SparkFun GNSS Receiver Breakout - MAX-M10S (Qwiic)

The SparkFun MAX-M10S Breakout is a high-performance GNSS board ideal for space-constrained, battery-operated applications such as wearable devices and asset trackers. The u-blox MAX-M10S module on this board boasts an ultra-low power consumption of less than 25mW in continuous tracking mode. It can receive signals from GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo constellations, ensuring reliable tracking across multiple platforms.

The MAX-M10S GNSS receiver is equipped with u-blox Super-S technology, improving RF sensitivity with small antennas and in non-line-of-sight scenarios. The board includes an SMA connector for a robust connection when attaching an external antenna. Additionally, an on-board rechargeable battery provides backup power to the module's RTC, reducing time-to-first fix and maintaining GNSS orbit data without power for up to five hours. This feature enhances precision and decreases lock time in battery-operated devices without compromising GNSS performance.

The u-blox receiver supports I²C, making it compatible with the Qwiic system. This means no soldering is required to connect it to the rest of your system. However, 2.54mm-spaced pins are also available for those who prefer using a breadboard. For users who prefer to communicate over UART, the UART pin grouping is configured to an industry standard, ensuring easy connection.

The MAX-M10S receiver is configurable using the popular Windows program, u-center. It allows users to configure various functions such as baud rates, update rates, spoofing detection, external interrupts, and more. The SparkFun Arduino library makes it easy to read and control the MAX-M10S over the Qwiic Connect System, offering a much lighter weight binary interface and giving your microcontroller a break.

The I²C address of the MAX-M10S is 0x42 and is software configurable. A multiplexer/Mux is required to communicate to multiple MAX-M10S boards with the same address on a single bus. If you need to use more than one MAX-M10S with the same address, consider using the Qwiic Mux Breakout.

Please note that this product requires an antenna. Be sure to choose a suitable SMA antenna for your project.

The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I²C sensors, actuators, shields, and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong.

Start your journey with the SparkFun MAX-M10S GNSS Breakout today!

The key features of this board include concurrent reception of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, 1.5m Horizontal Accuracy, 10Hz Max Update Rate, Time-To-First-Fix, Max Altitude: 80,000m, Max G: ≤4, Max Velocity: 500m/s, Velocity Accuracy: 0.05m/s, Heading Accuracy: 0.3 degrees, Time Pulse Accuracy: 30ns, 3.3V VCC and I/O, and Software Configurable. The dimensions of the board (with SMA connector) are 4.42cm x 3.05cm, and it includes 2x Qwiic Connectors.