Qubo GPS tracker is the latest tracking device which I reviewed recently, I have done teardown of other GPS tracking devices also in the past. Qubo is the Hero Brand and they are manufacturing several consumer products in India(as they claim)
Some background information about GPS tracker, good for people are not aware of what is a GPS Tracker:
A GPS (Global Positioning System) tracker is a device that uses the Global Positioning System to determine the precise location of a vehicle, person, or other asset to which it is attached and to record the position of the asset at regular intervals.
The recorded location data can be stored within the tracking unit, or it may be transmitted to cloud, using a cellular (GPRS or SMS), radio, or satellite modem inbuilt in the unit.
This allows the asset’s location to be displayed over a map either in real-time or when analyzing the track later, using GPS tracking software or web app.
GPS trackers have a variety of applications, including:
- Vehicle tracking: Commonly used by fleet operators for fleet management functions such as routing, dispatch, on-board information, and security.
- Asset tracking: To monitor the movement and location of assets for security and logistics purposes.
- Personal use: Used to track individuals, often by parents to monitor their children, by caregivers to track the elderly, or for personal security in high-risk environments.
- Sports and recreation: Used by adventurers and athletes to record their movements and analyze their performance or to share their location for safety.
- Law enforcement: Used to monitor the movements of criminal suspects and parolees.
GPS trackers vary in size and complexity, from small personal tracking devices that can be carried in a pocket to sophisticated systems integrated into commercial vehicles or maritime vessels. They offer a range of features, including geofencing, which sends alerts if the tracker enters or exits a predefined area, speed alerts, historical tracking data, and more.
Now, back to the teardown, it comes in a nice packaging with user manual and wire harness.
You can see in the sticker below it is mentioned, manufactured in Noida, UP. I am not sure if they are really manufacturing like buying components, PCB and then assembling everything or just buying PCB assembled and packing it in enclosure in Noida facility.
First thing you see after opening the enclosure is a battery and Plastic component with metal strips which is nothing but a GPRS Antenna.
I have not seen such an antenna before in any product. Looks like a custom part.
Good to see such a compact antenna design which can help achieve higher gain vs. PCB Antenna.
Some more images of the antenna
Antenna Pads on the PCB
Battery used is single cell Lithium battery, 3.7V, 450mAh 1.66Wh
if you remove the battery you will see the PCB. The shielded section is the cellular / GPRS Modem on the PCB.
Below the shield you can see the MediaTek processor (MT2503) and RF chip(RDA6625e). This modem has GPS inbuilt.
Looking at this I get a feeling that they might have purchase assembled PCB from the OEM supplier and they are assembling the unit in NOIDA but I am not sure.
Many companies start with trading to test the market and once volume picks up they try manufacture locally, initially partially and then fully. Which makes total business sense.
Besides the modem circuit, you see the test points on the PCB and then also some discrete components, mainly bulk capacitor for handling power surge and cellular modem’s peak power requirement.
On the other side of the PCB, you see the patch antenna for GPS, SIM Card holder, ON/OFF Switch and another component with shield(what is that?)
Once you remove the shield you get to see a DC to DC convertor section. Wow, a dc to dc converter with a shield, rarely we see that on a board.
Shield is used to protect cellular modem circuit from DC DC radiated emissions.
It is clearly visible that its a comparatively low-frequency (150Khz type, as the inductor is large) and non-synchronous buck converter ( you see a diode).
Other than ON/OFF Switch, multi-color LED is given to indicate power, GPRS connectivity.
That’s all in this teardown.
I hope you found it interesting and learned something new today.
I will write a new blog soon. Do share with your friends.
I work as an embedded systems design consultant, helping companies build custom embedded products and develop test automation solutions for their PCBs.
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