unicore UB9A0 All Constellation Multi Frequency High Precision Board
Foreword
Applicability
This document describes the information of hardware information, specifications, and the use of the Unicore UB9A0 board.
Target Readers
This document applies to technicians who possess expertise in GNSS receivers.
Statement
Legal Right Notice
This manual provides information and details on the products of Unicore Communication, Inc. (“Unicore”) referred to herein. All rights, title and interest to this document and the information such as data, designs, layouts contained in this manual are fully reserved, including but not limited to the copyrights, patents, trademarks and other proprietary rights as relevant governing laws may grant, and such rights may evolve and be approved, registered or granted from the whole information aforesaid or any part(s) of it or any combination of those parts. Unicore holds the trademarks of “和芯星通”, “Unicore”, “UNICORECOMM”, and other trade names, trademarks, icons, logo, brand name, and/or service marks of Unicore products or their product serial numbers referred to in this manual (collectively “Unicore Trademarks”). This manual or any part of it, shall not be deemed as, either expressly, implied, by estoppel or any other form, the grant or transferring of Unicore rights and/or interests (including but not limited to the aforementioned trademark rights), in whole or in part.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this manual is provided “as is” and is believed to be true and correct at the time of its publication or revision. This manual does not represent, and in any case, shall not be construed as a commitment or warranty on the part of Unicore with respect to the fitness for a particular purpose/use, the accuracy, reliability, and correctness of the information contained herein. Information, such as product specifications, descriptions, features and user guide in this manual, are subject to change by Unicore at any time without prior notice, which may not be completely consistent with such information of the specific product you purchase. Should you purchase our product and encounter any inconsistency, please contact us or our local authorized distributor for the most up-to-date version of this manual, along with any addenda or corrigenda.
Revision History
| Version | Revision History | Date |
| R1.0 | First release. | Jun,2024 |
|
R1.1 |
1. Updated 1.3 Technical Specifications, including:
– Changing the description used to describe Data Update, – Adding information to the footnote of the data in Data Update. 2. Changed the requirement for the NC-type pins and updated several pin descriptions in 2.2 Pin Definition. 3. Changed the expression “all-frequency” to “multi-frequency”. |
Sept,2024 |
Product Descriptions
UB9A0 is an all-constellation multi-frequency high-precision OEM board developed by Unicore,designed for positioning scenarios, including surveying and mapping, CORS stations, portable base stations, seismic monitoring and global monitoring stations. The UB9A0 board is developed based on NebulasIV, an RF-basedband and high-precision algorithm integrated GNSS SoC. For more information on the chipset, see 1.4 Block Diagram. UB9A0 has a size of 100 mm × 60 mm × 11.4 mm, which is compatible with mainstream GNSS OEM boards on the market. UB9A0 has various types of interfaces for different purposes. For details on the interfaces, see 1.3 Technical Specifications.
UB9A0 supports the frequencies as follows:
- BDS: B1I, B2I, B3I, B1C, B2a, B2b
- GPS: L1C/A, L1C, L2P(Y), L2C, L5
- GLONASS: G1, G2, G3
- Galileo: E1, E5a , E5b, E6
- QZSS: L1C/A, L1C, L2C, L5
- NavIC: L5
- SBAS: L1C/A
- LBAND
Key Features
UB9A0 supports the following enhanced features:
- Highly reliable, stable and resilient in challenging environments,
- Single-constellation standalone positioning and multi-constellation joint positioning,
- Advanced multi-path mitigation and low elevation angle tracking,
- Outputs of carrier-phase observations with millimeter-level accuracy,
- Outputs of centimeter-level RTK positioning data,
- UART, Ethernet, 1PPS, EVENT and external clock input,
- Antenna feed and detection,
- Precise Point Positioning(PPP) calculation.
Technical Specifications
Basic Information
| Basic Information | |
| Channels | 1408 channels, based on NebulasIV |
| Constellations | BDS/GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/QZSS/NavIC |
| Frequencies | BDS: B1I, B2I, B3I, B1C, B2a, B2b1 |
| GPS: L1C/A, L1C, L2P(Y), L2C, L5 | |
| GLONASS: G1, G2, G3 | |
| Galileo: E1C, E5a, E5b, E6 | |
| QZSS: L1C/A, L1C, L2C, L5 | |
| NavIC: L5 | |
| SBAS: L1C/A | |
| LBAND | |
| Power | |
| Main Voltage | +3.2 V ~ +3.6 V DC |
| Backup Voltage | +2.2 V ~ +3.6 V DC |
| Ripple Voltage | 50 mVpp (max.) |
| Power Consumption | 800 mW (typ.) |
| Performance | |
| Single Point Positioning (RMS) |
1.5 m (Horizontal) |
| 2.5 m (Vertical) | |
| SBAS (RMS) | 0.8 m (Horizontal) |
| 0.8 m (Vertical) | |
| DGPS (RMS) | 0.4 m + 1ppm (Horizontal) |
| 0.8 m + 1ppm (Vertical) | |
| RTK (RMS) | 0.8 cm + 1ppm (Horizontal) |
| 1.5 cm + 1ppm (Vertical) | |
| PPP (RMS)2 | 5 cm (Horizontal) |
| 10 cm (Vertical) | |
| Observation Accuracy (RMS) |
BDS |
GPS |
GLONASS |
Galileo |
| B1I/B1C/L1C/L1C/A/G 1/E1
Pseudorange |
10 cm |
10 cm |
10 cm |
10 cm |
| B1I/B1C/L1C/L1C/A/G 1/E1
Carrier Phase |
1 mm |
1 mm |
1 mm |
1 mm |
| B3I/L2P(Y)/L2C/G2/E6
Pseudorange |
10 cm |
10 cm |
10 cm |
10 cm |
| B3I/L2P(Y)/L2C/G2/E6
Carrier Phase |
1 mm |
1 mm |
1 mm |
1 mm |
| B2I/B2a/B2b/L5/G3/E5 a/E5b
Pseudorange |
10 cm |
10 cm |
10 cm |
10 cm |
| B2I/B2a/B2b/L5/G3/E5 a/E5b
Carrier Phase |
1 mm |
1 mm |
1 mm |
1 mm |
| Time Pulse Accuracy (RMS) |
20 ns |
|||
| Velocity Accuracy (RMS) |
0.03 m/s |
|||
|
Sensitivity3 |
-148 dBm (Acquisition),
-160 dBm (Tracking) |
|||
| TTFF | Hot Start: < 4 s | |||
| Cold Start: < 12 s | ||||
| Reacquisition: <1 s (Unlock ≤ 30s) | ||||
| Reacquisition: <2 s (30 s < Unlock < 90s) | ||||
| Initialization Time | < 5 s (typ.) | |||
| Initialization Reliability | > 99.9% (typ.) | |||
| Data Update | 1 Hz, 2 Hz, 5 Hz, 10 Hz, 20 Hz, 50 Hz (RTK) | |
| Supporting a maximum of 50 Hz raw measurements and RTK/PVT output.4 | ||
|
Differential Data |
RTCM 3.x, RTCM 2.x, MSM | |
|
Data Format |
NMEA0183,
Unicore |
|
| Physical Specifications | ||
| Dimensions | 100 mm × 60 mm × 11.4 mm | |
| RF Input | ||
| Input impedance | 50 Ω | |
| Antenna Gain | 20 db to 40 db | |
| Interfaces | ||
| 2 × UART (LV-TTL) | 1 × EX-CLOCK，10 M/20 M | 1 × RTK_STAT |
| 1 × UART (RS-232) | 1 × 1PPS | 1 × ERR_STAT |
| 1 × LAN，10 M/100 M | 1 × EVENT | 1 × PVT_STAT |
| Environmental Specifications | ||
| Operating Temperature | -40 ℃ to +85 ℃ | |
| Storage Temperature | -55 ℃ to +95 ℃ | |
| Humidity | 95% No condensation | |
|
Vibration |
GJB150.16A-2009, MIL-STD-810F | |
|
Shock |
GJB150.18A-2009, MIL-STD-810F | |
- Due to the reason of signal system, it is recommended to cancle the selection of B2b when using TEQC.
- After 20 minutes of convergence under open sky without jamming.
- Rover mode.
- ONCHANGED trigger is recommended to output the ephemeris information. Ethernet is recommended to transmit raw measurements at 50 Hz to avoid data loss.
Block Diagram
RF Part
The receiver gets filtered and enhanced GNSS signals from the antenna via a coaxial cable. The RF part converts the RF input signals into the IF signals, and converts IF analog signals into digital signals required for NebulasIV chip.
NebulasIV SoC
NebulasIV is Unicore’s new generation high precision GNSS SoC with 22 nm low power consumption design, supporting all constellations, multiple frequencies and 1408 super channels. NebulasIV integrates a dual-core CPU, a high-speed floating point processor and an RTK co-processor, which can fulfill the high precision baseband processing and RTK positioning independently.
External Interfaces
UB9A0 has the following external interfaces:
- UART
- Ethernet
- PPS
- EVENT
- RESET_N
- UB9A0
Hardware Introduction
Dimensions
| Parameters Values Tolerance | ||
| Length | 100 mm | -0.2 mm + 0.5 mm |
| Width | 60 mm | ±0.2 mm |
| Height (PCB) | 1.6 mm | ±10% |
| RF Connector | 4.5 mm | ±0.2 mm |
| Shield | 3.1 mm | ±0.2 mm |
| Pin height | 5.9 mm | ±0.2 mm |
Pin Definition
UB9A0 provides dual-row 2 x 21 pins (2.0 mm pitch) as the main interface.
| No. Pins I/O Descriptions | |||
| 1 | GND | GND | Ground |
|
2 |
RTK_STAT |
O |
RTK positioning indicator, active high, high level for RTK fixed solution,
low level for other positioning status or no positioning. |
|
3 |
NC |
– |
No connection inside. Leave floating. |
|
4 |
PPS |
Pulse |
Pulse per second, with adjustable pulse width and polarity
LVTTL |
|
5 |
VCC |
Power |
Power supply
+3.2 V to +3.6 V |
|
6 |
VCC |
Power |
Power supply
+3.2 V to +3.6 V |
|
7 |
RXD3 |
I |
COM3 input LVTTL |
|
8 |
EVENT |
I |
Event input, with adjustable frequency and polarity,
LVTTL |
| No. Pins I/O Descriptions | |||
|
9 |
ERR_STAT |
O |
Error status: active high,
high level when failing self-test, low level when passing self-test. |
|
10 |
PVT_STAT |
O |
PVT status: active high, high level when positioning,
low level when not positioning. |
| 11 |
NC |
– |
No connection inside. Leave floating. |
|
12 |
RSTN |
I |
Reset.
LVTTL, active low, Duration time > 5 ms |
|
13 |
NC |
– |
No connection inside. Leave floating. |
|
14 |
RXD2 |
I |
COM2 input, LVTTL |
|
15 |
NC |
– |
No connection inside. Leave floating. |
|
16 |
TXD2 |
O |
COM2 output, LVTTL |
|
17 |
NC |
– |
No connection inside. Leave floating. |
|
18 |
RXD1 |
I |
COM1 input, RS-232 |
|
19 |
TXD3 |
O |
COM3 output, LVTTL |
|
20 |
TXD1 |
O |
COM1 output, RS-232 |
|
21 |
NC |
– |
No connection inside. Leave floating. |
|
22 |
NC |
– |
No connection inside. Leave floating. |
| No. Pins I/O Descriptions | |||
| 23 | GND | GND | Ground |
| 24 | GND | GND | Ground |
|
25 |
RSV |
– |
Reserved. Leave floating. |
|
26 |
RSV |
– |
Reserved. Leave floating. |
|
27 |
ETH_RX_N |
I |
Ethernet input, negative signal of a differential pair,
Connecting to RD- |
|
28 |
ETH_RX_P |
I |
Ethernet input, positive signal of a differential pair,
Connecting to RD+ |
|
29 |
RSV |
RSV |
Reserved. Leave floating. |
|
30 |
ETH_TX_P |
O |
Ethernet output, positive signal of a differential pair,
Connecting to TD+ |
|
31 |
ETH_TX_N |
O |
Ethernet output, negative signal of a differential pair,
Connecting to TD- |
|
32 |
RSV |
RSV |
Reserved. Leave floating. |
|
33 |
ETH_LED1 |
O |
Blinking.
10 Mbps connection |
|
34 |
ETH_LED2 |
O |
Blinking.
100 Mbps connection |
| 35 | GND | GND | Ground |
|
36 |
NC |
– |
No connection inside. Leave floating. |
| No. Pins I/O Descriptions | |||
|
37 |
RSV |
– |
Reserved. Leave floating. |
|
38 |
RSV |
– |
Reserved. Leave floating. |
|
39 |
V_BCKP/GN D |
POWER/GN D |
External backup power,
Level requirement: 2.2 V to 3.6 V, If you do not use the hot start function, leave the pin floating, or connect it to ground. |
|
40 |
RSV |
– |
Reserved. Leave floating. |
|
41 |
RSV |
– |
Reserved. Leave floating. |
| 42 | GND | GND | Ground |
UB9A0 has the following external interfaces
- Antenna interface: MMCX interface to receive the GNSS antenna signals, and also can feed the antenna.
- External clock interface: MMCX interface to receive the external clock signal. Does not support hot plugging.
For more information about the above interfaces, see 2.3 Electrical Specifications.
Electrical Specifications
This section introduces the electrical specifications for UB9A0.
Absolute Maximum Ratings
| Parameters | Symbols | Min. | Max. | Unit |
| Power Supply (VCC) | VCC | -0.3 | 3.6 | V |
| Voltage Input (TTL) | TTL-Vin | -0.3 | 3.6 | V |
| Voltage Input (RS232) | RS232-Vin | -25 | 25 | V |
| Parameters Symbols | Min. | Max. | Unit | |
| Antenna Feed Current | ICC_RF | / | 100 | mA |
| RF Input Power of Antenna | ANT_IN input power | / | +15 | dBm |
| Storage Temperature | Tstg | -55 | 95 | ℃ |
Operating Conditions
| Parameters | Symbols | Min. | Typ. | Max. | Unit | Conditions |
| Power Supply (VCC)1 | VCC | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.6 | V | / |
| Maximum Ripple Voltage | Vrpp | 0 | / | 50 | mV | / |
| Working Current2 | Iopr | / | 242 | / | mA | VCC=3.3 V |
| Antenna Feed Current | ICC_RF | / | 50 | / | mA | / |
| Operating Temperature | Topr | -40 | / | 85 | ℃ | / |
| Power Consumption | P | / | 800 | / | mW | / |
- The voltage range of VCC (3.2 V to 3.6 V) already includes the ripple voltage.
- Since the product has capacitors inside, inrush current occurs during power-on. You should evaluate in the actual environment in order to check the effect of the supply voltage drop caused by inrush current in the system.
IO Threshold
- LVTTL Threshold
|
Parameters |
Symbol s |
Min. |
Max. |
Uni t | Condition s |
| Low Level Input Voltage | Vin_low | 0 | 0.6 | V | / |
|
Parameters |
Symbol s |
Min. |
Max. |
Uni t | Condition s |
|
High Level Input Voltage |
Vin_high |
VCC * 0.7 |
VCC + 0.2 |
V |
/ |
| Low Level Output Voltage |
Vout_low |
0 |
0.45 |
V |
Iout = 2 mA |
| High Level Output Voltage | Vout_hig h | VCC – 0.45 |
VCC |
V |
Iout = 2 mA |
RS232 Threshold
| Parameters | Symbols | Min. | Typ. | Max. | Unit |
| Direct Input Threshold Voltage | VIT+ | / | 1.5 | 2.4 | V |
| Inverse Input Threshold Voltage | VIT- | 0.6 | 1.2 | / | V |
| High Level Output Voltage | VOH | 5 | 5.5 | / | V |
| Low Level Output Voltage | VOL | -5 | -5.4 | / | V |
RF Input
|
Parameters |
Symbols |
Min
. |
Typ
. |
Max
. |
Uni t | Condition s |
| Optimum Input Gain | Gant | 20 | 30 | 40 | dB | / |
| GNSS Antenna Power Supply | ANT_PW R |
4.0 |
/ |
5.1 |
V |
<100 mA |
External Clock Input
| Parameters Descriptions | |
|
External clock input |
Frequency: 10 MHz/20 MHz
Vp-p: 1.5 V to 3.3 V; recommended: 2.5 V Frequency Stability: max ± 0.5 ppm Waveform: Sine wave |
Hardware Design
Power-on Requirements
To ensure the normal work of UB9A0, please follow the requirements for power-on below:
VCC
- The VCC initial level when powered on should be less than 0.4 V.
- The VCC ramp when powered on should be monotonic, without plateaus.
- The voltages of undershoot and ringing should be within 5% of VCC.
- Power-on time interval: The time interval between the power-off (VCC < 0.4 V) and the next power-on must be larger than 500 ms.
V_BCKP
- The V_BCKP initial level when power-on should be less than 0.4 V.
- The V_BCKP ramp when power-on should be monotonic, without plateaus.
- The voltages of undershoot and ringing should be within 5% of V_BCKP.
- Power-on time interval: The time interval between the power-off (V_BCKP < 0.4 V) and the next power-on must be larger than 500 ms.
Installation and Test
Prerequisites
You can use Unicore’s EVK to test the functionality and performance of UB9A0. Make sure that you have:
- High-precision products EVK, including:
- power adapter
- RF cable
- serial cable
- bottom test board
- UPrecise, the evaluation software
- Unicore Reference Commands Manual For N4 High Precision Products.
Tip
Please keep the packing box and antistatic box for storage and handling.
ESD Protection
Many components on UB9A0 are Static Sensitive Devices (SSD). Therefore, it is necessary to provide ESD protection for IC circuits and other SSDs. Please follow the ESD precautions and procedures below: Electrostatic discharge (ESD) may cause damage to the device. All operations mentioned in this chapter should be carried out on an antistatic workbench using an antistatic wriststrap and conductive foam pad. If there is no antistatic workbench, wear an antistatic wrist strap and connect the strap to a metal frame to avoid electrostatic damage. Hold the edge of the evaluation board, and do NOT touch the components directly. Carefully check the board to make sure that there is no apparent loose or damaged components. If you have any questions, please contact Unicore or the local distributors.
Installation
UB9A0 is delivered as a board that can be used and installed flexibly according to your applications. Here introduces the installation on the evaluation kit from Unicore to test its functionality and performance. For more information about the kit, see High Precision Products Evaluation Kit User Manual.
To install UB9A0 on the EVK, conduct the following steps:
- Ensure adequate antistatic measures, such as wearing a grounded antistatic wrist strap and using a grounded workbench, etc.
- Install UB9A0 on the EVK bottom board by aligning the dual-row pins to the pinholes. The bottom board supplies power to UB9A0.
- Select a GNSS antenna with appropriate gain, fix it in a stable, interference-free, and nonoccluded area, and use the appropriate cable to connect the antenna with the UB9A0 ANT interface.
Note
The RF connector on the board is MMCX, please select the appropriate cable. The signal gain to the RF connector should be better within 25 dB to 35 dB. The Antenna connector provides 5V DC antenna feed by default configuration. - Connect one end of the serial port cable to the COM1 on the EVK, and connect the other end of the cable to the computer if your computer has RS232 ports; otherwise, you need an RS232 to USB cable to connect to the computer.
Tip
It is recommended to use the Z-TEK RS232 to USB cable. - Do Step 4 again to connect other serial ports with the computer as per your need; besides, UB9A0 supports the Ethernet connection.
- If necessary, connect the PPS and EVENT interfaces.
- Connect the power adapter to the power supply interface on the EVK and plug the power adapter into the power outlet.
- Turn the power supply switch to the right to start the UB9A0.
- Start UPrecise. Select the serial port and baud rate to connect the receiver, then UPrecise shows the constellation, message, receiver status, etc. Refer to the UPrecise User Manual for more details.
Note
If the board has not been in use for a long time, or the distance between the last location and the current location is above 1000 km, a slower fix may occur. In that case, please use the FRESET command to clear the older ephemeris and almanac information (this command will also clear the configurations). After the FRESET command is executed, the board will be reset, and it will take 15 minutes to collect new ephemeris and almanac information.
Firmware Upgrade
Firmware Upgrade
Two options are supported for upgrading UB9A0:
- Using the UPrecise software to upgrade. For more information, see the UPrecise User Manual.
- Using UC_ComDownload to upgrade.
To upgrade UB9A0 using UC_ComDownload, follow the steps below:
- Connect UB9A0 to a computer.
- Double click UC_ComDownload.exe to run.
- Click Select Path to select the pkg file for upgrading. The path of the upgrade file is displayed in the file path box on the right.
Note
Using the valid pkg file provided by Unicore is necessary for upgrading. - Select the serial port used on the computer and set the baud rate.
- [Optional]
Click Software Reset to have an automatic restart.
Note
Manual restart can also be conducted in Step 7. - [Optional] Click Support Multi Uarts when you use UART2 or UART3 to upgrade.
- Depending on whether Step 5 has been conducted, choose from the two options below:
When Step 5 is NOT conducted, click START, and when a prompt to reset the chipset is displayed, manually restart UB9A0.
When Step 5 is conducted, click START. After either of the options is chosen, the status view on the right displays the upgrade progress. When the upgrade is done, the occupied serial port is released. UB9A0 is ready for use.
Unicore Communications, Inc.
F3, No.7, Fengxian East Road, Haidian, Beijing, P.R. China, 100094
- www.unicore.com
- Phone: 86-10-69939800
- Fax: 86-10-69939888
- info@unicorecomm.com
- www.unicore.com
FAQs
Q: What should I do if I encounter inconsistent information in the manual and the product I purchased?
A: Contact Unicore or their local authorized distributor for the most up-to-date version of the manual.
Documents / Resources
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unicore UB9A0 All Constellation Multi Frequency High Precision Board [pdf] User Manual UB9A0 All Constellation Multi Frequency High Precision Board, UB9A0, All Constellation Multi Frequency High Precision Board, Multi Frequency High Precision Board, High Precision Board, Board |