SparkFun

GNSS Flex Breakout Carrier Board

Name: GNSS Flex Breakout Carrier Board
Brand: SparkFun
SKU: SF-GPS-28962
Price: 58.9 AUD
Availability: InStock

· MPN: GPS-28962

Breakouts GPS & Location Sensors SparkFun Qwiic Ecosystem

$58.90 |

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This carrier board brings the GNSS Flex ecosystem out to a practical development breakout, so you can use your chosen GNSS Flex module on a breadboard, with ...

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This carrier board brings the GNSS Flex ecosystem out to a practical development breakout, so you can use your chosen GNSS Flex module on a breadboard, with a flight controller, or inside a custom navigation build. The standard 2x10 male headers accept a GNSS Flex module and expose its available interfaces.

Connection options include native USB pass-through, a CH342 USB-to-UART bridge, Qwiic, µSD, Pixhawk-style JST ports, UART, I2C, SDIO, PPS/Event signals and antenna bridging via u.FL to SMA. Power can be supplied through USB or VIN, with jumper-configurable power behaviour for the JST ports.

Onboard LEDs show module status including power, PPS, PVT and RTK. Depending on the GNSS Flex module selected, an external antenna may be required; modules with u.FL can connect directly, or you can jumper the module to the breakout's u.FL/SMA antenna bridge for a sturdier SMA antenna connection.

Supporting documentation includes design files, schematic, KiCad files, board dimensions, STEP file, component datasheets, a hookup guide, Building a GNSS System, Qwiic information and the GitHub hardware repository.

Features:

Full Pin Access: Standard 0.1"-pitch headers break out all module interfaces, including up to four UARTs, I²C, USB, SDIO, and dual PPS/Event signals.
Dual-Mode USB: Connect directly to your module's native USB port or use the onboard CH342 USB-to-UART bridge for easy serial communication and configuration.
Bridge disable: The bridge can be quickly disabled if you need exclusive access to the UART pins.
Pixhawk-Ready JST Ports: Two 6-pin JST connectors with the standard Pixhawk pinout allow for a plug-and-play connection to flight controllers or telemetry radios for receiving RTCM correction data.
Multiple Inputs: Provide power via any of the USB connectors or the dedicated VIN pin.
Configurable Voltage Output: By default, the JST connectors output 5V to power peripherals.
Jumper options: Onboard jumpers allow you to easily switch this to 3.3V or isolate the circuit completely, using the pin as a dedicated 5V input.
Status indicators: Onboard LEDs provide instant visual feedback on the status of your GNSS module, including indicators for Power, PPS lock, PVT (Position, Velocity, Time) fix, and RTK fix.
External antenna connection: GNSS Flex modules that require an external antenna will come with a U.FL connector.
Antenna connection option: The antenna can be connected directly to the Flex module if desired.
Sturdier antenna connection: Two SMA connectors are available on the SparkFun GNSS Flex Breakout.
Antenna bridge: Each SMA connector is bridged to a U.FL connector.

Specifications:

GNSS Flex module header: 40-pin header for GNSS Flex modules
GNSS Flex module headers: Two 2x10-pin, 2mm-pitch male headers
GNSS Flex header signal: Power
GNSS Flex header voltage: 3.3V
GNSS Flex header power: Backup power
GNSS Flex header signal: USB bus detect (not a power source)
GNSS Flex header signal: USB data
GNSS Flex header interface: UART (x4)
GNSS Flex header interface: SD card
GNSS Flex header interface: I2C bus
GNSS Flex header signal: PPS signal (x2)
GNSS Flex header indicators: LED indicators (x2)
GNSS Flex header indicators: Event indicators (x2)
USB connector: USB USB-C connector
USB connector function: Provides a direct pass-through connection to the attached module's native USB interface (requires a USB-capable GNSS module)
USB connector power: 5V power input
UART connector: UART USB-C connector
UART connector interface: Interfaces to UART1 and UART2 on the GNSS Flex Module via a CH342 interface
UART connector power: 5V power input
JST connectors: JST connectors (x2)
JST connector interface: Provides access to UART1 (TX & RX) plus I2C - for connection to a Pixhawk flight controller
JST connector interface: Provides access to UART2 with handshaking - for connection to a telemetry radio
JST connector power: 5V power output
JST connector power option: Optional 3.3V power output - configured via jumpers
JST connector power option: Optional 5V power input - when all other power sources are disconnected
Antenna bridges: Antenna bridges (x2)
Antenna connector: u.FL connector
Antenna connector: SMA connector
Storage: µSD card socket
Qwiic: Qwiic connector
Indicator LEDs: Indicator LEDs
PWR LED: PWR (Red)
PPS LED: PPS (Yellow)
RTK LED: RTK (White)
PVT LED: PVT (Blue)

Use it when you need flexible access to a GNSS Flex module for RTK navigation, Pixhawk integration, telemetry links, antenna testing or general GNSS development.

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

breakout: A breakout board carries a small or fine-pitched component and brings its connections out to standard, breadboard- and header-friendly pins. Describing a part as a breakout means it can be wired into a project without soldering directly to the component's tiny contacts.
GNSS: GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, an umbrella term for satellite positioning networks such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. Receivers use these satellites to determine position, and high-precision units can output a steady stream of serial position data.
Headers: Rows of connector contacts on a fixed pitch (commonly 2.54 mm) used to link a board to a breadboard, jumper wires, or another board. They come as male pin headers and female socket headers; when a module ships with pre-soldered headers it can be used straight away, whereas bare pads require soldering the pins yourself.
I2C: I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
LED: A light-emitting diode (LED) is a small electronic component that emits light when current flows through it in the correct direction. Because it only conducts one way, its polarity matters, and a through-hole LED must be soldered the correct way around to light up.
native USB: Native USB means the microcontroller itself handles USB communication, rather than using a separate USB-to-serial chip. This matters for programming, debugging, and projects that need the board to act directly as a USB device.
PVT: Position, velocity and time data reported by a GNSS receiver. Knowing the PVT update rate helps you judge how often the board can provide basic navigation information to your project.
Qwiic: Qwiic is a plug-in connector system for I2C devices that uses small 4-pin cables, so you can connect compatible sensors without soldering. It matters because your controller or adapter also needs Qwiic, or you will need a cable or breakout to wire it up.
RTK: Real-Time Kinematic positioning is a GNSS technique that uses correction data from a base station to greatly improve location accuracy. It matters if you need centimetre-level positioning for robotics, mapping, surveying, or tracking rather than ordinary metre-level GPS accuracy.
RX: RX means receive, usually showing data being received by the board. An RX indicator LED can help with troubleshooting USB or serial communication.
SMA: SMA is a small threaded coaxial (RF) connector widely used to attach antennas and other radio-frequency cables. A device with SMA antenna ports needs antennas or pigtails with matching SMA connectors, or a suitable adapter, to connect to them.
TX: TX means transmit, usually showing data being sent from the board. A TX indicator LED can help you see when the board is communicating or uploading code.
u.FL: u.FL is a tiny snap-on antenna connector often used on compact wireless boards. A board with u.FL usually needs an external antenna, which matters if the product will be inside an enclosure or needs better antenna placement.
UART: UART is a simple asynchronous serial interface that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, usually labelled TX and RX, with both ends set to the same baud rate. It is a common way for microcontrollers and other serial devices to exchange data.
USB-C: USB-C is a small, reversible USB connector that can carry power, data and, on some devices, video over a single cable. The same connector can range from charging only to high-speed data, so the functions a given port actually supports vary.