Firmware in Pixhawk

Presentation by Gopesh Krishna yadav

Guided by Devaprakash Muniraj
 I have downloaded two apps which can load
firmware onto the pixhawk flight controller
Applications board.
• QGroundControl basically loads PX4
for loading firmware onto the pixhawk flight controller
Firmware board.
• Mssion Planner load Copter firmware of
Ardupilot onto the pixhawk flight controller.
How to install and • We need to connect Pixhawk control board to PC
through USB port. Then We can install latest
load firmware in version of firmware onto board that will be
autodetected.
Pixhawk? • We need to specify vehicle airframe, sensors and
radio after completion of loading firmware.
 1. Stable (Standard versions)
Firmware 2. Beta
files 3. Master(Developer build)
versions [Latest build]
4. Custom
Bootloader Update for Master version

In new boards, we need to update bootloader to access memory on

flight controller when QGroundControl installs the FMUv2 target.

Insert SD card, update firmware to PX4 master version

Reboot and then update firmware again to FMUv3 which will be

autodetected by the QGroundControl.
 • Code for making new bootloader in
the PX4 Autopilot folder:
make px4_fmu-v6x_bootloader
Building new • This code will build bootloader binary
PX4 as:
Bootloader build/px4_fmu-v6x_bootloader/px4_fmu-
v6x_bootloader.elf
• This can be flashed via SWD or DFU.
• If HEX file is needed, use objcopy as:
arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O ihex
build/px4_fmu-v6x_bootloader/px4_fmu-
v6x_bootloader.elf px4_fmu-
v6x_bootloader.hex
 Ardupilot firmware is open source
firmware.

Ardupilot C++ programing language had been

Firmware on used for writing instructions in
Ardupilot firmware.
Github
Many developers had build their
customized version of Firmware
according to their needed applications.
ARDUPILOT
CUSTOM
FIRMWARE
PX4 parameter customization

PX4 Autopilot behavior We can modify

can be tuned any parameters in PX4
using parameters like firmware
calibration information in QGroundControl
and PID gains of UAV. Parameters screen.
Role of Autopilot
Multicopter becomes Drone and UAV when it is
operated Autonomously with the help of Autopilot.

To maintain accurate estimate of orientation and

position, Autopilot uses controller in which data from MEMs
gyroscopes and accelerometers is used as feedback to controller.
For maneuvers in Multicopter, Autopilot send signals to motor to get
desired acceleration and attitude rate.
MAVLink

• MAVLink(Micro Air Vehicle Communication Protocol) is messaging protocol for

communication between drones or between its onboard components.
• Messages in MAVLink are defined using XML files.
• It can be useful for setting communication among UAVs or ground station
for applications such as Cooperative control of many UAVs or Swarm
formation.
• MAVLink is designed to support sending continuous telemetry streams
including key states of a drone.
Key Features of MAVLink

• MAVLink is very efficient as it is suited for very limited

communication bandwidth application because it doesn't require
additional framing.
• MAVLink is very reliable as it provides methods for detecting packet
drops and packet authentication.
• MAVLink is compatible with many different languages and many different
Microcontrollers and Operating systems.
Block diagram
of the basic
functional
operation in
Ardupilot
 Accelerometer is required to be calibrated
after Firmware is loaded. It is calibrated by
keeping it in every orientation.

Gyroscope is calibrated by moving it so

Calibration that every possible orientation can be
of Sensors captured, and enough dataset can be created.

Magnetometer is calibrated away from metals

as there can be inaccuracies in measurement
due to interference.
PX4 Autopilot vs Ardupilot

• Both PX4 Autopilot and Ardupilot are open source. In Ardupilot, you
must share your work with community. While PX4 is good for
Commercial purpose as you can encapsulate your results.
• PX4 Autopilot is suitable for powerful hardware. Thus, it is suitable for
product development.
• PX 4 Autopilot is highly portable and OS independent.
References
• https://docs.px4.io/main/enedit firmware
code /flight_controller/pixhawk4.html
• https://mavlink.io/en/
• https://ardupilot.org/copter/index.html
• https://custom.ardupilot.org/
• Edit firmware code and recompile it and upload it on board.
• Understand different module of the code and understand code.
THANK YOU