Help required with GPS Problem when connected to C760 using Options

[mikew]

Can anyone help me to get my CF card (BC-307) GPS to work, I’ve searched the forums & googled & tried a number of solutions.

Card works OK on my Windows PC & Psion Netbook

Tried changing to the default ttyS3 port for CF cards

Downloaded the serial_cs driver to the rootmodules2.4.18-mk7-pxa3-embedix 0pcmcia directory

Tried every bit of GPS software I can find including qpeGPS, qtgps & zGPS.

Any help would be much appreciated

Mike

[mitchrl]

Try this thread:

http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?n...hlight=serialcs

HTH,
Robert

[mikew]

Thanks to all those that responded, working through all the posts, to see if I can get a viable GPS connection.

Mike

[mikew]

Robert

Tried the instructions in the link.

The modbrobe serial_cs said that I had the wrong serial_cs file, managed to find one that did not give any errors.

Inserted GPS & entered command cardctl pause on my C760 & it said there was no such command, tried cardctl suspend

Entered cardctl resume then loaded qpegps, said it cannot connect to GPS!

Any suggestions?

Mike

[mitchrl]

Sorry about the wrong command but good job figuring out the correct syntax. Just a few things to try:

1. I always run the terminal commands as root.

2. Be sure and plug in your external antenna.

3. Make sure the args for gpsd are something like "-p /dev/ttyS3 -s 4800". The ttyS3 is the correct serial device. When you get the "cannot connect message" you can select ignore and change the arguments. Press enter and the gpsd and GPS status should change to green.

Let me know how this works for you.
Regards,
Robert

[mikew]

Thanks Robert

I did enter commands as root & connected the external antenna.

I now have a working connection to the GPS, but only with zGPS which has less functionality than qpeGPS.

What I am doing wrong, did you try more than 1 lot of GPS software, perhaps installation of zGPS has affected qpeGPS.

Any suggestions?

Mike

[mitchrl]

Hey Mike,
To be completely honest, I don't use qpeGPS that much. I installed it to get gpsd which is required for roadmap.

I usually get the same error you do everytime I start qpeGPS. Sometimes qpeGPS does not start and I need to use "ps -A" to identify and kill the still-running process. The most consistent procedure I have to start and stop qpeGPS is the following:

a) Start qpeGPS. Ignore the error message by selecting "Ignore".
Insert the BC-307. Start a terminal session. Issue a "cardctl resume".
c) Switch back to qpeGPS. Place the cursor on the Args prompt. Press enter.
d) After closing qpeGPS, remove the BC-307.

This assumes a modprobe serial_cs and the proper arguments for starting gpsd ("-p /dev/ttyS3 -s 4800").

I think you are close. Follow these instructions and I think you will have it up and running but probably not the way you will want to use it.
Regards,
Robert

[mikew]

Thanks Robert

I will have another play with it tonight, I only intended to use it on those occasions that I don't have my Psion or Toshiba Libretto with me, as I always have the C760 in my pocket.

Have you ever tried to contact the developer to see if he/she is willing to make the software more Zaurus compatible?

Mike

[mitchrl]

Mike,
I don't think it's a zaurus thing but probably a bc-307 thing. It seems to be an initialization problem when qpeGPS is trying to start gpsd. It very well could be a permissions error. If I can sort it out with more detail, I'll pass it on.

I hope you get it working.
Regards,
Robert

[dmilligan]

Here is a script I wrote for my BC-307:

#!/bin/bash
# Make sure the permissions are set to execute as root

# If gpsd is running - shut it down as we may be making changes to
# the drivers etc
gpsdRunning=$( ps wax | grep gpsd )
if [ "$gpsdRunning" != "" ] ; then
killall -9 gpsd
fi

module_name="serial_cs"

# For serial_cs to work with modprobe - place it under /lib/modules/2.4.18XXX/pcmcia
# Ensure that the module has been loaded
grepResults=$( /sbin/lsmod | grep $module_name )

if [ "$grepResults" = "" ] ; then
depmod -a
modprobe $module_name
fi

cardSuspend=$( /sbin/cardctl status | grep suspend )

if [ "$cardSuspend" != "" ] ; then
/sbin/cardctl resume
fi

# Start up gpsd for compact flash
gpsd -p /dev/ttyS3 -s 4800

# we should be golden cya
exit 0

------------------------
I am currently using qpeGPS and it appears to be working fine - one thing is to make sure you run the above script prior to inserting the GPS unit and before you run qpeGPS. Run the script as root or set the permissions accordingly. I found that qpeGPS always seems to default to /dev/ttyS0 regardless if I type something different in the window. With the external antenna attached I was picking up 6 or 7 satellites. Next step is to try it in the car to see how it tracks around town. For the serial_cs.o module, I am using the one out of the GPRS-Fido-RTM8000-Zaurus package availble in the downloads sections I believe.

[mikew]

Thanks for the script

Copied it over to the Zaurus via TkcEditor

Do I need a special file extension?

How do I run the script as root, tried copying the file to root but refuses.

TIA

Very new to Linux, although I have been in computing for 30 years.

Mike

[dmilligan]

Nope no extension but you will need to do the following as root (assuming script is called startgps):
chmod +x startgps

You can also do:
chmod +s startgps

then you should be able to run it as the zaurus user opposed to switching to root to run it. Also when copying it make sure you are logged in as root so you will have the correct write permissions. If you do the following:
ls -l startgps

you will see it listed and what permissions are set. BTW I took mine outside tonight to check it out - somehow deleted my script so didnt run it - need to re-synch at work tomorrow to pick it back up. GPS came up with 7 satellites. Didnt track on my localized maps but I have a few holes around my home area - didnt have the exact coordinates for my back porch - will rectify that tomorrow. Email me if you have any questions: Dan_Milligan at excite dot com.

[mikew]

Dan

Could not remember the copy command so I tried to move startgps to root, received error message saying file system was read only.

Any suggestions?

Mike

[dmilligan]

Did su to root first? Use the "cp" command for copy. Read only is because you probably need root permissions in order to write to that area.

[mikew]

Dan

I did the following

Loaded Terminal
SU
cp startgps Documents/startgps

ls shows file now in root

chmod +x startgps
chmod +s startgps
startgps

Error message startgps: not found

Any suggestions?

Mike