Tracker M datasheet

Pre-release draft 2022-10-27 for review only. Do not distribute or share this URL!

The Tracker M will typically be used as a complete off-the-shelf design, like the Tracker One, particularly in micromobility and light electric vehicle applications. Unlike the Tracker One, it is a miniaturized set of circuit boards that are designed fit within your existing equipment enclosures.

Block diagram

The Tracker M module contains the following functional units:

• P2 module (MCU, BLE, and Wi-Fi geolocation)
• Cellular modem
• GNSS (GPS)
• Fuel gauge (battery level monitoring)
• PMIC (Power Management IC and charge controller)
• Temperature sensor

In most cases, you will use the standard expansion card which contains:

• IMU (accelerometer)
• CAN controller, transceiver, and protection circuity
• MCU USB connector, for development and debugging
• SWD debugging, for debugging and optionally for factory firmware flashing
• RESET and MODE buttons
• System RGB LED for troubleshooting
• LiPo battery connector with battery thermistor
• On-board GNSS antenna (optional)
• External connections (listed below)

The following antennas are available

• Cellular (LTE)
• GNSS (dual band, can be mounted on the expansion card, or external)
• Wi-Fi geolocation and BLE

MCU

The P2 is a SMD module with a microcontroller, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, and BLE.

• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
  • Integrated PCB antenna
  • Integrated U.FL connector for external antenna
  • Integrated RF switch
• BLE 5 using same antenna as Wi-Fi
• Realtek RTL8721DM MCU
  • ARM Cortex M33 CPU, 200 MHz
• 2048 KB (2 MB) user application maximum size
• 3072 KB (3 MB) of RAM available to user applications
• 2 MB flash file system
• FCC, IC, and CE certified

Interfaces

External connection - CAN expansion card

The Tracker M is intended to connect to your equipment from the expansion card.

On the CAN expansion card, this is done using solder pads:

Power is supplied by GND and VIN, from 6 to 90 VDC. It is acceptable to connect it directly to a vehicle power supply with no additional conditioning.

The CAN (controller access network) interface can interact with other equipment with a CAN interface, or an engine control unit (ECU).

Expansion card

In most cases, you will use the standard expansion card. It is also possible to develop your own expansion card.

The connectors on the Tracker M module are:

Note that the Tracker M is intended to be mounted on the bottom side of the expansion card, so the expansion card faces up and the Tracker M is on the bottom.

GPIO

• On the Tracker M, pins D0 and D1 are used in I2C mode by the temperature sensor. Pins D0 and D1 cannot be used as GPIO.

GPIO - CAN expansion card

With the Particle CAN expansion card, A0 and A5 cannot be used as user GPIO as they are used for:

• A0: HIGH enables the 5V boost converter, used for CAN and 5V UART
• A5: HIGH enables the UART. Both A0 and A5 must be high to use the UART (RX/TX)

ADC

SPI

• Any available GPIO can be used as a SPI CS/SS pin.

I2C

• On the Tracker M, pins D0 and D1 are used in I2C mode by the temperature sensor. Pins D0 and D1 cannot be used as GPIO.

Serial (UART)

• With the Particle CAN expansion card, both A0 (5V enable) and A5 (UART enable) must be set HIGH to use the UART.

PWM

• If SPI is not used, the pins can be used for GPIO or Serial.

Full expansion pin listing

I/O expander (ioex)

The large number of peripheral chips on the Tracker M exceed the number of available GPIO on the P2. A MCP23S17 SPI I/O Expander is used to provide 16 additional GPIO pins. These can be accessed using the standard digitalRead() and digitalWrite() Device OS API calls.

CS demux

The large number of SPI peripherals on the Tracker M and expansion card exceed the number of available GPIO on the P2.

MCU pin listing

Tracker feature comparison

¹On the Tracker One, the M8 can be configured for GPIO, I2C (SDA and SCL), or Serial (RX and TX) on two pins.

²Both internal and external GNSS and cellular are supported by physically changing the antenna connector inside the enclosure.

³There is no external MCU USB connector on the Monitor One.

⁴The Monitor One uses the Tracker SoM BLE chip antenna on the board and does not include a separate BLE antenna, but one could be added using the BLE U.FL connector.

⁵The Tracker M uses a shared antenna for BLE and Wi-Fi geolocation. You can use the built-in trace antenna or an external 2.4 GHz/5 GHz dual-band antenna, selectable in software.

⁶A small portion of the flash file system is used by the system, and a configurable portion can be used for store and forward, to optionally allow location publishes to be saved when the device is offline to be uploaded later. The remainder of the flash file system can be used by user applications.

Mechanical specifications

Operating temperature

To be provided at a later date.

Dimensions and weight

Thickness and weight to be provided at a later date.

Power consumption

To be provided at a later date.

Country compatibility

To be provided at a later date.

Ordering information

To be provided at a later date.

Certification

To be provided at a later date.

Product handling

ESD precautions

The Monitor One contains highly sensitive electronic circuitry and is an Electrostatic Sensitive Device (ESD). Handling an module without proper ESD protection may destroy or damage it permanently. Proper ESD handling and packaging procedures must be applied throughout the processing, handling and operation of any application that incorporates the module. ESD precautions should be implemented on the application board where the B series is mounted. Failure to observe these precautions can result in severe damage to the module!

Battery warning

CAUTION

RISK OF EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS REPLACED BY AN INCORRECT TYPE. DISPOSE OF USED BATTERIES ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS.

Disposal

This device must be treated as Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) when disposed of.

Any WEEE marked waste products must not be mixed with general household waste, but kept separate for the treatment, recovery and recycling of the materials used. For proper treatment, recovery and recycling; please take all WEEE marked waste to your Local Authority Civic waste site, where it will be accepted free of charge. If all consumers dispose of Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment correctly, they will be helping to save valuable resources and preventing any potential negative effects upon human health and the environment of any hazardous materials that the waste may contain.

Revision history