GSatMicro Description

The GSatMicro is the smallest self-contained Iridium tracker in the world! It can transmit your location from anywhere in the world and is built on the latest satellite, antenna, and electronics technology.

Details

• Dimensions are miniscule at 45 mm x 45 mm x 34 mm, including the battery, modem, and antenna (OEM version); 45 mm x 45 mm x 20 mm, including the battery and modem (both without external casing).
• SiRFstarIV GPS with an amazing -163 dBm sensitivity.
• AES 256-bit encryption is supported (optional).
• Rechargeable lithium polymer battery (2.4 Ah, up to 1000 position reports).
• Integrated omnidirectional helical antenna (high gain ceramic patch antenna for OEM models).
• Over-the-air configuration of the terminal.
• USB, RS-232, and wireless connections for programming.
• Full two-way communications network.
• wireless smartphone connectivity for messaging and configuration.
• Truly global coverage with the Iridium satellite network.
• 11 bytes per position report (altitude can be disabled to reduce size to 9 bytes) (including latitude, longitude, speed, heading, battery level, time, altitude, alert and check-in status).

Interfaces

• DC Power (7V to 36V DC) @ 1A max.
• USB Interface (Power, Serial Console/Logging, Firmware Update).
• RS232 Interface (Serial Console/Logging).
• 2 relay outputs at 250 mA (open drain).
• 2 analog inputs (0V to 30V DC).

Battery Life Calculator

The battery life calculator is hosted on Google Docs, where you can download a copy or copy the sheet into your own Google Docs account.

Getting Started

Service

The GSatMicro is powered by an Iridium 9602 SBD modem, which requires Iridium SBD service to send messages. We can provide this, or you may choose an Iridium SBD service provider of your choice. If used with the portal, ensure that the provider correctly configures the DirectIP address and port as described here: Device Routing IP Addresses and Ports.

Portal Configuration

In order to send and receive messages to your GSatMicro through the portal, it will first need to be added as an asset.

Power Up

Out of the box, your unit should be in off or storage mode. In order to power it up and start transmitting, you will need to hold down the power button until the power and GPS lights "fade up" (dark to bright). When you release the button, it will start a position report cycle. The states are described below:

• Upon powering up or waking up from sleep, the power LED will "fade up" until initialization is complete; after this, the LED will indicate the battery state (flashing up to 5 times if the battery is full).
• Next, when GPS is enabled, the LED will fade up until satellites are acquired, at which point the number of flashes indicates the number of satellites acquired (up to 5) until a fix is achieved; the LED will stay on, solid.
• Next, the Iridium modem will be enabled, and the satellite LED will fade up until a signal is acquired. Once the Iridium signal is acquired, the LED will flash 1-5 times, indicating the signal level. The LED will stay solid.
• If only one report or message is pending, the unit will then sleep until the next transmission. On a battery, all LEDs will turn off. If plugged into an external power source, LEDs will reflect the last state achieved.

If transmission was successful, your unit should appear on the map at its current location. See the "Terminal Behavior" section for more details on button and LED behavior.

GSatMicro Configuration Through Portal

Once an asset is configured and running, parameters can be set using the "Send Command" functionality. This will allow you to configure a number of parameters that control the behavior of the unit, including:

• Normal Reporting Interval.
• Timeouts for GPS and Iridium.
• Number of attempts to transmit.
• Whether to include altitude in reports (with altitude, reports are 11 bytes; without, 9 bytes).

Configure

1. Click on the down arrow next to the asset in the Assets list on the left. The default view will be for "Set Parameters."
2. Click the checkboxes next to the parameters to update and fill in desired values.
3. Click the "Set Parameters" button on the left below the settings list.

Settings can be later confirmed by clicking on the "Get Parameters" button on the top right of the "Set Parameters" screen. The Last Queried and Last Response values will indicate the last time parameters were requested and the last time they were successfully sent from the Micro. The last successfully requested set of parameters will be used for default values for the settings.

Drivers

Windows

• 64-Bit Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8).

Mac OS X / Linux

No drivers required.

Serial Interface

RS-232 Interface Default Settings: 115200 baud, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, no flow control.

Windows (USB-only)

1. Install the appropriate driver package.

   • 32-Bit Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8)
   • 64-Bit Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8)

2. After installing, you can connect the unit using the USB cable; Windows should load the USB-Serial adapter driver.

3. Connect to the COM port for the unit using a terminal emulator.

To do this, grab a copy of TeraTerm Pro or use your favorite terminal emulator. Go into the device manager on your machine. Under Ports (COM & LPT), you should see something called GSatMicro Serial Port, and the COM port number next to that. Take that number and open the terminal emulator. If TeraTerm Pro, it should show a "New Connection" window by default. Select the "Serial" radio button and then the COM Port from the drop-down menu. Click OK.

Windows (RS-232)

1. Connect the RS-232 connector.

   Note!

   Connect external power to prevent the unit from powering down after the end of a transmit cycle.

2. Connect to the COM port for the unit using a terminal emulator.

To do this, grab a copy of TeraTerm Pro or use your favorite terminal emulator.

If using an alternate terminal emulator, the interface parameters are: 115200 baud, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, no flow control.

If TeraTerm Pro, it should show a "New Connection" window by default. Select the "Serial" radio button and then the COM Port from the drop-down menu. Click OK.

COCOM Limits

COCOM limits are a GPS limitation by international law to disable GPS chipsets at high altitudes or high speeds.

The GSatMicro will stop reporting if the unit exceeds 1,000 knots AND exceeds 18,000 meters. Both of these limits must be exceeded for COCOM limits to be enabled, which will disable the internal GPS receiver until one of the two limits returns to normal.