TinyGPS + Serial Studio example

Overview

This project shows how to use Serial Studio to visualize GPS location data from a GPS module (GY-NEO6MV2) connected to an Arduino. The Arduino reads GPS data (latitude, longitude, altitude) and sends it to Serial Studio over serial for display on a map.

Compatibility. Works with any GPS module that outputs NMEA sentences at 9600 baud. The sketch ships configured for an Uno or Nano; switching to a Mega 2560 (or any board with a spare hardware serial port) is a two-line change in the sketch.

Hardware setup

You need a GY-NEO6MV2 GPS module and an Arduino. As shipped, the sketch reads the GPS through SoftwareSerial on an Uno or Nano: connect the TX pin of the GPS module to Arduino pin 2 (the sketch's software-serial RX pin). The GPS module must run at 9600 baud, which matches the default in the Arduino sketch.

On a Mega 2560 (or any board with a spare hardware serial port), use Serial1 instead: connect the GPS module's TX pin to the Mega's RX1 pin and swap these two lines in the sketch, uncommenting the first and removing the second:

//HardwareSerial &gpsSerial = Serial1;
SoftwareSerial gpsSerial(2, 3); // For Arduino UNO/Nano

Step by step

1. Arduino sketch (TinyGPS.ino)

Install the TinyGPS library:

• Open the Arduino IDE, go to Sketch > Include Library > Manage Libraries, search for "TinyGPS", and install it.

Once installed, open TinyGPS.ino, wire the GPS module per the hardware setup, and upload. The GPS data is transmitted with these delimiters:

• Start delimiter ($). Marks the start of a frame.
• End delimiter (;). Marks the end of the frame.
• Separator (,). Separates fields (latitude, longitude, altitude).

The frame looks like:

$latitude,longitude,altitude;

2. Serial Studio configuration

Serial Studio needs to be configured to parse the GPS data:

1. Download and install Serial Studio. Visit Serial Studio's website to download and install.
2. Open Serial Studio and import TinyGPS.ssproj. Launch Serial Studio and load the TinyGPS.ssproj file from this project in the Project Editor. It has everything you need to interpret the Arduino's data.

Building from scratch

If you want to configure it yourself:

• Frame start sequence: $.
• Frame end sequence: ;.
• Data separator: ,.

Then click the Map button in Serial Studio to create a GPS map widget automatically. The widget uses the latitude and longitude to show the current position, and altitude is logged into the CSV.

3. API keys for maps

To get the most out of the mapping features, you may need API keys for some map styles:

• Thunderforest API key. Needed for some map types. Get one from Thunderforest.
• MapTiler API key. Needed for satellite maps. Get one from MapTiler. The satellite map may take a bit to download and cache on first use.

4. Viewing GPS data

Once Serial Studio is configured:

• The bundled TinyGPS.ssproj configures a UART source at 115200 baud (matching the Arduino sketch). Pick the Arduino's serial port and connect.
• You'll see the real-time GPS position on the map widget. Altitude can be logged to a CSV file for later analysis.

Troubleshooting

• No data on the map. Make sure the GPS module has a clear view of the sky to get a satellite fix. Check that the correct port and baud rate are selected in Serial Studio.
• Incorrect parsing. Double-check that the start sequence ($), end sequence (;), and separator (,) are set correctly in the project settings.