HolyBro DroneCAN H-RTK F9P Helical

Overview

The DroneCAN H-RTK F9P is the latest differential high-precision GNSS positioning system from Holybro. It has adopted the DroneCAN protocol for communication. It provides multi-band RTK with fast convergence times and reliable performance, concurrent reception of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou, and a fast update rate for highly dynamic and high volume applications with centimeter-accuracy. 

With the adoption of the DroneCAN Protocol, it has up to an 8 Hz navigation update rate, upgradeability, noise immunity, real-time features, and is more robust than UART due to its increased resistance to electromagnetic interference. It does not occupy any serial port of the flight controller, and multiple CAN devices can be connected to the same CAN bus via a hub.

The DroneCAN-F9P uses a u-blox ZED-F9P module, a BMM150 compass, and a tri-colored LED indicator, and is equipped with the STM32G4 processor running at 170 MHz with 512 KByte Flash and 96KByte RAM. It supports DroneCAN firmware upgrade via the DroneCAN GUI Tool. It is compatible with the open source Pixhawk series flight controller.

RTK Testing & Comparison: Big GPS Round Up by Andrew Tridgell (Ardupilot)

Please Note: 

• The Status LED driver has changed. This LED is support in PX4 1.14, ArduPilot 4.4.4 & later. (More info)

Features

We have designed two models of DroneCAN H-RTK F9P for you to choose, each with different size and antenna design to meet different customer needs. 

DroneCAN F9P Rover The Rover model has a flatter profile and stronger water resistance. It uses a dual band patch antenna and comes with an integrated cable to connect to the CAN bus. It excels in spaces where there are few obstructions.

DroneCAN F9P Helical This model uses a helical antenna, which has slightly better performance in space with obstructions than the Rover version. The antenna of this module can either be attached to the module directly or connected via a SMA cable, giving you the ultimate flexibility. It also has a UART2 port exposed, allowing you to do YAW/Heading (aka moving baseline). This model can be used either on the rover (aircraft) or as a base station. However, when used as Base Station, RTK communicate with the Ground Control Station via USB, so the DroneCAN protocol is not used. You can consider using the standard H-RTK F9P Helical or Base for your Base Station.

Specification & comparison

	DroneCAN H-RTK F9P Rover	DroneCAN H-RTK F9P Helical
Intended Application	Rover (aircraft) only	Rover (aircraft) or Base station
GNSS Receiver	U-blox ZED-F9P high precision GNSS module	U-blox ZED-F9P high precision GNSS module
Antenna	Ceramic Patch Antenna with 20dB LNA	Helical Antenna with 36dB LNA
Processor	STM32G473	STM32G473
Magnetometer	BMM150 or IST8310	BMM150 or IST8310
GNSS	BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS / QZSS	BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS / QZSS
GNSS Band	B1I, B2I, E1B/C, E5b, L1C/A, L1OF, L2C, L2OF	B1I, B2I, E1B/C, E5b, L1C/A, L1OF, L2C, L2OF
Positioning accuracy	3D FIX: 1.5 m / RTK: 0.01 m	3D FIX: 1.5 m / RTK: 0.01 m
Communication Protocol	DroneCAN 1Mbit/s	DroneCAN 1Mbit/s
Antennas Peak Gain (MAX)	L1: 4.0dBi L2:1.0 dBi	L1: 2dBi L2: 2dBi
Time-TO-First Fix	Cold start: ≤29s Hot start: ≤1s	Cold start: ≤25s Hot start: ≤1s
Navigation Update Rate	RAW: 20Hz Max RTK: 8Hz Max	RAW: 20Hz Max RTK: 8Hz Max Moving Base RTK: 5Hz Max
Cable Length	27cm or 50cm	N/A
Antenna Connection Type	N/A	Board: SMA female Antenna: SMA male
Working voltage:	4.75V~5.25V	4.75V~5.25V
Current Consumption	~250mA	~250mA
Dimensions	Diameter: 80mm Height: 20mm	Board: 51.1*35*22.9mm Antenna Diameter: 27.5mm Antenna height: 59mm
Weight	123g	58g
Operating Temperature	-20℃ to 85℃	-20℃ to 85℃

 

Sample Wiring Diagram

Package Included:

• 1x DroneCAN F9P Helical
• 1x High Precision Dual Band Helical Antenna (L1/L2)
• 1x GH 4P cable 400mm
• 1x GH 4P cable 150mm
• 1x GH 6P cable 150mm
• 1x SH 10P cable 150mm
• 1x USB (type-c) cable