PX4 User Guide
  • Introduction
  • Getting Started
    • Basic Concepts
    • Vehicles/Frames
    • Flight Controllers
    • Sensors
    • Radio Systems
    • Flight Modes
    • Vehicle Status Notifications
      • LED Meanings
      • Tune/Sound Meanings
      • Preflight Checks
    • Payloads & Cameras
    • Flight Reporting
  • Basic Assembly
    • Mounting the Flight Controller
    • Mounting the GPS/Compass
    • Vibration Isolation
    • Cable Wiring
    • CUAV Pixhawk V6X Wiring QuickStart
    • CUAV V5+ Wiring Quickstart
    • CUAV V5 nano Wiring Quickstart
    • Holybro Pixhawk 6C Wiring Quickstart
    • Holybro Pixhawk 6X Wiring Quickstart
    • Holybro Pixhawk 5X Wiring Quickstart
    • Holybro Pixhawk 4 Wiring Quickstart - Discontinued
    • Holybro Pixhawk 4 Mini Wiring Quickstart - Discontinued
    • Holybro Durandal Wiring Quickstart
    • Holybro Pix32 v5 Wiring Quickstart
    • Cube Wiring Quickstart
    • Pixracer Wiring Quickstart
    • mRo (3DR) Pixhawk Wiring Quickstart
  • Standard Configuration
    • Firmware
    • Airframe
    • Sensor Orientation
    • Compass
    • Gyroscope
    • Accelerometer
    • Airspeed
    • Level Horizon Calibration
    • Radio Setup
    • Joystick Setup
    • Flight Modes
    • Battery
    • Safety
      • Failsafe Simulation
    • ESC Calibration
    • Actuators
    • Autotune
  • Vehicle Types & Setup
    • Multicopters
      • Multicopter Config/Tuning
        • MC Filter/Control Latency Tuning
        • MC PID Tuning (Manual/Basic)
        • MC PID Tuning Guide (Manual/Advanced)
        • MC Setpoint Tuning (Trajectory Generator)
          • MC Jerk-limited Type Trajectory
        • Multicopter Racer Setup
      • X500 v2 (Pixhawk 6C)
      • X500 v2 (Pixhawk 5X)
      • X500 (Pixhawk 4)
      • S500 V2 (Pixhawk 4)
      • DJI F450 (CUAV v5+)
      • DJI F450 (CUAV v5 nano)
      • QAV250 (Pixhawk4 Mini) - Discontinued
      • DJI F450 + RTK (Pixhawk 3 Pro)
      • QAV250 (Pixhawk Mini)
      • QAV-R 5" Racer (Pixracer)
      • Omnicopter
    • Planes
      • Fixed Wing Config/Tuning
        • Fixedwing PID Tuning Guide
        • Fixedwing Advanced Tuning Guide
        • Fixedwing Trimming Guide
      • Reptile Dragon 2 (ARK6X)
      • Turbo Timber Evolution (Pixhawk 4 Mini)
      • Wing Wing Z84 (Pixracer)
    • VTOL
      • VTOL Config/Tuning
        • QuadPlane Configuration
        • Back-transition Tuning
        • VTOL w/o Airspeed Sensor
        • VTOL Weather Vane
      • Standard VTOL
        • FunCub QuadPlane (Pixhawk)
        • Ranger QuadPlane (Pixhawk)
        • Falcon Vertigo QuadPlane (Dropix)
      • Tailsitter VTOL
        • Build: TBS Caipiroshka Tailsitter Build (Pixracer)
      • Tiltrotor VTOL
        • Build: Convergence Tiltrotor (Pixfalcon)
    • Airships (experimental)
    • Autogyros (experimental)
      • ThunderFly Auto-G2 (Holybro pix32)
    • Balloons (experimental)
    • Helicopter (experimental)
      • Helicopter Config/Tuning
    • Rovers (experimental)
      • Traxxas Stampede
    • Submarines (experimental)
      • BlueROV2
    • Airframes Reference
  • Flying
    • First Flight Guidelines
    • Flying 101
    • Missions
      • Package Delivery Mission
    • GeoFence
    • Safety Point Planning
    • Flight Modes
      • Position Mode (MC)
      • Altitude Mode (MC)
      • Manual/Stabilized Mode (MC)
      • Acro Mode (MC)
      • Orbit Mode (MC)
      • Position Mode (FW)
      • Altitude Mode (FW)
      • Stabilized Mode (FW)
      • Acro Mode (FW)
      • Manual Mode (FW)
      • Takeoff Mode
      • Land Mode
      • Return Mode
      • Hold Mode
      • Mission Mode
      • Follow Me Mode
      • Offboard Mode
    • Terrain Following/Holding
  • Flight Log Analysis
    • Log Analysis using Flight Review
    • Log Analysis using PlotJuggler
  • Advanced Configuration
    • Finding/Updating Parameters
    • Full Parameter Reference
    • ECL/EKF Overview & Tuning
    • Flight Termination Configuration
    • Bootloader Flashing onto Betaflight Systems
    • Land Detector Configuration
    • Prearm/Arm/Disarm Configuration
    • IMU Factory Calibration
    • Sensor Thermal Compensation
    • Compass Power Compensation
    • Advanced Controller Orientation
    • Static Pressure Buildup
    • Serial Port Configuration
    • MAVLink Telemetry (OSD/GCS)
    • PX4 Ethernet Setup
    • Bootloader Update
  • Hardware (Drones&Parts)
    • Complete Vehicles
      • ModalAI Starling
      • PX4 Vision Kit
      • MindRacer BNF & RTF
        • MindRacer 210
        • NanoMind 110
      • Holybro Kopis 2
      • Bitcraze Crazyflie 2.1
    • Flight Controllers (Autopilots)
      • Pixhawk Series
        • Silicon Errata
      • Pixhawk Standard Autopilots
        • CUAV Pixhawk V6X (FMUv6X)
        • Holybro Pixhawk 6X (FMUv6X)
        • Holybro Pixhawk 6C (FMUv6C)
        • Holybro Pixhawk 6C Mini(FMUv6C)
        • Holybro Pix32 v6 (FMUv6C)
        • Holybro Pixhawk 5X (FMUv5X)
        • Holybro Pixhawk 4 (FMUv5) - Discontinued
        • Holybro Pixhawk 4 Mini (FMUv5) - Discontinued
        • Drotek Pixhawk 3 Pro (FMUv4pro)
        • mRo Pixracer (FMUv4)
        • Hex Cube Black (FMUv3)
        • mRo Pixhawk (FMUv3)
        • Holybro Pixhawk Mini (FMUv3) - Discontinued
      • Manufacturer-Supported Autopilots
        • AirMind MindPX
        • AirMind MindRacer
        • ARK Electronics ARKV6X
        • CUAV X7
        • CUAV Nora
        • CUAV V5+ (FMUv5)
        • CUAV V5 nano (FMUv5)
        • CUAV Pixhack v3 (FMUv3)
        • CubePilot Cube Orange+ (CubePilot)
        • CubePilot Cube Orange (CubePilot)
        • CubePilot Cube Yellow (CubePilot)
        • Holybro Kakute H7v2
        • Holybro Kakute H7mini
        • Holybro Kakute H7
        • Holybro Durandal
        • Holybro Pix32 v5
        • ModalAI Flight Core v1
        • ModalAI VOXL Flight
        • ModalAI VOXL 2
        • mRobotics-X2.1 (FMUv2)
        • mRo Control Zero F7)
        • NXP RDDRONE-FMUK66 FMU
        • Sky-Drones AIRLink
        • SPRacing SPRacingH7EXTREME
        • ThePeach FCC-K1
        • ThePeach FCC-R1
      • Experimental Autopilots
        • BeagleBone Blue
        • Raspberry Pi 2/3 Navio2
        • Raspberry Pi 2/3/4 PilotPi
          • PilotPi with Raspberry Pi OS
          • PilotPi with Ubuntu Server
      • Discontinued Autopilots/Vehicles
        • Drotek Dropix (FMUv2)
        • Omnibus F4 SD
        • BetaFPV Beta75X 2S Brushless Whoop
        • Bitcraze Crazyflie 2.0
        • Aerotenna OcPoC-Zynq Mini
        • CUAV v5
        • Holybro Kakute F7 (Discontinued)
        • Holybro Pixfalcon
        • Holybro pix32 (FMUv2)
        • mRo AUAV-X2
        • 3DR Pixhawk 1
        • Snapdragon Flight
        • Intel® Aero RTF Drone (Discontinued)
      • Pixhawk Autopilot Bus (PAB) & Carriers
        • ARK Electronics Pixhawk Autopilot Bus Carrier
    • Flight Controller Peripherals
      • ADSB/FLARM (Traffic Avoidance)
      • Air Traffic Avoidance: ADSB/FLARM
      • Air Traffic Avoidance: UTM
      • Airspeed Sensors
        • TFSlot Airspeed Sensor
      • Barometers
      • Camera
      • Distance Sensors (Rangefinders)
        • Lightware SFxx Lidar
        • Ainstein US-D1 Standard Radar Altimeter
        • LeddarOne Lidar
        • Benewake TFmini Lidar
        • Lidar-Lite
        • TeraRanger
        • Lanbao PSK-CM8JL65-CC5
        • Avionics Anonymous Laser Altimeter UAVCAN Interface
      • ESCs & Motors
        • PWM ESCs and Servos
        • DShot ESCs
        • OneShot ESCs and Servos
        • DroneCAN ESCs
          • Zubax Telega
          • PX4 Sapog ESC Firmware
            • Holybro Kotleta
            • Zubax Orel
        • VESC
      • TBS Crossfire (CRSF) Telemetry
      • FrSky Telemetry
      • Gimbal (Mount) Configuration
      • GPS/Compass
        • ARK GPS
        • Holybro DroneCAN M8N GPS
        • LOCOSYS Hawk A1 GNSS
        • Hex Here2
        • Holybro M8N & M9N GPS
        • Sky-Drones SmartAP GPS
      • Grippers
        • Servo Gripper
      • Optical Flow
        • ARK Flow
        • PMW3901
        • PX4FLOW (Deprecated)
      • Precision Landing
      • Parachute
      • Power Modules/PDB
        • CUAV HV pm
        • CUAV CAN PMU
        • Holybro PM02
        • Holybro PM07
        • Holybro PM06 V2
        • Holybro PM02D (digital)
        • Holybro PM03D (digital)
        • Pomegranate Systems Power Module
        • Sky-Drones SmartAP PDB
      • Satellite Coms (Iridium/RockBlock)
      • Telemetry Radios
        • SiK Radio
          • RFD900 (SiK) Telemetry Radio
          • HolyBro (SIK) Telemetry Radio
        • Telemetry Wifi
          • ESP8266 WiFi Module
          • ESP32 WiFi Module
          • 3DR Telemetry Wifi (Discontinued)
        • Microhard Serial Telemetry Radio
          • ARK Electron Microhard Serial Telemetry Radio
          • Holybro Microhard P900 Telemetry Radio
        • CUAV P8 Telemetry Radio
        • HolyBro XBP9X - Discontinued
      • RTK GPS
        • ARK RTK GPS
        • RTK GPS Heading with Dual u-blox F9P
        • CUAV C-RTK
        • CUAV C-RTK2 PPK/RTK GNSS
        • CUAV C-RTK 9Ps
        • Femtones MINI2 Receiver
        • Freefly RTK GPS
        • Holybro H-RTK-F9P
        • Holybro H-RTK-M8P
        • Holybro H-RTK Unicore UM982 GPS
        • Locosys Hawk R1
        • Locosys Hawk R2
        • Septentrio AsteRx-RIB
        • Septentrio mosaic-go
        • Trimble MB-Two
        • CubePilot Here+ (Discontined)
      • Remote ID
      • Smart Batteries
        • Rotoye Batmon Battery Smartification Kit
      • Tachometers (Revolution Counters)
        • ThunderFly TFRPM01 Tachometer Sensor
      • I2C Peripherals
        • I2C bus accelerators
        • TFI2CADT01 I2C address translator
      • CAN Peripherals
      • DroneCAN Peripherals
        • PX4 DroneCAN Firmware
        • ARK CANnode
    • Companion Computers
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        • RasPi Pixhawk Companion
      • Companion Computer Peripherals
      • Holybro Pixhawk RPI CM4 Baseboard
      • Auterion Skynode
      • Computer Vision
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        • Safe Landing
        • Collision Prevention
        • Path Planning Interface
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        • Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO)
          • Realsense T265 Tracking Camera (VIO)
      • Video Streaming
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    • Concepts
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    • Hardware
      • Flight Controller Reference Design
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        • Adding a New Airframe
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On this page
  • Overview
  • Parts List
  • Airframe Build
  • FPV Pod
  • Pitot Pod
  • Flight Computer Installation
  • Electrical
  • Power
  • Servos
  • Config & Debug
  • Peripherals
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  1. Vehicle Types & Setup
  2. Planes

Turbo Timber Evolution (Pixhawk 4 Mini)

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Last updated 1 year ago

The Turbo Timber Evolution is a model sold by Horizon Hobby originally intended for classic line-of-sight RC model flying. This model is designed to excel at flying and has a number of notable traits that also make it an ideal candidate to be converted into a FPV PX4 platform.

Overview

The goal of this build was to create a platform which could be used for general PX4 testing/development. That design goal meant that naturally balanced controls representative of a "vanilla" airplane were desirable. Because classic RC planes are usually designed to be hand flown with no computer augmented flight controls, they tend to be specifically designed to be well trimmed and balanced out of the box. These airplanes also have more attention devoted to making sure they handle well in the air. While it's possible to fly even the most simple foamboard airplane, a lot of nuance in airborne handling can be finessed with a bit more engineering effort. This airplane is a premium example of that, with features like frise ailerons to minimize adverse yaw.

Key airframe features:

  • Spacious interior

  • Top battery hatch

  • Optional leading edge slats

  • Fowler flaps

  • Rugged landing gear with steering tailwheel

  • Exterior lighting pre installed

  • Optional floats

  • Gentle flying characteristics

  • Low drag with internal linkages and minimal protrusions

Key Build Features:

  • Easy overall build with minimal airframe setup

  • Easy access to Pixhawk USB and debug connector

  • Air data provided by wing slung pitot static pod

  • Long flight times (with Liion battery option > 24 minutes)

Parts List

  • MS4525DO differential pressure module and pitot tube

    • Pixhawk 4 Mini mount and top GPS mount

    • FPV pod and camera mount

    • Pitot static pod and wing hardpoint hanger

  • Misc hardware: M3 hardware (standoffs, washers, bolts), XT30 connector, hot glue, heatshrink, Molex Microfit connectors

  • Silicone wiring (14awg for high current, 16awg for low current, 22awg for low power and signals)

  • 3.6Ah 4S LiPo OR 4s2p 18650 LiIon

Airframe Build

The vehicle comes out of the box near complete. Servos and linkages have already been installed, and the only real remaining work is installing the landing gear and horizontal stabilizer. For this portion of the assembly, simply follow the manual.

FPV Pod

The FPV pod was mounted on top of the battery hatch using M3 nylon hardware. Mounting holes for the pod were located by placing the FPV pod on top (being careful to center it with a ruler) and then punching through the fpv pod mounting holes into the foam with a screwdriver. A long M3 nylon screw and a washer on the underside, followed by a washer and standoff on the top of the battery hatch, were then be used to mount the FPV pod.

Pitot Pod

Inside the pitot pod, the MS4525DO differential pressure sensor is connected to the pitot/static tube with a short length of tubing. Zipties are used as hoseclamps to prevent the tubing from backing off the sensor and pitot ports. The i2c and power leads were soldered directly to the MS4525 module, and then hotglue was used to mechanically reinforce the connections.

The pitot/static differential pressure sensor was mounted on the wing (outside the radius of the prop) using a 3D printed "hanger" glued to the leading edge of the wing. An M2 screw and nylock hold the pod to the hanger.

These four leads were then taped to the underside of the wing running back to the Pixhawk 4 Mini.

The lid of the pitot pod was initially taped in place to allow the setup to be tested and modified if needed after first flight. After the first flight, the lid was hot glued in place.

Flight Computer Installation

First, the Pixhawk 4 Mini was placed in the lower mount. Hot glue was added to rigidly connect the fcu to the mount with two zipties providing additional security. The standoff mounts for the upper mount were installed, and the bolts securely tightened. Once the lower mount is installed, these screws are inaccessible, so attention was paid to making sure they were tightt enough so they cannot back out.

Electrical

Power

The Holybro power module was wired inline with the ESC. A spare 16awg power lead was also broken out, terminated to an XT30. This spare lead will be used to provide power to the Caddx Vista FPV unit, but could also be connected to a splitter to power more peripherals. Power for the servo and lighting will be provided by the "BEC" power supply in the ESC.

The TTE is very flexible when it comes to battery options. I use both a 3.6Ah 4S Turnigy pack as well as a Upgrade Energy 4s2p liion pack. While the 3.6Ah LiPo is inexpensive, nearly twice the flight time (24 minutes vs 12 minutes) can be acheived with the Upgrade Energy Liion pack.

Servos

Servos were wired to the flight computer in order of aileron, elevator, rudder, throttle, flaps, and FPV pan. An additional power plug for the lighting system needs to also be installed, but it does not carry a servo signal so it can be put on any spare channel.

Servo endpoints were obtained by using a servo tester to determine the servo PWM pulse width to reach the max travel of each surface in each direction.

Config & Debug

Access to the Pixhawk 4 Mini requires removal of the upper mount. While this isn't too difficult, it was a consideration for wanting to streamline debugging in the field. A short right angle USB micro extension was used to allow easy access to the Pixhawk 4 Mini's USB interface. The USB-A end of this cable was left dangling in the battery bay. Similarly, a JST PH to std spaced headers adapter was made, and it was also left easily accessible in the battery bay.

Peripherals

RC Receiver

Because the Pixhawk 4 Mini has limited uarts, the RX was connected to RC input which does not have a TX pin. This means that the RX will only send control data to the FCU but telemtry cannot be sent to the RX from the FCU. Heatshrink was used to secure the dupont connector of the cable such that it cannot back out off the headers of the ExpressLRS RX.

FPV Pod & Airspeed Cable

Another custom cable was made to connect the Caddx Vista FPV transmitter to the FCU UART (from the UART/I2C B port) and battery power from the Holybro power module. A Molex microfit was added close to the Vista so that it could be easily disconnected without needing to gain access to the Pixhawk. As the name implies, the UART/I2C B port provides both a UART and I2C interface. This port is split with the custom cable and one side provides power and data to the I2C airspeed sensor, while the other side provides power and UART TX/RX to the Caddx Vista. From the UART/I2C B port, 5V, GND, and I2C SCL/SDA, are connected to the I2C airspeed sensor, while just serial RX and TX are connected to the Caddx Vista (Ground is provided the seperate battery power/gnd leads for the Vista)

SIK Telemetry Radio

The plastic case of the SIK telemetry radio was removed to reduce weight and decrease volume of the module. Heatshrink was used to electrically insulate the bare board and the radio was installed between the upper and lower flight computer mounts.

Build Results & Performance

Overall, this build was a success.

In testing I found takeoffs can be as short as only 10ft (3m) using no flaps. I use full flaps on landing to slow the otherwise slippery airframe.

Performance

  • Stall speed (no flaps): 14MPH indicated

  • Cruise speed: 35-65MPH

  • Takeoff roll (with full flaps): < 10ft

  • Endurance: ~24 minutes on 5.2Ah 4s2p LiIon, ~12 minutes on 3.6Ah 4S LiPo

Videos

Flight Logs

Parameter File

with camera pan mount

(with GPS and Power module)

:::note have indicated that the stock ESC bundled with the airplane has an issue with overheating.

As this build will be especially heavy, and therefore likely demand higher average power from the ESC, the stock 60A ESC was replaced with an 80A Turnigy PLUSH-32 during testing. The stock motor was also replaced with a . The stock propeller was replaced with an for better efficiency than the stock tri-blade prop. This new ESC, motor, and propeller combination performs well in testing. :::

An is highly recommended for use on fixed wing vehicles. This build uses a MS4525DO differential pressure module and pitot tube housed in a 3D printed pod that has a hardpoint hanger for connecting it to the wing.

A custom mount for the PX4 Mini was designed and 3d printed (see for all parts). This mount was carefully designed to use internal foam mold features of the stock TTE airframe to be securely attached and well aligned. The mount consists of two parts in a double-decker configuration, bolted together with M3 threaded standoffs. The bottom mount carries the Pixhawk and attaches to the airframe while the top mount carries the GPS and ExpressLRS RX.

The screen is shown below.

A custom cable was made to connect the ExpressLRS RX () to the Pixhawk 4 Mini.

The module is used to stream telemetry to the Caddx Vista which can be seen on the DJI Goggles with the "custom OSD" feature enabled.

Even with the added weight of the Pixhawk 4 Mini installation, the airplane balances well and has plenty of power to retain its original STOL characterisitics. PX4 is easily capable of stabilizing the airplane and fine tuning of the rate loops were accomplished using . The results of tuning can be found in the .

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This param file contains the custom PX4 parameter config for this build, including radio setup, tuning and sensor config. The param file can be loaded via QGC using the instructions at (QGC User Guide).

First Person View (FPV)
Turbo Timber Evolution PNP (includes motor, servos, esc, etc, all fully installed)
80A Plush-32 ESC
Pixhawk 4 Mini
SIK telemetry radio
Caddx Vista FPV air unit
DJI FPV Goggles
ExpressLRS Matek Diversity RX
Custom designed 3D printed parts
Some reports
higher power motor
APC 13x4
airspeed sensor
3D printed parts
Acutator Configuration
RC Reciever
youtube
youtube
Evening Flight (video of flight shown below)
youtube
Snapshot of PX4 airframe params
Parameters> Tools
fixed wing autotuning
parameter file linked below
STOL
msp_osd
Turbo Timber Evolution Closup in a field
Window and front fuselage (hatch) with FPV Pod mounted on top
Underside of hatch showing the FPV pod attachement screws and wires pulled through
Pitot pod/tube sitting on a desk
Pitot pod opened up showing wires pitot tube connectors and wires soldered and hot-glued in place
Turbo Timber Evolution Build
Turbo Timber Evolution Build
Turbo Timber Evolution Build
Turbo Timber Evolution Build
Turbo Timber Evolution Build
Turbo Timber Evolution Build
An image showing the completed power module
Image of batteries used for the build
QGC Actuator configuration screen for this build
Turbo Timber Evolution Build
Turbo Timber Evolution Closup on top of a car
Turbo Timber Evolution field setup