Hi, I am about to create little navigation device with use of arduino, display and GPS module. I would like to use Arduino Pro Mini 8 MHz. It should approximate to the specific coordinates e.g. our weekend house which can be hardcoded and there will be compass needle on the display which would be pointing to the specific coordinates.
It should be simple device with hardcoded coordinates for my mom who has navigation problems so I would like to develop something like this for her like a little "funny" emergency device which she can use on her walks in the nature
Can someone give me some tip, tutorial or similiar project from the internet? I am Java developer so I think I have some technical knowledge and I have all arduino stuff needed but I never had time to create some machine...so now I would like to change it now.
I already can receive data from GPS module (better than nothing)
So, you know where you are. You know where you aren't (at the hardcoded destination). If you are using a GPS library, it should have distanceTo() and bearingTo() methods. If not, they are not too hard to implement (google is your friend; he's my mortal enemy).
Of course, by the time you are done, a commercial GPS system, with maps (and Home defined by you) will be cheaper, have a lot more features, and will be dual purpose.
Its not difficult to calculate the distance and direction between two GPS waypoints and the TinyGPS++ has a worked example.
You need a compass of course and that is where I would start, you need a stable direction indication that does not vary when the compass is tilted for instance.
And a simple 'point to home' device can be dangerous thing in the hands of someone who trusts it too much.
Garmin makes a huge range of GPS units for this specific purpose. They have been doing it for a lot of years now.
If you are building this for yourself to have fun then go have fun with the Arduino. The moment you give it to someone else you will learn a lot of lessons on product design which you didn't know that you needed to know.
The Garmin InReach does tracking as well. So you can see where your Mum is. It does the basic navigation you requested. It can even send and receive messages through the satellites but that function is not very easy to use unless you are a super-keen technology person.
