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Home / I-Opener Areas / I-Opener Technical Info Reference (MODERATED) Great GPS implementation

Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) SnackPack OK, here it goes... I discovered the perfect way to implement GPS on the IO. I have a Rand McNally GPS unit, which only has four wires feeding it - RX, TX, +5V and GND. I simply yanked the cord out of the unit and connected a phone cord. On the IO, I wired the four pins on one of the phone jacks to a MAX205ECPG. I used the 205E because there is no shielding in the phone cord... better safe than sorry. So, instead of having to hookup a whole new RS232 port to the back, all I have to do is snap the GPS unit in to the phone jack. It works so well in fact that I even extended the reach of the cord with a 30 foot phone extension cable... still works! Hope this helps anybody wanting to put GPS on their I-Opener. Now all I need to do is find out how I can get hugo to read the maps supplied with the Rand McNally software.... Does anybody know if this can be done? Sanckpack 07-18-2000 23:14:29

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) android What's a MAX205ECPG? 07-19-2000 00:02:25

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) *SF* So What's a hugo ??? I bought a Rand McNally STREETFINDER for Laptop PCs, sound very simular to yours. ($99 @ CompUSA) only has 4 wires. Could I have any more details ? Sounds just like what I want to do. Any Help so I don't have to reinvent the Wheel would be GREAT ! Thanks, * StarFish * 07-19-2000 11:40:02

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) SnackPack Profile First: A MAX205ECPG is the chip used to cconvert eith CN12 or CN13 from TTL to RS232. ZDO a search for prefect's serial mod. Hugo is GPS map software for linux. Since I refuse to use any derivative of Windows on this, I went with linux and wrote my own mp3 player software. Hopefully I'll have the unit in my car this weekend, and then I will borrow my friend's digital camera to take some pics of the unit and do a complete write-up. SnackPack 07-19-2000 14:15:09

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) Astrogoth Profile Cool idea. SnackPack, as I understand it you have the MAX chip hooked to your IO like a serial port would be, yes? I want to do this mod but am unclear as to how. Please explain. 07-24-2000 09:57:04

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) redwood Profile I would also like a simple blow by blow account on doing this... and does this come with windows software? thats one idea I'd like to use, don't get out of town, and lost, too often, but, on occasion I may get stuck in a city... if you can post a website, that would be wonderful, thanks 07-24-2000 15:56:59

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) SnackPack Profile Yeah, I applied for a domain name with mp3car.com. As soon as I get a hold of a digital camera, I will post the web site explaing the entire project. Meanwhile.... here is what I did. The MAX chip converts the CN12 or CN13 header on the IO to a regular RS-232 serial port. By soldering the wires from the header to the MAX chip and then from the MAX chip to the phone jack, you have RX and TX going out. You also need GND and +5V, which are very easy to find. In fact, +5V is on both of the CN headers. Now, the soldering can be quite tedious. Take your time. All of the information for the process is on other threads, like the CN header pinouts, how to wire up the MAX chip, etc. All I did was use the phone jack as my serial port. As for software, I still need to find some decent Linux software for moving maps. However, I have my mp3 player displaying speed, altitude, heading, and coordinates. If you are running windows (blah), just use the RandMcNally software that comes with the RandMcNally GPS. It comes with maps for the entire USA. I'll post in here when I get my website up. SnackPack 07-28-2000 13:37:52

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) SnackPack Profile OK, I got the website up... Check this out, I hope it explains quite a bit. http://obscured.mp3car.com/ SnackPack 08-03-2000 12:52:33

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) starfish Profile This is Such an Easy Hack ! If You have Your I-Opener Mounted Moble ??? & Moble Power Supply ??? ( I ran mine for a few days on Straight Cig Lighter Plug) No Sound from sound chip) @ CompUSA I picked up (stock #274570)($99) "RAND McNALLY STREETFINDER|GPS for LapTop PCs" includes "DELUXE STREETFINDER 2000" (3 CDs) (Yea, this is win98se Stuff) AnyHow, the extra Serial Port is CN12, If you open your "Memory Hatch", it is the 10 pins you see on the Right. The Trick is to have a Spare? laptop connector, & remove the contacts at positions 11 & 12, then Cut it to be a 10 postition connector. Next You need a chip ! I got a MAX232CPE (JIM-PAK) I used the "PREFECT MOD" this took 5 small caps besides the chip, But I used "Point to Point Wiring" with the Chip as the terminal strip, added caps and wires, <1" to 10 pin connector, & 1" from the chip I tied a knot in the cord to the GPS, Did, I mention it is only 4 wires. (TX, RX, 5V, GRN)((No need to wire CTS/RTS signals) Notch in "Memory Hatch Cover" (bottom left, between 2 of the 3 fingers) With DREMEL CutOff Wheel, Grind metal toward plastic. Metal is Very Thin, You need plastic backing it up. I Wraped everything in Electrical Tape. Open the Hatch (Observe Pin 1) Plug it in, Close Hatch It all fits in there. Start with Chip. add caps 4 wires from GPS 4 wires from 10 pin connector (laptop IDE Cut Down) Oh Yea, You have to Install the Software !!! just copy the local maps You want including the State Folders, & You don't have to deal with the demand to copy from CDs. ENJOY * StarFish * Oh, you got to do the Audio Hack (using the TL082 Op AMP) (there are 2 Surface mount points You got to Solder to (both are to the side of resistors ), But it is Well Worth It. You will be Impressed with what this Thing can Put Out !!! MP3s RULE ! MANY THANKS to EveryOne Who Helped Me with this Project. & don't let me Forget the WebSurfer Keyboard Mod !!! What a Sweet WireLess Keyboard / Mouse. 08-05-2000 23:15:51

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) Tackhead Profile http://briefcase.yahoo.com/tackhead_1999 Click on "Day 8" for another implementation of Prefect's serial port hack. My first serial port was basically a dongle hanging out the back of the unit. Ugly as hell, and not very portable for mobile use because the cable was pulling directly on the connector. Ugh. So I built it the *right* way last weekend, hence the Day 8 pics. I rebuilt the hack using a DIP version of the chip, soldering the caps to the bottom of a 16-pin socket, and mounted the thing on the side of the IO, in the space between the RF shield and the edge of the case. The DB-9 sticks out through a carefully-cut (Dremel tools are great!) hole in the back of the case and looks good. Those of you implementing it this way but anticipating lots of vibration should probably drill a couple of small holes so you can use the thumbscrews on most serial cables to tighten things down. I was after quick-connect and quick-disconnect when I built mine. (OK, I was lazy too ;) 08-14-2000 23:43:31

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile snackpak, would you point to a site that you mention has hugo gps software? i find linux gps software called mayko mxmap it's at www.mayko.com i tried that on my laptop with delorme gps but cons are i have to recalibrate the homemade maps(scanned from maps) and sometimes the gps daemon would dies but intresting feature of gps daemon is you can have multi gps over ip to another machine via wireless phone and you can watch where they travel!(same idea was used in patrol cars! ) 08-15-2000 16:54:40

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) Perplexer Profile Well, I finally did the serial/GPS mod this weekend. All I can say is "WHAT A DIFFERENCE!" No more ugly tangle of wires just to get GPS running. Instead of bulky USB -> Serial box, usb cable, second PS/2 splitter (for +5V), and Rand McNally's own long ugly cables, I can just snap the GPS phone cord into the IO and I'm good to go! I used a MAX205EECP (no external caps) on CN13, and a $1 perf board from Radio Shack (fits perfectly on the modem posts) which made this mod easy as pie! Added a phone jack (from a dead PCMCIA modem) to the GPS itself so I can snap any phone cord into the IO and GPS if one cord is damaged, and also so I can still use the GPS on a regular laptop if necessary (I added a phone plug to the the wires on the Rand McNally cable.) Thanks SnackPack for documenting your mod, something I should have done a while ago. :) 08-20-2000 07:54:32

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) justme Profile Hi Perplexer, Ok, I'm game, this sounds like something cool, first where does one find a MAX205EECP I checked google and digikey no luck Second, any particular part number for perf board from radio shack? No external capacitors, easy fit on a board, has a great appeal. Part numbers from suppliers would be very much appreciated! 08-21-2000 10:09:55

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) Perplexer Profile I'd gotten the parts direct from Maxim a while ago; you can request samples of just about any part at their web site: http://www.maxim-ic.com/ or http://dbserv.maxim-ic.com/sl_requests2.cfm I used the 205E-series because it is ESD-protected. I don't know the difference between the 205EECP I used and the 205ECPG which SnackPack used; they perform the same function and the pinouts are the same. The 205 is a bit overkill for this purpose (most pins unused), but like I said, worked great and was easy. I picked up the first perfboard at Rat Shack which looked to be the right size; Two of the mounting holes lined up with a modem post and heatsink post. So it wasn't mounted at four points; only two. But plenty steady; it's not going anywhere. If I hadn't already done the op-amp line-out mod, there'd be plenty of room left on the perfboard for that as well. Rat Shack part number is 276-149A. Also picked up some 0.1uF ceramic caps (used one as described in Maxim's datasheet for this part), part number 276-1997A. Dremeled the first 12 pins from a laptop HDD cable and used that on CN13. Next time I open the IO, I'll take some pics and post em. Let me know if I can be of any help. 08-21-2000 18:15:05

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) SnackPack Profile Well, I'm back online from a 1000 mile move. :) The I-Opener was very useful in my U-Haul. :) I was pleased to note that while I was driving in Colorado (city limit signs post elevation, not population) that the GPS was never off by more than 50 feet in altitude. I actually got it to within 3 feet. One thing that pissed me off was that the Sproggy I-Booster crapped out on me after two weeks. It kept blowing its fuse. I guess I ran it real hard with the load I was producing. The heat in the car may have contributed as well, since the part that went out was a transistor that did not have a heatsink; it was just bolted to the metal case. I didn't think that this was too effective, and may have worn it out. So, I got a variable voltage notebook power supply from Best Buy (110 bucks, I was pissed), but it solved some problems. Using other systems in the car while it is idling does not cut off the I-Opener. For example, if I was at a stop light and I switched on the A/C, the I-Opener would die, but not if the A/C was already running when I was stopped. Revving the engine while I did this always did the trick. The Best Buy power supply fixed this. The Hugo website is at http://www.mayko.com/hugo/ . If you have any good maps for it, let me know. I really want to get moving map software in this baby. As for my software I wrote, I would like to release it, but it needs quite a bit of cleanup. Much if it is hardware dependant. Some #ifdefs could fix this. I'll inform you later. SnackPack PS. Perplexer, it's nice to see I helped someone out! It's quite handy, huh? 08-22-2000 00:32:27

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) SnackPack Profile OK, all... I have updated my site, http://obscured.mp3car.com with a new BBS feature for discussions and questions. I'll probably get back to you much faster this way. :) Snackpack 08-24-2000 02:18:50

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) starfish Profile Great Thread, If You haven't Read It ! Tells how to Power GPS from CN12 (4 Wires Total) I used a Connector & Chip, No PC Board. (Look for My Earlier Post) "Prefect Hack" @ the bottom of this Page Find RS232 Serial Ports. http://www.geocities.com/iopener_hack/prefect/index.html 02-12-2001 13:11:36

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) wildcard Profile Rand McNally GPS Hack Recently on ubid Rand McNally GPS units for the Palm III have been going for 19 and 29 dollars. These have more wires than four. http://www.ubid.com/actn/opn/getpage.asp?AuctionId=5404087 Is it likely that one could do the same four wire hack with one of these? 08-11-2001 13:12:42

RE:Great GPS implementation (modified 0 times) ttn1 Profile | Email My guess would be that it is still a four wire implementation. Might take a little while to tear apart and make a wiring diagram, but at $20-$30 it is probably worth the extra time. I don't know of anyone who has used one of these though. So you would probably have to be the first. ttn1 08-13-2001 06:45:40

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