USB Communication

By connecting the magnetic USB cable to the base of a GEOSTIX on one end and to a computer on the other, multiple connections are established simultaneously.

This physical connection not only powers the GEOSTIX and charges its batteries, but also allows for instrument configuration and data transfer.

5V USB Power Supply

To comply with USB 2.0 port standards, the GEOSTIX is configured to support a maximum current of 1A.

The green LED on the back of the GEOSTIX indicates that the device is charging. It turns off once charging is complete.

GEOSTIX USB Connections

When connecting the magnetic USB cable, several connections are established:

• USB to the internal microcontroller of the GEOSTIX (see below for setting up a USB/serial connection).
• USB storage: the microSD card, also physically accessible beneath the GEOSTIX (ejectable), appears as a read-only drive on the PC.
• One or more additional USB connections (depending on the GEOSTIX model) linked to the GNSS module.
  • For M8 or F9 models, a single serial port appears on the PC: using U-blox’s U-Center software, you can modify the GNSS module’s configuration.
  • For the X5 model, two drives and two Mosaic USB communication ports appear on the PC, allowing connection either in serial mode or Ethernet mode (see below for Ethernet configuration via web browser).

USB to Microcontroller

• Using Tera Term (Windows)

Tera Term version 5.4.0 is available for download here

Select “Serial”, then choose one of the available COM ports—preferably the one labeled: USB Serial Device (but any port can be used as long as the serial port settings are correctly configured).

COM Port Configuration:
Main menu in Tera Term > Setup > Serial port…
Then select the COM port listed as USB Serial Device…

To verify a successful connection, press the Enter key on your keyboard—a prompt symbol (”>”) should appear.

It is recommended to save the Tera Term configuration by selecting:
Setup > Save Setup…
The easiest way is to keep the default filename TERATERM.INI and overwrite the existing one.