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
      • Pixhawk + Companion Setup
        • RasPi Pixhawk Companion
      • Companion Computer Peripherals
      • Holybro Pixhawk RPI CM4 Baseboard
      • Auterion Skynode
      • Computer Vision
        • Obstacle Avoidance
        • Safe Landing
        • Collision Prevention
        • Path Planning Interface
        • Motion Capture (MoCap)
        • Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO)
          • Realsense T265 Tracking Camera (VIO)
      • Video Streaming
  • Development
    • Getting Started
      • Recommended Hardware/Setup
      • Toolchain Installation
        • MacOS Setup
        • Ubuntu Setup
        • Windows Setup
        • Visual Studio Code IDE
        • Other/Generic Tools
      • Building the Code
      • Writing your First Application
      • Application/Module Template
    • Concepts
      • PX4 Architecture
      • PX4 Flight Stack Architecture
        • Controller Diagrams
      • Events Interface
      • Flight Modes
      • Flight Tasks
      • Control Allocation
      • PWM limit state machine
      • System Startup
      • SD Card Layout
    • Simulation
      • jMAVSim Simulation
        • Multi-Vehicle Sim with JMAVSim
      • Gazebo Simulation
        • Vehicles
        • Multi-Vehicle Sim
      • Gazebo Classic Simulation
        • Vehicles
        • Worlds
        • Multi-Vehicle Sim
      • FlightGear Simulation
        • FlightGear Vehicles
        • Multi-Vehicle Sim with FlightGear
      • JSBSim Simulation
      • AirSim Simulation
      • Multi-Vehicle Simulation
      • Simulate Failsafes
      • HITL Simulation
      • Simulation-In-Hardware
    • Hardware
      • Flight Controller Reference Design
      • Manufacturer’s Board Support Guide
      • Flight Controller Porting Guide
        • PX4 Board Configuration (kconfig)
        • NuttX Board Porting Guide
      • Serial Port Mapping
      • Airframes
        • Adding a New Airframe
      • Device Drivers
      • Telemetry Radio
        • SiK Radio
      • Sensor and Actuator I/O
        • DroneCAN
        • I2C Bus
        • UART/Serial Ports
          • Port-Configurable Serial Drivers
      • RTK GPS (Integration)
    • Middleware
      • uORB Messaging
      • uORB Graph
      • uORB Message Reference
        • ActionRequest
        • ActuatorArmed
        • ActuatorControlsStatus
        • ActuatorMotors
        • ActuatorOutputs
        • ActuatorServos
        • ActuatorServosTrim
        • ActuatorTest
        • AdcReport
        • Airspeed
        • AirspeedValidated
        • AirspeedWind
        • AutotuneAttitudeControlStatus
        • BatteryStatus
        • ButtonEvent
        • CameraCapture
        • CameraStatus
        • CameraTrigger
        • CellularStatus
        • CollisionConstraints
        • CollisionReport
        • ControlAllocatorStatus
        • Cpuload
        • DebugArray
        • DebugKeyValue
        • DebugValue
        • DebugVect
        • DifferentialPressure
        • DistanceSensor
        • Ekf2Timestamps
        • EscReport
        • EscStatus
        • EstimatorAidSource1d
        • EstimatorAidSource2d
        • EstimatorAidSource3d
        • EstimatorBias
        • EstimatorBias3d
        • EstimatorEventFlags
        • EstimatorGpsStatus
        • EstimatorInnovations
        • EstimatorSelectorStatus
        • EstimatorSensorBias
        • EstimatorStates
        • EstimatorStatus
        • EstimatorStatusFlags
        • Event
        • FailsafeFlags
        • FailureDetectorStatus
        • FollowTarget
        • FollowTargetEstimator
        • FollowTargetStatus
        • GeneratorStatus
        • GeofenceResult
        • GimbalControls
        • GimbalDeviceAttitudeStatus
        • GimbalDeviceInformation
        • GimbalDeviceSetAttitude
        • GimbalManagerInformation
        • GimbalManagerSetAttitude
        • GimbalManagerSetManualControl
        • GimbalManagerStatus
        • GpioConfig
        • GpioIn
        • GpioOut
        • GpioRequest
        • GpsDump
        • GpsInjectData
        • Gripper
        • HealthReport
        • HeaterStatus
        • HomePosition
        • HoverThrustEstimate
        • InputRc
        • InternalCombustionEngineStatus
        • IridiumsbdStatus
        • IrlockReport
        • LandingGear
        • LandingGearWheel
        • LandingTargetInnovations
        • LandingTargetPose
        • LaunchDetectionStatus
        • LedControl
        • LogMessage
        • LoggerStatus
        • MagWorkerData
        • MagnetometerBiasEstimate
        • ManualControlSetpoint
        • ManualControlSwitches
        • MavlinkLog
        • MavlinkTunnel
        • Mission
        • MissionResult
        • ModeCompleted
        • MountOrientation
        • NavigatorMissionItem
        • NormalizedUnsignedSetpoint
        • NpfgStatus
        • ObstacleDistance
        • OffboardControlMode
        • OnboardComputerStatus
        • OrbTest
        • OrbTestLarge
        • OrbTestMedium
        • OrbitStatus
        • ParameterUpdate
        • Ping
        • PositionControllerLandingStatus
        • PositionControllerStatus
        • PositionSetpoint
        • PositionSetpointTriplet
        • PowerButtonState
        • PowerMonitor
        • PpsCapture
        • PwmInput
        • Px4ioStatus
        • QshellReq
        • QshellRetval
        • RadioStatus
        • RateCtrlStatus
        • RcChannels
        • RcParameterMap
        • Rpm
        • RtlTimeEstimate
        • SatelliteInfo
        • SensorAccel
        • SensorAccelFifo
        • SensorBaro
        • SensorCombined
        • SensorCorrection
        • SensorGnssRelative
        • SensorGps
        • SensorGyro
        • SensorGyroFft
        • SensorGyroFifo
        • SensorHygrometer
        • SensorMag
        • SensorOpticalFlow
        • SensorPreflightMag
        • SensorUwb
        • SensorSelection
        • SensorsStatus
        • SensorsStatusImu
        • SystemPower
        • TakeoffStatus
        • TaskStackInfo
        • TecsStatus
        • TelemetryStatus
        • TiltrotorExtraControls
        • TimesyncStatus
        • TrajectoryBezier
        • TrajectorySetpoint
        • TrajectoryWaypoint
        • TransponderReport
        • TuneControl
        • UavcanParameterRequest
        • UavcanParameterValue
        • UlogStream
        • UlogStreamAck
        • UwbDistance
        • UwbGrid
        • VehicleAcceleration
        • VehicleAirData
        • VehicleAngularAccelerationSetpoint
        • VehicleAngularVelocity
        • VehicleAttitude
        • VehicleAttitudeSetpoint
        • VehicleCommand
        • VehicleCommandAck
        • VehicleConstraints
        • VehicleControlMode
        • VehicleGlobalPosition
        • VehicleImu
        • VehicleImuStatus
        • VehicleLandDetected
        • VehicleLocalPosition
        • VehicleLocalPositionSetpoint
        • VehicleMagnetometer
        • VehicleOdometry
        • VehicleOpticalFlow
        • VehicleOpticalFlowVel
        • VehicleRatesSetpoint
        • VehicleRoi
        • VehicleStatus
        • VehicleThrustSetpoint
        • VehicleTorqueSetpoint
        • VehicleTrajectoryBezier
        • VehicleTrajectoryWaypoint
        • VtolVehicleStatus
        • Wind
        • YawEstimatorStatus
      • MAVLink Messaging
      • uXRCE-DDS (PX4-ROS 2/DDS Bridge)
    • Modules & Commands
      • Autotune
      • Commands
      • Communication
      • Controllers
      • Drivers
        • Airspeed Sensor
        • Baro
        • Distance Sensor
        • IMU
        • INS
        • Magnetometer
        • Optical Flow
        • Rpm Sensor
        • Transponder
      • Estimators
      • Simulations
      • System
      • Template
    • Debugging/Logging
      • FAQ
      • Consoles/Shells
        • MAVLink Shell
        • System Console
      • Debugging with GDB
        • SWD Debug Port
        • JLink Probe
        • Black Magic/DroneCode Probe
        • STLink Probe
        • Hardfault Debugging
      • Debugging with Eclipse
      • Failure Injection
      • Sensor/Topic Debugging
      • Simulation Debugging
      • Sending Debug Values
      • System-wide Replay
      • Profiling
      • Binary Size Profiling
      • Logging
      • Flight Log Analysis
      • ULog File Format
    • Tutorials
      • Long-distance Video Streaming
      • Connecting an RC Receiver on Linux
    • Advanced Topics
      • Parameters & Configs
      • Package Delivery Architecture
      • Computer Vision
        • Motion Capture (VICON, Optitrack, NOKOV)
      • Installing driver for Intel RealSense R200
      • Switching State Estimators
      • Out-of-Tree Modules
      • STM32 Bootloader
      • System Tunes
      • Advanced Linux Installation Cases
      • Windows Cygwin Toolchain Maintenance
      • Unsupported Developer Setup
        • CentOS Linux
        • Arch Linux
        • Windows VM Toolchain
        • Windows Cygwin Toolchain
        • Qt Creator IDE
    • Platform Testing and CI
      • Test Flights
        • Test MC_01 - Manual Modes
        • Test MC_02 - Full Autonomous
        • Test MC_03 - Auto Manual Mix
        • Test MC_04 - Failsafe Testing
        • Test MC_05 - Indoor Flight (Manual Modes)
      • Unit Tests
      • Continuous Integration
      • MAVSDK Integration Testing
      • ROS Integration Testing
      • Docker Containers
      • Maintenance
  • Drone Apps & APIs
    • Offboard Control from Linux
    • ROS
      • ROS 2
        • ROS 2 User Guide
        • ROS 2 Offboard Control Example
        • ROS 2 Multi Vehicle Simulation
      • ROS 1 with MAVROS
        • ROS/MAVROS Installation Guide
        • ROS/MAVROS Offboard Example (C++)
        • ROS/MAVROS Offboard Example (Python)
        • ROS/MAVROS Sending Custom Messages
        • ROS/MAVROS with Gazebo Classic Simulation
        • Gazebo Classic OctoMap Models with ROS 1
        • ROS/MAVROS Installation on RPi
        • External Position Estimation (Vision/Motion based)
    • DroneKit
  • Contribution (&Dev Call)
    • Dev Call
    • Support
    • Source Code Management
      • GIT Examples
    • Documentation
    • Translation
    • Terminology/Notation
    • Licenses
  • Releases
    • 1.14
    • 1.13
    • 1.12
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On this page
  • Mapping Drones
  • Cargo Drones (Package Delivery)
  • Surveillance, Search & Rescue
  • Agricultural Drones/Crop Spraying
  • Generic Actuator Control
  • Generic Actuator Control with MAVLink
  • Generic Actuator Control with RC
  • Generic Actuator Control in Missions
  • MAVSDK (Example script)
  1. Getting Started

Payloads & Cameras

PreviousPreflight ChecksNextFlight Reporting

Last updated 1 year ago

PX4 supports a wide range of payloads and cameras.

Payloads are connected to , and can generally be triggered automatically in missions, or manually using RC passthrough, mapping to a joystick, or MAVLink/MAVSDK commands.

:::note Payloads (actuators) can be tested in the , which disables motors but allows actuators to move. This may be safer than testing when the vehicle is armed. :::

Mapping Drones

Mapping drones use cameras to capture images at time or distance intervals during surveys.

MAVLink cameras that support the provide the best integration with PX4 and QGroundControl. The MAVSDK provides simple APIs to use this protocol for both and in .

Cameras can also be connected directly to a flight controller using PWM or GPI outputs. PX4 supports the following set of MAVLink commands/mission items for cameras that are connected to the flight controller:

  • - set time interval between captures.

  • - set distance between captures

  • - start/stop capturing (using distance or time, as defined using above messages).

The following topics show how to connect and configure a camera:

  • from flight controller PWM or GPIO outputs, or via MAVLink.

  • feedback via hotshoe input.

Cargo Drones (Package Delivery)

Cargo drones commonly use grippers, winches, and other mechanisms to release packages at their destinations.

For setup and usage information see:

:::note Support for winches and other release mechanisms is also intended.

Surveillance, Search & Rescue

Surveillance and Search & Rescue drones have similar requirements to mapping drones. The main differences are that, in addition to flying a planned survey area, they typically need good standalone control over the camera for image and video capture, and they may need to be able to work during both day and night

:::note Cameras connected directly to the flight controller only support camera triggering, and are unlikely to be suitable for most surveillance/search work. :::

Agricultural Drones/Crop Spraying

Generic Actuator Control

This is useful when you need to use a payload type for which there is no associated MAVLink command, or that is not supported by PX4.

:::note Prefer using integrated hardware and hardware-specific MAVLink commands to generic actuator control when possible. Using integrated hardware allows optimised mission planning and behaviour. :::

Generic Actuator Control with MAVLink

MAV_CMD_DO_SET_ACTUATOR param1 to param6 control the outputs mapped by Offboard Actuator Set 1 to Offboard Actuator Set 6 respectively.

For example, in the image above, the AUX5 output is assigned the function Offboard Actuator Set 1 function. To control the actuator attached to AUX5 you would set the value of MAV_CMD_DO_SET_ACTUATOR.param1.

Generic Actuator Control with RC

For example, to control an actuator attached to AUX pin 3 (say) you would assign the output function RC AUX 5 to the output AUX3. You could then use set the RC channel to control the AUX3 output using RC_MAP_AUX5.

Generic Actuator Control in Missions

It is important to note that with generic actuator control, neither QGroundControl or PX4 know anything about the hardware being triggered. When processing the mission item, PX4 will simply set the outputs to the specified values and then immediately proceed to the next mission item. If the hardware requires time to activate and you need to pause at the current waypoint for this to happen, then you will need to plan the mission with additional items to achieve the desired behaviour.

:::note This is one reason why integrated hardware is preferred! It allows missions to be written generically, with any hardware-specific behaviour or timing managed by the flight stack configuration. :::

To use a generic actuator in a mission:

  1. Create a waypoint mission item where you want the actuator command.

  2. Change the waypoint mission item to a "Set actuator" mission item:

    • Select the header on the waypoint mission editor to open the Select Mission Command editor.

    • Select the category Advanced, and then the Set actuator item (if the item is not present, try a more recent version of QGroundControl or a daily build). This will change the mission item type to "Set actuator".

  3. Select the actuators that are connected and set their values (these are normalized between -1 and 1).

MAVSDK (Example script)

The set_actuator() index values map to the MAVLink payload outputs defined for your airframe.

#include <mavsdk/mavsdk.h>
#include <mavsdk/plugins/action/action.h>
#include <chrono>
#include <cstdint>
#include <iostream>
#include <future>

using namespace mavsdk;

void usage(const std::string& bin_name)
{
    std::cerr << "Usage :" << bin_name << " <connection_url> <actuator_index> <actuator_value>\n"
              << "Connection URL format should be :\n"
              << " For TCP : tcp://[server_host][:server_port]\n"
              << " For UDP : udp://[bind_host][:bind_port]\n"
              << " For Serial : serial:///path/to/serial/dev[:baudrate]\n"
              << "For example, to connect to the simulator use URL: udp://:14540\n";
}

int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
    if (argc != 4) {
        usage(argv[0]);
        return 1;
    }

    const std::string connection_url = argv[1];
    const int index = std::stod(argv[2]);
    const float value = std::stof(argv[3]);

    Mavsdk mavsdk;
    const ConnectionResult connection_result = mavsdk.add_any_connection(connection_url);

    if (connection_result != ConnectionResult::Success) {
        std::cerr << "Connection failed: " << connection_result << '\n';
        return 1;
    }

    std::cout << "Waiting to discover system...\n";
    auto prom = std::promise<std::shared_ptr<System>>{};
    auto fut = prom.get_future();

    // We wait for new systems to be discovered, once we find one that has an
    // autopilot, we decide to use it.
    mavsdk.subscribe_on_new_system([&mavsdk, &prom]() {
        auto system = mavsdk.systems().back();

        if (system->has_autopilot()) {
            std::cout << "Discovered autopilot\n";

            // Unsubscribe again as we only want to find one system.
            mavsdk.subscribe_on_new_system(nullptr);
            prom.set_value(system);
        }
    });

    // We usually receive heartbeats at 1Hz, therefore we should find a
    // system after around 3 seconds max, surely.
    if (fut.wait_for(std::chrono::seconds(3)) == std::future_status::timeout) {
        std::cerr << "No autopilot found, exiting.\n";
        return 1;
    }

    // Get discovered system now.
    auto system = fut.get();

    // Instantiate plugins.
    auto action = Action{system};

    std::cout << "Setting actuator...\n";
    const Action::Result set_actuator_result = action.set_actuator(index, value);

    if (set_actuator_result != Action::Result::Success) {
        std::cerr << "Setting actuator failed:" << set_actuator_result << '\n';
        return 1;
    }

    return 0;
}

PX4 supports package delivery in missions using a . Grippers can also be triggering using the MAVLink command, or manually via a Joystick button.

If you need to perform cargo delivery using hardware that is not yet integrated, you can use . :::

Use a camera that supports the as this supports image and video capture, zooming, storage management, multiple cameras on the same vehicle and switching between them, etc. These cameras can be controlled either manually from QGroundControl or via MAVSDK (for both and in ). See for information on how to configure your camera to work with MAVLink.

A search and rescue drone may also need to carry cargo, for example, emergency supplies for a stranded hiker. See above for information about payload delivery.

Agricultural drones are commonly used for mapping crop health and pest detection and animal management (herding, tracking, etc.). These cases are similar to the and cases above. While specific crops/animals may need specialist cameras, the integration with PX4 is the same.

Agricultural drone may also be used for crop spraying. In this case the sprayer must be controlled as a :

The section explains how you can connect flight controller outputs to your sprayer so that they can be controlled using MAVLink. Most sprayers provide controls to activate/deactivate a pump; some also allow control over the rate of flow or the spray field (i.e. by controlling the nozzle shape, or using a spinner to distribute the payload).

You can define the area to spray using a , or you can define the grid to fly using waypoints. In either case, it is important to ensure that the vehicle flight path and altitude provide adequate coverage for your particular spray being used.

You should add a to your mission before and after the survey pattern in order to enable and disable the sprayer.

You can connect arbitrary hardware to unused PX4 outputs and control it using or (either as commands or in a ).

can be used to set the value of up to 6 actuators (at a time). This command can be used in by creating a "Set actuator" mission item, or as a stand alone command.

The outputs that are to be controlled are specified in the configuration screen by assigning the functions Offboard Actuator Set 1 to Offboard Actuator Set 6 to the desired .

Up to 6 autopilot PWM or CAN outputs can be controlled using RC channels. The outputs that are to be controlled are specified in the configuration screen by assigning the functions RC AUX 1 to RC AUX 6 to the desired .

To map a particular RC channel to an output function RC AUX n (and hence it's assigned output) you use the parameter that has the same n number.

To use generic actuator control in a mission you must first .

Then in QGroundControl you can set the value of actuator outputs in a mission using the Set actuator mission item (this adds a to the uploaded mission plan).

The following shows how to trigger payload release using the MAVSDK Action plugin's method.

:::note MAVSDK sends the MAVLink command under the hood. :::

gripper
MAV_CMD_DO_GRIPPER
Gripper
Flying > Package Delivery Mission Planning
MAVLink Camera Protocol
standalone camera operations
missions
Camera triggering
Survey pattern
MAV_CMD_DO_SET_ACTUATOR
MAVSDK
example code
set_actuator()
MAV_CMD_DO_SET_ACTUATOR
Generic Actuator Control
Cargo Drones
mapping
surveillance, search & rescue
generic actuator
Generic Actuator Control with MAVLink
"Set actuator" mission item
RC Control
MAVLink
mission
MAV_CMD_DO_SET_ACTUATOR
missions
configure the outputs that you want to control using MAVLink
MAVLink Camera Protocol
standalone camera operations
missions
MAV_CMD_DO_SET_CAM_TRIGG_INTERVAL
MAV_CMD_DO_SET_CAM_TRIGG_DIST
MAV_CMD_DO_TRIGGER_CONTROL
Camera Triggering
Actuators
actuator outputs
Actuators
actuator outputs
Generic actuator output setting in QGC
Set actuator mission item
Set actuator mission item
Fight Controller outputs
pre-arm state
Camera Capture
RC_MAP_AUXn