Adding Aftermarket Internal GPS to the CF-30

I gave up on the break out boards... I just use a 10X headset and solder directly to the ribbon cable. You need steady hands, a fine point for the soldering iron and clean 10X glasses. LOL

 

Zero out of three. After just trying to read the cable for shorts / opens after modifying the break out board I have a new appreciation for those of you who have found success at soldering to that same cable.

 

As Rick said, it will be pretty easy If you done it atleast a couple of times. I use the soldering iron on scrapping the ribbon cable of atleast 0.5cm in length then separate each conductor to odd and even for easy identification( this technique still teaches in school till to date for basic electronics course). Then I've cut those line(conductor that are not needed). Simple as that.


ohlip

 

I completed the installation today and was seeing 7 sats from my work bench. Like others, the module seems locked on 9600 baud rate so S&T doesn't see it. Navigator can poll it for data but 2 other programs I have just get gibberish. I downloaded the ublox software manual from their site so I'm going to see if I can reprogram it for 4800 and make it stick.

I went ahead and shielded the device and wiring with aluminum tape before buttoning everything up; better safe than sorry.

When time allows I'll post pics of the assembly and screen shots.

 

FWIW... Winfast didn't work and play well with my Ublox installs... I removed it in favor of Visual GPS. But the Ublox program also has good info.

 

I had the same experience as Toughbook with Wnfast (didn't work) and Visual GPS (perfect).

Just installed one of TechTuff's UBlox 6 turn-key installs in my CF-30 Mk3. Very good engineering, went smoothly, works fine - instructions had a few minor problems but could be easily "decoded".

 

TechTuff's stuff is the best for the DIY'er... I even used several of his kits when I didn't have the time to fab my own up. The closest you can get to perfection. (And it blows OEM away!)

 

So here's the pictures I said I would post:

Soldering the wires to the GPS module



Covered in insulating tape and mounted to the back of the lid with double sided sticky tape



Covered in aluminum tape to shield from noise.



Bench testing



Been a couple of weeks and everything is going great!