SparkFun Relaunches the RTK Facet with Better Battery Holder, Robust New Carry Case

SparkFun has announced the release of a new and improved RTK Facet, a compact multi-functional entry in its high-accuracy geolocation and surveying range — and promises that issues with its battery holder should now be completely resolved.

"As you might be able to tell, it has received a brand new carrying case that was custom made for the Facet. This is very similar to the ones found with the RTK Surveyor, RTK Express, and RTK Express Plus kits," SparkFun's Chris McCarty writes of the upgrade. "More importantly, and not easily seen, is that the battery holder inside the shell of the RTK Facet has been drastically improved, making the unit much more durable to explore the Brobdingnagian wilds at no additional cost!"

The specifications of the device itself remain unchanged from its original release. The RTK Facet is driven by an Espressif ESP32 WROOM module connected to a u-blox ZED-F9P high-precision global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver with real-time kinematic (RTK) support. As before, it offers four operation modes: GNSS positioning to ~30cm (around 12") accuracy; GNSS with RTK to ~1.4cm (around 0.55") accuracy; or to operate as a base station with or without Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol (NTRIP) server.

For those who have already purchased the RTK Facet, SparkFun is making the carrying case available separately for $26.95; the new bundle, meanwhile, is up for sale on the SparkFun store at $699.95 before volume discounts. The company has also published a hookup guide designed to get users up and running with the RTK Facet as quickly as possible.