Develop Algorithms and Deploy on PX4 Autopilot

Develop algorithms and prepare model for deploying on PX4 Autopilots

Develop algorithms and prepare model for deploying on PX4 Autopilots. These topics provide additional information about model configuration parameters, setting COM ports, and deploying PX4 Autopilots from Simulink^®.

Blocks

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Peripheral Blocks

I2C Controller Read	Read data from I2C peripheral device or I2C peripheral device register
I2C Controller Write	Write data to I2C peripheral device or I2C peripheral device register
PX4 Analog Input	Measure analog voltage applied to an ADC channel
PX4 CAN Receive	Receive message from CAN network (Since R2022b)
PX4 CAN Transmit	Transmit message to CAN network (Since R2022b)
Serial Receive	Read data from UART or USART port on PX4 flight controller
Serial Transmit	Send serial data to UART or USART port

Sensor Blocks

Accelerometer	Read sensor_accel uORB topic and obtain three dimensional linear acceleration
Battery	Read battery_status uORB topic and obtain details about the battery's state
GPS	Read vehicle_gps_position uORB topic and obtain GPS coordinates
Gyroscope	Read sensor_gyro uORB topic and obtain three dimensional rate of rotation
Magnetometer	Read sensor_mag uORB topic and obtain three dimensional magnetic field
Radio Control Transmitter	Read input_rc uORB topic to obtain data from Radio Control Transmitter
Vehicle Attitude	Read vehicle_odometry uORB topic and obtain attitude measurements

uORB Read and Write Blocks

PX4 uORB Message	Create a blank message using specified uORB topic
PX4 uORB Read	Read uORB data for the specified uORB topic
PX4 uORB Write	Write uORB data for the specified uORB topic

PX4 Utility Blocks

MAVLink Bridge Source	Read MAVLink data from the Pixhawk board (Since R2022a)
MAVLink Bridge Sink	Write MAVLink data to the Pixhawk board (Since R2022a)
PX4 Read Position Setpoint	Read the position setpoints published by the PX4 Navigator module in the uORB topic `position_setpoint_triplet` (Since R2021b)
PX4 Timestamp	Output absolute timestamp from the PX4 Autopilot to a Simulink model (Since R2023b)
PX4 ULog	Log Simulink signals to an SD card in ULog format (Since R2023b)
PX4 Write Parameter	Write PX4 system parameters (Since R2025a)
Read Parameter	Read PX4 system parameters

Functions

`getMATFilesFromPixhawk`	Retrieve MAT files from SD card inserted on Pixhawk hardware board
`px4MATFilestitcher`	Combine multiple MAT-files retrieved from SD card into a single MAT-file
`createPX4uORBMessage`	Create custom uORB topic for logging in a Simulink model (Since R2023b)
`createCustomPX4Parameter`	Create custom PX4 parameter for writing to the PX4 system parameter (Since R2025a)

Topics

Setup Simulink Model

Model Configuration Parameters for PX4 Flight Controller
Parameter and configuration options for creating and running applications on PX4^® flight controller
Set COM Port for Upload and Communication in Simulink
Set COM port for Upload and Communication in Simulink models.
Deployment on Cube Orange Autopilot from Simulink
Deploy Simulink generated code to Cube Orange Autopilot.
Deployment on Cube Blue H7 Autopilot from Simulink
Deploy Simulink generated code to Cube Blue H7 Autopilot.
Deployment on Unsupported PX4 Autopilots from Simulink
Deploy Simulink generated code to unsupported PX4 Autopilot.

PX4 Autopilot Peripheral Information

Index Numbers for Analog Channels on Pixhawk Series Controller Boards
Identify the index numbers for signals from analog channels.
Serial Port Names and Corresponding Labels on PX4 Flight Controller Boards
Identify the UART/USART port number for the labels seen on PX4 flight controller boards.
I2C Bus Port Numbers for Labels on PX4 Autopilots
Identify the bus port number for the labels seen on PX4 flight controller boards

MAVLink Communication with PX4 Autopilots

Connecting to NSH Terminal for Debugging
Connect to the NSH terminal of Pixhawk^® Series controller for debugging.

Additional Information

Migrating from Pixhawk Pilot Support Package to UAV Toolbox Support Package for PX4 Autopilots
Migrate from existing Pixhawk Pilot Support Package to the new UAV Toolbox Support Package for PX4 Autopilots.
Getting Started with uORB Blocks for PX4 Autopilots Support Package
Read and write uORB messages using PX4 uORB Read and PX4 uORB Write blocks.
Connecting to NSH Terminal for Debugging
Debug PX4 autopilot using NSH terminal.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Deploy to Hardware Issues

Solve the problems when you try to deploy the Simulink model to Pixhawk Series flight controllers.

Troubleshooting PX4 Firmware Build Failure Due to Flash Memory Overflow on the Hardware

Solve the flash memory overflow on the hardware issues while using the default px4 board build target file.

Troubleshooting Running Out of File Descriptor Issues

Solve the running out of file descriptor issues.

Troubleshooting USB Issues with Cube Orange on Windows

Solve the USB issues with Cube Orange.

Featured Examples

Getting Started with PX4 Analog Input Block for ADC Channels

Read voltage of ADC pins on Pixhawk series controller using PX4 Analog Input block.

Open Model

Getting Started with PX4 Write Parameter Block

Write parameter values to PX4 flight controllers using PX4 Write Parameter block.

Open Model

Getting Started with Serial Receive and Serial Transmit Blocks

Get and send serial data to PX4 autopilot using Serial Receive and Serial Transmit blocks.

Open Model

Getting Started with PX4 CAN Receive and PX4 CAN Transmit Blocks

Get and send control area network (CAN) messages to PX4 autopilot using PX4 CAN Receive and PX4 CAN Transmit blocks.

Open Model

Read GPS Data from PX4 Autopilot

Read GPS data from PX4 autopilot in Simulink using GPS block.

Open Live Script

Read GPS Data over UAVCAN

Read UAVCAN GPS data from PX4 autopilot in Simulink using GPS block.

Open Model

Read PX4 System Parameters from PX4 Autopilot

Read system parameters from PX4 autopilot using Read Parameter block.

Open Model

Read Accelerometer Values from I2C Based Sensor Connected to PX4 Autopilot

Read accelerometer values from I2C based sensor using I2C Controller Read block.

Open Model

CAN Communication with Pixhawk Using Raspberry Pi

Establish a CAN communication between Pixhawk® hardware and Raspberry Pi® hardware.

Open Model

Plant and Attitude Controller Model for Hexacopter

Create hexacopter plant and attitude controller for PX4 autopilot.

Open Model