Something I’ve been working on….
I know this little project isn’t all that complicated, but I wanted to share.
I have been wanting a GPS hooked up to the Icom ID-880 since installing it in the FJ, but I never got around to figuring out how to attach one. Over the weekend, I was cleaning my office and came across small GPS receiver, which I obviously bought for the ID-880. So I decided to spend the time to install it.
The first problem is the GPS needs 5v and I really only have 12v floating around the radios. So I started looking for the parts to make a voltage convertor, when it occurred to me that all these USB adaptors I have lying around already do that. So I found one that had a broken case and started pulling it apart. Other then needing to replace one of the diodes that I broken when getting the case off, it was pretty easy to adapt to what I needed. One end got new leads with Anderson PowerPoles and the other got leads that run out to the 6-pin DIN that the GPS plugs into.
The next step was figuring out the RS232 side of things. The documentation for the GPS was a little iffy, plus I ultimately have to wire this thing into a 1/8 stereo plug for the ID-880. So I decided to just jerry-rig up a DB-9 to figure out the wiring. So after a little playing, I started getting output from the GPS. I’m always shocked when these new GPS’s are able to get a signal locked when inside the house and in this case, half under ground. I’ll wire up the 1/8 stereo plug next and jam the whole thing into some sort of case.