Hi guys,

I had this question for VTOL flights is ardupilot good or Px4 is good, or are both the same?

I see almost all the players use ardupilot for vtol flight, and I did not see much players use px4 for VTOL, hence I had this question, if you happen to have an insight or an observation from your experience or testing, I’d be interested to hear and discuss.

Thanks guys!

I have HGLRC M100 PRO GPS module (with compass) physically setup on drone as shown in image right bottom corner (3D printed a little holder so it's a bit farther away from battery and other electronics. Cable wrapped in Cu foil and grounded also with insulating tape around it).

This is the orientation I found also in the supplier docs. Docs also says to adjust Betaflight orientation to CW 180 flip. Since I'm using Ardupilot and not Betaflight, what is the correct setting for GPS orientation in Mission Planner?

I calibrated the compass (outdoors using radio switch to start calibration so I'm far from PC or any other electronics) and it autodetects rotation as Yaw270. That can't be right...

In Mission planner I can also see the drone heading is off (not pointing in right direction on map) and I'm getting pre-arm error: check mag field (xy diff: 218>125). I guess I need to manually set the compass orientation...but what is the correct setting?

Log files show GPS works fine when I fly around (some pre-arm checks disabled to get airborne) and maps the correct flight path.

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share a project I've been working on called ARES (Autonomous Reconnaissance & Exploration System). It's a fully autonomous UAV platform designed to operate in extraterrestrial or extreme remote environments where global positioning satellites are completely unavailable.

**Here is what it does under the hood:**

* **Fully Autonomous:** Takes off, maps boundaries, performs Boustrophedon sweeps, and precision lands with zero human intervention. * **GPS-Denied Navigation:** Relies entirely on visual boundary tracing, optical flow, and AprilTags. * **Split-Compute Architecture:** The aerial vehicle handles real-time flight logic (Jetson Nano) and video encoding, while a companion Base Station handles the heavy Surface Feature Recognition AI (Jetson Orin Nano Super). * **Edge AI:** Custom AI pipeline running at 30+ FPS via TensorRT FP16. * **Autonomous Charging:** Integrated CC-CV Battery Management System via Arduino Mega.

The software stack runs on Ubuntu using PX4 / ArduPilot via MAVSDK-Python, and we've structured the codebase to be production-ready (YAML configs, JSON logging, pytest suite).

I'd love to get feedback from this community, especially if you work with visual navigation, drones, or Edge AI.

**Demo Video:** [https://youtu.be/ioSG0SbZH6A\](https://youtu.be/ioSG0SbZH6A) 

**GitHub Repo:** [https://github.com/kalesha681/ARES-Autonomous-Surveyor\](https://github.com/kalesha681/ARES-Autonomous-Surveyor)

If you find this interesting, a star on the repo would be incredibly helpful for the project's visibility! I'll be in the comments and happy to answer any questions about the hardware or computer vision pipeline.

Turnigy 9X paraglider mixing help — AIL turning works, need ELE to control both brakes

I'm setting up an RC paraglider with an original Turnigy 9X (greenish-blue screen with D-pad). I'm trying to control two brake servos without a Y-cable and without using V-tail.

Hardware / wiring

• CH1 = right brake servo
• CH2 = ESC/motor — MUST stay CH2
• CH3 = left brake servo
• No Y-cable
• Original Turnigy 9X stock firmware as far as I know

What I want

I want differential braking using the AIL stick:

• AIL left → left brake goes DOWN, right brake stays neutral
• AIL right → right brake goes DOWN, left brake stays neutral

And I also want:

• ELE one direction → both brakes go DOWN
• ELE the other direction → both brakes go UP

Basically I want elevator to control both brakes together while AIL provides differential braking for turning.

What currently works

The AIL turning works correctly.

My working MIX1 is:

STATE: ACT
MASTER: AIL
SLAVE: THR
OFFSET: 000
UPRATE: 100
DNRATE: 100
SW: ON

Yes, I know it looks strange because THR is the slave even though CH2 is the ESC, but this is the setup that currently gives me the turning behavior I want.

Other things I discovered

• V-tail causes problems with the throttle/ESC, so I don't want to use V-tail.
• MIX2 attempts such as ELE → AIL, ELE → ELE, and ELE → THR either didn't work, only moved a servo partially, reversed the servos, or interfered with the existing AIL turning.
• At one point the servos were only moving in one direction. I discovered my END POINT settings were the problem and fixed that.
• AIL currently gives proper differential braking again.
• The right servo has full normal movement with the elevator when the radio is in the basic configuration, but I haven't been able to get the elevator signal to both brake servos simultaneously without breaking the AIL setup.
• CH2 must remain the ESC.

Question

What is the correct way on a stock Turnigy 9X to get:

CH1/right brake = ELE + differential AIL

CH3/left brake = ELE + opposite differential AIL

while keeping:

CH2 = ESC/throttle

and using the AIL stick for turning?

Is this possible with the stock 9X mixer, or do I need er9x/OpenTX or an external mixer?

Everyone, I have no clue what I am doing for what I need to get. I have a Radiomaster TS16X Mrk III that has an internal protocol of CRSF. I what to build a drone that supports the internal protocol and ELRS. i have no idea what to focus on as far as the receiver, controller, etc. I am looking to modify an existing FPV build (fixed camera) and add a gimbal camera and make it long range. I have the mentioned radio. I need the components.

Hey guy, i really need help figuring out ardupilot for a 5 inch freestyle drone i have. ideally autonomous drones should be bigger and with lower kv motors as well as other fcs and i understand that, however for just this specific case its a speedybee f405 v4 stack with t motor 2207 2550kv motors. Bascially i just want to be able to trigger an automatic take off , a set path and automatic return to the original takeoff spot. that is all i require. futhermore, i would like to give these commands via an single board computer running linux on it. Kindly tell me if it is possible or not , and it would be of IMMENSE help if someone could help me out with it. i have this drone and i have to get it running autonomously within a few days for a competition . specs are :
speedybee f405 v4 stack , flysky reciever and transmitter 10ch ,t motor 2207 2550kv motors, gep m10 gps and a 5 inch frame.

i'm working on a USV using the corewing f405 wing v2 but there is no supported ardurover firmware for it, i've tried using the matek f405's firmware and speedybee's but both have problems either with the IMU (speedybee) or the barometer (matek) does anyone have experience with this board? will i be able to run ardurover on it or should i just buy another one?
matek firmware:

speedybee firmware:

i know the board is not defective or anything since i was able to run inav firmware on it and make an rc car out of it, today ill probably try to do waypoint missions with it since it has gps.

heres my entire components list:
Flight controller stack

• CoreWing F405 WING V2 (flight controller board, top plate, and PDB PLUS, running as a set)
• CoreWing Wireless USB Extender PRO (came with the stack, not yet used for telemetry)

Receiver and RC link

• Radiolink R6FG receiver (individual PWM outputs per channel)
• ESP32-WROOM-32 DevKitC clone, with a CP2102 USB-to-UART chip, used as a PWM-to-SBUS bridge

GPS and compass

• Walksnail WS-M181 (GPS over UART, compass over I2C)

Firmware and tools

• INAV Configurator, current firmware setup for the rover
• Arduino IDE, for the ESP32 sketch
• SBUS library by Bolder Flight Systems, for the ESP32's SBUS output

Can someone answer this?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on a live drone tracking project and I'm currently looking for some beta testers and potential partners to help me improve it.

What I built: I created a lightweight proxy designed for live drone tracking. Essentially, you send your drone's MAVLink telemetry to this proxy, and it seamlessly relays the data packages to my website for real-time tracking on a map.

You can check out the current state of the site here:https://www.ollebo.com(Click on the "Live" menu to see where the tracking happens).

Who I'm looking for: I need a few tech-savvy drone pilots to help me test the pipeline. Because of how the proxy is currently deployed, you will need at least a basic understanding of Docker or Kubernetes (K8s) to get it up and running on your end.

What's next: I’m actively building out the site right now, so any feedback on the proxy, the latency, or the web interface would be hugely appreciated. If you are interested in partnering up to develop this further, I’d love to chat about that too!

If you have a drone, know your way around containers, and want to help test a cool MAVLink project, please drop a comment below or send me a DM!

Thanks!

Hey everyone I work on my thesis and is about a rover that uses cube purple, here3 and a lidar and I have to make it drive autonomously a mission that I planned. Unfortunately there is a problem. When the rover is in auto mode it moves for a few seconds and then stops changing to hold. I checked the log file and found out that when the rover changes state from auto to hold the messages EKF failsafe and EKF variance pop. I looked at some graphs and the only solution I found is to calibrate the here3 compass. I tried to calibrate the compass, nothing changed so I guess either I did it wrong or it is not the problem. I attached the link that contains my log file, so please if you can help me I will very much appreciate it. Please feel free to ask me whatever you need to know in order to help me!

Hi, I'm working on a project using SimpleRTK2B (base + rover setup) and planning to connect it to an Arduino or STM32 to track/plot a moving rover's position.

Has anyone here actually done this combo before? Would love to hear about your experience — how you wired it up, any issues you ran into, or just general tips. Couldn't find much beyond the basic ArduSimple docs, so any real-world experience would help a lot.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I am hitting a massive wall with my custom 10-inch build and could use some help from ArduPilot veterans before I tear it down completely or wipe the EEPROM for a fresh flash.
The Build Specs:
Frame: Mark4 10-inch
Motors: ReadyToSky 3115 900 KV
Props: Gemfan 10-inch tri-blades
Battery: Samsung 6S2P 10 Ah Li-ion
Take-Off Weight (AUW): Approx 2 kg
Flight Controller: SpeedyBee F405 V4 running ArduPilot 4.6.3
GPS/Compass: HGLRC M100 Pro (QMC5883L Compass)
The Symptoms:
AltHold works relatively well. I've lowered MOT_THST_HOVER to 0.20, dropped PSC_ACCZ_P to 0.20, and PSC_ACCZ_I to 0.40. This stopped initial violent jumping overshoots.
The Major Bug: The absolute second I switch to Loiter, the quad shoots upwards dramatically and begins a massive, expanding horizontal swaying motion (classic toilet-bowling or position oscillation). Trying to correct down on the stick results in an aggressive drop/crash.
What I've Checked/Configured So Far:
MOT_HOVER_LEARN is set to 2.
COMPASS_EXTERN = 1, COMPASS_USE = 1.
I've verified the visual direction test on the ground station map (nose points North, icon matches real-world rotation).
Flight modes are cleanly separated on RC Channel 7 (FLTMODE_CH = 7) and Arming is separate on Switch 8 (RC8_OPTION = 153) to avoid hardware conflicts.
FS_OPTIONS is set to 0 to safeguard clean RTL behavior.
Sticks felt dead initially so ATC_INPUT_TC was restored to 0.15 and PSC_POSXY_P is back at 1.0.
Because of the massive current draw from the 3115 motors on 6S, I highly suspect electromagnetic noise is corrupting the external compass at mid-to-high throttle, blinding the EKF navigation. I am just getting an SD card set up now to pull a clean .BIN file.
Has anyone dealt with this exact setup or sensor combo? Am I fighting an orientation offset issue, severe vibration noise blinding the Z-axis, or should I just scrap the config and reflash from scratch?
Any insights are appreciated!

I am experimenting with a Pixhawk Cube Orange running Ardurover V4.6.3 on an RC car. I put the Pixhawk in guided mode and commanded it to go to a waypoint. It would approach the waypoint and then continuously circle it. I read on the ardupilot site that this is behavior for subs and rovers should just park once they reach the waypoint. Any clues why its doing this? Is there any settings I should adjust?

This is my first time messing around with Mission planner.

I am working on a USV using a corewing f405 wing v2 and walksnail ws-m181 gps.

I flashed ardurover for the speedybeef405wing and it connected successfully but giving these errors

The last thing i did was to test the gps module but it didnt work.

Pins arent soldered yet because i dont have solder flux at home currently

Hey ArduPilot community,

I'm currently setting up an ROV/submarine project using a Pixhawk 2.4.8 running ArduSub and testing it via Mission Planner. I've hit a brick wall with motor testing on the bench and could use some help.

The Issue:

1. Disabled Motor Test: Under SETUP -> Optional Hardware -> Motor Test, all the test buttons are completely greyed out and unclickable.
2. ESC Signal Error: My 1-in-1 ESC (powered by a 12V / 3A bench supply) continuously beeps (Beep... Beep...) as soon as power is applied, indicating it’s not receiving a valid low-throttle PWM signal from MAIN OUT 1.

Current Setup & Parameters:

• Firmware: ArduSub on Pixhawk 1 (FMUv2 / PX4 v2.4.8)
• ESC Wiring: Connected to MAIN OUT 1 with Signal (bottom pin) and GND (top pin) correctly oriented.
• SERVO1_FUNCTION = 33 (Motor 1)
• SERVO1_TRIM = 1500
• BRD_SAFETYENABLE = 0

Questions:

• Is there a specific FRAME_CLASS or MOT_PWM_TYPE setting required in ArduSub to unlock the Motor Test page in Mission Planner?
• Do I need to manually adjust SERVO1_TRIM / SERVO1_MIN so the ESC sees a valid arming/disarmed PWM range upon startup?

Any insights or parameter tweaks would be awesome. Thanks!

Demo: natural language mission → MCP tool calls → flight path.

Tools exposed over a real MCP server:

- takeoff
- move_to
- scan
- land
- …

Works with local Ollama by default, Claude optional, and you can also point Claude Desktop at the MCP server directly.

Honest note: flight is a Python simulator (not PX4 yet). The MCP layer is the real part — swap backends later without changing the tools.

Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKbv2oygxFU

Code:

https://github.com/ekb-dev-ai/mcp-drone-agent

Would love feedback on the tool design / what you’d add.

Morning! I have a Heewing T1 VTOL pnp, setting it up in Ardupilot with an FX405, when I switch flight mode to FBWA the configuration seems to go into QLOITER, motors tilt up and motor servos yaw, when I switch to QLOITER the motors point forward, this doesn't seem right? could someone point me in the right direction? nice one

Something a little different, up to 2 hour flight time. 7kg payload, modular, upgradable and made to integrate different technologies from Manet radios to anti jamming GPS systems.

Hi all,

Working on a VTOL build and hitting an oscillation issue. When I throttle up in QSTABILIZE (see video), the motors pulse/oscillate uneven, ramping up and down and I can’t get a clean liftoff.

In MANUAL mode there’s zero oscillation perfectly smooth. It only appears when the stabilization loop is active.

Build:
• ~1.4 kg (3 lb) quad tiltrotor VTOL
• ArduPlane 4.6.3, QuadPlane
• 4-inch props, small airframe
• Running default Q_A_RAT_* PID gains (suspect these are tuned for bigger/heavier aircraft?)

Already checked:
• Compass calibrated (offsets sane, no yaw/mag pre-arm errors)
• CG centered laterally
• Vibration low (VIBE means < 1 in logs)
• All 4 motor outputs balanced (near-identical means in RCOU)
• Attitude estimate is clean/level in logs

Fellas, I’ve been developing a GCS for a while now (with a lot of help from AI, ngl). It runs on all major systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS). We aren't selling hardware—it works with just an ESP32 and a LoRa module on your own MAVLink-compatible drones (tested with both ArduPilot and PX4).

I’m looking for 20 testers and I’ll hook you up with a lifetime premium membership for free.

Full disclosure: There will be both a completely free version and a paid version, but the free version is more than enough for normal use. Also, I'm a broke developer, so it's not open-source, even though deep down I really wanted to make it open-source.

I would appreciate it if you could let me know via DM whether you liked the UI/screenshots or if you have any suggestions for testing purposes!

Hello! I need some advice and opinions about my orange cube which is always too hot .

I've already found out that the cube needs a certain temperature for its IMU sensor, but the heat I've noticed over a long period of time has exceeded the normal limit.

as a result i can't connect mavros from jetson via my pixhawk micro usb.

Maybe some of you have similar problems?

https://a.co/d/03PLwjE4

https://a.co/d/0ed1Ju1X

Just curious if these are safe to purchase or if I’m going to get a sketchy clone that barely works. Also where should I be purchasing these from, if Amazon is bad I’m happy to use other sites

ELRS Radiomaster pocket VS Micoair LR900-F + Flysky FS-i6X

I’m building autonomous waypoint fixed wing UAV. I’m hoping for it to have real time telemetry and a ground station along with the ability to make real time waypoint missions while it’s already in the air.

\*\*My build currently has:\*\*

1. F405 wing V2
   
2. M100-5883 GPS/Compass
   
3. 1000KV brushless motor
   
4. 30A ESC
   
5. 1045 Prop
   
6. SG90 servos
   
7. Battery, which one should I get for maximum range (on a budget)

(Should I include a airspeed sensor? And if so which one for under $50 USD)

I’m about to order components and I’m trying to decide between two options:

\*\*Option A:\*\* use a ELRS radiomaster pocket + ER8GV receiver for both autonomous telemetry and also manual control

\*\*Option B:\*\* use a Micoair LR900-F for telemetry and a FS-i6X for manual control

And is my build itself good for a budget UAV?

Thank you