Great video!! I've just bumbled my way through setting up a PixHawk and your first video would have saved me hours searching for missing information! Looking forward to the rest!!
A quite usefull trick for using the GPS for the first time is to put it outside or or simply near a window so it would track much much faster. I thought my GPS/Pixhawk was broken when i had that problem. Hope that helps ;-)
omg your a life saver, im new to drone technology and jumped in at the deep end by designing my own vtol with unique features and your guides are going to be invalueble in the process.
Hello, I am a big fan of your explanation. This world of the drones is new to me. Good information is always very valuable. I would like to thank you for this clear explanation . Best regards, Hans
Great job on the video, as well as everything you've released so far. You truly do make this hobby painless! A point of note for anyone upgrading from APM to Pixhawk... All of your existing peripherals will still work (GPS module, 3DR Telemetry, MinimOSD), however, you have to change the connectors from DF13 5 position to DF13 6 position plugs. The only item that can move over with no modification is the power module. There are tons of pictures online showing the exact pinouts, so the hardest part will be finding the plugs. My Pixhawk came with a few extra "spare" cables, so I just carefully harvested the ends off those and I was up and running quickly
Thank you for the comment. Different people have different learning styles, background and experience so no one set of videos will be perfect for all audiences. It is always nice to hear from someone who has found the videos I make useful... Happy flying!
Well I threw out my NAZA-M V2 stuff! I am now getting ready to set up this PixHawk. I'll be watching each video in the series and doing exactly what you say. I love how you make these videos for guys like me that are sorta new to all this tech. After I get this all figured out and flying on a DJI FlameWheel clone, I'll buy the PixHawk 2 and putting that on yet another DJI Flame Wheel clone. I love your videos, without them, I would never had tried anything! I flew my first quadcopter with a Naze32 because of your videos on it. Thank you PS: I have made it past the first hurdle, but with a few problems. My computer wouldn't recognize the USB connection (NAZA V2 did this too) and now I have it hooked up after doing everything manually (no Wizard). On to #2 in the series!
Thanks so much for this. I've had a Pixhawk for a few weeks and will now install it. Thanks for using the Taranis, too. Looking forward to the next one.
Many thanks for another excellent video. Just spent a few weeks building an F450 using a Flysky Fs-i6s Tx with no problems at all, just a small amount of trim on the elevator and it flies perfectly.
Thanks PL360!! The only warning for newbies (and I'm one of them) is.... the firmware for pixhawk. I used the mission planner software to load the quadcopter firmware into the pixhawk. But once that was done, the pixhawk got a red solid LED coming on (after each manual power-up), and had three beeps...one higher tone, followed by two low tones. I thought I had broken my pixhawk. I then needed to go to qgroundcontrol.com/ to install the Qgroundcontrol software, which provided two options - a pixhawk firmware and an ardupilot firmware. I chose the pixhaw firmware..... which loaded into my pixhawk 2.4.6, which revived all functions. I was then able to start up Mission Planner and connect to the pixhawk. Just mentioning this in case some newbies get a heart attack after loading the ardupilot firmware into their pixhawk. Otherwise, fantastic! Thanks again! Love your video and very easy-to-follow guidance with the sensors setup!
UPDATE: This morning, I took a punt and tried one more time to use Mission Planner to upload the copter 3.4.4 firmware. And it surprised me that the firmware not only uploaded, but the pixhawk 2.4.6 was also operating properly. Thanks!
Regarding the magnetometer calibration, does it matter that the GPS will be in a different position relative to the Pixhawk on the model, compared to the piece of card?
Enjoying your video . I know you're speaking about aircraft but I'm making an autonomous boat and I simply want to control the rudder and tell it to sail waypoint to waypoint. Obviously a GPS input is needed. What other hardware to you recommend? I don't need motor control of any kind. The motors will be running solar and will be on all the time. I simply need rudder control for the waypoints. Thanks, I'm just learning and appreciate your wonderful teaching ability on this video. I'll watch the entire serious but wanted to throw out this questions first. Thanks in advance. Steve
If you are still working on this, it may be worth looking into a forward/reverse relay for the motor(s). This would allow for two directions and if you have two motors, some steering. You could also wire the motors in series and just have forward/reverse with a rudder. I would think this would be your best option, as using two motors to steer would take a while, especially if it is on solar only
I can't quite make the sense out of what you're saying @ 7:27 "...absolutely pressed home (?) before we plug it into a computer". Do you mean that I'll have problems connecting Pixhawk to a Mission Planner if there's no SD card in it? I'm thinking about trying out Pixhawk after Naze32/Cleanflight, which I never got the chance to setup properly, because I broke a couple of beams and half a dozen props trying to tune it at home, and when I got it to fly somewhat, it still wasn't flying as stable as Naza M Lite that my dad uses on his own quad.
Make sure the SD card is plugged in so you hear the click. We answer your second question in the video - if it's not then it won't flash with new firmware. Happy flying!
It's worth mentioning control directions in radio calibration aileron and rudder are obvious but elevator is reversed to what you think and not same direction as throttle i.e. full forward throttle - green bar goes to top, full forward elevator - green bar should go down
My first thought that came to mind if there was some kind of PCB used for failover to a fully charged battery for the controls to land with. That would be cool. You still would be able to glide down and land. I enjoy your videos and fell sorry for the lost of your airplane. I differently know that feeling walking to get the crashed airplane.
Thank you. We will try the first fly on saturday. I did the setup including gps block. if I want to fly without, may I remove it and fly or have I to setup again the board without external gpd and compass module? Thanks for your time. Regards Andrea Montani
Calibrations will need to be repeated when it is mounted on the quad. Motors and escs will throw them off. The Pixhawk will compensate after the recal.
Great instructional video. Very detailed and complete. Still relevant in NOV2017 to understanding Pixhawk and its setup. Any thumbs-down votes are clearly the work of idiots savants, as there is zero reason to give this a thumbs-down. These are among some of the most well-done instructional videos I've come across and I definitely appreciate the time, effort, charts, detailed explanations and history of the APM evolution to PX4 to Pixhawk. This is must-view video for everyone new to UAS.
thanks for your videos, i started this last July and got totally no where, tried kk2, apm 2.6 and 2.8 and gave up, then came across your videos so i dragged everything out of the cupboard and tried again and succeeded in under 5 hours, flys great, last time i tried it went always skimmed sideways then flipped over and crashed without fail.please keep them coming and maybe add the 6 position switch for Turnigy 9x on ER9X and 9Xtreme as i struggled with that for several days as many videos out there worked for them but i only got 5 of the six flight modes working despite the transmitter clearly showing 6.
+s See our videos where we've added modes to other radios - the problem comes from the fact that the ranges for the modes are not equally spaced and a lot of the controls on a radio assume they are.. Best of luck!
Thanks for the great videos. They have gotten me in the air going back to the early electric heli days. I'm having a problem: No matter what I do, if I set up the radio for AETRM, the throttle and elevator are exchanged when I go to calibrate in Mission Planner. This is is on a pre-owned Taranis X9E with the Hall Effect gimbals. I'm wondering if this is a mode 1 radio and when the previous owner upgraded the gimbals, he simply set it up as a mode 2. If I set the radio up as ATERM, the calibrate routine responds as expected. Any thoughts?
Sounds like you are a little new to the radio and OpenTx. Check in the mixer section of the radio and you'll see that those outputs are swapped. You can move them to be anything you want. See my OpenTX mix school videos. Best of luck!
Hi, my radio does not pick up on the Radio Calibration part of Mission Planner. It seems like it's bound fine to the receiver, since I tested it with a servo motor and it responded fine. However, when receiver is plugged into the Pixhawk (Via RCIN) and radio is turned on, there are no green bars showing up on Mission Planner, despite the receiver showing a steady orange light. Do you think this is a problem with the radio or the Pixhawk itself or something else? I'm only in Highschool and extremely new to drones, and I've been stuck on this for a while. Any response would be awesome. Radio: OrangeRx Tx6i Mode 1 Int'l Version 6ch 2.4GHz DSM2/DSMX Compatible Radio System Receiver: OrangeRx R615X DSM2/DSMX Compatible 6Ch 2.4GHz Receiver w/CPPM
beginner's question. What happens if during autonomous, programmed flight pixhawk looses radio reception (turn off taranis). Will program continue or automatic RTH kicks in, or maybe FrShuts off motors? Thanks so much! Great videos!
+mkolesnik The documentation makes a decent job of covering this so I'd recommend a read through it you're interested. The simple answer is that the failsafe happens when either a LIPO or radio problem occurs. You can then get it to RTH or LAND or even continue with the mission.. Happy flying!
I selected a hexacopter on the first screen of the wizard, but as soon as it connects to my Pixhawk, it only gives me a choice of quads or tri. What do I do next?
Hi! I am trying to setup this on my bixler and I was wondering what channel should I put the flaps on? I watched this and the taranis video but Im still clueless. Is hard to go trough this series and have it adapted to a plane. Thank u in advance. Also is the telemetry radio mandatory to get a good experience with thr pixhawk? Thank you for all the great content.
ardupilot.org/plane/docs/automatic-flaps.html covers it if you want to make them automatic. You can run them from the reciever directly or foward a channel to the flaps via a spare PWM output. See the latest Arduplane build on the channel. Best of luck with it..
Many thanks for your videos.I am building up a fixed wing drone by using a pixhawk as flight controll. The first proto will have an electric motor and I think I will have no issue to manage it by pixhawk. In a second step I would use a gas engine in order to increas the drone range. Is it possible to manage a gas engine by pixhawk? which kind of servo have I to use in order to manage the throttle butterfly (digital servo instead of an ESC)? Thanks a lot for your help. I apologize for my poor english.regardsAndrea Montani
+Andrea Montani I don't use IC motors here so can't comment. I think there is something on this in the Pixhawk/Mission Planner Wikis and manuals - best of luck.
Hi Painless i come back to your videos because i 've found a lot of version of Pixhawk on the internet...if i correctly understood yours explanations Px4 became Pixhawk...but i don't understand the differences between FMU and i/o....are they in the same controler board "Pixhawk" or may i buy many modules to get them and to wire together...? Best regards Philippe
by using your video we built up a tricopter using a pixhawk controller. After first problems Now it works very well. during RTL mode the tricopter works well but the landing Point is not exaclty the take off Point , there is a tolerance around 2m. is there a parameter to set this Radius? The one in waypoit? Thanks and Regards Andrea Montani
Your video turned me on :D So my question is, what do I need for mission planner. In terms of hardware? I am buying the pixhawk flight controller, plus a GPS module. Is that all I need? or is there extra hardware? For example, I want to use my computer and plan my quadcopter to fly on its own, while I am just watching FPV and can also track on my computer?
+Painless360 Ok. So finished your series (5 episodes) and oh gosh, you are really good at making videos. So, on the 4th episode, you talked about setting up waypoints and everything. So cool, you can actually do that without any other hardware except for the GPS and a computer to setup up the waypoints at home. Am I right? But the problem is, you can't track your copter and where it is going with your hardware selection, because I think you need a wireless telemetry rx and tx where it is connected to the pixhawk, and one connected to your laptop, and therefore, I ca track down where my copter is going, and speed etc. and am right? Thanks you have helped a lot
I have spent hours trying to set my f550 up to no avail, is there a video on configuring this up with a futaba t8fg super remote? I am extremely frustrated . Thanks
Hi I would like to know where I can buy this exact Pixhawk you are using in the video ,I want to build a quad and a Tri copter ,BTW great videos ,if you could put a link as to where I can purchase it ,Thanks.there seems to be a few different versions out there ? I only want the GPS version like in your video.
+Paul McMahon Paul, you can get one @ Banggood for £55.92 www.banggood.com/buy/pixhawk-px4.html I found it on www.parkflyer.ru/101362/product/1562549/ with additional modules ))
+Paul McMahon I wouldn't buy a Pixhawk, they are very flaky and hard to get working. I have 2 of them I've been trying to get working for over a year and a half without any success so far. Sure, all the fanboys say they are so great and have tons of fake videos on TH-cam showing them flying so well but it's all a lie!
Great video! Just wanted to ask, my i2c connector & wires are gutted. Can I use the GPS without the i2c since the pixhawk already has an internal compass?
Hello, great video, however we have a problem: we have followed all your steps up to the part were we have to connect the Pixhawk. Unfortunately, once we pressed connect, all of the numbers remained zero, and the map didn't update with our GPS position. We are using the Mac version of the APM planner. Thank you for your attention
Hello Painless, thanks for all of your awesome and gorgeous videos and excellent explainations. I bought myself the Pixhawk Lite from GoodLuckBuy. I think you don´t have any experiance with that, but anyway - this plattform can run the Pixhawk firmware without a problem. I would like to know what kind of settings i have to choose mandatory hardware tab in the compass menu. Minute 18:25 in this Video. You are clicking Pixhawk or PX4. What will this opetion excatly do? I did not find an answer somewhere. Maybe you can help? Do i have to use Pixhawk or PX4 as well? What are those other options? What do i have to choose? What will that option do?
+Christian Wunderlich Have a look in the video for the differences between PX4 and Pixhawk. I'd always check with the vendor on what they suggest. If it's sold as a Pixhawk then that FW should work.. Best of luck..
+Painless360 ok understood - but what setting do you configure with this bullet point which you can select and i´m not able to find a video comparing px4 and pixhawk.
I'm looking forward to the next one covering the power options. I don't want to use the power module and when I connect to the servo rail it appears to work fine, but I get a low voltage alarm that I think is a Parameter setting rather than actual low voltage. Anyway, I hope you'll show this option/setup, too, please.
Hugh Dinwiddie That sounds like the alarm for the flight battery. I would disable the alarm in mission planner.. (copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/configuration/failsafe-battery/) Hope that helps.
Hugh Dinwiddie I am also interested in any video describing exactly what is needed to power the Pixhawk correctly since I was instructed that if I use a 6S battery I was not to use the standard power module, but the 180A Attopilot module and use a BEC to power the servo rail and incorporate a Zener diode correctly. Since I have hacked the DF13 cable to use only the three wires (current, voltage and ground) I now rely on a BEC to power the the Pixhawk via the servo rail, but I have power retracts on my X8R receiver (ch9/10) and I locked up the Pixhawk causing a crash since I have no backup power (redundancy). So, is there a video describing the proper wiring of power backup to the Pixhawk servo rail correctly, possibly using two BECs and how to make sure I have the Zener diode/s wired in correctly? (I have seen the diagrams and wiring a diode in line makes no sense as I think extra voltage should be shunted to ground). The craft is flying well, but I would like to use the retracts (or any servo) obviously without a burnout, or power drop.
This is all covered in the on line docs. The standard PM only supports up to 4s LIPO. You can power it using the pins on the PM port and a switching UBEC and/or plug another +5v UBEC into the servo pins for redundancy (use a zener diode for overvoltage protection) This will help you -copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-optional-hardware/common-powermodule-landingpage/common-using-a-pixhawk-with-6s-batteries/ Best of luck with it.
Yes, it is all covered in the online docs. I have read and reread all this and more and I just wondered if you would be actually demonstrating the wiring as I have done what they describe and now I'm waiting on China to send me the parts I need to FIX what I have ruined after I followed the instructions. :)
I will not be covering 6s packs on here. I don't fly ^s on anything but a 500class heli. If I were to use a 6s pack on a PixHawk I would do something very similar to you - UBEC into output pins to power servos and other high current devices (with diode) and also provide secondary power, install another 6s capable UBEC/PDB into the PM port on the Pixhawk. Sorry I can't add any more - best of luck with it.
Hello Sir, your videos are very well crafted for beginners like me. I can't thank you enough for all you do. I am newbie to Drone building DIY. I have Pixhawk 2.4.8 and wanted to use it with 4-in-1 ESC along with Raspberry PI 4 or 5. I watched all the videos out there on this scenario and all of them uses individual ESC's for each motors. I came across encoder to use but surely not understand it. I saw some video about connecting Raspberry PI to Pixhawk so I think I am okay there but not connecting 4-in-1 ESC to Pixhawk. Would you be able to suggest how I can get 4-in-1 ESC connected to Pixhawk? Or if you could do a video on it, would be awesome. Thank you so much for all your help in advance sir.
Hello, I am building a F450 drone and will be using Pixhawk. I had two questions for you and was hoping you could help. 1.) I have noticed that 3DR has discontinued the Pixhawk ($109), and transitioned to Pixhawk Mini ($230). Do you know any differences? I do not know which one to go with at the moment, as $230 is quite a bit of money, especially considering it is a smaller flight controller than the original Pixhawk, yet it is a newer version... 2.) For battery size on my F450, I will be running the DJI E305 kit, and am trying to achieve a 25-30 minute flight time. I am looking at a Venom 4S, 8000 mAH, 15 C battery. Any thoughts? Thank you for the help!
1) All PixHawks are not clones, and have been for some time. It's why the price had dropped so much. 2) Really depends on the props, conditions, model weight etc. Watch that C rating on that pack.. check you've got enough for all the motors. Sorry, I don't use DJI kit here so can't comment further...
Your video are very good! thank so much. Please help I am stuck at calibrating radio connection. I have taranis, plus but my receiver led doesn't turn green/no connection. do you have to setup the taranis first before auto detection? also, do i have to restart all the calibration steps if i didn't finish the first time or does it save your progress to memory/firmware?
Hello. Excelent video! I have a question, is it still worth it to get a Pixhawk 2.4.6 or 2.4.8? Are they still supported by ardupilot? I alredy have an old APM2.8 and I'm looking for an upgrade
Hi Painless360, I am configuring my first Pixhawk. I am following your tutorial closely, but am not able to connect my radio to the Pixhawk controller. Is the Fly Sky FS-R6B radio receiver compatible with the Pixhawk? If not, what radio and receiver do you advise I get? Thank you for your time.
Excellent, excellent video. Quick question if I may ? If I have a frame (TBS Disco Pro) where the Pixhawk can't be mounted exactly at the COG should I wait and do the initial setup and calibrations after installing it in the craft, or is it better do it beforehand like in this vid ? Cheers.
Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay I always setup the board to make sure it's ok before installing it. I then re-calibrate the acc and mag with it's all fitted. Happy flying!
Hi, i'm using a FlySky I6X transmitter/reciever and i'm connecting the reciever to the pixhawk, via RCin and PPM/CH1 on the reciever. the transmitter is bound with the reciever, however i'm not getting any readings on the radio calibration stage. There are no bars, how do i fix this? thanks
good nigth , please would you recomend witch one of the videos of 2023 series is? thanks so much in advance, I have discover your channel recently and I see you have to much videos, maybe you know directly what video I need to see.
Please, can you help? Good morning Do you know What protocol is using esc T-Motor Air 20A? Im having a problem because Im building a drone with FC PixHawk 2.4.8 and through Mission Planner I can not make the motor test, I’m doing all exactly as I did other times or you in your videos before to build a drone with PixHawk, but this time is like the esc don’t take the signal from the FC PixHawk. Please, can you help to me ? I will be very appreciated Thanks so much in advance Can I send to you a video to show you how all is well connected? And the noise that esc do? Is like. It get signal from the fc, also the mission planner to the noise codes as if it’s doing the motor calibration till the end of the process , but the motors doesn’t spin. Best wishes Daniel
Hi Painless, i've shown your PIXHAWK PX4 video serie thank's for that....but i didn't seen how to wire a video transmitter on it....May we connect any video TX ( from Dji AVL 58 for example ) or a specific for PX4.... Best regards Philippe
+Drones Visions Aériennes You would need to setup and add an MininOSD and connect that to the camera, Vtx and Pixhawk. See the wiki for details. We so setup an APM with this on the channel and it's almost identical..
Hi! I'm following along in this series to set up my first GPS drone. I have a radiomaster tx16s bound to a spektrum satellite receiver, but the Pixhawk doesn't recognize inputs from the transmitter. Have you encountered this problem before?
I don't use Spektrum here, and sadly they don't seem to support widely used protocols like SBUS on their receivers. I'd look for a compatible receiver that will output SBUS for this project. Best of luck.
@@Painless360 unable to locate on playlist. Do you remember the search phrase? I'm stuck on mavlink pinout. Thank you for any leads you might have. P.s. super tutorials!
+Huw John thanks for the idea, I will add it to the list. We have added an APM to a plane in that series and the process is almost identical. Best of luck!
. Thanks for answering my question is whether it is better PixHawk system or a telemetry system 433 mhz and if necessary to install a FPV system to see where is the plane and also a separate system that can take pictures georeferenced to make plans with these pictures .... thanks
+CARLOS JOSE SANCHEZ PERNIA A few questions there, let me try and give you a quick answer to each. The telemetry systems works with the Pixhawk - you need both. The Pixhawk is the part that can fly a pre-set 'mission' for things like taking pictures and supports Geofencing. See out Pixhawk videos and take a look at ArduCopter. Best of luck.
Hi Painless. Hoping you might have a solution to my problem. Im trying to get Pixhawk Px4 2.4.8 to work on a 450mm quad. My problem is that after I arm, I move the throttle just a little, barely and the motors spin up almost to half throttle. When I bring the throttle down, it takes about 2-3 seconds for the motors to stop. Have tried on 2 diff Pixhawks, swapped out ESC's and tried on different quad with diff motors and ESC's. Same result. Motors are Turnigy D2830/11, ESC Hobbyking 30a BEC (center, red wire removed), Receiver Turnigy 9X8c v2, PPM Encoder, Radio Turnigy 9X, Power module v1.0. Posting here hoping you or one of your subscribers might have an answer. Enjoy and get lots of good info from your videos. Thanks for making and sharing.
+abenwinUT if it's on the bench, Google 'change motor speed Painless360' to find my video on odd things you can see when bench testing,, hope it helps..
Hi, i am new to this and using a pixhawk 2.4.8 as my flight controller, but I am facing issues with the correct firmware for a plane frame type. It gives me a error at ESC calibration stage- "set param error. Please ensure your your version is AC3.3+". I have tried multiple firmware options but same error always. Though it works well with arducopter heli firmware setup. I would be great if you could help me with this issue?
Please, could you publish the end of that video in where you wanted to explain how to setup the failsafe ? Also can be great if you make in that video how to configure a OSD to be viewed on a FPV monitor Thanks in advance by all I airing your great videos Daniel
Clones of these are available on eBay for about $40. Are they worth it? I need something to replace the deprecated SP racing F3 EVO on my big quad (experimental video platform) (I am aware of the latter F7 based pixhawk 4, but that thing is almost $200 just by itself! :O )
,,, with all clones you pay your money and you take your chances. If you buy it from a reasonably reputable reseller then you should be able to get some back up if you find you have a problem. Best of luck, check out my builds with pixhawk.
I built a drone and wanted to set it up with a Strawberry Pi and Pixhawk. Doesn't work for me so I disconnected the StrawberryPi and followed your instructions here. Only difference was I left the PPM connected. After following your instructions it still does not work. Is it the PPM causing it not to work? Appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks Al
great video, hmm do you need a gps and a compass for calibration and flying? just wondering if no gps and no compass can cause any problems . I tried to fly my tarot without gps and compass connected to it, and it was really stable, the model was loosing the balance
+Zycie w Californii I would always add the GPS and compass to the model unless you have configured the flight controller to not want either as you setup via the wizard. Best of luck!
I just ordered one of these. I have the D4R receiver and a taranis. is there any special steps or connections that need to be made to get telemetry data to the taranis? Thank you! BTW I love your videos best quad tutorials on the youtubes!
It's changing all the time - finally the APM/Pixhawk developers have woken up to the huge number of pilots who want it - pixhawk.org/peripherals/telemetry/frsky Best of luck!
Painless360 I orders the telemetry cable today from www.craftandtheoryllc.com/product/pixhawk-to-frsky-telemetry-cable-d4r-ii-receiver/. Also ordered their lua script for the taranis. Should be fun. Thanks again!
Lee would you know if there are currently any flight controllers on the market that can be ‘doubled up’ and connected into a single multicopter to act as a dual-redundancy system? Each flight controller would also have its own GPS unit for additional fail safe measures. Thanks in advance
Thank you so much for the great information that you are sharing. Personally I have learned so many things from your series on CC3D and MINI APM. I have one question if you don't mind. Is there any differences between the Pixhawk or APM that comes from 3DROBATICS in comparison to the ones that are sold by chines retailer such as Aliexpress.com?
mohammed alshaibani Lots of differences - the clue is in the price. ;) They should be functionally the same but the quality and support will be different. The one I am using is not a 3DR model.. Best of luck with the build.
Mr P. Thanks a million for the whole series of videos you put out! They have been invaluable to me and probably thousands. of others. One question:- Is the GPS unit from my old ARM unit compatible with the new PixHawk? Or do I have to buy all new ancillaries.
Just got one of the Pixhawk 2.4.8 white case with buzzer and arm button from banggood.com. It updated in Mission Planner to ver. 3.3.3. Its got 2mb, 5611 baro. etc, etc, seems like a great deal. At first it didn't update on Mission Planner but I used a different USB cable and VUALA. Now I get to do all the cool stuff in Mission Planner I cant with my APM 2.52. Figured I'd start here. CHEERS!
Aron Gatt It can be on both but it will be added to a quadcopter (the most common model requested by subscribers). There is an APM video series for planes and with this series you will be able to easily figure it out.
yes , i did see the apm series ( which is great) somehow u really have a very neat way to simplify all things which i really like. thought i ask on fixedwings cos its where im heading now with my builds..... just got a bix3 and im looking for a good flying wing aswell to put a good AP on and the pixhawk is a great platform now 4 sure.
Lots of PIxhawk controllers out there. If I want to stay away from knock-offs that might prove to be problematic w.r.t. firmware updates, etc. is it recommended to buy a Holybro Pixhawk only? Its pricey at $200 but it comes with Pixhawk 4, Pixhawk 4 Power management board, GPS module, cables and other greeblings.
I've got quite a few Pixhawk style flight controllers here including clone ones. The cloned ones are a lot cheaper but you're not sure of the quality you're going to get. I've been lucky and all of my ones here have work great..
Good to know, thanks! I found your newer video on the HolyBro PixHawk 4 which I 'm watching right now. Didn't know you made one on this newer FC. I'm pretty sold on the Pixhawk from HolyBro at this point. I've been reading about bad experiences with the knock off boards from ports that didn't work to not being able to flash the board with fw. Really appreciate your videos and the detail and organization you put into them! I got my first quad build successfully finished because of your help.
I'd watch the S900 build in the 'Big Boys Toys' playlist before ordering. The code wasn't quite there for it last time I checked - but that was a month ago..
Since I have your attention :) and I cannot find a better place to ask this random question I'll ask it here. I purchased and just received your 3d printed Frsky receiver antenna mount and wondered what size of straw should I purchase. Ordering online is easier than trying to find it locally since there aren't any good RC shops close to me. I found some that were 3mm diameter. Will those fit the bracket?
hi painless, love the videos, totally convinced me now to go down the pixhawk road for my next FC.... Quick question though..thinking about damping for the vibration issue, rather then buying an anti-vibration mount, i was wandering if there is space inside the case to drill some holes in the bottom plate of the case and mount some silicone anti-vibration balls directly to the case itself...... or is the circuit board too close to the inside of the bottom plate. thanks for the great videos... big fan
Hello, I've seen your video, however , on initial setup, while doing the radio calibration, the green bars don't appear and i can't manage to calibrate the rc. I am using an FSi6 transmitter, with a FSiA6B receiver.The light on the receiver is steady and red, and i think they are binded correctly because i can see the battery status of the receiver on the transmitter. I would really appreciate a help from you, Thanks in advance
I want to equip my machine with extra solenoids and functions and I plan on using a gadgeteer and accessory boards. Should I use them in tandem with a Pixhawk or can I use them in place of it? It seems like the gadgeteer could do anything the flight controller does, but a good flight controller is made to fly etc.
Hi. I'm pretty confused over how all this is connected and not connected with each other. APM, APM2.6, PX4, Pixhawk, Arducopter, Ardupilot, PX4 firmware, Mission planner and so on. Tried searching ALOT around but can't seem to grasp everything. Are you maybe planning to make an video of that?
Hi sir! Great video series! Thank you! I have two questions: 1. If I want to install the pixHawk on a RC boat, what firmware I will chose in Mission Planner? The ArduRover v2.5? 2. Is compatible for Turnigy TGY-iA6B V2 Receiver 6CH?
Again a perfect guide , shortly what is the advantage of the pixhawk over the apm...i have an APM , can i use my accessories , GPS+Compas and telemetry if i move to pixhawk?thank you.
APM vs. PixHawk covered at 3:03 in this video. Personally, the cost of the PixHawk with accessories is so low now I'd get a new setup. The GPS units shipped with the older APM are much less sensitive than modern units.. Happy flying!
Great video!! I've just bumbled my way through setting up a PixHawk and your first video would have saved me hours searching for missing information! Looking forward to the rest!!
Peter Arnold Powering the board, connecting ESCs, arming and initial hover next... Should be out next week..
Thanks for the feedback.
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How did you manage to set your battery configuration? I'm having issues with prearm battery 2 low voltage failsafe.
7 years ago, and yet I’m still learning from you Lee! Painless360 is fully Mega. Thank You Man! 😀
A quite usefull trick for using the GPS for the first time is to put it outside or or simply near a window so it would track much much faster. I thought my GPS/Pixhawk was broken when i had that problem. Hope that helps ;-)
omg your a life saver, im new to drone technology and jumped in at the deep end by designing my own vtol with unique features and your guides are going to be invalueble in the process.
Hello Chris, can you provide me your email address ?
I can't thank you enough for all the things have I learnt from you in RC world. Please continue , your are awesome.
Hello, I am a big fan of your explanation. This world of the drones is new to me. Good information is always very valuable. I would like to thank you for this clear explanation . Best regards, Hans
Thank you for the feedback. I do try and aim the content to be accessible for newer pilots and builders..
Oh man, what a fantastic presentation. Thank you very much, it seems i finally found the right channel
Welcome! Happy flying!
Great job on the video, as well as everything you've released so far. You truly do make this hobby painless!
A point of note for anyone upgrading from APM to Pixhawk... All of your existing peripherals will still work (GPS module, 3DR Telemetry, MinimOSD), however, you have to change the connectors from DF13 5 position to DF13 6 position plugs. The only item that can move over with no modification is the power module. There are tons of pictures online showing the exact pinouts, so the hardest part will be finding the plugs. My Pixhawk came with a few extra "spare" cables, so I just carefully harvested the ends off those and I was up and running quickly
Many thanks to the mysterious "R"
....probably an associate of "M" perhaps?
Shaken- not stirred, eh?
***** You eggspect me to tawk? (In mock Scottish/English accent) ;)
DM ME IF ANYONE WANTS TO JOIN OUR WHATSAAP GROUP "diy drones". +91 9605168700- whatsaap
Sir, your videos are undoubtedly the most helpful in this field
Thank you for the comment. Different people have different learning styles, background and experience so no one set of videos will be perfect for all audiences. It is always nice to hear from someone who has found the videos I make useful... Happy flying!
Well I threw out my NAZA-M V2 stuff! I am now getting ready to set up this PixHawk. I'll be watching each video in the series and doing exactly what you say. I love how you make these videos for guys like me that are sorta new to all this tech. After I get this all figured out and flying on a DJI FlameWheel clone, I'll buy the PixHawk 2 and putting that on yet another DJI Flame Wheel clone.
I love your videos, without them, I would never had tried anything! I flew my first quadcopter with a Naze32 because of your videos on it.
Thank you
PS: I have made it past the first hurdle, but with a few problems. My computer wouldn't recognize the USB connection (NAZA V2 did this too) and now I have it hooked up after doing everything manually (no Wizard). On to #2 in the series!
I'm still waiting for my pixhawk which I've bought on the internet, but your video I've already added to my favorites. Thanks for uploading! 😀
It's 2020.....did you ever get it or are you STILL WAITING?? lolol
DM ME IF ANYONE WANTS TO JOIN OUR WHATSAAP GROUP "diy drones". +91 9605168700- whatsaap
nice video
and special thanks to the one who sends that pixhawk
Finally a tech video without a weird accent
This video is over 4 years old and my channel has been going for over 12 years. Where have you been? ;) Glad you found the content. Happy flying!
Thanks R, because of you I was able to learn about pixhawk :)
Very well done! You answered all of my questions and gave me a thorough understanding of the Pixhawk.
Thank you for the time you took to make these videos!.
Thanks for the first video of the serie on the Pixhawk :)
Have a great weekend
Thanks so much for this. I've had a Pixhawk for a few weeks and will now install it. Thanks for using the Taranis, too. Looking forward to the next one.
Just the sort of thing I have been looking for. Great stuff and keep them coming.
Thank you for this series of videos on the Pixhawk 2.4.8, It's a great help.
This is a deep video on PixHawk. I really like it!
Joy oh Joy My new Pixhawk is working. Thankyou !!!
Can't wait to watch the next video. Great job.
Many thanks for another excellent video. Just spent a few weeks building an F450 using a Flysky Fs-i6s Tx with no problems at all, just a small amount of trim on the elevator and it flies perfectly.
Which receiver did you use and if its fsia6b how did you connect it to the pixhawk
Great video. 10 out of 10 from me. Thanks for your time and effort with making it. And thanks to 'R' for sending the pixhawk.
Glad you liked it, there are more in this series. Check out the playlist. Happy flying!
Thanks PL360!! The only warning for newbies (and I'm one of them) is.... the firmware for pixhawk. I used the mission planner software to load the quadcopter firmware into the pixhawk. But once that was done, the pixhawk got a red solid LED coming on (after each manual power-up), and had three beeps...one higher tone, followed by two low tones. I thought I had broken my pixhawk. I then needed to go to qgroundcontrol.com/ to install the Qgroundcontrol software, which provided two options - a pixhawk firmware and an ardupilot firmware. I chose the pixhaw firmware..... which loaded into my pixhawk 2.4.6, which revived all functions. I was then able to start up Mission Planner and connect to the pixhawk. Just mentioning this in case some newbies get a heart attack after loading the ardupilot firmware into their pixhawk. Otherwise, fantastic! Thanks again! Love your video and very easy-to-follow guidance with the sensors setup!
UPDATE: This morning, I took a punt and tried one more time to use Mission Planner to upload the copter 3.4.4 firmware. And it surprised me that the firmware not only uploaded, but the pixhawk 2.4.6 was also operating properly. Thanks!
thank you for this video. coming back to Pixhawk, after 2 years, as the first try was not success )))
Great video painless. right on spot.
Very excellent, clear explanation of your follower from Saudi
Regarding the magnetometer calibration, does it matter that the GPS will be in a different position relative to the Pixhawk on the model, compared to the piece of card?
I’d always recommend redoing it in the model..
Enjoying your video . I know you're speaking about aircraft but I'm making an autonomous boat and I simply want to control the rudder and tell it to sail waypoint to waypoint. Obviously a GPS input is needed. What other hardware to you recommend? I don't need motor control of any kind. The motors will be running solar and will be on all the time. I simply need rudder control for the waypoints. Thanks, I'm just learning and appreciate your wonderful teaching ability on this video. I'll watch the entire serious but wanted to throw out this questions first. Thanks in advance. Steve
Check out the Ardupilot wiki as they have a whole section on Arduboat. I may make a series on boats in the future. Stay tuned!
If you are still working on this, it may be worth looking into a forward/reverse relay for the motor(s). This would allow for two directions and if you have two motors, some steering. You could also wire the motors in series and just have forward/reverse with a rudder. I would think this would be your best option, as using two motors to steer would take a while, especially if it is on solar only
I can't quite make the sense out of what you're saying @ 7:27 "...absolutely pressed home (?) before we plug it into a computer". Do you mean that I'll have problems connecting Pixhawk to a Mission Planner if there's no SD card in it?
I'm thinking about trying out Pixhawk after Naze32/Cleanflight, which I never got the chance to setup properly, because I broke a couple of beams and half a dozen props trying to tune it at home, and when I got it to fly somewhat, it still wasn't flying as stable as Naza M Lite that my dad uses on his own quad.
Make sure the SD card is plugged in so you hear the click. We answer your second question in the video - if it's not then it won't flash with new firmware. Happy flying!
Painless360 Thank you :)
It's worth mentioning control directions in radio calibration aileron and rudder are obvious but elevator is reversed to what you think and not same direction as throttle i.e. full forward throttle - green bar goes to top, full forward elevator - green bar should go down
Thanks for sharing informative video, I started learning about pix hawk from your video.
My first thought that came to mind if there was some kind of PCB used for failover to a fully charged battery for the controls to land with. That would be cool. You still would be able to glide down and land. I enjoy your videos and fell sorry for the lost of your airplane. I differently know that feeling walking to get the crashed airplane.
Nice tutorial video, it's so helpful for rc plane builders. I appreciate it 👍
Thanks. Check out the latest Arduplane 2020 series for an up to date series... Happy flying!
grazie mille! finalmente un tutor chiaro...
+Alessandro Colangeli
Siete i benvenuti, sono contento che lo ha aiutato. Volo felice!
Thank you! Your video is quite educational. I'm preparing for my first build.
Thank you. We will try the first fly on saturday. I did the setup including gps block. if I want to fly without, may I remove it and fly or have I to setup again the board without external gpd and compass module? Thanks for your time. Regards Andrea Montani
+Andrea Montani You could try but I would not try and fly a model without everything tested and working. Best of luck.
Calibrations will need to be repeated when it is mounted on the quad. Motors and escs will throw them off. The Pixhawk will compensate after the recal.
Chuckles It will - all covered in the second video after mounting to the chassis ;)
Great instructional video. Very detailed and complete. Still relevant in NOV2017 to understanding Pixhawk and its setup.
Any thumbs-down votes are clearly the work of idiots savants, as there is zero reason to give this a thumbs-down. These are among some of the most well-done instructional videos I've come across and I definitely appreciate the time, effort, charts, detailed explanations and history of the APM evolution to PX4 to Pixhawk.
This is must-view video for everyone new to UAS.
+Tex McFaden thanks for taking the time to write that comment, it's always great to hear from those who get something from the videos. Happy flying
Like always, we love very much your instructional videos. Thumbs up!
Claudiu Farcas Thanks you.
Thanks Painless and others will give a try on different pc.
Thank you very much bro, video concept is awasome
Check out the Pixhawk 2020 series too... Happy flying
@@Painless360 thank you, ı will
okkey. I also opened a ticket with 3DR. I will keep you informed. thanks a lot. regards and ciao Andrea
Ur pixhawk seems to be like a clone version. Did u face any issues during long flights like in stability of gyro, or program incompatibility?
No but these videos were made a long time ago. Modern clones may be of different quality.. Best of luck
@@Painless360 thx.♥️
thanks for your videos, i started this last July and got totally no where, tried kk2, apm 2.6 and 2.8 and gave up, then came across your videos so i dragged everything out of the cupboard and tried again and succeeded in under 5 hours, flys great, last time i tried it went always skimmed sideways then flipped over and crashed without fail.please keep them coming and maybe add the 6 position switch for Turnigy 9x on ER9X and 9Xtreme as i struggled with that for several days as many videos out there worked for them but i only got 5 of the six flight modes working despite the transmitter clearly showing 6.
+s See our videos where we've added modes to other radios - the problem comes from the fact that the ranges for the modes are not equally spaced and a lot of the controls on a radio assume they are.. Best of luck!
love your channel man! great work as always!
Thank you. Happy flying!
Thanks for the great videos. They have gotten me in the air going back to the early electric heli days.
I'm having a problem: No matter what I do, if I set up the radio for AETRM, the throttle and elevator are exchanged when I go to calibrate in Mission Planner. This is is on a pre-owned Taranis X9E with the Hall Effect gimbals. I'm wondering if this is a mode 1 radio and when the previous owner upgraded the gimbals, he simply set it up as a mode 2. If I set the radio up as ATERM, the calibrate routine responds as expected. Any thoughts?
Sounds like you are a little new to the radio and OpenTx. Check in the mixer section of the radio and you'll see that those outputs are swapped. You can move them to be anything you want. See my OpenTX mix school videos. Best of luck!
Hi, my radio does not pick up on the Radio Calibration part of Mission Planner. It seems like it's bound fine to the receiver, since I tested it with a servo motor and it responded fine. However, when receiver is plugged into the Pixhawk (Via RCIN) and radio is turned on, there are no green bars showing up on Mission Planner, despite the receiver showing a steady orange light. Do you think this is a problem with the radio or the Pixhawk itself or something else? I'm only in Highschool and extremely new to drones, and I've been stuck on this for a while. Any response would be awesome.
Radio: OrangeRx Tx6i Mode 1 Int'l Version 6ch 2.4GHz DSM2/DSMX Compatible Radio System
Receiver: OrangeRx R615X DSM2/DSMX Compatible 6Ch 2.4GHz Receiver w/CPPM
Check what protocol you need for the RCIN port. I use SBUS for that here so I would be suggest you need an RX with SBUS too... Best of luck
beginner's question. What happens if during autonomous, programmed flight pixhawk looses radio reception (turn off taranis). Will program continue or automatic RTH kicks in, or maybe FrShuts off motors?
Thanks so much! Great videos!
+mkolesnik The documentation makes a decent job of covering this so I'd recommend a read through it you're interested. The simple answer is that the failsafe happens when either a LIPO or radio problem occurs. You can then get it to RTH or LAND or even continue with the mission.. Happy flying!
I selected a hexacopter on the first screen of the wizard, but as soon as it connects to my Pixhawk, it only gives me a choice of quads or tri. What do I do next?
No idea, I've not seen that. What trouble shooting have you already tried?
Painless360 That Pixhawk died on me, looks like a voltage regulator failed... will try again when I have the replacement.
Hi! I am trying to setup this on my bixler and I was wondering what channel should I put the flaps on? I watched this and the taranis video but Im still clueless. Is hard to go trough this series and have it adapted to a plane. Thank u in advance. Also is the telemetry radio mandatory to get a good experience with thr pixhawk? Thank you for all the great content.
ardupilot.org/plane/docs/automatic-flaps.html covers it if you want to make them automatic. You can run them from the reciever directly or foward a channel to the flaps via a spare PWM output. See the latest Arduplane build on the channel. Best of luck with it..
Many thanks for your videos.I am building up a fixed wing drone by using a pixhawk as flight controll. The first proto will have an electric motor and I think I will have no issue to manage it by pixhawk. In a second step I would use a gas engine in order to increas the drone range. Is it possible to manage a gas engine by pixhawk? which kind of servo have I to use in order to manage the throttle butterfly (digital servo instead of an ESC)? Thanks a lot for your help. I apologize for my poor english.regardsAndrea Montani
+Andrea Montani I don't use IC motors here so can't comment. I think there is something on this in the Pixhawk/Mission Planner Wikis and manuals - best of luck.
Thank you. I will give a look. See you soon.
Hi Painless i come back to your videos because i 've found a lot of version of Pixhawk on the internet...if i correctly understood yours explanations Px4 became Pixhawk...but i don't understand the differences between FMU and i/o....are they in the same controler board "Pixhawk" or may i buy many modules to get them and to wire together...?
Best regards
Philippe
+Drones Visions Aériennes I'd buy the same as in the video - we don't have experience with PX4 or other variants..
Really helpful and clear. Many thanks
by using your video we built up a tricopter using a pixhawk controller. After first problems Now it works very well. during RTL mode the tricopter works well but the landing Point is not exaclty the take off Point , there is a tolerance around 2m. is there a parameter to set this Radius? The one in waypoit? Thanks and Regards Andrea Montani
+Andrea Montani that's normal. Happy flying!
Your video turned me on :D So my question is, what do I need for mission planner. In terms of hardware? I am buying the pixhawk flight controller, plus a GPS module. Is that all I need? or is there extra hardware? For example, I want to use my computer and plan my quadcopter to fly on its own, while I am just watching FPV and can also track on my computer?
+Henok Hailu all covered in the series - keep watching! ;)
+Painless360 Ok. So finished your series (5 episodes) and oh gosh, you are really good at making videos. So, on the 4th episode, you talked about setting up waypoints and everything. So cool, you can actually do that without any other hardware except for the GPS and a computer to setup up the waypoints at home. Am I right? But the problem is, you can't track your copter and where it is going with your hardware selection, because I think you need a wireless telemetry rx and tx where it is connected to the pixhawk, and one connected to your laptop, and therefore, I ca track down where my copter is going, and speed etc. and am right? Thanks you have helped a lot
+Painless360 and one very last thing. Do I need a PPM encoder, if my receiver already transmits ppm signals? :D
+Henok Hailu look at MAVLINK radios ;)
+Henok Hailu nope
I have spent hours trying to set my f550 up to no avail, is there a video on configuring this up with a futaba t8fg super remote? I am extremely frustrated . Thanks
I don't use Futaba here but I have recent series on Arducopter setup.. Best of luck
Hi I would like to know where I can buy this exact Pixhawk you are using in the video ,I want to build a quad and a Tri copter ,BTW great videos ,if you could put a link as to where I can purchase it ,Thanks.there seems to be a few different versions out there ? I only want the GPS version like in your video.
+Paul McMahon No idea sorry. This was a donation for the series. Places like Banggood.com and HobbyKing stock them.. Best of luck.
+Paul McMahon Paul, you can get one @ Banggood for £55.92 www.banggood.com/buy/pixhawk-px4.html
I found it on www.parkflyer.ru/101362/product/1562549/ with additional modules ))
+Paul McMahon I wouldn't buy a Pixhawk, they are very flaky and hard to get working. I have 2 of them I've been trying to get working for over a year and a half without any success so far. Sure, all the fanboys say they are so great and have tons of fake videos on TH-cam showing them flying so well but it's all a lie!
Great video! Just wanted to ask, my i2c connector & wires are gutted. Can I use the GPS without the i2c since the pixhawk already has an internal compass?
I wouldn't. That interval compass is too net everything else... Best of luck
Hello, great video, however we have a problem: we have followed all your steps up to the part were we have to connect the Pixhawk. Unfortunately, once we pressed connect, all of the numbers remained zero, and the map didn't update with our GPS position. We are using the Mac version of the APM planner. Thank you for your attention
+B Team sorry, I don't use Macs here... Best of luck!
great sfuff. Just one question does the elavator chanel have to be reversed like on a apm 2.- thanks
dave s All covered in the next video ;)
Hello Painless,
thanks for all of your awesome and gorgeous videos and excellent explainations. I bought myself the Pixhawk Lite from GoodLuckBuy. I think you don´t have any experiance with that, but anyway - this plattform can run the Pixhawk firmware without a problem. I would like to know what kind of settings i have to choose mandatory hardware tab in the compass menu. Minute 18:25 in this Video.
You are clicking Pixhawk or PX4. What will this opetion excatly do? I did not find an answer somewhere. Maybe you can help? Do i have to use Pixhawk or PX4 as well? What are those other options? What do i have to choose? What will that option do?
+Christian Wunderlich Have a look in the video for the differences between PX4 and Pixhawk. I'd always check with the vendor on what they suggest. If it's sold as a Pixhawk then that FW should work.. Best of luck..
+Painless360 ok understood - but what setting do you configure with this bullet point which you can select and i´m not able to find a video comparing px4 and pixhawk.
We cover it at the start of this video briefly. I'd check with the vendor but it is probably pixhawk you need. Best of luck.
I'm looking forward to the next one covering the power options. I don't want to use the power module and when I connect to the servo rail it appears to work fine, but I get a low voltage alarm that I think is a Parameter setting rather than actual low voltage. Anyway, I hope you'll show this option/setup, too, please.
Hugh Dinwiddie That sounds like the alarm for the flight battery. I would disable the alarm in mission planner.. (copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/configuration/failsafe-battery/)
Hope that helps.
Hugh Dinwiddie I am also interested in any video describing exactly what is needed to power the Pixhawk correctly since I was instructed that if I use a 6S battery I was not to use the standard power module, but the 180A Attopilot module and use a BEC to power the servo rail and incorporate a Zener diode correctly. Since I have hacked the DF13 cable to use only the three wires (current, voltage and ground) I now rely on a BEC to power the the Pixhawk via the servo rail, but I have power retracts on my X8R receiver (ch9/10) and I locked up the Pixhawk causing a crash since I have no backup power (redundancy). So, is there a video describing the proper wiring of power backup to the Pixhawk servo rail correctly, possibly using two BECs and how to make sure I have the Zener diode/s wired in correctly? (I have seen the diagrams and wiring a diode in line makes no sense as I think extra voltage should be shunted to ground). The craft is flying well, but I would like to use the retracts (or any servo) obviously without a burnout, or power drop.
This is all covered in the on line docs. The standard PM only supports up to 4s LIPO.
You can power it using the pins on the PM port and a switching UBEC and/or plug another +5v UBEC into the servo pins for redundancy (use a zener diode for overvoltage protection)
This will help you -copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-optional-hardware/common-powermodule-landingpage/common-using-a-pixhawk-with-6s-batteries/
Best of luck with it.
Yes, it is all covered in the online docs. I have read and reread all this and more and I just wondered if you would be actually demonstrating the wiring as I have done what they describe and now I'm waiting on China to send me the parts I need to FIX what I have ruined after I followed the instructions. :)
I will not be covering 6s packs on here. I don't fly ^s on anything but a 500class heli.
If I were to use a 6s pack on a PixHawk I would do something very similar to you - UBEC into output pins to power servos and other high current devices (with diode) and also provide secondary power, install another 6s capable UBEC/PDB into the PM port on the Pixhawk.
Sorry I can't add any more - best of luck with it.
Hello Sir, your videos are very well crafted for beginners like me. I can't thank you enough for all you do. I am newbie to Drone building DIY. I have Pixhawk 2.4.8 and wanted to use it with 4-in-1 ESC along with Raspberry PI 4 or 5. I watched all the videos out there on this scenario and all of them uses individual ESC's for each motors. I came across encoder to use but surely not understand it. I saw some video about connecting Raspberry PI to Pixhawk so I think I am okay there but not connecting 4-in-1 ESC to Pixhawk. Would you be able to suggest how I can get 4-in-1 ESC connected to Pixhawk? Or if you could do a video on it, would be awesome. Thank you so much for all your help in advance sir.
The wiring of the ESCs isn't that different. Each has a signal wire but all use a single common. GND wire.... Best of luck
Hello, I am building a F450 drone and will be using Pixhawk. I had two questions for you and was hoping you could help.
1.) I have noticed that 3DR has discontinued the Pixhawk ($109), and transitioned to Pixhawk Mini ($230). Do you know any differences? I do not know which one to go with at the moment, as $230 is quite a bit of money, especially considering it is a smaller flight controller than the original Pixhawk, yet it is a newer version...
2.) For battery size on my F450, I will be running the DJI E305 kit, and am trying to achieve a 25-30 minute flight time. I am looking at a Venom 4S, 8000 mAH, 15 C battery. Any thoughts?
Thank you for the help!
1) All PixHawks are not clones, and have been for some time. It's why the price had dropped so much.
2) Really depends on the props, conditions, model weight etc. Watch that C rating on that pack.. check you've got enough for all the motors. Sorry, I don't use DJI kit here so can't comment further...
Your video are very good! thank so much. Please help I am stuck at calibrating radio connection. I have taranis, plus but my receiver led doesn't turn green/no connection. do you have to setup the taranis first before auto detection? also, do i have to restart all the calibration steps if i didn't finish the first time or does it save your progress to memory/firmware?
Hello. Excelent video!
I have a question, is it still worth it to get a Pixhawk 2.4.6 or 2.4.8? Are they still supported by ardupilot? I alredy have an old APM2.8 and I'm looking for an upgrade
Yes, see the later builds..
Hi Painless360, I am configuring my first Pixhawk. I am following your tutorial closely, but am not able to connect my radio to the Pixhawk controller. Is the Fly Sky FS-R6B radio receiver compatible with the Pixhawk? If not, what radio and receiver do you advise I get? Thank you for your time.
Is the receiver PPM or S-Bus?
I have a 6 channel PPM receiver and the Fly Sky FS-T6, 6 channel radio transmitter. Thank you for your help.
Excellent, excellent video. Quick question if I may ? If I have a frame (TBS Disco Pro) where the Pixhawk can't be mounted exactly at the COG should I wait and do the initial setup and calibrations after installing it in the craft, or is it better do it beforehand like in this vid ? Cheers.
Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay I always setup the board to make sure it's ok before installing it. I then re-calibrate the acc and mag with it's all fitted. Happy flying!
That makes sense. Thanks :)
Hi, i'm using a FlySky I6X transmitter/reciever and i'm connecting the reciever to the pixhawk, via RCin and PPM/CH1 on the reciever. the transmitter is bound with the reciever, however i'm not getting any readings on the radio calibration stage. There are no bars, how do i fix this? thanks
good nigth , please would you recomend witch one of the videos of 2023 series is? thanks so much in advance, I have discover your channel recently and I see you have to much videos, maybe you know directly what video I need to see.
Arducopter/Pixhawk for beginners Series (2023): th-cam.com/play/PLYsWjANuAm4rXSCRfiZkpuBmUP0u-lLby.html
Please, can you help? Good morning
Do you know What protocol is using esc T-Motor Air 20A?
Im having a problem because Im building a drone with FC PixHawk 2.4.8 and through Mission Planner I can not make the motor test, I’m doing all exactly as I did other times or you in your videos before to build a drone with PixHawk, but this time is like the esc don’t take the signal from the FC PixHawk.
Please, can you help to me ?
I will be very appreciated
Thanks so much in advance
Can I send to you a video to show you how all is well connected? And the noise that esc do? Is like. It get signal from the fc, also the mission planner to the noise codes as if it’s doing the motor calibration till the end of the process , but the motors doesn’t spin.
Best wishes
Daniel
Hi Painless, i've shown your PIXHAWK PX4 video serie thank's for that....but i didn't seen how to wire a video transmitter on it....May we connect any video TX ( from Dji AVL 58 for example ) or a specific for PX4....
Best regards
Philippe
+Drones Visions Aériennes You would need to setup and add an MininOSD and connect that to the camera, Vtx and Pixhawk. See the wiki for details. We so setup an APM with this on the channel and it's almost identical..
+Painless360 sorry but what do you mean. ...wiki...?
thank a lot
The online manual ;)
Hi! I'm following along in this series to set up my first GPS drone. I have a radiomaster tx16s bound to a spektrum satellite receiver, but the Pixhawk doesn't recognize inputs from the transmitter. Have you encountered this problem before?
I don't use Spektrum here, and sadly they don't seem to support widely used protocols like SBUS on their receivers. I'd look for a compatible receiver that will output SBUS for this project. Best of luck.
No pain man, have you had any experience with the PX4FMU AND any of the top/stack boards?
Not many. See the playlists.... Happy flying
@@Painless360 unable to locate on playlist. Do you remember the search phrase? I'm stuck on mavlink pinout. Thank you for any leads you might have.
P.s. super tutorials!
there arent any videos running through setup on a wing such as a mini talon, would you consider covering this please?
+Huw John thanks for the idea, I will add it to the list. We have added an APM to a plane in that series and the process is almost identical. Best of luck!
Painless360 thank you. I'm mainly having trouble with the safety button. unable to arm it without disabling on startup.
. Thanks for answering my question is whether it is better PixHawk system or a telemetry system 433 mhz and if necessary to install a FPV system to see where is the plane and also a separate system that can take pictures georeferenced to make plans with these pictures .... thanks
+CARLOS JOSE SANCHEZ PERNIA A few questions there, let me try and give you a quick answer to each. The telemetry systems works with the Pixhawk - you need both. The Pixhawk is the part that can fly a pre-set 'mission' for things like taking pictures and supports Geofencing. See out Pixhawk videos and take a look at ArduCopter. Best of luck.
wow so cool will be watching thanks
Dear Sir,
What's the difference between this version and Radiolink version?
I've not used the Radiolink version... Happy flying
what's the difference between this and Pixhawk Pro version?
Hi Painless. Hoping you might have a solution to my problem. Im trying to get Pixhawk Px4 2.4.8 to work on a 450mm quad. My problem is that after I arm, I move the throttle just a little, barely and the motors spin up almost to half throttle. When I bring the throttle down, it takes about 2-3 seconds for the motors to stop. Have tried on 2 diff Pixhawks, swapped out ESC's and tried on different quad with diff motors and ESC's. Same result. Motors are Turnigy D2830/11, ESC Hobbyking 30a BEC (center, red wire removed), Receiver Turnigy 9X8c v2, PPM Encoder, Radio Turnigy 9X, Power module v1.0. Posting here hoping you or one of your subscribers might have an answer. Enjoy and get lots of good info from your videos. Thanks for making and sharing.
+abenwinUT if it's on the bench, Google 'change motor speed Painless360' to find my video on odd things you can see when bench testing,, hope it helps..
Hi, i am new to this and using a pixhawk 2.4.8 as my flight controller, but I am facing issues with the correct firmware for a plane frame type. It gives me a error at ESC calibration stage- "set param error. Please ensure your your version is AC3.3+". I have tried multiple firmware options but same error always. Though it works well with arducopter heli firmware setup. I would be great if you could help me with this issue?
Lots about this in the forums but I've not seen it here. Looks version related from that I can see. Best of luck!
Please, could you publish the end of that video in where you wanted to explain how to setup the failsafe ?
Also can be great if you make in that video how to configure a OSD to be viewed on a FPV monitor
Thanks in advance by all
I airing your great videos
Daniel
Please see one of the more modern 'Pixhawk' series on the channel. This series is out of date..
Clones of these are available on eBay for about $40. Are they worth it? I need something to replace the deprecated SP racing F3 EVO on my big quad (experimental video platform)
(I am aware of the latter F7 based pixhawk 4, but that thing is almost $200 just by itself! :O )
,,, with all clones you pay your money and you take your chances. If you buy it from a reasonably reputable reseller then you should be able to get some back up if you find you have a problem. Best of luck, check out my builds with pixhawk.
I built a drone and wanted to set it up with a Strawberry Pi and Pixhawk. Doesn't work for me so I disconnected the StrawberryPi and followed your instructions here. Only difference was I left the PPM connected. After following your instructions it still does not work. Is it the PPM causing it not to work? Appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks Al
Check out the Pixhawk 2020 series for all the steps I use to get it working. Best of luck
great video, hmm do you need a gps and a compass for calibration and flying? just wondering if no gps and no compass can cause any problems . I tried to fly my tarot without gps and compass connected to it, and it was really stable, the model was loosing the balance
+Zycie w Californii I would always add the GPS and compass to the model unless you have configured the flight controller to not want either as you setup via the wizard. Best of luck!
I just ordered one of these. I have the D4R receiver and a taranis. is there any special steps or connections that need to be made to get telemetry data to the taranis? Thank you! BTW I love your videos best quad tutorials on the youtubes!
It's changing all the time - finally the APM/Pixhawk developers have woken up to the huge number of pilots who want it - pixhawk.org/peripherals/telemetry/frsky Best of luck!
Painless360 I orders the telemetry cable today from www.craftandtheoryllc.com/product/pixhawk-to-frsky-telemetry-cable-d4r-ii-receiver/. Also ordered their lua script for the taranis. Should be fun. Thanks again!
Lee would you know if there are currently any flight controllers on the market that can be ‘doubled up’ and connected into a single multicopter to act as a dual-redundancy system? Each flight controller would also have its own GPS unit for additional fail safe measures.
Thanks in advance
+Brad Samers I think I've already answered this - no need to post twice.. Happy flying!
Thank you so much for the great information that you are sharing. Personally I have learned so many things from your series on CC3D and MINI APM.
I have one question if you don't mind. Is there any differences between the Pixhawk or APM that comes from 3DROBATICS in comparison to the ones that are sold by chines retailer such as Aliexpress.com?
mohammed alshaibani Lots of differences - the clue is in the price. ;)
They should be functionally the same but the quality and support will be different. The one I am using is not a 3DR model..
Best of luck with the build.
Mr P. Thanks a million for the whole series of videos you put out! They have been invaluable to me and probably thousands. of others. One question:- Is the GPS unit from my old ARM unit compatible with the new PixHawk? Or do I have to buy all new ancillaries.
It might do, I've not tried it here though as I tend to by the PixHawks with the GPS etc. all included as a package..
Just got one of the Pixhawk 2.4.8 white case with buzzer and arm button from banggood.com. It updated in Mission Planner to ver. 3.3.3. Its got 2mb, 5611 baro. etc, etc, seems like a great deal. At first it didn't update on Mission Planner but I used a different USB cable and VUALA. Now I get to do all the cool stuff in Mission Planner I cant with my APM 2.52. Figured I'd start here. CHEERS!
You need to install ArduPilot 3.2.1 onto the APM and it should burst into life too - best of luck!
PERFECT, I had seen 3.2.2 was ok but its a Cheerson CX-20 and didn't want to brick it. 3.2.1 it is !
Nice , would this be on a fixwing or copter?
Aron Gatt It can be on both but it will be added to a quadcopter (the most common model requested by subscribers). There is an APM video series for planes and with this series you will be able to easily figure it out.
yes , i did see the apm series ( which is great) somehow u really have a very neat way to simplify all things which i really like.
thought i ask on fixedwings cos its where im heading now with my builds..... just got a bix3 and im looking for a good flying wing aswell to put a good AP on and the pixhawk is a great platform now 4 sure.
Lots of PIxhawk controllers out there. If I want to stay away from knock-offs that might prove to be problematic w.r.t. firmware updates, etc. is it recommended to buy a Holybro Pixhawk only? Its pricey at $200 but it comes with Pixhawk 4, Pixhawk 4 Power management board, GPS module, cables and other greeblings.
I've got quite a few Pixhawk style flight controllers here including clone ones. The cloned ones are a lot cheaper but you're not sure of the quality you're going to get. I've been lucky and all of my ones here have work great..
Good to know, thanks! I found your newer video on the HolyBro PixHawk 4 which I 'm watching right now. Didn't know you made one on this newer FC. I'm pretty sold on the Pixhawk from HolyBro at this point. I've been reading about bad experiences with the knock off boards from ports that didn't work to not being able to flash the board with fw.
Really appreciate your videos and the detail and organization you put into them! I got my first quad build successfully finished because of your help.
I'd watch the S900 build in the 'Big Boys Toys' playlist before ordering. The code wasn't quite there for it last time I checked - but that was a month ago..
Since I have your attention :) and I cannot find a better place to ask this random question I'll ask it here. I purchased and just received your 3d printed Frsky receiver antenna mount and wondered what size of straw should I purchase. Ordering online is easier than trying to find it locally since there aren't any good RC shops close to me. I found some that were 3mm diameter. Will those fit the bracket?
@@stevejones9044 details should be on the Thingiverse design page. I used the coffee/drink stirring straws.
will this pixhawk work for a rover or a boat? Great video!
hi painless, love the videos, totally convinced me now to go down the pixhawk road for my next FC.... Quick question though..thinking about damping for the vibration issue, rather then buying an anti-vibration mount, i was wandering if there is space inside the case to drill some holes in the bottom plate of the case and mount some silicone anti-vibration balls directly to the case itself...... or is the circuit board too close to the inside of the bottom plate.
thanks for the great videos... big fan
+Dave Towner really depends on the case. The anti vibration mounts made for these work great though.. best of luck!
Hello, I've seen your video, however , on initial setup, while doing the radio calibration, the green bars don't appear and i can't manage to calibrate the rc.
I am using an FSi6 transmitter, with a FSiA6B receiver.The light on the receiver is steady and red, and i think they are binded correctly because i can see the battery status of the receiver on the transmitter.
I would really appreciate a help from you,
Thanks in advance
I want to equip my machine with extra solenoids and functions and I plan on using a gadgeteer and accessory boards. Should I use them in tandem with a Pixhawk or can I use them in place of it? It seems like the gadgeteer could do anything the flight controller does, but a good flight controller is made to fly etc.
+Rollin Shultz Sorry, we've not looked at them here. Best of luck with it!
Hi. I'm pretty confused over how all this is connected and not connected with each other. APM, APM2.6, PX4, Pixhawk, Arducopter, Ardupilot, PX4 firmware, Mission planner and so on. Tried searching ALOT around but can't seem to grasp everything. Are you maybe planning to make an video of that?
+oleost This may help - th-cam.com/video/k4tQAmg2ssA/w-d-xo.html may help..
Hi sir! Great video series! Thank you!
I have two questions:
1. If I want to install the pixHawk on a RC boat, what firmware I will chose in Mission Planner? The ArduRover v2.5?
2. Is compatible for Turnigy TGY-iA6B V2 Receiver 6CH?
discuss.ardupilot.org/c/ardurover/arduboat is a good place if it’s a boat you’re after.. best of luck!
Thank you!
Again a perfect guide , shortly what is the advantage of the pixhawk over the apm...i have an APM , can i use my accessories , GPS+Compas and telemetry if i move to pixhawk?thank you.
APM vs. PixHawk covered at 3:03 in this video. Personally, the cost of the PixHawk with accessories is so low now I'd get a new setup. The GPS units shipped with the older APM are much less sensitive than modern units.. Happy flying!
thanks for your answer, clear now...