| Rugged
Processor Board Helps Track Baja 2000 Off-Road Racers Via
Satellite
The rugged SBC-GXm PC-compatible processor board played a key role in tracking the position of and delivering photos from one of the cars in the grueling Baja 2000 race in November 2000 via the Globalstar satellite network. |
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Howard Rittenberg,
Regional Support Representative for Qualcomm, which produces
phones for the Globalstar system, integrated the SBC-GXm board with a Qualcomm Tri-mode portable phone, GPS positioning
system and a digital camera. “The SBC-Geode board was ideal for
this application because of its extensive IO which made it easy to
integrate with the satellite phone and other equipment,”
Rittenberg said. “It uploaded the position of the car and photos
on a regular basis through the satellite phone to a web site that
was made available to anyone who wanted to track it’s
progress.” The Baja 2000 is
the longest nonstop point-to-point desert race ever held, a
grueling 80-hour, 1679 mile race down the brutal terrain of Baja
California peninsula starting in Ensenada and ending in Cao San
Lucas. On a remote and dangerous course like the Baja 2000,
dependable communications are a must. The chase crews that provide
logistical support need to know exactly where their race car is so
that they can get there immediately in case of a breakdown or
other emergency. Many of the drivers use Globalstar satellite
phones to keep the chase crew informed but using a the phone every
time a position update is needed takes too much time and attention
on the part of the driver. On the most
recent Baha 2000 race, Rittenberg was determined to develop a
method that would provide continual updates of the car’s
position while allowing the driver to devote 100% of their
attention to the road. He also wanted to automatically upload the
position information and photos from a driver’s-eye-view digital
camera to a website so that anyone could follow the car’s. He
needed a processor board that was very compact, rugged enough to
survive the challenging race conditions and provided sufficient IO
to interface with the phone, camera and GPS system. “The SBC
Geode board provided the perfect solution,” Rittenberg said.
“The board supports Windows 98 which made it possible to run
pre-existing software that supported each piece of equipment. With
four serial ports, I had IO to spare.” Rallytrack.com provided a
rugged case to house the processor card and other equipment. The SBC-GXm is an EBX
compliant board, based on the MMX-enhanced 233MHz Geode processor.
It comes fully loaded with all standard PC interfaces as well as a
full range of multi media features: Video (Chips &
Technologies 69000 HiQVideo graphics accelerator), Ethernet (PCI
2.1 compatible), Flash Disk (solid state max capacity 16Mb),
Touchscreen, dual USB and Soundblaster interfaces and support for
STN, TFT and EL flat panel displays. The board is capable of
driving high resolution modes on CRT and flat panel displays
simultaneously. Expansion is provided via a PC/104 interface. Globalstar extends coverage
beyond existing phone networks, carrying calls over an
exceptionally clear, secure Code Divisional Multiple Access (CDMA)
satellite signal. Like "bent-pipes", or mirrors in the
sky, the Globalstar constellation of 48 Low-Earth Orbiting (LEO)
satellites picks up signals from over 80% of the Earth's surface.
Several satellites pick up a call, and this "path
diversity" reduces the possibility of blocked or dropped
calls. This satellite now continues transmission of the original
signal to one of several terrestrial "gateways".
Gateways process calls, then distribute them to existing fixed and
cellular local networks. This design makes the Globalstar system
and its services simple to manage, expand and improve. |
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