Adding Aftermarket Internal GPS to the CF-28

is it something totally irrelevant and useless or is it a different daughterboard?

 

They are totally different and useless unfortunately. Not even the same shape. They look like they have a spot for a cell phone SIM card.

 

Take a picture of them before you send em' back. I'm curious. It happens to guys named George...

 

i've got one for the CF27 that takes a SIM card

 

Here is a few pics of the WRONG board! OH... And by the way... I've talked to a few of the people who supposedly have these on the web. (The other model number... Not these here.) They in turn order from Heartlandsi.com from what I have heard so far. Since Heartland is the only authorizd Panasonic repair facility in the USA... They are the only place to get them!



And the flip side...



There might be a way to make it work... But I'd rather try without the board at all. I will be working on that all weekend!

 

That looks a lot like the board I have in the cf-27 here, not identical but the mountings and connectors look the same. I think (not really sure, remember reading something though...) there is a daughterboard that goes between 27 and 28 modules.
cheers

 

Well... I'm hoping to render them all obsolete this weekend. I WILL find a way around the daughterboard!

 

ToughBook

Did you completely rule out the Eval boards like the ones SparkFun sells?
If you have the ribbon cable then this would be an easy hookup and a lot less $$$.$$ than what you are paying for the boards above. PM me if you’re interested and I will share my thoughts about this.

Jim

 

I've got 2 if you want - from the parts cf-28 I took the 13" LCD from, and one from a complete 28 that I think I will be trying to sell.

PM me if you think you might want the boards.

Ken

 

cn-40 does a few bluetooth and modem functions along with the line control for the second serial line. It's not really a lot of use unless you want to add 2 fully features external com ports. There is a 4serial pin that should open up a bios option but it will be related to the second serial.
cheers

 

klboo.... PM sent!

 

I ordered a bunch of the ribbon cables (25) from digikey. There was a price break for them at that level so I figured for $40 I could get a bunch of them. I may end up soldering to the connectors on those since there is a larger solder target. It would probably look nicer too! I may just wait until they get here to work it out sans daughterboard. It would certainly be a lot easier! I should be receiving them any day now... I ordered them last week.

Now... I need to get to work on my monitor issue!

 

Toughbook, if you want to sell on a few of those I would be interested. 5 would be more than I'm ever likely to use. Same for the 50 way connectors, around 10 there.
cheers
EDIT whats the monitor issue?

 

Let me get them first and if they are what we need then I'll let you know. I didn't order any connectors.

The monitor issue is in another post. I have a strange lightening effect on the left side of the monitor. (See post) It only happens on light blues and grays. I'll switch monitors and see if it is the video chip or the monitor itself.

 

Cadillac... Are you talking about these?

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=277#

 

Rick
This is the page with all the models
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php?cPath=4_86

This is what they have in stock.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8334

This would be my first choice if they get them back in by the time you need them.
I know it says it’s for the 406 but it will work for your 408.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=779

Another good choice.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8145

I have linked to this before but it might be worth a second look.
http://www.kronosrobotics.com/Projects/GPS1.pdf
Jim

 

Cadillac... Are you talking about soldering leads to the USB pins on CN18?

 

I don’t know that you could call what I do thinking but this was my idea.
Get an Eval board and module of your choice and hook them up as required. Purdy simple to this point and you could even test your work depending on your choice of boards to an RS232 or USB port.
Then you have several options for connecting this to you laptop in your permanent location, most here think CN-18 is a good choice. Stan has already help us identify all the pin outs and we know what we need to do to enable GPS in the BIOS (get the computer to see a GPS module on CN-18) yada yada yada read the whole thread.

So long story short most of the Eval boards I looked at would be real easy to solder a fifty conductor cable to and plug into CN-18 making it function just like the original daughter board. And yes I would hook it up as a USB connection to CN-18 as Stan has already proven this out.But no soldering to CN-18 just using the cable and plugging as it where.

Sorry Toughbook for the long explanation I know you know most of what I’ve been rambling on about but others will read this and I wanted to make sure I was clear as mudd.

Jim

 

Cheer's Caddy, always a good thing to have a reference point.
One thing with the links, the rs232 board above would be a bit of a pain for internal use as the signal would need to be converted from rs232 levels (+-12v) to logic levels (0>5v or 0>3.3v, both are fine).
I think I caused some confusion on this point earlier, I assumed the 2 serial pairs on the motherboard connector (cn18) where rs232 level as the control lines where present and I didn't trace it back in the schematics.
The 2 pairs of internal serial lines are both logic level (0>5v)
There is only one rs232 level serial port on the cf-28 and that is the port on the back. This port also appears in the media pocket on the small block on the right as you look in. The MP and rear port cannot (normally) be used simultaneously as they are one and the same.
Sorry about that, I'll edit my previous posts shortly.
cheers

 

Stan
Always good to hear from you.
I had suggested that I would connect through CN-18 as a USB connection with a fifty connector cable and not solder any thing to the mother board but to the Eval board instead.

My reference to the RS 232 was simply to test the board or if someone wanted more options this was available to you.

Like I said clear as mudd

 

Well... If the ribbon cables that I get from DigiKey are the same as what we have now... I'll be set. The ribbon cables are MUCH easier to solder to than the CN18 connector! After doing a lot of reading... AND experimenting with the multimeter... These should be the proper pins to solder to to get the GPS to work. It looks, so far, that Stan had all the correct pins in his prior post except for the two that I traced for Rx & Tx... For some reason the GPS uses the 2nd set of "signal in" pins. The others must be used for something else. The correct pins should be as follows;

GPS Pin 1 to CN18 Pin 7 or 8

GPS Pin 2 to Ground

GPS Pin 3 to CN18 Pin 27

GPS Pin 4 to CN18 Pin 28

GPS Pin 5 to CN18 Pin 5 or 6

CN18 Pin 37 to Ground

Pin 37 on CN18 is grounded to tell the Toughbook that GPS is attached. It serves no other purpose as far as I can tell. If you do nothing else but attach Pin 37 to ground... GPS will show in the BIOS. Though you won't actually have it.

This info comes after trying other combinations, failing and then doing a trace on all the pins on a working daughterboard with GPS atached that I know does work. I haven't had the time to try it out yet but it should work. I'd like to wait until my ribbon cables come but I may do it this weekend if I have the chance.

 

TB
Sorry I’m lost now.
Are you talking about soldering the cable straight to the GPS module?

 

What...where?..?? did anyone see a point of reference around here?
How about the existing daughterboard modification, everyone has a good idea on how that works.
So... Toughbook is planing to implement exactly the same system and module but wired directly to the daughterboards port (cn18) via the ribbon cable for now but possibly using a custom board later (no mud required).
Cadillac is planning on using a different module interfacing through the USB port available on the daughterboard by any means possible but with a custom board for preference (mud optional).
Modly and myself are planning a custom board to access cn18 with the possibility of headers to fit the already tested serial GPS module, pads for a soldered-on GPS module, the internal USB port (possibly for a GPS module), FM radio, a computer-on-a-chip and possibly mud if we can find a USB version.
ohlip... not really sure but there appears to be mud involved He's already got a USB GPS unit attached to the internal port on the M34 and is doing the same on the cf-28 at the mo.
Gravitar is doing general de-mudifying by being the only coherent one here
cheers

 

LOL... I know... we're off in a million directions.

I'm talking about using the ribbon cable to attach to CN18 as it does now. Except that what I want to do is to get rid of the daughterboard. I'll just solder the 5 pin connector from the GPS straight to the other end of the ribbon connector. (Once I get it working I'll worry about adding resistors and capacitors.) Then you would have the ribbon cable plugged into the mobo and the other end would be the snap in connector that plugs into the GPS. The only other mod is grounding pin 37 on CN18 which is easy enough. To make things easier... I may use a piece of breadboard to mount everything to. It would certainly make it a little neater. But breadboard is cheap... I can buy a year's supply for the cost of one daughterboard.

Like I said... I want a way around the daughterboard entirely!

Don't get me wrong... I'm up for a cheap alternative... If you guys get the board working you are working on... And they can be made cheaply enough... Count me in... And in the meantime... I'll help any way I can!

 

Now I’m smellen what yer stepen in.
I thought you where buyin them high priced boards to have an interface for the module with protection from them nasty things that let the smoke out.
Insert mud here.
Jim

 

No... I was buying the boards because it takes 10 minutes to hook up the GPS that way as opposed to hours doing it the way I intend to. Of course then it takes an hour or so to install the antenna... It was just a time saving measure. Less pain in the gluteous maximus!

 

Hey! That board is for cf-m34 unit.

 

Well, good to have somebody that knows the M34s

 

I knew Heartland was going to screw up when they came back with the wrong part #... And they even asked for the EXACT CF-28 ir was going into!

BTW... I got my order in from GPSOnline... The antenna they sell looks almost exactly like the ones from Jim Gray. The difference is the way the cap is molded. With Jim Gray's... You have the removable cap. With GPSOnline... The antenna PC Board is actually molded into the cap. It looks almost exactly the same as far as the board goes. They even say it is a Sarantel derivative on the website. I'll try it this weekend maybe and test it to see if it is any good! At almost half the price..... I'll take a break wherever I can get it!

 

Here is the photo of my improvised board for gps, usb and whatever we can do on cn(18) of cf-28. It is made of scrap old 80's i think 90' modem board for desktop. sorry about the pic. i just used my cellcam. The second photo is the cf-m34 with 20 channel holux gps sirf III

 

I’m glad to hear the antennas look good; I hope they work well also.
Did you get the MMCX connectors, and will they work if you did?

 

Ohlip, nice idea using an old fine pitch board to connect to. Much easier to get onto than pulling apart the cable. Works ok with the GPS hooked up?

 

Yup! your right, at the same time you can pull out the usb for other connection. But make sure cut all the existing line on it and take all out those component. What i've done after stripping the ribbon is to make two portion of it, one is add and the other one is even and then solder it to both side of the board(buttom and upper surface) and your set. Make an slack hole from end to end to give you an access to the buttom part when wiring.

 

Yes... I got 10 MMCX connectors. I have several different types of crimp connectors but I haven't looked at these to see if they are crimp or solder type. I'll let you know tomorrow.

 

Got a link for those?

I don't recall seeing that one.

 

Cadillac posted these a while back. I just followed the links!

EDIT - I forgot to mention... The antenna comes with a test board. You can solder the antenna to the board and then mount the board... Or just use it for testing.

 

Shame that it's Canadian funds. That's like $40 USD now

I wonder if there is a way I could have them shipped to my friend's house in Hamilton, ON, and avoid the hefty shipping/customs expense...

I do go up there every couple of months.

 

Dude... That's $18.98 USD If you look to the left on the screen... You can change everything to USD.

I paid $17 for everything I ordered. 1 antenna... 2 kits of MMCX connectors (5 each) and the antena that Cadillac pointed out. I have 15 feet of cable with it... Plus a good externa GPS I'm sure I can hook up to a USB somehow. Total for everything was $68.96. I just wish I would have gotten this antena before I ordered the 5 from Jim Gray!

 

And this mobilegpsonline has also EM 408 module but a bet pricy.

 

TB
I’ll take one of the Jim Gray’s off your hands.
I’ve been too lazy to order one and I need to get cracken on a mount.
PM me if this works.

Jim

 

Jim.... I'll PM you in a sec...

The MMCX connectors look pretty easy to hook up... Beats that $85 crap that Jim Gray was talking about.

They have a PDF here... about 3/4 of the way down the doc...

http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/AssemblyInstructions/mmcx.pdf

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toughbook
This is a quote from my earlier ramblings to follow up on our conversation.
I know just making more mudd.

Quote
2) What about the other modules I mention before. http://www.usglobalsat.com/p-48-et-333-sirf-iii.aspx or http://www.usglobalsat.com/p-530-et318-02-gsc3.aspx both would be a good choice for a guy that is reading this and needs to buy everything anyway. We would just need to pick up the 5 VDC on pin 4 and could use the battery back up from pin 6. Anyway just add some comments for the others.

 

TB
http://www.polytek.com/products/poly_plastics.html
This is the company I use when buying supplies for mold making.
They also sell liquid plastic that would work great for your corner project.
I’ll let you know how I do after I get my mold made.

Jim

 

Jim... You are "The Man".....

You've definitely given me a lot ot think about and even more to read about and experiment with! I'll bookmark all your links!

I'm setting up another CF-28 now... Just loading XP on it...

 

TB,
Don't forget to break out the camera this time. I think I just scored a 28 with a CDPD modem in it, Please tell me that the board it's on is the "daughter board" referred to in this thread.

 

Yup... It is...

 

The new toughbook I got didn't have the wireless card I was hoping for. It's got the Verizon CDMA (3G) card. Great for the fact that I wanted one eventually... but not for me fixing this one up with GPS.

I'm probably not gonna post a whole lot this weekend... There is only so much typing I can do with my screwed up wrists on a laptop, and I miss my 21" monitor... My desktop is dead.

 

Modly,

What about the card I sent you? Can't you use that?

 

Already using that one. That's in my test mule 800

I suppose the plus side, is that I planned on activating a verizon cellular wireless plan after I moved to oregon.