9P
Application board (rev. E), ODIN-W2 u-connectXpress
SW
User guide
Abstract
The C099-F9P board enables customers to evaluate RTK operation with the ZED-F9P high precision
GNSS receiver. The board provides short-range wireless connection via Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi for
receiving correction data and logging via wireless connectivity.
www.u-blox.com
UBX-18055649 –R07

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Document information
Title
C099-F9P
Subtitle
Application board (rev. E), ODIN-W2 u-connectXpress SW
Document type
User guide
Document number
UBX-18055649
Revision and date
R07
5-Dec-2019
Disclosure restriction
Public
This document applies to the following products:
Product name
Type number
Firmware version
PCN reference
Product status
C099-F9P
C099-F9P-0-03
C099-F9P-1-03
C099-F9P-2-03
FW 1.00 HPG 1.12
u-connectXpress SW 5.0.1 or
later
N/A
Engineering sample
u-blox or third parties may hold intellectual property rights in the products, names, logos and designs included in this
document. Copying, reproduction, modification or disclosure to third parties of this document or any part thereof is only
permitted with the express written permission of u-blox.
The information contained herein is provided “as is” and u-blox assumes no liability for its use. No warranty, either express or
implied, is given, including but not limited to, with respect to the accuracy, correctness, reliability and fitness for a particular
purpose of the information. This document may be revised by u-blox at any time without notice. For the most recent
documents, visit www.u-blox.com.
Copyright © u-blox AG.

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Contents
Document information................................................................................................................................2
Contents ..........................................................................................................................................................3
1Introduction.............................................................................................................................................5
1.1 Package contents .......................................................................................................................................6
1.2 Additional sources of information ........................................................................................................... 6
2C099-F9P quick start ...........................................................................................................................7
2.1 Starting up ...................................................................................................................................................7
3C099-F9P description ..........................................................................................................................9
3.1 Component overview ..................................................................................................................................9
3.2 Component identification .........................................................................................................................9
ZED-F9P status LEDs......................................................................................................................11
ODIN-W2 activity LED......................................................................................................................12
4Using the C099-F9P........................................................................................................................... 13
4.1 Powering the board...................................................................................................................................13
Non-wireless operation....................................................................................................................14
4.2 GNSS RF input...........................................................................................................................................14
4.3 User interfaces ..........................................................................................................................................15
FTDI USB bridge................................................................................................................................15
Bluetooth serial COM port connection .........................................................................................16
5Rover operation using NTRIP.......................................................................................................... 20
5.1 PC hosting via u-center............................................................................................................................20
5.2 Mobile hosting ...........................................................................................................................................21
5.3 Pairing the host with the C099-F9P......................................................................................................21
6Reference station and rover pairing............................................................................................. 22
6.1 Wi-Fi connection between two C099-F9P boards..............................................................................22
Configuring a C099-F9P rover for Wi-Fi operation ....................................................................22
Configuring a C099-F9P reference station (Base) for Wi-Fi operation .................................25
ZED-F9P reference station (Base) and rover configuration ....................................................26
7Firmware update................................................................................................................................. 29
7.1 ZED-F9P firmware update ......................................................................................................................29
7.2 ODIN-W2 firmware update......................................................................................................................31
Mbed OS 3 application firmware ...................................................................................................32
u-connectXpress software .............................................................................................................32
8Arduino header connections ........................................................................................................... 36
Appendix ....................................................................................................................................................... 37
AGlossary ................................................................................................................................................. 37
BResources.............................................................................................................................................. 37
Cu-blox ODIN-W2 BT Rover.txt......................................................................................................... 37
DRover ODIN-W2 Access Point UDP Server.txt .......................................................................... 39
EReference station ODIN-W2 UDP client.txt............................................................................... 39

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FF9P Base config C99.txt................................................................................................................... 40
GF9P Rover config C99.txt ................................................................................................................. 41
HC099-F9P antenna specification................................................................................................... 41
H.1 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna specification....................................................................................... 41
IMechanical board dimensions........................................................................................................ 42
JC099-F9P schematics....................................................................................................................... 43
Related documents ................................................................................................................................... 49
Revision history.......................................................................................................................................... 49
Contact.......................................................................................................................................................... 50

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1Introduction
The C099-F9P board is a convenient tool that allows customers to become familiar with the u-blox
ZED-F9P high precision GNSS module. The board provides facilities for evaluating the product and
demonstrating its key features. The C099-F9P application board offers:
A ZED-F9P module for use as an RTK rover or reference station
An ODIN-W2 short-range module to provide untethered operation using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
Power supply options comprising a USB connection, Li-Po (lithium polymer) cell with recharging
ability, and 6-17 V DC input
1
Small, lightweight board (110 x 55 mm) with Arduino R3/Uno shield connections for host
expansion
The C099-F9P board allows for two alternative firmware versions to be used with the ODIN-W2
short-range module. These are:
1. C099-F9P Mbed3 application firmware. This is the default ODIN-W2 firmware pre-loaded to C099-
F9P boards.
2. ODIN-W2 u-connectXpress software. This is the standard firmware for ODIN-W2 modules. See
section 7.2 on how to change to this firmware.
☞This User guide describes how to use the C099-F9P board with the ODIN-W2 u-connectXpress
software.
This User guide describes the following use cases:
1. Base and rover operation via serial connectivity
2. Base and rover operation via Wi-Fi (with ODIN-W2 u-connectXpress software)
3. Rover operation via Bluetooth Classic (with ODIN-W2 u-connectXpress software)
This User guide is split into several sections:
Section 2 C099-F9P quick start provides information on how to get C099-F9P up and running
straight out of the box.
Section 3 C099-F9P description identifies the board’s facilities.
Section 4Using the C099-F9P provides a comprehensive guide for in-depth usage.
Section 5 Rover operation using NTRIP shows different ways of connecting to an NTRIP service.
Section 6 Reference station and rover pairing shows pairing using two C099-F9P boards as a
reference/rover pair.
Section 7 Firmware update provides instructions for updating the firmware of the ZED-F9P high
precision GNSS module as well as the ODIN-W2 short-range module.
Section 8 Arduino header connections provides mechanical specifications for Arduino R3/Uno.
The sections in the Appendix provide the u-blox configuration files and give information on C099-
F9P antenna schematics, and C099-F9P mechanical board dimensions and schematics.
1
The C099-F9P kit does not contain a battery or an external power adapter.

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1.1 Package contents
The delivered package contains:
C099-F9P board (rev. E)
u-blox ANN-MB-00 multi-band GNSS antenna and ground plane
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna
USB interconnect cable
Quick start guide
USB-to-DC plug adapter cable
Figure 1: C099-F9P board and antennas
1.2 Additional sources of information
Prior to using the board, it is useful to download the appropriate evaluation software and keep handy
the documents listed in the Related documents section.

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2C099-F9P quick start
This section provides some quick steps to enable ZED-F9P operation before exploring the more
complex configurations described later.
Figure 2: Basic C099-F9P overview with details needed for quick start
2.1 Starting up
Connect the supplied multi-band GNSS antenna to the ZED-RF SMA connector. Ensure good
signal reception.
Connect the USB to a Windows PC; this will power the board. The FTDI and USB drivers will be
installed automatically
2
from Windows Update when the user connects the board for the first
time. Note that the board has current limitation functionality on USB. Thus, ZED-F9P and ODIN-
W2 modules will power up after the drivers have been successfully installed and the USB
enumeration is completed.
Start u-center and connect to the COM port identified as C099 application board, ZED-F9Pusing
Device Manager. Set the baud rate to 460800 baud. See section 4.3.1 for detailed instructions.
The time pulse LED on the C099-F9P board will blink in blue. Figure 3 below shows a typical
u-center view with active satellite signal levels.
To operate the ZED-F9P in RTK mode, the GNSS antenna must be placed in an open environment and
the unit must be connected to an RTK correction service. Where available, the evaluation kit comes
with a free trial of the SmartNet correction service. Consult the leaflet included with the kit for
information on how to register for the service and how to obtain mount point and user connection
details before moving to the next steps.
RTK corrections can be applied using a u-center built-in NTRIP client. To use the C099-F9P board with
a correction service follow these next steps:
In u-center, click on the Receiver menu item.
Select NTRIP Client…
Fill in the settings for the NTRIP caster, username and password.
Click Update source table and select the recommended NTRIP mount point.
Click OK to close the dialog and connect to the service.
In the Data View of u-center, the Fix Mode should change from 3D to 3D/DGNSS when RTCM
corrections are received. The RTK LED will blink in green.
2
For manual driver installation, check GNSS Sensor and VCP Device Driver User guide in Related documents
USB port
ZED-F9P LEDs
ZED-F9P module
ZED-RF connector

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Eventually, the status will change to 3D/DGNSS/FIXED and the RTK LED will show a steady green
light.
Figure 3: u-center showing a view of the ZED-F9P default operation

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3C099-F9P description
3.1 Component overview
The C099-F9P houses the ZED-F9P RTK high precision positioning module and an ODIN-W2 module
for wireless short-range communications. An FTDI component provides dedicated COM port
connections with the ZED-F9P and ODIN-W2 via a USB connector.
The board can be powered by USB, a DC supply socket, or by a Li-Po (lithium polymer) battery. The
board has been designed using an Arduino form factor with the modules’serial ports routed to the
shield headers. Note that a secondary USB power source is available via the USB-to-DC plug adapter
cable.
The block diagram in Figure 4 shows the logical signal flow between the individual parts.
Figure 4: C099-F9P block diagram
3.2 Component identification
The following images show the position of major parts and user interfaces.
Main components –Figure 5
Switches and LEDs –Figure 6
The function of these are described later on in this section.

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Figure 5: Main components and USB ports
J9
J8
J3
J2
ZED-F9P multi band GNSS RTK module
ODIN-W2 multi-radio module
USB (ZED-F9P USB and UART,
ODIN-W2 UART ports)
GNSS antenna connector
J2, J3, J8, J9
Arduino Uno connectors
DC power jack
Battery connector
Wi-Fi/BT antenna connector

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Figure 6: Switches and LEDs
☞The MicroSD card slot is not used in this version of the board. The ODIN-W2 Switch 0 interrupt is
not required for normal customer use.
ZED-F9P status LEDs
The board provides three LEDs to show the ZED-F9P status. The location of the LEDs is shown in
Figure 7 below.
The RTK status LED provides an indication of the state of the ZED-F9P module RTK-STAT pin.
At start-up the LED is off.
When in RTK float mode, the yellow LED flashes at the navigation rate (1 Hz default). This is also
an indication that RTCM corrections are received.
When in RTK fixed mode, the yellow LED is turned on.
The blue time pulse LED will flash at the default 1 Hz rate when the time solution is valid.
If activated, the Geofence status LED indicates the current Geofence status, i.e. in or outside a
designated area.
See the ZED-F9P Interface description [1] for help with configuring the time pulse output or activating
the Geofence pin.
GNSS LEDs: TP, RTK, Geofence
Battery charger LED
ODIN-W2 activity LED
ODIN-W2 safeboot pins
ODIN-W2 switch 0 interrupt button
ZED-F9P safeboot button
ZED-F9P and ODIN-W2 reset button
Battery incorrect polarity indicator
LED

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Figure 7: ZED-F9P LEDs
ODIN-W2 activity LED
The ODIN-W2 module uses a multi-colored LED to show particular activity status. This is positioned
adjacent to the ZED-F9P reset switch and shown below in Figure 8. The activity status is summarized
in Table 1 below.
Mode
Status
LED color
Data mode, EDM
IDLE
Green
Command mode
IDLE
Orange
Data mode, Command mode, EDM
CONNECTING
Purple
Data mode, Command mode, EDM
CONNECTED3
Blue
Table 1: ODIN-W2 u-connectXpress software LED activity states and colors
Figure 8: ODIN-W2 Activity LED position on C099-F9P board
3
On data activity, the active LED flashes.
ODIN-W2 activity LED
ZED-F9P Geofence status LED
ZED-F9P RTK status LED
ZED-F9P time pulse LED

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4Using the C099-F9P
The C099-F9P is shipped with the latest HPG firmware for the ZED-F9P GNSS module. Information
on updating either module’s firmware is provided in section 7 Firmware update, if required.
4.1 Powering the board
The board can be powered from a variety of sources:
The USB connection
A 3.7 V Li-Po Battery via a JST connector
An external 6-12 V DC source via a 2.1mm connector; center pin V+. Also, the included USB-to-DC
plug adapter cable can be used to provide an additional USB power source.
Figure 9: Power connections
Figure 10: Typical single-cell 3.7 V Li-Po battery with JST connector
⚠Follow all published safety advice for using bare cell Li-Po batteries while charging and protecting
them from mechanical damage. Fire risk can occur if the advice is not followed.
⚠Ensure correct polarity on the JST battery connector. In case of an incorrect polarity, the incorrect
polarity LED will be on. Due to the polarity protection feature, the supply rails will not be powered.
DC power jack
Li-Po battery connector
USB

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All supply connections are fed via a Schottky diode to the main supply bus to allow multiple sources
to be connected in parallel. The Li-Po battery will be charged from either the DC power source or the
USB power source. The charging status is indicated by a red LED which is on during charging and
turned off when fully charged.
When less than 500 mA is available from the USB host, ensure sufficient extra supply via the DC power
jack. Note that due to the higher current consumption caused by the battery charging it is not
recommended to charge the battery via USB only.
☞Supplying through the USB port requires the power source (USB host) to support the USB
enumeration process. If the power source is not capable of enumeration, you may use the provided
USB-to-DC adapter cable and connect it to the DC plug. There is no current limitation for the DC
supply.
Figure 11: Battery charge status LED
Non-wireless operation
For use-case scenarios where non-wireless data link is needed the ODIN-W2 can be disabled. In order
to disable the ODIN-W2, connect the safeboot jumper which forces the ODIN-W2 into safeboot mode
during the device start-up. See Figure 6 to locate the safeboot pins.
On average, the ODIN-W2 consumes less current when started in the safeboot mode. In addition, the
safeboot mode ensures that no intentional radiation originates from the 2.4 GHz antenna connector.
4.2 GNSS RF input
The C099-F9P board should be used with the antenna supplied with the kit. If another active antenna
is used, be aware that the RF input has a bias output designed to supply 3.3 V DC with a 70 mA
maximum current load. A DC block is advisable if the board is connected to a signal distribution
scheme or GNSS simulator to prevent any potential shorting of the antenna bias.
Figure 12: GNSS antenna connector
When using the supplied antenna it is advisable to use the ground plane provided. Otherwise ensure
that there is an adequate ground plane, e.g. by mounting in the center of a metallic car roof.
Red battery charge LED
SMA GNSS antenna connector
Orange battery incorrect
polarity indicator LED

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Figure 13: The supplied GNSS multi-band antenna
4.3 User interfaces
The C099-F9P has a number of fixed connection options besides the wireless modes. There is also an
additional Arduino R3 / Uno interface for external host connection.
The USB connector on the board provides connection via an on-board hub providing:
An FTDI USB bridge to ZED-F9P UART1 and ODIN-W2 UART COM ports.
Dedicated connection to the ZED-F9P USB port.
FTDI USB bridge
When the USB cable from the user’s PC is connected, a driver will load and set up two virtual serial
ports, as shown below in Figure 14. Additionally, a further serial VCP will be created to provide a direct
connection with the ZED-F9P USB port.
☞Ensure that the PC is connected to the internet to load the drivers from Windows Update.
The first of these is connected to the ZED-F9P serial port and should be selected with u-center. The
second serial device is for the ODIN-W2 module when using s-center. In Figure 14 the ODIN-W2
connection is the first port (COM 62) and the ZED-F9P connection is the second port (COM 64). Port
numbering can be different between individual PCs, but the same arrangement applies.
Figure 14: Windows Device Manager COM port view
In addition, a third VCP will be created corresponding to the ZED-F9P USB port. Windows 10 users will
see a new VCP device in the Device Manager window as it will load an in-built driver. With older
Windows installations, a driver will be loaded via Windows Update. In this case the device will be
identified as a u-blox GNSS device in the Device Manager window.
Open u-center, select the ZED-F9P serial port, and set the baud rate to 460800 to match the ZED-
F9P default UART setting. Once connected, u-center shows typical received signal levels from
multiple GNSS bands, see Figure 15 below.
ZED-F9P and ODIN-W2
COM ports installed

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Figure 15: u-center view with ZED-F9P connected
Additional UBX protocol messages can be enabled to view additional information in u-center. For
example, the following are typical messages the user can poll or enable for periodic update.
NAV-HPPOSLLH
NAV-RELPOSNED
NAV-SIG
NAV-SOL
NAV-STATUS
NAV-SVIN
For help with the Message view, see u-center User guide [3].
Bluetooth serial COM port connection
Before using Bluetooth ensure that the supplied Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna has been connected to the
SMA connector “ODIN-RF” to ensure correct operation of the wireless functions.
Create the u-blox configuration file for the rover BT link. Use the “u-blox ODIN-W2 BT Rover.txt”
file listed in Appendix D. You can also download the file from Github: https://github.com/u-
blox/ublox-C099_F9P-uCS/tree/master/odin-w2
For information on how to upload configuration file using s-center, see section 6.1.1 Configuring
a C099-F9P rover for Wi-Fi operation.
On the PC, go to the Bluetooth setup and in the Windows Add a device window, add the ODIN-W2
module as a device, identified as “ODIN-W2-XXXX”, by selecting ODIN-W2 and clicking Next. See
Figure 16 and Figure 17 below.

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Figure 16: Windows 7 Add a device window shows ODIN-W2
Figure 17: Click on the ODIN-W2 and select Next
You can locate the device by examining the Bluetooth connections under the Ports tab in the Windows
Device Manager. Search for a “Standard Serial over Bluetooth link”- usually the first one on the list.
Use this device for connecting the ZED-F9P to u-center.
Figure 18: Installed Bluetooth SPP port
The ODIN-W2 module communicates with the ZED-F9P via a serial port which is shared with the FTDI
USB/COM port via multiplexors. Once Bluetooth communication is established with the ODIN-W2, a
jumper connection should be made at position “3OE”to connect the serial ports of the ZED-F9P and
ODIN-W2 together. See Figure 19 below.

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Figure 19: C099-F9P rover jumper position
For information, Figure 20 below shows the C099-F9P logical connections for serial interfaces with
the “OE3”jumper set as required to connect the ODIN-W2 and ZED-F9P serial ports.
Figure 20: Schematic showing serial interface connection with jumper OE3 setting
Jumper position “3OE”

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4.3.2.1 Windows OS issues with Bluetooth SPP
There are some known issues with the Windows Bluetooth Serial Port Profile (SPP) implementation
for Windows 7-10. Symptoms include the Bluetooth Virtual COM port not installing or applications
not connecting to the Bluetooth Virtual COM port. In other cases Windows might crash or become un-
responsive. This is not related to the ODIN-W2 Bluetooth implementation that uses the Bluetooth
standard SPP.
Figure 21: ASUS USB-BT400
A known industry fix is to not use the Windows Bluetooth stack and PC Bluetooth hardware. This is
done by using a USB Bluetooth adapter that uses its own Bluetooth stack. A device that is known to
work is the ASUS USB-BT400 (USB 2.0). Once installed use the Bluetooth Virtual COM port assigned
to this device and not the built-in Bluetooth.

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5Rover operation using NTRIP
This section shows how the ZED-F9P is used as a rover using correction information provided over the
internet using NTRIP. This is usually provided by a host from a single reference station or as a Network
RTK Virtual Reference Service (VRS).
A suitable host is a PC with internet access. A host runs an NTRIP client and streams RTCM
corrections to the C099-F9P through a UART or Bluetooth connection. Messages transmitted
through a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi link are forwarded to I2C bus and vice versa. The user is advised to enable
desired messages in both UART and I2C interfaces in ZED-F9P.
5.1 PC hosting via u-center
The u-center application includes an NTRIP client for PC hosting. The u-center User guide [3] provides
help when setting NTRIP service connections. Users can connect via Bluetooth for wireless operation
or directly via a serial COM port. Once the service is active, RTCM corrections are sent over the
connection and data can be logged as usual with u-center.
The u-center User guide [3] provides more information concerning NTRIP connections. Enter the
required connection settings using the client setting window show below.
Figure 22: u-center NTRIP client view
Ensure that the NTRIP client connection icon is green. This indicates a successful NTRIP connection
and that RTCM data is transferred to the C099-F9P.
Figure 23: u-center NTRIP client communication indicator