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SAM-M8Q

Easy-to-use u-blox M8 GNSS antenna module

Hardware Integration Manual

Abstract

This  document  describes  the  hardware  features  and
specifications  of  the  SAM-M8Q  patch  antenna  module,
which features the u-blox M8 concurrent GNSS engine with
reception of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS signals.

www.u-blox.com

UBX-16018358 - R05

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Summary of Contents for SAM-M8Q

Page 1: ...anual Abstract This document describes the hardware features and specifications of the SAM M8Q patch antenna module which features the u blox M8 concurrent GNSS engine with reception of GPS GLONASS Galileo and QZSS signals www u blox com UBX 16018358 R05 Top and bottom view ...

Page 2: ... M8Q Declaration of Conformity DoC is available at www u blox com within Support Product resources Conformity Declaration This document applies to the following products Product name Type number Firmware version PCN reference SAM M8Q SAM M8Q 0 10 ROM SPG 3 01 N A u blox reserves all rights to this document and the information contained herein Products names logos and designs described herein may i...

Page 3: ...light important information within the manual An index finger points out key information pertaining to module integration and performance A warning symbol indicates actions that could negatively influence or damage the module Questions If you have any questions about SAM M8Q integration please Read this manual carefully Contact our information service on the homepage http www u blox com Read the q...

Page 4: ...PULSE 7 1 5 4 SAFEBOOT_N 7 1 6 Electromagnetic interference on I O lines 8 2 Design 9 2 1 Pin description 9 2 2 Minimal design 9 2 3 Footprint and paste mask 10 2 4 Antenna 11 2 5 Embedded antenna operation 12 2 6 PCB layout suggestion 13 3 Product handling 14 3 1 Packaging shipping storage and moisture preconditioning 14 3 2 Soldering 14 3 3 EOS ESD EMI precautions 17 3 3 1 Electromagnetic interf...

Page 5: ...voltage During operation the current drawn by the module can vary by some orders of magnitude especially if enabling low power operation modes For this reason it is important that the supply circuitry be able to support the peak power for a short time see the SAM M8Q Data Sheet 1 for specification When switching from backup mode to normal operation or at start up the SAM M8Q antenna module must ch...

Page 6: ...Channel DDC interface is available with SAM M8Q antenna modules for serial communication with an external host CPU The interface only supports operation in slave mode master mode is not supported The DDC protocol and electrical interface are fully compatible with the Fast Mode of the I 2 C industry standard DDC pins SDA and SCL have internal pull up resistors to VCC_IO For more information about t...

Page 7: ...ontrol The power control feature allows overriding the automatic active inactive cycle of Power Save Mode The state of the receiver can be controlled through the EXTINT pin The receiver can also be forced OFF using EXTINT when Power Save Mode is not active Frequency aiding The EXTINT pin can be used to supply time or frequency aiding data to the receiver For time aiding hardware time synchronizati...

Page 8: ...mpedance line it is possible to generate noise in the order of volts and not only distort receiver operation but also damage it permanently On the other hand noise generated at the I O pins will emit from unshielded I O lines Receiver performance may be degraded when this noise is coupled into the GNSS antenna see Figure 11 To avoid interference by improperly shielded lines it is recommended to us...

Page 9: ...t Start features on the positioning module Otherwise connect to VCC_IO UART TXD 13 O Serial Port Can be configured as TX_Ready for DDC interface Leave open if not used RXD 14 I Serial Port Leave open if not used DDC SCL 12 I Serial Port Leave open if not used SDA 9 I O Serial Port Leave open if not used System RESET_N 18 I Reset Active Low Leave open if not used Do not drive high Do not connect a ...

Page 10: ...ure to comply with special PCB layout design rules to ensure proper embedded antenna operation when the customer PCB is used as part of antenna This requires solid ground plane around the module see the section 2 60 for PCB layout suggestions Footprint Figure 4 SAM M8Q footprint Symbol Typ mm A 15 50 B 7 60 C 3 80 D R1 00 E 11 00 F 6 30 H 1 80 I 1 50 J 13 20 Table 2 SAM M8Q footprint dimensions ...

Page 11: ...a Antenna input The module has an embedded GNSS patch antenna and a SAW band pass filter before LNA which provides excellent protection against out of band GNSS blocking caused by possible near by wireless transmitters The signal is further amplified by the internal Low Noise Amplifier LNA inside u blox s UBX M8030 GNSS chip Be sure to comply with special PCB layout design rules to ensure proper e...

Page 12: ...space radiation patterns Tall nearby components h 3 mm should be placed at least 10 mm away from the SAM M8Q module An enclosure or plastic cover should have a minimum distance of 5 mm to the antenna Placement near a human body or any biological tissue can be acceptable by keeping a minimum distance of 10 mm between motherboard and the body With smaller distances to the body the radiation efficien...

Page 13: ...mponents are shielded or on inner layers Do not place any noisy parts close to SAM M8Q place them as far away as possible or on other side of PCB It is recommended not to place anything closer than 1 cm to each edge of SAM M8Q Performance goes significantly down if GND size is smaller than 40 x 40 mm Use at least one layer for solid GND plane preferably the layer SAM M8Q is placed on it Use solid ...

Page 14: ...ecommendations Reflow soldering A convection type soldering oven is highly recommended over the infrared type radiation oven Convection heated ovens allow precise control of the temperature and all parts will heat up evenly regardless of material properties thickness of components and surface color As a reference see the IPC 7530 Guidelines for temperature profiling for mass soldering reflow and w...

Page 15: ...red with a damp heat process Optical inspection After soldering the SAM M8Q antenna module consider an optical inspection step to check whether The module is properly aligned and centered over the pads Cleaning In general cleaning the populated modules is strongly discouraged Residues underneath the modules cannot be easily removed with a washing process Cleaning with water will lead to capillary ...

Page 16: ...le a maximum of one reflow cycle is allowed In general we do not recommend using a hot air gun because this is an uncontrolled process and might damage the module Attention use of a hot air gun can lead to overheating and severely damage the module Always avoid overheating the module After the module is removed clean the pads before placing and hand soldering a new module Never attempt a rework on...

Page 17: ...tion or a large manufacturing area The main principle of an EPA is that there are no highly charging materials near ESD sensitive electronics all conductive materials are grounded workers are grounded and charge build up on ESD sensitive electronics is prevented International standards are used to define typical EPA and can be obtained for example from International Electrotechnical Commission IEC...

Page 18: ...Any unshielded line or segment 3 mm connected to the GNSS receiver can effectively act as antenna and lead to EMI disturbances or damage The following elements are critical regarding EMI Unshielded connectors e g pin rows etc Weakly shielded lines on PCB e g on top or bottom layer and especially at the border of a PCB Weak GND concept e g small and or long ground line connections EMI protection me...

Page 19: ...ntenna an additional input filter is needed on the GNSS side to block the high energy emitted by the cellular transmitter Examples of these kinds of filters would be the SAW Filters from Epcos B9444 or B7839 or Murata Increasing interference immunity Interference signals come from in band and out band frequency sources In band interference With in band interference the signal frequency is very clo...

Page 20: ...ilter before handset antenna Out band interference Out band interference is caused by signal frequencies that are different from the GNSS carrier see Figure 12 The main sources are wireless communication systems such as cellular CDMA WCDMA Wi Fi BT etc Figure 12 Out band interference signals Measures against out band interference include maintaining a good grounding concept in the design and keep ...

Page 21: ... Global Positioning System GSM Global System for Mobile Communications IEC International Electrotechnical Commission PCB Printed circuit board QZSS Quasi Zenith Satellite System Table 3 Explanation of abbreviations used B Recommended parts Recommended parts are selected on data sheet basis only Other components may also be used Manufacturer Part ID Remarks Parameters to consider Ferrite Bead Murat...

Page 22: ...10204 pdf 7 GNSS Implementation in Cellular Modules Docu No UBX 13001849 For regular updates to u blox documentation and to receive product change notifications please register on our homepage http www u blox com Revision history Revision Date Name Status Comments R01 25 Nov 2016 mdur Initial version R02 22 Dec 2016 mdur Added the preface page and the document status Objective Specification minor ...

Page 23: ...lox com Support support_ap u blox com Regional Office China Beijing Phone 86 10 68 133 545 E mail info_cn u blox com Support support_cn u blox com Regional Office China Chongqing Phone 86 23 6815 1588 E mail info_cn u blox com Support support_cn u blox com Regional Office China Shanghai Phone 86 21 6090 4832 E mail info_cn u blox com Support support_cn u blox com Regional Office China Shenzhen Pho...

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