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gfo974 edited this page Jul 6, 2026 · 11 revisions

How to activate, configure, and deploy a LinkIt V4 / RSPB tracker.

What the Tracker Does

The LinkIt V4 is a GPS/satellite wildlife tracker. Once deployed, it autonomously:

  1. Acquires GPS positions at configurable intervals
  2. Transmits positions via Argos satellite (or LoRaWAN) — no cellular coverage needed
  3. Detects underwater/surface transitions (marine models) and adapts behavior
  4. Manages battery life with automatic low-power modes

Data is received through the Argos/Kineis satellite network and made available on the CLS/Kineis web platform.

Board Variants at a Glance

Tracker Use Case Communication Power Control
LinkIt V4 SMD Marine (turtles, seals) Argos satellite (SMD) Reed switch on/off
LinkIt V4 KIM Marine / terrestrial Argos satellite (KIM2) Reed switch on/off
LinkIt V4 LoRa Terrestrial (gateway range) LoRaWAN Reed switch on/off
RSPB Birds Argos satellite (SMD) TPL5111 auto-wakeup

Power On / Off (LinkIt V4)

The tracker uses a reed switch activated by a magnet. All actions require a confirmation gesture: hold, release, then re-engage the magnet within 2 seconds. image

Power On (from Off state)

  1. Place the magnet on the reed switch area
  2. Hold for 3 seconds — LED blinks blue rapidly
  3. Release the magnet
  4. Re-engage the magnet within 2 seconds to confirm
  5. The tracker boots (white flashing LED), then enters operational mode

Enter Configuration Mode (from Operational state)

  1. Place the magnet — LED turns white (magnet detected)
  2. Hold for 3 seconds — LED blinks blue rapidly (config confirmation)
  3. Release the magnet
  4. Re-engage within 2 seconds to confirm
  5. LED turns blue — BLE advertising starts, you can connect

Exit Configuration Mode

  1. Place the magnet while in configuration
  2. Hold for 3 seconds — LED blinks green rapidly (exit config confirmation)
  3. Release the magnet
  4. Re-engage within 2 seconds to confirm
  5. Tracker returns to operational mode

Power Off

  1. Place the magnet
  2. Hold for 6 seconds — LED blinks red rapidly (power off confirmation)
  3. Release the magnet
  4. Re-engage within 2 seconds to confirm
  5. Tracker powers down

Timeout: If you don't re-engage within 2 seconds, the action is cancelled and the tracker returns to its previous state.

Timing Reference

Parameter Value
Short hold (enter/exit config) 3 seconds
Long hold (power off) 6 seconds
Confirmation window 2 seconds

RSPB Tracker

The RSPB board uses an external TPL5111 timer — it powers on/off automatically. If a magnet is present at boot, the tracker enters configuration mode directly.

LED Indicators

The RGB LED provides visual feedback on the tracker state:

LED Pattern Color Meaning
Flashing fast White Booting / powering down
Solid White Magnet detected (any state)
Flashing Green PreOperational — battery OK
Flashing Yellow PreOperational — battery low
Flash (300ms) Yellow Boot modulo skip — device alive but not its turn (RSPB)
Flashing Red Error / PreOperational error
Solid Blue Configuration mode — waiting for BLE connection
Flashing Blue Configuration mode — BLE not connected
Flashing slow Cyan GPS acquisition in progress (LEDGNSSOn)
Double-blink (~500 ms, 120 ms cadence) Cyan CloudLocate raw captured — GNP53 ended the session on first raw measurement (LEDGNSSCloudLocateReady)
Double-blink (~500 ms, 120 ms cadence) Green / Red GNSS end-of-session, rail kept on (deep-idle) — M10Q in PMREQ-backup (~10 µA). Green = had a valid fix; Red = no fix (LEDGNSSDeepIdle)
Fast-blink (~500 ms, 50 ms cadence ≈ 10 Hz) Green / Red GNSS end-of-session, rail cut (power-off) — full M10Q power-off, next session cold-boots. Green = had a valid fix; Red = no fix (LEDGNSSPowerOff)
Solid (1.5 s) Red Legacy GNSS no-fix fallback (LEDGNSSOffWithoutFix, shortened from 3 s) — only fires when neither deep-idle nor power-off event was emitted
Flash (100 ms) Green Surface detected (underwater → surface transition)
Flash (100 ms) Blue Dive detected (surface → underwater transition)
Solid Magenta Argos satellite transmission in progress (also fires during SATDP cert/calibration regardless of LED_MODE)
Solid Yellow Battery critical
Alternating Blue/White OTA firmware upload in progress (BLE transfer)
Solid (1.5s) Green OTA upload CRC verified — resetting to apply
Flashing Red OTA upload CRC failed
Flashing fast (3s) Green Firmware update applied successfully (after reboot)

LED Mode: LEDs can be configured to be always on (ALWAYS), active for the first 24 hours only (HRS_24), or off (OFF) via the LED_MODE parameter. This saves battery on long deployments.

Connecting to the Tracker

Via BLE (Configuration Mode)

  1. Put the tracker in configuration mode (magnet gesture above)
  2. Use one of these tools to connect via Bluetooth Low Energy:
    • Linkit Device Config Tool (GUI) — graphical configuration tool, available at https://devices.arribada.org. Use it to provision credentials, push parameter templates, run DFU firmware updates over BLE, and pull field logs. Recommended for non-developers.
    • pylinkit — Python command-line tool (for scripting and automation)

Via USB (LinkIt V4 only)

LinkIt V4 boards expose a USB CDC serial port when connected via USB. You can use any serial terminal (115200 baud) to send DTE commands directly.

Basic Configuration

Parameters are read and written using DTE commands. The most common parameters:

⚠️ Before sealing a device, check the deployment configuration rules — a handful of parameter combinations can silence or drain a deployed tracker. Also note: flashing firmware across a config-version bump factory-resets all parameters except the Argos IDs — re-provision over BLE afterwards.

GPS

Parameter Key Description Typical Value
GNSS Enable GNP01 Enable/disable GPS 1 (enabled)
GNSS Acquisition Timeout GNP05 Max seconds to wait for fix 240
GNSS Dynamic Model GNP11 Motion model (0=Portable, 5=Sea, 6=Airborne) 5 (marine) or 6 (birds)
Trigger on Surfaced GNP25 Start GPS immediately on surface detection 1

Argos Satellite TX

Parameter Key Description Typical Value
Argos Mode ARP01 TX mode (0=Off, 1=PassPrediction, 2=Legacy, 5=SurfacingBurst) 5 (marine) or 1 (birds)
TX Interval ARP05 Seconds between transmissions (TR_NOM) 60
Dry Time Before TX UNP02 Wait N seconds at surface before first TX 0

Underwater Detection (marine models)

Parameter Key Description Typical Value
Underwater Enable UNP01 Enable surface/dive detection 1
Detection Source UNP10 0=SWS, 1=Pressure, 2=GNSS, 3=SWS+GNSS 0 (SWS)
Sampling Freq (surface) UNP04 Seconds between SWS samples at surface (FLOAT, ≥ 0.1) 10
Sampling Freq (underwater) UNP03 Seconds between SWS samples underwater (FLOAT, ≥ 0.1, e.g. 0.1 = 100 ms) 2

Battery Management

Parameter Key Description Typical Value
Low Battery Threshold PPP01 Voltage (mV) to enter low-battery mode 3400

Example: Configure via DTE Commands

 Enable GPS with sea model, 240s timeout
$PARMW#01C;GNP01=1,GNP05=240,GNP11=5

 Argos surfacing burst mode, 60s interval
$PARMW#018;ARP01=5,ARP05=60

 Enable underwater detection (SWS), fast sampling
$PARMW#018;UNP01=1,UNP10=0,UNP03=2

 Read back all parameters to verify
$PARMR#000;

Typical Deployment Scenarios

Marine Turtle

  • Argos Mode: Surfacing Burst (ARP01=5) — Doppler bursts on surface, then GPS positions
  • Underwater Detection: SWS enabled (UNP01=1, UNP10=0)
  • GPS Model: Sea (GNP11=5)
  • GPS Trigger on Surfaced: Yes (GNP25=1)

See the Parameters page for the full parameter reference (range, defaults, encoding) and Satellite Communication § TX modes for the per-mode decision guide.

Bird Tracking (RSPB)

  • Argos Mode: Pass Prediction (ARP01=1) — TX during satellite passes
  • Underwater Detection: Disabled (UNP01=0)
  • GPS Model: Airborne (GNP11=6)
  • Duty Cycling: TPL5111 auto-wakeup, controlled by BOOT_COUNTER_MODULO

See RSPB Behavior for details.

Retrieving Data

Satellite Data (Argos/Kineis)

Transmitted data is available on the CLS/Kineis ArgosWeb platform. The tracker ID is linked to your Argos program number.

On-Device Logs

Sensor data is also logged to on-board flash memory. To retrieve logs:

 List available log files
$DUMPD#006;GNSS01
$DUMPD#006;AXL001
$DUMPD#006;PRESS1

 Dump all logs
$DUMPD#000;

Logs are CSV-formatted and include timestamps.

Firmware Update (DFU)

The tracker supports over-the-air firmware updates via BLE:

  1. Put the tracker in configuration mode
  2. Connect with the LinkIt GUI or nrfutil
  3. Upload the DFU package (.zip file)
  4. LED alternates blue/white during update
  5. Tracker reboots automatically on success

See Programming for details.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Possible Cause Action
No LED response to magnet Battery dead or tracker off Charge battery, try magnet gesture again
Red flashing LED Error state Check debug log via USB/UART
Yellow solid LED Battery critical Charge immediately
No GPS fix (red flash after cyan) Poor sky view, antenna issue Ensure clear sky view, check antenna connection
No satellite TX Argos mode off, or underwater Check ARP01 is not 0, check UNP01
BLE not visible Not in config mode Perform 3s magnet gesture to enter config

Next Steps

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