A DIY GPS Receiver Using Trimble’s Copernicus II Modules and Scavenged Parts
Bharbour built this GPS receiver to use as a timer server reference.
Electrical engineer Bharbour has made a ton of projects over the years that range from a Wi-Fi interface board to a four-channel temperature logger, and everything in between. Like any engineer, some projects eventually fall to the wayside, only to sit and collect dust as newer ones are designed. That doesn’t mean the hardware on those defunct designs are thrown away, any engineer worth their salt will cannibalize whatever they can, and drop what works into their latest creations, which is what Bharbour did with his GPS receiver he created for use as a time server reference.
The GPS receiver was built around electronics he mostly had on hand from other projects, although the main component for the receiver — Trimble’s Copernicus II drop-in GPS receiver is the only new component in the build, which replaces a BeagleBone SBC.
Bharbour explains, “The PCB for the GPS module is the only completely new major part used. Back in 2012, I was working with the BeagleBone, developing a GPS, IMU, and RC Servo interface cape. The Cape went through several iterations as I added stuff and fixed issues. Trimble Copernicus II modules were readily available, so I used them. After the BeagleBone went through multiple versions of its peripheral access system, I punted the BeagleBone, rather than spend more time chasing their software iterations.”
The other hardware Bharbour incorporated into his GPS receiver design includes a power filter/regulator board with an RS232 interface he salvaged from an earlier Geiger counter project, an antenna connector taken from the BeagleBone, a Motorola antenna he garnered from a surplus store, and a folded non-weatherproof metal case he made himself. Bharbour has created a detailed walkthrough of his GPS receiver build on his Hackaday page page for those interested in recreating his project.