MN5010HS Design Guidelines: ROM ROM

MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
1. Introduction
This document contains important technical information, design notes and helpful hints to assist the
designer in achieving first time success in bringing up a design using the MN5010HS GPS Receiver
module. It contains design examples and suggestions on a wide variety of topics, including power
supply connections and bypassing, RF interface design, shielding and filtering requirements,
antenna considerations and other important subjects.
ROM
LNA
SAW
RF
Baseband
On-Off
VIO
TX
RX
Opt1
Opt2
Nav
1PPS
TCXO
Figure 1 - MN5010HS Block Diagram
2. Power Supply & Reset

The MN5010HS GPS Receiver Module is designed to operate directly from a battery with a supply
range of 3.25 volts DC minimum to 5.5 volts DC maximum, such as a standard Lithium Ion battery
pack or a three-pack of Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. The battery voltage should always present in
order to keep the internal RTC clock and SRAM alive, even when the receiver is in hibernate mode.
2.1. OnOff Control
Power is controlled via Pin 22, the ON-OFF signal pin of the MN5010HS. The On-Off control signal is
a 1.8 volt I/O signal. If this line is left floating or tied to ground, the receiver will power up whenever
battery voltage is applied and run continuously. Although the battery line can be switched off to
power down the receiver, data stored in the receiver will be lost, with the following results:
Internal TCXO calibration data is lost, lengthening the time for a cold start.
Current ephemeris data is lost, requiring download of the latest ephemeris data.
The current time is lost, eliminating the possibility of a hot start or warm start.
The current location is lost, eliminating the possibility of a warm start.
Any user commanded configuration options (such as port speed and protocol) are lost
and the receiver will default to the configuration as defined by the OPT1 and OPT2 pins.
Curent almanac data is lost and the receiver will revert to the factory almanac..
Patch RAM contents (if used) are lost and will require a new download.
Micro Modular Technologies Pte. Ltd.

No. 3, Ubi Avenue 3, #03-02 Crocodile House 408857 Singapore
Tel: 65-6745-8832 Fax: 65-6293-0661 Email: sales@micro-modular.com
www.micro-modular.com
MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
To place the receiver into hibernate state (all internal power supplies other than RTC/SRAM off) from
the full power operate state, pulse the On-Off control high for a minimum of 100 microseconds. To
return the receiver to full power operate state from the hibernate state, pulse the On-Off control high
for a minimum of 100 microseconds. The Power OnOff pulse must not occur more than once per
second.
Figure 2 - ON-OFF Signal Timing

If the receiver is operating in one of the power management modes (trickle mode or push-to-fix
mode), use the software commands to return the receiver to full power operating mode before
sending the On-Off pulse. Sending an On-Off pulse during adaptive trickle power or push to fix
power modes could result in an undetermined power state.
The current powered state of the receiver can be determined by the state of the VIO pin.
Do not apply an OnOff pulse to the MN5010HS if the main battery supply is not present.
The internal ON-OFF signal is a 1.2 volt logic level. A series resistor of 2.7K and a shunt resistor to
ground of 4.7K to the internal ON-OFF node converts this 1.2 volt logic level to 1.8 volt external logic
levels. This network must be taken into account if designing a resistive divider network to interface
the 1.8 volt logic level ON-OFF signal to a 3 volt I/O controller.
2.2. VIO Pin
VIO is the output of the internal 1.8 volt I/O regulator. If VIO is approximately 1.8 volts, then the
MN5010HS is an active power state. If VIO is approximately 0 volts, then the MN5010HS is in
hibernate state.
VIO can be used to provide power to an external buffer which would drive the MN5010HS RX line.
Select a buffer that powers down with high impedance inputs and outputs thereby eliminating the
possibility of back-driving the MN5010HS through the TX line.
VIO can supply no more than 5mA.
Under no circumstances should this line be driven by any source.
2.3. Reset Circuit Requirements nMR Pin
The MN5010HS does not require any reset circuit for proper operation. If an external reset is
desired, the nMR signal at pin 23 may be pulled low through either an open collector or open drain
Page 2 of 9
MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
transistor or integrated circuit. Do not connect this line to either a pull-up resistor or a device that can
drive the nMR line high. The nMR line is a connection into an open collector bus with 1.2 volt logic
levels. Driving this line high, or pulling it high to a voltage greater than 1.2 volts can permanently
damage the device. The nMR line must be held low a minimum of 30msec for the reset to be
properly recognized.
Holding the nMR line low does not place the receiver into a low power state and should not be used
for this purpose.
Pulling the nMR line low and releasing it will take the receiver out of hibernate state.
3. Default Configuration
The MN5010HS OPT1 and OPT2 input pins change the default behavior of the receiver upon power
up. Note these signals do not have internal pull-up or pull-down resistors. It is important to either pull
up the input to 1.8 volts or pull it down to ground and not leave the lines floating.
OPT1
OPT2
Description
NMEA 4800 BPS, GGA, GSA, GSV(5 sec), RMC, VTG, SBAS Off,
Static Filter Off, Internal DR Off, Track Smoothing On
Extended Ephemeris is not available.
SiRF Binary 57600 BPS
NMEA 57600 BPS, GGA, GSA, GSV, RMC, VTG, EE SiRF Proprietary
Static Filter On, Internal DR On (15 second timeout), Track Smoothing On.
Extended Ephemeris is available. Note - the receiver powers up in
hibernate state for this configuration.
Reserved
Table 1 - OPT Pin Description
4. Serial Data Lines

4.1. TX Data Line
The TX data line outputs serial data from the MN5010HS receiver to the host. This signal is a 1.8 volt
CMOS I/O logic level with the idle condition being logic high.
During hibernation, the TX data line will be at 0 volts. The user is cautioned to ensure that any
downstream processing of this signal can tolerate a 0 volt condition (BREAK condition) whenever the
MN5010HS is in hibernate state. If necessary, the VIO line may be monitored to determine if the
receiver is in hibernate state.
4.2. RX Data Line
The RX data line inputs serial data commands from the host to the MN5010HS receiver. This signal
is a 1.8 volt CMOS I/O logic level with the idle condition being logic high.
During hibernation, take care not to drive this line high (the normal default idle state of this signal) to
prevent partially powering the MN5010HS by backdriving the ESD diode protection circuitry. Use the
VIO signal to determine whether or not it is safe to drive this line.
During idle states, do not hold this line low while the receiver is active.

Page 3 of 9
MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
5. Navigation Indication Pin
Pin 20 of the MN5010HS is the NAV pin, and outputs a signal that pulses high for 100 milliseconds
every second whenever the MN5010HS is in navigation. When the receiver drops out of navigation,
the NAV signal is continuously low. This signal is a 1.8 volt CMOS I/O logic level.
6. 1PPS Pin
The 1PPS signal is available on pin 9, and pulses high for 1 microsecond at a 1 second rate. It is
valid during 3D navigation. The 1PPS signal can vary by up to 200 nanoseconds and trails the UTC
1 second epoch by 450 nanoseconds.
7. Reserved Pin
Pin 4 of the MN5010HS is reserved for factory use. It should be grounded through a zero resistor.
8. RF Interface
8.1. RF Input
The MN5010HS GPS Receiver Module accepts a standard L1 GPS C/A code signal (from a passive
or active antenna) on the RF Input pad of the module. If a passive antenna is desired, no additional
circuitry is required.
8.2. Passive Antenna
A passive antenna can be directly connected to the ANT input of the MN5010HS. Assuming the
antenna is well tuned for the ground plane it would sit on and any plastics that would enclose it,
matching of the antenna to the MN5010HS would not be required. However, good practice suggests
that footprints for a PI matching network would be prudent if space permits.
The ANT input to the MN5010HS directly feeds an LNA. If high levels of RF interference are
expected in the end product, the addition of a pre-select SAW or ceramic filter may be required to
provide good performance.
The rejection characteristics of the pre-select filter can be determined by measuring the out of band
signal levels and using the values from the jamming curve of the MN5010HS as shown in the data
sheet.
8.3. Active Antenna
If an active antenna is required, then suitable means for powering the active antenna must be
provided external to the MN5010HS GPS Receiver Module. The RF input is isolated from DC levels
to a maximum of 15 VDC. In addition, depending upon the amplifier gain of the active antenna (not
to be confused with antenna gain) and cable loss, an RF attenuator may need to be inserted in front
of the MN5010HS to attenuate the output of the active antenna. Generally, an excess gain greater
than 14 dB will need to be attenuated to bring the total gain in front of the MN5010HS down to 14
dB. Operating with higher gain is possible, but may result in somewhat degraded performance in
interference rejection.
If tolerance to high levels of RF interference are required in the end product, the active antenna can
be selected to have both a pre-select and post-select filter to attenuate the unwanted interference.
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MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
8.4. LO Leakage
The MN5010HS has an internal LO at 1571.424MHz that can appear at the ANT pad of the device.
While this level is quite low (approximately 80 dBm), it is high enough that it could interfere with
another GPS receiver in the vicinity. This is not a problem in normal operation, but during test and
evaluation, several receivers could be operating simultaneously from a common antenna or other
signal source. In this case, care must be taken to provide proper isolation between the receivers.
8.5. Spurious Signals
Due to the size of the MN5010HS module and the tight IC geometries used internally, the
MN5010HS does generate a fair amount of digital noise. Since this is all based upon the internal
reference frequency of 16.369 MHz, it is synchronous within the receiver and does not impact
receiver operation. However, some signals may interfere with external circuitry. It may be necessary
to shield the GPS module and related circuitry from other receivers in the end product. If spurious
emission (other than LO leakage) from the GPS antenna are an issue, then either an active antenna
or a pre-select SAW filter between the ANT pad of the MN5010HS and the passive antenna can be
considered.
9. Shielding and Filtering Requirements

The MN5010HS is designed to use a GPS signal that can be as low as -159 dBm. Any source of
interference near in frequency to the GPS signal could potentially jam the MN5010HS and disrupt
reception of the signal.
9.1. Digital Emissions
For proper system design, the GPS antenna needs to be shielded from any potential jamming
source. For that reason, in most designs not containing a transmitter, it makes more sense to shield
the digital portion of the product rather than the RF portion. This keeps the digital noise from
radiating into the antenna and/or antenna feed lines. Generally, it is not necessary to provide
additional shielding around the MN5010HS and associated circuitry.
It is important to note the GPS signal level is well below any regulatory emissions requirement for
EMI and EMC. Thus while a product meets FCC class B or CISPR 22, it is possible the emissions
from the product will still seriously impact the MN5010HS performance.
Excessive interference into the MN5010HS via the antenna can result in low to very low reported
C/Nos of the satellite signals and subsequent excessive TTFF times. Assuming an 18mm square
patch antenna with good LNA, the reported C/Nos should be in the high 40s and low 50s. If the
values are below this, then interference needs to be considered as a problem and resolved. This can
also be checked by substituting an external active antenna and moving it closer to and away from
the device and noting the change in reported C/Nos. If any improvement in signal is noted as the
external antenna is moved away from the device, then additional shielding is required.
9.2. RF Emissions
If the product contains an RF transmitter or a second heterodyne receiver, then care must be taken
to prevent overloading the front end of the MN5010HS if simultaneous operation is required. This
overloading can come from several sources.
First, the input LNA of the MN5010HS does not have a preselect filter and is fairly broad band. If for
example a GSM transmitter (1.8 GHz) were close by, then the GSM signal could overload the LNA.
The output of the LNA is going to be proportional to its input, and if the GSM signal so dominates,
the GPS signal would be attenuated and sensitivity of the receiver would be reduced. The OEM
designer would need to design suitable input filtering to the MN5010HS to protect in this case.
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MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
A second case occurs in the collocated transmitter. The power amplifier has both a gain and a noise
figure. If we take an example of a power amp noise figure of 15 dB and 30 dB of gain, this would
mean that the power amp radiates broadband noise approximately 45 dB above thermal noise. This
means the power amp alone could present a noise source in the GPS band of -129 dBm. While this
would easily meet any regulatory emissions requirements, it would render the GPS receiver
inoperative. In this case, a suitable filter must be placed on the output of the power amplifier of the
collocated transmitter, not the GPS receiver, to avoid this case.
10. GPS Antenna Selection

Currently, there are several types of GPS antennas available for the user to chose from. Each type
of antenna has both advantages and disadvantages which need to be carefully weighed in making a
selection. In addition, most antenna types are available in both an active (which includes a built in
LNA) and passive version.
When selecting the antenna it is important both to consider the characteristics of the GPS signal
itself and the characteristics of the antenna. The GPS signal is broadcast at 1.57542GHz and comes
from each of the visible GPS satellites. The receiver needs a minimum of four signals to compute a
3D position. Ideally, the antenna should have an unrestricted view of the sky. Certain locations may
limit the visibility of the sky such as being close to a building, etc, so it is important that the product in
which the antenna is installed does not further obscure satellite visibility.
The GPS signal is also right hand circularly polarized (RHCP) so best results are achieved under
most conditions with a right hand circularly polarized antenna. Under severed obscuration where
multipath signal reflections are present, a linearly polarized antenna my give better results under the
assumption that a reflected signal is better than no signal.
Antennas are specified by antenna type, antenna gain, antenna pattern, polarization and axial ratio.
Antenna gain is the ratio of the signal level received by the antenna under consideration at zenith as
compared to a theoretical isotropic radiator (equal signal level in all directions). The gain is measured
in dBi (for a linearly polarized antenna) or dBic (for a circularly polarized antenna). The gain of an
antenna will vary depending upon elevation and azimuth of the signal source with respect to the
antenna. Graphically plotting this variation results in an antenna pattern. The axial ratio of an
antenna is a measure of the quality of its polarization. An axial ratio of 1 is perfect circular
polarization, an infinite axial ratio in perfectly linear polarization.

Page 6 of 9
MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
10.1.
Patch Antennas
Patch antennas are typically square or round ceramic elements with metallic plating on both sides,
the top being the antenna element and the bottom being the ground plane.
Figure 3 Typical patch antennas

If a patch antenna is selected, it is important that it be oriented such that the top surface of the
antenna is horizontal with respect to the surface of the earth. Tilting the antenna away from the
horizontal will result in an artificial obscuration of potentially visible satellites.
While patch antennas are low cost and can provide good gain, it is important that they be used with a
proper ground plane. The antenna vendor can provide assistance in this area. In addition, a patch
antenna is detuned by the presence of anything within its near field, such as a plastic cover. The
antenna vendor can tune the antenna to compensate for this detuning.

Page 7 of 9
MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
10.2.
Helix Antennas
Helix antennas are usually spirally wound onto a tubular ceramic piece (see Figure 4). For best
performance, the helix antenna needs to be vertical with respect to the surface of the earth. Helix
antennas do not require a ground plane, but may work better with one.
Figure 4 Sarantel helix antenna (cover removed)

10.3.
Chip Antennas
Chip antennas are the smallest type available for GPS and are quite popular in small handhelds.
However, chip antennas are linearly polarized making them more receptive to multipath signals
which would degrade the accuracy of the computed position in some cases. Chip antennas also
have very specific ground plane requirements. The antenna vendor can provide assistance in this
area and can possibly tune the chip for a specific application.
Figure 5 Chip Antenna

Page 8 of 9
MN5010HS
Design Guidelines
11. Notices
All reference and informational documents (including marketing information, specifications, reference
designs, etc.) are provided for information only and are subject to change without notice. Reasonable
efforts have been made in the preparation of these documents to assure their accuracy, however
Micro Modular Technologies Pte. Ltd. assumes no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this,
or any document, or from the use of the information contained herein. Micro Modular Technologies
Pte. Ltd. reserves the right to make changes in the product design and specifications as needed and
without notification to its users. Please check our website for the most current documentation. All
information contained herein is the property of Micro Modular Technologies Pte Ltd. and may not be
copied or reproduced, other than for your information, without prior written consent.
12. Contact Information

Corporate Headquarters
No. 3, Ubi Avenue 3, #03-02
Crocodile House, Singapore 408857
Americas and Europe

Micro Modular Technologies Americas
14720 Creekside Lane
Longmont, CO 80503, U.S.A.
Tel: (65) 6745 8832

Fax: (65) 6293 0661
Email: sales@micro-modular.com
Tel: (1) 303-482-2842

Fax: (1) 303-339-0398
Email: sales@micro-modular.com
For a list of Regional Sales Representatives,

please see our web page:
Document no: MN5010HS_DG_080905

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MN5010HS

Figure 1 - MN5010HS Block Diagram

2. Power Supply & Reset

The current location is lost, eliminating the possibility of a warm start.

Micro Modular Technologies Pte. Ltd.

Figure 2 - ON-OFF Signal Timing

4. Serial Data Lines

Micro Modular Technologies Pte. Ltd.

9. Shielding and Filtering Requirements

10. GPS Antenna Selection

Micro Modular Technologies Pte. Ltd.

Figure 3 Typical patch antennas

Micro Modular Technologies Pte. Ltd.

Figure 4 Sarantel helix antenna (cover removed)

Figure 5 Chip Antenna

Micro Modular Technologies Pte. Ltd.

12. Contact Information

Americas and Europe

Tel: (65) 6745 8832

Tel: (1) 303-482-2842

For a list of Regional Sales Representatives,

Document no: MN5010HS_DG_080905

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