makeflyeasy PixSurveyA1-IND¶
The PixSurveyA1-IND flight controller is an upgrade to PixSurveyA1, with better sensors and a better power solution. It is sold by a range of resellers listed on the makeflyeasy(http://www.makeflyeasy.com)
Specifications¶
Processor:
32-bit STM32F427VIT6 ARM Cortex M4 core with FPU
168 Mhz/256 KB RAM/2 MB Flash
32-bit failsafe co-processor (STMF103)
Sensors
Three redundant IMUs (accels, gyros and compass)
Gyro/Accelerometers: two ICM42688-P(SPI), one ICM40605(SPI)
Barometers: Two redundant MS5611 barometers
Compass: IST8310(internal I2C)
Power
Redundant power supply with automatic failover
Power supply 4V-6V
Interfaces
14x PWM servo outputs (8 from IO, 6 from FMU)
S.Bus output
R/C inputs for CPPM and S.Bus
5x general purpose serial ports
2x I2C ports
2x CAN Bus interface
MicroSD card reader
Type-C USB
High-powered piezo buzzer driver
Safety switch / LED
Servo rail BEC independent power input for servos
12V Power Output
Dimensions
Weight 117g
Size 110mm x 100mm x 23mm
UART Mapping¶
SERIAL0 -> console (primary mavlink, usually USB)
SERIAL1 -> USART2 (telem1,DMA-enabled)
SERIAL2 -> USART3 (Telem2,DMA-enabled)
SERIAL3 -> UART4 (GPS1)
SERIAL4 -> UART8 (GPS2,DMA-enabled)
SERIAL5 -> UART7 (USER)
Connector pin assignments¶
TELEM1, TELEM2 ports¶
| Pin | Signal | Volt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | +5V |
| 2 | TX (OUT) | +3.3V |
| 3 | RX (IN) | +3.3V |
| 4 | GND | GND |
I2C1, I2C2 ports¶
| PIN | SIGNAL | VOLT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | +5V |
| 2 | SCL | +3.3V |
| 3 | SDA | +3.3V |
| 4 | GND | GND |
CAN1, CAN2 ports¶
| PIN | SIGNAL | VOLT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | +5V |
| 2 | CAN_H | +12V |
| 3 | CAN_L | +12V |
| 4 | GND | GND |
Safety and LED port¶
| PIN | SIGNAL | VOLT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | +3.3V |
| 2 | LED | +3.3V |
| 3 | SAFKEY | +3.3V |
GPS1/I2C1, GPS2/I2C2 ports¶
| PIN | SIGNAL | VOLT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | +5V |
| 2 | TX | +3.3V |
| 3 | RX | +3.3V |
| 4 | SCL | +3.3V |
| 5 | SDA | +3.3V |
| 6 | GND | GND |
Serial5 port¶
| Pin | Signal | Volt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | +5V |
| 2 | TX (OUT) | +3.3V |
| 3 | RX (IN) | +3.3V |
| 4 | GND | GND |
Power1, Power2 ports¶
| PIN | SIGNAL | VOLT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | +5V |
| 2 | VCC | +5V |
| 3 | CURRENT | +3.3V |
| 4 | VOLTAGE | +3.3V |
| 5 | GND | GND |
| 6 | GND | GND |
12V Power Output port¶
| Pin | Signal | Volt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GND | GND |
| 2 | VCC | +12V |
| 3 | GND | GND |
S.BUS Output port¶
| Pin | Signal | Volt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SBUS.out | +3.3V |
| 2 | NC | NC |
| 3 | GND | GND |
RC Input¶
All compatible RC protocols can be decoded by attaching the Receiver’s output to the SBUS input pin next to the Servo/Output VCC input connector. Note that some protocols such as CRSF or FPort including telemetry, require connection to, and setup of, one of the UARTs instead of this pin.
Compass¶
The PixSurveyA1-IND has a built-in compass. Due to potential interference, the autopilot is usually used with an external I2C compass as part of a GPS/Compass combination.
PWM Output¶
The PixSurveyA1-IND supports up to 14 PWM outputs. First first 8 outputs (labelled 1 to 8) are controlled by a dedicated STM32F103 IO controller. These 8 outputs support all PWM output formats, but not DShot.
The remaining 6 outputs (labelled 9 to 14) are the “auxiliary” outputs. These are directly attached to the STM32F427 and support all PWM protocols as well as DShot.
The 8 main PWM outputs are in 3 groups:
PWM 1 and 2 in group1
PWM 3 and 4 in group2
PWM 5, 6, 7 and 8 in group3
The 6 auxiliary PWM outputs are in 2 groups:
PWM 1, 2, 3 and 4 in group1
PWM 5 and 6 in group2
Channels within the same group need to use the same output rate. If any channel in a group uses DShot then all channels in the group need to use DShot.
Battery Monitor Settings¶
These should already be set by default. However, if lost or changed:
Enable Battery monitor with these parameter settings :
BATT_MONITOR =4
Then reboot.
BATT_VOLT_MULT 18.0
BATT_AMP_PERVLT 24.0
BATT2_VOLT_MULT 18.0
BATT2_AMP_PERVLT 24.0
DroneCAN capability¶
There are 2 CAN ports that allow connecting two independent CAN bus outputs. Each of these can have multiple CAN peripheral devices connected.
Loading Firmware¶
The board comes pre-installed with an ArduPilot compatible bootloader, allowing the loading of xxxxxx.apj firmware files with any ArduPilot compatible ground station.
Firmware for these boards can be found here in sub-folders labeled “PixSurveyA1-IND”.