SparkFun Launches MicroMod Asset Tracker, Offers GNSS, Motion, and Sound Tracking with LTE-M/NB-IoT

Designed with accurate GNSS, 9DoF IMU, and sound tracking, the new carrier is ready to accept any MicroMod processor in the range.

SparkFun has launched a new entry into its MicroMod ecosystem, bringing asset tracking to the platform courtesy of a u-blox SARA-R510M8S model with LTE-M and NB-IoT connectivity.

Launched late last year, MicroMod is an attempt to bring modularity and standardisation to the embedded industry: MicroMod processors are provided as modules with a Mini-PCI Express (mPCIe)-style edge connector, ready to be slotted into any MicroMod-compatible carrier board. Need to switch processor? Just pop out the existing MicroMod module and slide in a new one.

The SparkFun MicroMod Asset Tracker is the latest carrier board to enter the ecosystem, and as the name suggests it has a key purpose in mind: Keeping an eye on position and motion and communicating that back to a central server.

"Built around the u-blox SARA-R510M8S module, the asset tracker offers Secure Cloud LTE-M and NB-IoT data communication for multi-regional use and has an integrated u-blox M8 GNSS receiver for accurate positioning information," SparkFun explains. "The SARA-R5 supports many different forms of data communication from full TCP/IP sockets and packet switched data, through HTTP Get/Put/Post, FTP (the SARA has a built-in file system), Ping, to good old SMS text messaging!"

The carrier board accepts any MicroMod processor and has an integrated nine-degrees-of-freedom (9DoF) inertial measurement unit (IMU), digital microphone, microSD card slot, and the option to power everything via USB Type-C, lithium-polymer batteries with full charging and monitoring, or via breakout pins.

The MicroMod Asset Tracker brings with it an optional MicroMod processor, too: The MicroMod Update Tool. "The Update Tool is not a full MicroMod Processor Board, it is much simpler than that," the company explains. "It has a CH340C USB-Serial converter on it, which gives you full access to all eight pins of the SARA-R5's UART interface via the Asset Tracker’s USB-C connector. Think of it as a bridge from USB to serial."

"Why is this a good idea? Well, for a start — as the name suggests - it is an ideal way to upgrade the SARA-R5’s firmware should you need to. The Update Tool also makes it simple to communicate directly with the SARA using u-blox’s sophisticated m-center cellular evaluation software."

The MicroMod Asset Tracker Carrier is now available on the SparkFun store at $149.95 before volume discounts; the Update Tool is priced at just $4.95. The company has also published hook-up guides for both the Asset Tracker Carrier Board and the MicroMod Update Tool.

Gareth Halfacree
Freelance journalist, technical author, hacker, tinkerer, erstwhile sysadmin. For hire: freelance@halfacree.co.uk.
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