Ublox C099-F9P User manual

C099-F9P
Application Board (Rev. B)
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 - R02

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Document Information Page 2 of 48
Document Information
Title C099-F9P
Subtitle Application Board (Rev. B)
Document type User Guide
Document number UBX-18055649
Revision and date R02 19-Oct-2018
Disclosure Restriction Public
This document applies to the following products:
Product name Type number Firmware version PCN reference Product status
C099-F9P C099-F9P-0-01
C099-F9P-1-01
C099-F9P-2-01
HPG1.00 N/A Objective Specification
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.

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Contents Page 3 of 48
Contents
Document Information................................................................................................................................ 2
Contents .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
1Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 5
1.1 Package contents .......................................................................................................................................5
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
4.2 GNSS RF input...........................................................................................................................................14
4.3 User interfaces ..........................................................................................................................................14
FTDI USB bridge................................................................................................................................15
Bluetooth serial COM port connection.........................................................................................16
Windows OS issues with Bluetooth SPP......................................................................................18
4.4 Arduino Uno header connections...........................................................................................................19
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 reference station for Wi-Fi operation ......................................................25
ZED-F9P reference station configuration...................................................................................25
7Firmware updates............................................................................................................................... 27
7.1 ZED-F9P firmware update ......................................................................................................................27
7.2 ODIN-W2 firmware update......................................................................................................................30
Appendix ....................................................................................................................................................... 34
AGlossary ................................................................................................................................................. 34
Bu-blox ODIN-W2 BT Rover.txt......................................................................................................... 34
CRover ODIN-W2 Access Point UDP Server.txt .......................................................................... 35
DReference station ODIN-W2 UDP client.txt............................................................................... 36
EC099-F9P antenna specification................................................................................................... 36
E.1 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna specification ................................................................................................36
E.2 Multi-band GNSS antenna specification .............................................................................................37

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Contents Page 4 of 48
E.2.1 Patch antenna element specification ..........................................................................................37
E.2.2 LNA electrical specification............................................................................................................38
E.2.3 Overall performance.........................................................................................................................38
FMechanical board dimensions........................................................................................................ 39
GC099-F9P schematics....................................................................................................................... 40
Related documents ................................................................................................................................... 47
Revision history .......................................................................................................................................... 47
Contact.......................................................................................................................................................... 48

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Introduction Page 5 of 48
1Introduction
The C099-F9P board is a convenient tool that allows customers to become familiar with the u-blox
ZED-F9P high precision module performance. The board provides facilities for evaluating the product
and demonstrating its key capabilities. The main components are:
•A ZED-F9P module for use as a RTK rover or reference station
•An ODIN-W2 short-range module to provide untethered operation using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
•Power supply options comprising a USB connection, LiPo cell with recharging ability, and 6-17 V
DC input1
•Small and light board (110 x 55 mm) with Arduino R3 shield connections for host expansion
The board comes pre-configured to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth to a host. This makes it possible
to stream in RTCM corrections while sending back logged data using u-center evaluation software [3].
There is an option to use two C099-F9P boards together, one as a reference station and the other as
a rover, sending corrections over a Wi-Fi connection.
The Guide is split into several useful sections:
•The Quick Start section provides information to get up and running straight out of the box
•The C099-F9P Description identifies the boards facilities
•Using the C099-F9P provides a comprehensive guide for in-depth usage
•Rover operation using NTRIP shows some different ways of connecting to a service
•The final part details using two C099s as a Reference/Rover pair
1.1 Package contents
The delivered package contains:
•C099-F9P board (Rev. B)
•u-blox multi-band GNSS antenna and ground plane
•Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna
•USB interconnect cable
Figure 1: C099-F9P kit contents
1The C099-F9P kit does not contain a battery or external power adapter.

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Introduction Page 6 of 48
1.2 Additional sources of information
Prior to using the board, it is useful to download the appropriate evaluation software and keep handy
the following documents:
•ZED-F9P Integration Manual, Doc. No. UBX-18010802
•ZED-F9P Interface Description, Doc. No. UBX-18010854
•Download u-center: https://www.u-blox.com/en/product/u-center-windows and the u-center User
Guide: https://www.u-blox.com/sites/default/files/u-center_UserGuide_(UBX-13005250).pdf
•Download the u-blox GNSS Sensor and VCP Device Driver guide:
https://www.u-blox.com/sites/default/files/products/documents/u-blox-GNSS-Sensor-and-VCP-
Device-Driver_UserGuide_(UBX-15022397).pdf
•Download s-center: https://www.u-blox.com/en/product/s-center

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 C099-F9P quick start Page 7 of 48
2C099-F9P quick start
This section provides some short 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 10 PC; this will power the board. The driver will be installed
automatically from Windows Update when you connect the board for the first time.
•Start u-center and connect to the COM port identified as“C099 application board, ZED-F9P”
using Device Manager. Set the baud rate to 460’800 baud. See section 4.3.1 for detailed
instructions.
•If everything is correctly installed, the receiver should begin operation in its default state. The
Figure 4 below shows a typical u-center view with active satellite signal levels etc. The TP LED
on the C099-F9P board will blink in blue color.
To operate the ZED-F9P in RTK more, the GNSS antenna must be placed in an open environment and
the unit must be connected to a 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
USB port
ZED-F9P LEDs
ZED-F9P module
ZED-RF connector

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 C099-F9P quick start Page 8 of 48
•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 color.
•Eventually, the status will change to “3D/DGNSS/FIXED” and the RTK LED will show a steady
green color.
Figure 3: u-center showing a view of the ZED-F9P default operation

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 C099-F9P description Page 9 of 48
3C099-F9P description
3.1 Component overview
The C099-F9P houses the ZED-F9P RTK high precision positioning module plus 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 USB.
The board can be powered by USB, a DC supply socket, or from a LiPo (lithium polymer) battery. The
board has been designed using an Arduino form factor with the modules’ serial ports routed to the
shield headers.
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.

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 C099-F9P description Page 10 of 48
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

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 C099-F9P description Page 11 of 48
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 (1Hz default). This is also
an indication that RTCM corrections are received
•When in RTK fixed mode, the yellow LED is turned on.
The Time Pulse blue LED will flash at the default 1Hz rate when the time solution is valid.
GNSS LEDs: TP, RTK, GeoFence
Battery charger LED
ODIN-W2 activity LED
ODIN-W2 Safeboot pins
ZED-F9P and ODIN-W2 reset button
ZED-F9P Safeboot button
ODIN-W2 Switch 0 interrupt button

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 C099-F9P description Page 12 of 48
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 [2] for help with configuring the Time Pulse output or
activating the Geofence pin.
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 CONNECTED2Blue
Table 1: LED activity states and colors
Figure 8: ODIN-W2 Activity LED position on C099-F9P board
2On 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

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Using the C099-F9P Page 13 of 48
4Using the C099-F9P
The ZED-F9P is shipped with the latest firmware and the ODIN-W2 is pre-configured as a Bluetooth
serial device. Information on updating either module’s firmware is provided in section 7, if required.
4.1 Powering the board
The board can be powered from a variety of sources:
•The USB connection
•A 3.7V LiPo Battery via a JST connector
•An external 6-17V DC source via a 2.1mm connector; center pin V+.
Figure 9: Power connections
Figure 10: Typical single cell 3.7V LiPo battery with JST connector
⚠Follow all published safety advice for using bare cell LiPo batteries while charging and protecting
them from mechanical damage. Fire risk can occur if the advice is not followed.
All supply connections are fed via a Schottky diode to the main supply bus to allow multiple sources
to be connected in parallel. The LiPo battery will be charged from the USB connection. The charging
status is indicated by a red LED which is on during charging and turned off when fully charged.
DC power jack
LiPo battery connector
USB

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Using the C099-F9P Page 14 of 48
Figure 11: Battery charge status LED
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 3.3V 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.
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:
Red battery charge LED
SMA GNSS antenna connector

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Using the C099-F9P Page 15 of 48
•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 (V18.06 or later), 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.
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
ZED-F9P and ODIN-W2
COM ports installed.

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Using the C099-F9P Page 16 of 48
•NAV-RELPOSNED
•NAV-SIG
•NAV-SOL
•NAV-STATUS
•NAV-SVIN
☞See section 5.2.6 Messages view in the u-center User Guide [3]
Bluetooth serial COM port connection
Before using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi 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.
The C099-F9P board is delivered with the ODIN-W2 pre-configured for connecting the ZED-F9P as a
Bluetooth serial device. On a PC, go to the Bluetooth setup and add the ODIN-W2 module as a device,
identified as “ODIN-W2-XXXX”. See Figure 16, Figure 17 below.
Figure 16: Windows 7 add a device window shows ODIN-W2
Figure 17: Click on the ODIN-W2 and select Next

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Using the C099-F9P Page 17 of 48
Users can locate the device by examining the Bluetooth connections under the Ports tab in the
Windows device manager for a “Standard Serial over Bluetooth link” - usually the first one in 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.
Figure 19: C099 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.
Jumper position “3OE”

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Using the C099-F9P Page 18 of 48
Figure 20: Schematic showing serial interface connection with jumper OE3 setting
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.
A known industry fix is not to 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.

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Using the C099-F9P Page 19 of 48
Figure 21: ASUS USB-BT400
4.4 Arduino Uno header connections
The board size and four connectors comply with the Arduino R3/Uno mechanical specification. The
functions of each I/O align as much as possible to the Arduino specified functions. Check the pin
functions before using with an Arduino R3/Uno - see Figure 23 below. All the pin functions besides
power are 3.3V compliant.
Figure 22: C099-F9P Arduino connectors
Figure 23 C099-F9P Arduino R3 connections
J9, Arduino D
J8, Arduino C
J3, Arduino B
J2, Arduino A

C099-F9P - User Guide
UBX-18055649 - R02 Rover operation using NTRIP Page 20 of 48
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).
Suitable hosts are a PC with internet access and/or an Android cellular phone with mobile data
capability. The host runs an NTRIP client and streams RTCM corrections to the C099-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.
☞See the NTRIP section in the u-center User Guide [3].
Enter the required connection settings using the client setting window show below.
Figure 24: u-center NTRIP Client view
Ensure the NTRIP Client connection flag is green for successful connection and RTCM3 data transfer
to the C099-F9P:
Figure 25: u-center NTRIP Client communication indicator