sparkfunx / satellite_transceiver_breakout__swarm_m138

Satellite Transceiver Breakout - Swarm M138

Satellite Transceiver Breakout - Swarm M138

SparkFun Satellite Transceiver Kit - Swarm M138

A breakout for the Swarm M138 satellite transceiver.

This breakout allows you to power and communicate with the Swarm M138 using USB 3 or USB-C, or breakout pins.

We've written a Python3 PyQt5 GUI to let you communicate with the modem. You will find it in its own dedicated repo:

• SparkFun Swarm M138 GUI

You will find the modem manual in the Documents folder. It contains the full list of modem commands and messages.

You can also integrate the satellite transceiver directly into your project; the breakout pads can be used to provide power and access the 3.3V UART TX and RX signals.

Open the two split jumper pads on the bottom of the PCB first, located between the TXO/CH340_RXI and RXI/CH340_TXO pads. Then connect:

• GND to GND on your Arduino board
• VIN to 5V/V_USB on your Arduino board
• TXO to RX on your Arduino board (3.3V only!)
• RXI to TX on your Arduino board (3.3V only!)

Our Swarm Satellite Arduino Library makes communicating with the modem really easy.

Repository Contents

• /Hardware - contains the Eagle PCB, SCH and LBR design files
• /Documents - contains the datasheet etc. for the Swarm M138
• LICENSE.md - contains the licence information

• SparkFun Swarm M138 GUI - dedicated repo for the Swarm M138 GUI

Product Versions

• KIT-21287 - SparkFun Satellite Transceiver Kit - Swarm M138
• SPX-19236 - Original SparkX version

License Information

This product is open source!

Please review the LICENSE.md file for license information.

If you have any questions or concerns on licensing, please contact technical support on our SparkFun forums.

Distributed as-is; no warranty is given.

• Your friends at SparkFun.

satellite_transceiver_breakout__swarm_m138's Issues

5v Logic Tolerance?

Since I have to think that I won't be the last person to make this mistake, a question please...

Wanting to test 'Sleep' Mode with the Arduino device connected to my M138, I found that the Arduino Due that I had was not supported by the same avr/sleep.h library that is most commonly used. So, I purchased a couple of MEGA boards to use with the M138 to allow me to experiment with Sleep mode.

However, for several minutes after connecting one of the hardware serial UART connections from the MEGA to the M138, I forgot about the M138's requirement for 3.3v logic levels. During that time, a message was queued and things appeared to work normally. However, I immediately disconnected power from both devices and am in the process of wiring up a logic level shifter board between the MEGA & the M138.

Does the M138 have (I hope) "some" tolerance to the presence of a 5v logic level on the serial RX/TX pins? Fingers crossed that all is well when I re-wire with the 5v/3.3v level shifter in place.

Thanks!

-Scott, K4KDR

BOM

Is it possible for you to upload the BOM? I am not finding anything in this repository..

Example Sketch Request - 'Live' Data Uplink

The M138 is working spectacularly well - way beyond my expectations. Thanks to all involved.

The Arduino examples are very helpful. There are examples on how to transmit static text or hex strings as well as examples on how to perform essentially 'Serial Console' type interactions with the M138.

Would it be possible to see an example that illustrates how the M138 will probably be most commonly used: to upload sensor data on a periodic (i.e., once per hour) basis? I am referring to analog sensors (air temperature, for example) that would be connected to one of the Arduino's input pins and on a periodic basis, the most current 'live' value uploaded via satellite.

In fact, I have already heard from one person tasked with with monitoring environmental data in an EXTREMELY remote location and naturally he is very interested in your product & the SWARM service. However, while I already use Arduino devices to uplink that kind of data via other LoRa hats as well as via the local IP network, I'm not clear how to submit a 'live' value on a scheduled basis for upload via the M138. (I realize messages have to be queued, so the telemetry won't be EXACTLY live... just looking to acquire the current value once per hour for submission to the uplink queue)

Thanks in advance for any guidance on this!

-Scott, K4KDR

M138 Absolute VCC

What is the absolute VCC for the M138?
The datasheet says 5.0V and SparkFun schematic shows this connected directly to USB which is allowed to deviate up to 5.5V

Could be a problem?