Does the compass need to tilt?

AntennaTracker
1

Hi everyone,

I’m working on my first Antenna Tracker, and I a wondering where the best position to mount the compass is.

The documentation says:

it should be mounted so that the arrow on the module points in the same direction as the antenna

So if I understand, I should be mounted like this:

IMG_2008
IMG_20081000×809 186 KB

But that’s not very convenient, as there’s not much surface there, and it could block the rotation of the servo.

So I thought maybe I could put it on the side of the servo, like this:

IMG_2007
IMG_20071000×766 145 KB

But I’m not sure if this will work well. Is the compass equally sensitive on all 3 axis? Or does it work best when it’s flat.

Then I thought that the most convenient position would be to put it on the rotating plate. Because, if I understand properly, the compass just helps the tracker to get the pan/yaw (heading?) of the antenna. It can get its pitch/tilt from the flight controller directly, right?

So I thought I could put it like this:

IMG_2006
IMG_20061000×750 170 KB

That would be the easiest way for me, but I’m not sure if the firmware will understand that the compass doesn’t rotate over the pitch axis.

Thank you in advance for your help!

2

Hi,

You talk about a compass but you are showing a GPS module in the photos. Perhaps it is a combo GPS/Compass module. The GPS portion of the module must always be facing up so it can receive satellites. The compass must move with both the pan and yaw movements. Typically, we use the compass in the flight controller and mount it behind the antenna mount. If you are only using the compass portion of the GPS module then perhaps this is shown correctly in your first two photos. Not the third photo.

To make mounting easier, use a separate compass module from your GPS module. Alternatively, you can use just the compass portion of an older GPS module. You can find many small compass modules here.

Good luck!

3

That’s perfectly clear, thank you!