Ublox EVK-M9DR User manual

UBX-21049360 - R01
C1-Public www.u-blox.com
EVK-M9DR
Evaluation kit
User guide
Abstract
This document describes the structure and use of the EVK-M9DR evaluation kit and provides
information for evaluating and testing the u-blox M9 single-band GNSS multi-mode dead reckoning
technology.

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Document information
Title
EVK-M9DR
Subtitle
Evaluation kit
Document type
User guide
Document number
UBX-21049360
Revision and date
R01
3-Feb-2022
Disclosure Restriction
C1-Public
This document applies to the following products:
Product name
Type number
Firmware version
PCN reference
EVK-M9DR
EVK-M9DR-0-00
MDR 2.10
N/A
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 Highlights .....................................................................................................................................................5
1.2 Kit includes ................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 System requirements ................................................................................................................................ 5
1.4 Evaluation steps..........................................................................................................................................5
2Device description.................................................................................................................................6
2.1 USB................................................................................................................................................................. 6
2.2 UART..............................................................................................................................................................6
2.3 Antenna......................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.4 14-pin front connector...............................................................................................................................6
2.5 10-pin rear connector.................................................................................................................................6
2.6 Reset and safe boot buttons ....................................................................................................................6
2.7 I2C/SPI slide switch ....................................................................................................................................7
2.8 LED.................................................................................................................................................................7
2.9 Backup power supply..................................................................................................................................7
3Getting started.......................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Installation....................................................................................................................................................8
3.1.1 Mounting the device...........................................................................................................................8
3.1.2 Mounting the antenna....................................................................................................................... 8
3.1.3 Connecting the cables ....................................................................................................................... 8
3.1.4 Configuring the receiver (optional) .................................................................................................8
3.2 Calibration .................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.3 Testing ..........................................................................................................................................................9
3.4 Analysis .........................................................................................................................................................9
4Advanced setup................................................................................................................................... 11
4.1 Non-automotive applications .................................................................................................................11
4.1.1 Configuring the dynamic model.....................................................................................................11
4.1.2 Configuring the IMU alignment .....................................................................................................11
4.2 ADR setup...................................................................................................................................................11
4.2.1 Providing odometer input................................................................................................................11
4.2.2 Configuring the device for ADR......................................................................................................12
5Configurable CAN interface ............................................................................................................ 13
5.1 Valid configurations .................................................................................................................................13
5.2 Configuring the interface ........................................................................................................................13
5.3 C100 MSG...................................................................................................................................................13
5.3.1 Configuration parameters ..............................................................................................................14
5.4 Configuration process..............................................................................................................................14
5.4.1 Connections .......................................................................................................................................14

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5.4.2 RealTerm ............................................................................................................................................14
5.5 Updating the MCU firmware...................................................................................................................16
Appendix ....................................................................................................................................................... 17
ACAN termination ................................................................................................................................. 17
BCAN configuration examples .......................................................................................................... 18
B.1 Wheel tick configurations................................................................................................................ 18
B.1.1 Two rear-wheel ticks and direction...................................................................................... 18
B.1.2 Single tick and direction.......................................................................................................... 19
B.2 Speed configurations ........................................................................................................................ 19
B.2.1 Two rear wheels and direction............................................................................................... 19
B.2.2 Single speed................................................................................................................................. 20
B.2.3 Signed speed ............................................................................................................................... 21
B.2.4 Offset speed ................................................................................................................................ 21
CStep-by-step example ...................................................................................................................... 22
DSchematic ............................................................................................................................................. 25
Related documents ................................................................................................................................... 31
Revision history.......................................................................................................................................... 31
Contact.......................................................................................................................................................... 32

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1Introduction
EVK-M9DR can be used to test and evaluate the u-blox M9 single-band GNSS dead reckoning
technologies. The device is equipped with the NEO-M9V module, and allows performance and feature
evaluation of the following products when used in conjunction with the provided active antenna:
•NEO-M9V
•NEO-M9L
•UBX-M9140-KA-DR
•UBX-M9340-KB
The built-in USB interface provides both power supply and a high-speed communication interface.
The device is compact and provides a flexible and user-friendly interface between the GNSS module
and test vehicles. Furthermore, it can be used with a notebook or PC running the GUI-driven u-center
application, making it the perfect companion through all stages of evaluation and design-in phases of
projects.
1.1 Highlights
•Multi-constellation GNSS
•Multi-mode dead reckoning (MDR)
•Configurable CAN interface
•Dedicated pins for wheel tick and direction inputs
•USB, UART, RS-232 connections
•Battery-backed RAM (BBR) through micro-USB
•Wake-on-Motion feature
1.2 Kit includes
•Application board with enclosure
•A 1-meter USB-C cable
•A 1.8-meter micro-USB cable
•Active L1 GNSS antenna with a 3 m cable
1.3 System requirements
•A PC with Windows operating system
•u-center GNSS evaluation software
•Odometer input from vehicle (for ADR only)
1.4 Evaluation steps
Experience the performance of the u-blox NEO-M9L and NEO-M9V modules in four simple steps:
1. Set up
2. Calibrate
3. Test
4. Analyze

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2Device description
2.1 USB
A USB-C connector is featured for data communication and power supply. USB drivers are installed
automatically through Windows update.
2.2 UART
The unit includes an RS-232 port which can be dynamically connected to the UART of the receiver or
the onboard MCU. Selection of the UART connection is controlled by the SEL_MCU_N pin on the front
connector: when the pin is low, the MCU is selected.
☞The selected UART interface is also available via the RxD and TxD pins on the front connector. The
pins are at TTL voltage levels.
Flow control should not be used with the RS-232 port.
2.3 Antenna
The kit includes a u-blox active GNSS antenna with a 3-meter cable. There is a female SMA connector
(RF IN) available on the front side of the unit for connecting the antenna.
2.4 14-pin front connector
The connector and its signals are described in the table below.
Pin no.
Pin name
I/O
Level
Description
14
VIN 5-24V
I
5 - 24 V
Power input –can be used in place of USB
13
GND
Common ground pin for case-work, power and serial interface connections
12
CAN_H
I
Connect to the vehicle CAN high wire (ISO 11898-2)
11
CAN_L
I
Connect to the vehicle CAN low wire (ISO 11898-2)
10
TIMEPULSE
O
-
Time pulse signal output
9
SEL_MCU_N
I
-
Pull-down signal for enabling UART communication with the MCU
8
WoM
O
Wake-on-motion signal output
7
Wheel Tick
I
5 - 24 V
Wheel tick pulse input
6
FWD
I
5 - 24 V
Direction of travel input
5
SDA
Reserved
4
SCL
Reserved
3
TxD
I/O
3.3 V
UART TxD
2
RxD
I/O
3.3 V
UART RxD
1
GND_A
Ground for wheel tick and direction signals
⚠Leave the reserved pins open.
2.5 10-pin rear connector
This connector is used for updating the MCU firmware. See section 5.5 for more information.
2.6 Reset and safe boot buttons
The reset button on the front panel resets the unit.

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The safe boot button is used to set the unit in safe boot mode. In this mode the receiver executes only
the minimal functionality, such as updating new firmware into the SQI flash. USB communication is
disabled while in safe boot mode.
To set the receiver in safe boot mode:
•Press and hold the BOOT button.
•Press the RST button.
•Release the RST button.
•Release the BOOT button.
To use UART in safe boot mode, a training sequence needs to be sent to the receiver. The training
sequence is a transmission of two bytes (0x55 0x55) at the baud rate of 9600. Wait for at least 100
milliseconds before the interface is ready to accept commands.
2.7 I2C/SPI slide switch
⚠The switch must be kept at the I2C position to ensure correct operation of the device!
⚠Contact u-blox technical support for assistance if required.
2.8 LED
On the front panel of the unit, a single blue LED may be configured to follow the receiver time pulse
signal. If there is no GNSS fix, the LED will be lit without flashing.
2.9 Backup power supply
The back side of the unit has a micro-USB connector for providing backup voltage for the receiver. See
the NEO-M9V Integration manual [1] for more information about backup voltage.
⚠If a power bank is used for backup power, ensure that the power supply is not interrupted due to
low current intake.

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3Getting started
This chapter works as a simple step-by-step guide for successfully setting up the device and using it
for evaluation in a basic automotive application using untethered dead reckoning (UDR) technology.
The basic evaluation process consists of four simple steps: installation, calibration, testing, and
analysis. Following the step in this chapter will help minimize errors leading to most common issues
in performance.
☞For other application types, some modifications to the installation step may be necessary. See
chapter 4 for more information.
3.1 Installation
3.1.1 Mounting the device
Firmly attach the device to the vehicle to avoid any movement and vibration relative to the vehicle.
The device must not be attached to any moving part of the interior of the vehicle, for example, a
headrest or a rear-view mirror. A good location is in the trunk, close to the center of the rear axle of the
vehicle.
⚠Dead reckoning performance can be seriously impaired by changes in the orientation of the device.
3.1.2 Mounting the antenna
Place the provided GNSS antenna in a location with an unobstructed view of the sky, for example, the
roof of the vehicle. For best performance, ensure that the antenna has contact to a ground plane with
a minimum of 100–150 mm diameter.
3.1.3 Connecting the cables
1. Connect the GNSS antenna to the RF connector on the front panel of the device.
2. Connect the device to a PC via USB.
3.1.4 Configuring the receiver (optional)
The default configuration of the MDR firmware is usable for basic automotive applications. A custom
configuration can be applied using u-center:
1. Open u-center.
2. Select the device with Receiver > Connection > COMXX.
3. Open the Messages View with View > Messages View.
4. Select the UBX-CFG-VALSET message.
5. Select the configuration item(s) with Group and Key name.
6. Modify the values and send the message to modify the configuration.
☞Refer to the NEO-M9V documentation ([2], [3]) for more information about receiver configuration.
3.2 Calibration
Before the receiver can operate in dead reckoning mode, it needs to gather calibration information
from the movements of the vehicle. Although the calibration process will complete eventually during
normal driving, it can be accelerated by doing a calibration drive prior to actual testing. The calibration
drive may speed up the evaluation process considerably.
The calibration drive must be done in an open area, such as a parking lot, under good GNSS signal
conditions. Drive the vehicle to such a place and do the following steps. The progress of calibration
can be monitored in u-center with the UBX-ESF-ALG and UBX-ESF-STATUS messages.

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1. With the car stationary, power on the EVK-M9DR and wait for a valid 3D GNSS fix.
2. Remain stationary until IMU status in ESF-STATUS shows “INITIALIZED”.
3. Drive a figure-of-eight pattern until the alignment status in ESF-ALG shows “COARSE”.
4. Drive straight at a minimum speed of 40 km/h until INS status in ESF-STATUS shows
“INITIALIZED”.
Once the calibration is at a sufficient level, the receiver starts using the sensors in navigation and the
fusion filter status in ESF-STATUS will show “FUSION”.
The receiver will continue calibrating the sensors in the background continuously to improve the
quality of the solution. For optimal performance, it is recommended to repeat step 3 until ESF-ALG
shows “FINE” and to drive curves and straight segments until all sensors in ESF-STATUS report
“CALIBRATED” before actual testing.
☞Refer to the NEO-M9V Integration manual [2] for more information about sensor calibration.
3.3 Testing
The device is now ready for actual test drives. For replaying and analyzing the test drives afterwards,
record the data into log files with u-center. To collect a proper log file with sufficient information, do
the following steps:
1. Open u-center.
2. Select the device with Receiver > Connection > COMXX.
3. Enable UBX messages according to what needs to be monitored.
4. Enable debug messages with the debug message button (Figure 1). This step is optional, but
necessary for investigation of issues.
5. Start recording with the record button (Figure 1).
6. When prompted to poll the receiver configuration, select the correct receiver generation, and click
“Yes”.
7. Perform the test drive.
8. To stop recording, click the eject button (Figure 1). The log file will be saved automatically.
Figure 1: u-center logging controls
3.4 Analysis
After collecting data over test drives, u-center can be used to replay and analyze the logs in several
ways:
•Checking the general receiver status
•Monitoring data in individual messages
•Using the chart view to monitor certain parameters over time
To replay a log, do the following:
1. Open u-center.

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2. Open a log using File > Open…
3. Use the log controls (Figure 2) to play, pause and move the current time in the log file.
4. Open different views from the View menu.
☞Refer to the u-center User guide [4] for more information about its features.
Figure 2: u-center log controls