Prerequisite

The RDDRONE-FMUK66 has a two wire 100BaseT1 Ethernet interface on board. The 8mmNavQ board does not include T1 Ethernet however an adapter may be used. To run the T1 Ethernet connection between FMUK66 and NavQ use a separate RDDRONE-T1ADAPT media converter.

Setting a fixed IP to use Ethernet for FMU communication

It is not recommended to use DHCP in a vehicle such as a drone, since you generally don't want the network to change without knowing about the explicit details. Therefore since there is no DHCP and FMUK66 by default has a fixed IP of 10.0.0.2, we need to set a fixed IP on the NavQ for eth0 to be able to communicate via Ethernet to FMUK66.

connman connection manager

The linux program connman is used for configuring the network settings . To force connman to use a fixed IP ( as in case when no DHCP is available) the following file needs to be created.

The IP4 settings are in the order of ownIP/netmask/router. Note that 10.0.0.3 is set as router since in this particular hardware configuration no other device is there.

Setting up FMUK66 for mavlink over T1 Ethernet

T1 Ethernet is supported by PX4 on FMUK66 with latest master.

In the example configuration above, 10.0.0.3 is the IP address of NavQ on the vehicle. More detailed description of the mavlink start parameters can be found here:

Additionally the MAV_BROADCAST parameter on the FMU needs to be set to "2 - only multicast".

Introduction

To be able to have several end nodes communicating via mavlink simultaneously we need to set up mavlink-router on the NavQ. The end nodes can be

• A process for onboard control running on NavQ.

• A QGroundControl (QGC) computer the NavQ connects to via a data link such as WiFi.

• Other mavlink enabled peripherals on the vehicle.

• Another program running on the same remote PC as QGC

Prerequisites

Set up TELEM2 on the FMU

Connect to your FMU over USB and open QGroundControl. Navigate to Settings -> Parameters -> MAVLink and set these parameters:

Also, you'll need to make sure that the settings in Settings -> Parameters -> Serial look like this:

Installation and compiling mavlink router

To install and compile mavlink router follow the steps below (internet access required on your NavQ)

1) Connect to NavQ console via ssh / serial

2) Type the following commands

Mavlink-router configuration

Configuration of mavlink router is done via a single configuration file /etc/mavlink-router/main.conf This file needs to be created from scratch. An example configuration file is available in the mavlink-router sources -

Setup the config file with minimal configuration

You can leave out the unused connection. Via the UdpEndpoint QGConMobile section the mavlink stream is forwarded to a QGC computer/mobile device assuming it has 192.168.43.1 and NavQ is connected to this network via e.g. WiFi.

Enabling auto-start of mavlink-router

Enable the auto-start of mavlink-router via systemd and start it

Checking status of mavlink-router

You can check the status of mavlink router using the command